RAHMSWORLD: 'Ground grass fed beef' for only five bucks a pound! Thanks, Rahm. Millions (in tax dollars) to subsidize boutique Whole Foods stores on the South Side -- but not a penny for restoring 'Home Economics' -- let alone shop, music, art, or other -- teachers
Everybody in Chicago knows it's a great idea to pay five bucks a pound for hamburger, right? In case you missed it, Whole Foods will be selling hamburger on "Sale" at $4.99 a pound this week. But it's not just "hamburger" -- let alone those ancient versions, from "Ground Beef" and "Ground Chuck" to "Ground Round" and "Ground Sirloin"... No, at "While Foods," it becomes something exotic, and you are invited to blog about it (see below or go to the Whole Foods website, the URL of which is http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/department/article/beef...).
Rahm Emanuel's propagandists storyboarded the "Whole Foods for Englewood" version of reality as soon as the Chicago Tribune exposed that, like so many other claims, Rahm's "Food Desert" program of providing healthy food choices to the city's poorer community's was bullshit. Three days after the Tribune's expose, the Mayor's Press Office, at public expense, provided the world with the story about how Chicago's mayor had gotten Whole Foods to agree to build a store (depicted above) in Englewood. Left out of the official versions of reality was that Chicago is actually bribing Whole Foods with several goodies, including the land (which Whole Foods will own) and a TIF subsidy. Apparently, neither the Rahm's paid propagandists at the Sun-Times nor his own staff bothered to ask the last time Englewood residents paid ten bucks a pound for "free range chicken" or five bucks a pound for "grass fed ground beef."Mayor LONGERSCHOOLDAYSTEM (etc.) announced in September 2013 that he was going to abate Chicago's "Food Desert" problem by subsidizing (to the tune of at least $10 million in TIF dollars) the creation of a "Whole Foods" in Chicago's Englewood community. It was just coincidence that Rahm's Whole Foods quickie came shortly after the Chicago Tribune published an investigative report showing that Rahm's promises about alleviating so-called "food deserts" were more "talk" than "walk." The mayor had promised about three times as many corporate food availabilities than had actually come to pass. Food stamps and food pantries for the desperately poor are never even in Rahm's radar, but that's another story.
As substancenews.net reported earlier, the Chicago Sun-Times obliged its buddy, Rahm Emanuel, by slapping a byline on a City Hall press release and printing it as a "news" story, complete with a City Hall graphic to go with it (after all, what's the Sun-Times to do for photographs now that it has eliminated its photojournalists?).
Ah, but the question remained, at least for some readers, as to how many of the people of Englewood, which already has an Aldi and some of the poorest families in the USA, going to afford the prices Whole Foods charges for its food. After all, nobody in most of Chicago proudly brags to family, friends, and neighbors that they just paid ten dollars a pound for "Free Range Chicken" or seven bucks a pound for genetically pure Romaine Lettuce (you know, it's guaranteed not to include the DNA of impure kinds...).
So the Substance investigative team will take the time, now and then, to follow Rahm's food fantasies, both in tracking the development of that site and in tracking what is actually taking place at Whole Foods. Today: Home Economics. As readers know, Chicago schools used to teach a subject called "Home Economics," which included shopping, cooking, sewing, and some other skills that working class people sometimes (but not always) taught at home. It's becoming clear that many of the nutritional problems of poor kids in Chicago result from their lack of information about how to purchase and prepare healthy fresh foods, whether grown in the "community garden," purchased at the Farmer's Market, or-- unlikely -- gathered after blogging to Whole Foods. You could hire a lot of "Home Economics" teachers for the cost to the taxpayers of that Whole Foods of Rahm's.
But for the second weekend in September, here is the latest "sale" from Whole Foods, straight from their website:
"By Jennifer Cheng, September 11, 2013. Meet the Blogger. More Posts by Jennifer...
"Here’s the beef! This Friday only, our continental US and most Canada stores* will have ground grass-fed beef on sale for $4.99 per pound**. If you haven’t tried grass-fed beef before, this is the perfect time to see what everyone’s talking about. The rest of you “seasoned” grass-fed beef lovers can take advantage of this opportunity and stock up! This sale is one day only so you’ve got to stop by our stores this Friday, September 13th to pick some up.
"*Sorry this sale is not valid in our British Columbia, Hawaii and UK stores. **The sale price in our Ontario stores is $1.19 per 100 grams.
"Availability and limits may vary by region, so please contact your store for details. While supplies last. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this.
"Here’s what to know about grass-fed beef:
"Grass-fed beef ranching is not only good for the animals, but involves managing natural resources and supporting local producers.
"Grass-fed beef is a leaner choice and has a more favorable ratio of omega fatty acids.
"Grass-fed beef is priced fairly for the producer and is worth every penny.
"Grass-fed beef is a delicious alternative to grain-fed beef and cooks a little differently.
"Whether you’re buying the pasture-raised, naturally flavorful ground grass-fed beef during this sale or you’re buying other cuts of beef from our butchers, you’re getting beef that’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare rated. That means that our farmer partners are dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals and it also means that you know how the animals were raised for the meat that you’re buying.
"If this is your first time cooking grass-fed beef, here are some awesome cooking tips from Liz Pearson, one of our recipe developers/food stylists.
"Here are some recipes so you can get set for this Friday’s sale on ground grass-fed beef. Green Chile Cheddar Grass-Fed Beef Burgers, anyone?"
By: Kati Gilson, NBCT
Whole Foods
Our parents can't afford healthy food for their children.