The Berkeley Bowl is not for the faint of heart. Speaking from experience, this is one of the toughest grocery shopping experiences out there, but also one of the most rewarding. They’ve got a million and one types of produce, some of the hardest-to-find bulk items, and some of the best meat and seafood in town, but to say customers behave like animals gives all animals everywhere a bad name.
The LA Times has a great story today on the Bowl’s latest draconian measure to prevent behavior that adults shouldn’t need reminding about. The store now bans customers for life if they’re found sampling food before paying. Manager Larry Evans drops this priceless gem about living in Berzerkley:
“Berkeley residents are angry – they’re mad at the president, the economy, all kinds of stuff. And this is the place where it seems to get released, the local supermarket.”
True enough. A friend who used to work there recommends Saturday evenings just before closing as the best time to shop. “By that time, people are off pretending they have lives,” she said. Jeez, is nobody at that place totally jaded?
At the Berkeley Bowl, the nuts are off the shelf [LA Times]
[Photo: Buddha’s Hand citron at Berkeley Bowl via Justin/flickr]
