I live in South St. Louis by choice. I'm very happy here. There are a few things I wish were different, and that's my rant du jour.

Tonight I went shopping at the nearest major grocery chain. Being no more than a quarter of a mile away, it's convenience rocks! As a bonus I get to do some neato people watching. Tonight I observed a woman in bike shorts and a baggy white t-shirt, and realized I need to update my wardrobe a bit. It was unflattering on her, so it's probably unflattering on me too. That's a shame, because I like my baggy clothes. I also saw a goofy couple learning how to shop together. They didn't have the foggiest idea what they were supposed to buy for their household. It seemed like every aisle I went down, there they were -discussing the mathematics of food. It was amusing, and brought back memories of my first dozen shopping expeditions as a married woman. "I will eat X amount of this... B will eat X amount... is 2X greater or less than Y amount posted on the box?" The figuring then gets into the ratio of leftovers divided quality of taste, subtracting time as an exponential factor.

That's probably why I get a headache when I go to the grocery store.

My friends are nice people, so they all say it's because I'm empathic.

The Schnucks store in my neighborhood carries a lot of junk food. They also have organic milk, sweetener free juice from concentrate and organic chocolate pudding. The reason behind the miniscule selection is the neighborhood. Some market analyst decided that working class families in South St. Louis don't want healthy things to eat. I think they're wrong.
I used to make a point of asking for organic milk every time I went to the store. They finally either got a clue, or gave in to my demands and started stocking organic milk. I have learned to buy it whenever I see it on the shelves, because they sell out of their entire stock within a week and a half. I asked about it tonight because once again, the section that usually holds Horizon Organic Milk was empty. They have 7 different kinds of soy milk that take up space and expire, yet they can't figure out how to order enough organic milk. I found out they get a shipment of 32 half gallons of Horizon every month. I buy 3 of those. Someone else in my neighborhood is buying the other 29. This looks like a demand to me.
They recently started carryng quarts of goats milk. I've noticed they sit on the shelf until the Horizon is gone, then they move like crazy. I brought home goats milk tonight, and B looked at me like I had grown a second head. I can't even imagine what he would have said if I told him how much it cost. heh.
I hope it's tasty.

They don't carry a single piece of organic fruit. I drive all the way to Sappington Farmer's Market for that. It means I have to sit through the stoplight from hell, but I suppose it's worth it. Sappington offers organic produce, dairy, meat and boxed food in addition to the regular all-American crap. Their organic stuff is pretty affordable too. Most of it is less than twice the price of non-organic. You can visit their website to view photos, get recipies, print coupons and read the extensive list of organic goodies they offer. You also get to enjoy seeing a carrot and bananna dancing to the tune of "Celebration". It's freaky.

I got a lead on their site for a job. Wish me luck!