Next to the Rydges by the lake, on the ground floor of one of the buildings that are part of the gentrification of Acton, is As Nature Intended, a cafe and grocery shop chasing the bourgeois-green dollar. While not perhaps actually typical of the clientele, one customer we saw on a recent visit seemed to personify the spirit of the place - a middle-aged woman, possibly having strolled from her (and accompanying husband's) new upmarket apartment across the road, wearing a polar-fleece and what appeared to be pyjama bottoms, but with the poise and confidence of possessing a certain amount of wealth.
As well as generally browsing through the (as you would expect) expensive organic grocery section, the other main purpose of our visit was lunch, which was a bit of a mixed bag of experiences. Foodwise, one meal (Beans and Sausage on Toast) was OK, if not outstanding. The other (Thai Scrambled Eggs with Tofu on Toast) was ordered knowing that this would be a gamble, and which turned out ultimately to not pay off. The eggs, though nonetheless excellent, were actually more of an omelet. The tofu was chunky and bland. Further, with both meals we were not impressed with the "toast" appearing to have come straight from a plastic bag, and not being toasted properly - for $15 meals we expect a bit more effort.
The effort of thought was also lacking in whoever chose the music that day - banal, vacuous cafe jazz/trip-hop - that sat uneasily with the underlying premise of the place on conscientiousness in consumerism. On the other hand, we did like the American organic farming journals from the 1960s scattered around. Views on the paintings of Australian pastoral scenes in bright oil paints on the walls will likely be a question of personal taste.
Overall, we would've liked to have liked As Nature Intended more, but it clearly needs to do some work on itself. However, wealthy baby-boomers, who genuinely believe they can eat their way to health, and are otherwise able to suspend doubt, may have a different opinion.
Showing posts with label Supermarkets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Supermarkets. Show all posts
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Aldi - Less Choice is Sometimes More
As the discussants at the fellow Canberra blog Crazybrave point out, there is less choice at Aldi. We, the Always Hungrys, believe that this is its charm.
Aldi, in contrast to other supermarkets, is premised on the idea that at least some consumers actually want less - what we contend are more or less pointless - choices for certain products. These consumers, in our understanding, want a certain level of comparative quality in combination with low prices. This, of course, contrasts with a certain unqualified rhetoric often found in advertising asserting that consumers want more choices.
This call-for-choice is usually predicated on two grounds: that competition engenders quality, or that choice allows the consumer to express their own unique-as-a-snowflake identity. Although consumption may indeed be a manifestation of one's social identity as sophisticated, Australian, or young-at-heart or whatever, the idea that more or less mass-marketed goods make an individual can scarcely be considered as much more than, at best, problematic. We find it hard to see how being able to choose between 20 types of widely-available, say, toothpaste or bottled water produces individuality. Rather, Aldi's less choice of essentially generic products of a comparable quality to its competitors at usually much lower prices provides greater value, and leaves identity to more substantive aspects of life.
We grant that Aldi is not perfect - for example, we are skeptical of the value of its bulk packaging to facilitate faster scanning against environmental impacts. We are glad that we have choices elsewhere in purchasing certain food and drink products. However, within many aspects of cooking and eating, we like it that Aldi is orientated to an alternative model of the consumer and provides an alternative to choices not worth making.
Aldi, in contrast to other supermarkets, is premised on the idea that at least some consumers actually want less - what we contend are more or less pointless - choices for certain products. These consumers, in our understanding, want a certain level of comparative quality in combination with low prices. This, of course, contrasts with a certain unqualified rhetoric often found in advertising asserting that consumers want more choices.
This call-for-choice is usually predicated on two grounds: that competition engenders quality, or that choice allows the consumer to express their own unique-as-a-snowflake identity. Although consumption may indeed be a manifestation of one's social identity as sophisticated, Australian, or young-at-heart or whatever, the idea that more or less mass-marketed goods make an individual can scarcely be considered as much more than, at best, problematic. We find it hard to see how being able to choose between 20 types of widely-available, say, toothpaste or bottled water produces individuality. Rather, Aldi's less choice of essentially generic products of a comparable quality to its competitors at usually much lower prices provides greater value, and leaves identity to more substantive aspects of life.
We grant that Aldi is not perfect - for example, we are skeptical of the value of its bulk packaging to facilitate faster scanning against environmental impacts. We are glad that we have choices elsewhere in purchasing certain food and drink products. However, within many aspects of cooking and eating, we like it that Aldi is orientated to an alternative model of the consumer and provides an alternative to choices not worth making.
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