I went to the grocery story earlier in the week and noticed how full the produce section was – filled with a beautiful array of colorful fruits and vegetables – while much in the inner aisles were already fairly empty in anticipation of Florence — including bottled water.
It got us thinking. SO, I went to a different grocery store today with camera (phone!) in hand to get ‘objective’ proof.
The shelves for bottled water were completely empty and there was a line of shoppers waiting in the aisle – A LINE. S
ame finding in the junk food aisle where the shelves weren’t quite emptied because the items were being restocked as frantic shoppers waited – and frantic clerks worked. Now, I didn’t check out the beer and wine aisles, but could guess the status without ‘objective proof’.
Here’s the thing, yes, buying fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables is costly, but FAR less expensive than chips, cookies, and bottled water. The distorted thinking may result from far less, and less sophisticated, advertising messages around fruits and veggies. It’s a distorted perception. And of course there’s the environmental impact of these purchasing decisions. How effective is recycling even IF people recycle those water bottles? Just interesting that even in an emergency the first thought isn’t to make sure we have plenty of fresh food, but rather to make sure we have plenty of junk food.
Our water supply will still be pumped during a hurricane — even if power is lost. If there is a sewage spill, the water supply will be sanitized, but sure may cause an inconvenience for several days. There are better options though than bottled water. I get the worry – and cravings! – but am concerned about the distorted perceptions, the cause of the perceptions, and how to change the thinking.
Water filter (check), gas grill (check) fruits and veggies (check), junk food (?) – This is NOT an anti-junk food post! Although of course I couldn’t buy any today since it was a “scientific mission.”