The Food Scout

Yes, California has earthquakes, wildfires, water shortages, no seasons, and Arnold Schwarzenegger for a governor. But when it comes to food retail and restaurants, Calif. gets EVERYTHING (sigh).

Okay, so Trader Joe’s and In ‘n Out Burger were established on the West Coast before I found out about them. But isn’t that enough? Don’t Malibu, Pasadena and Newport Beach have enough little green grocers and food takeout places, so that the British could just leave them alone and come attack the Midwest, WHERE WE DON’T HAVE ANY GOOD FOOD STORES (I’m not counting Texas, technically in the Southwest, where they have Whole Foods and Central Market). The Midwest may have rolling plains of wheat and corn and livestock grazing, but we are a FOOD DESERT!

So naturally I am bitter that Tesco, Great Britain’s largest grocery retailer (and trying to become the world’s), is opening not one, but 124 stores in Southern Calif. (and Nev. and N.M.) in the near future. Why do those places need so many stores? Couldn’t they just put one of them in Springfield, Mo., so that we could get some decent fresh-prepared meals and British-style private label goods?

America’s first Fresh & Easy stores open on November 8 in the Los Angeles area. A week later 5 open in Las Vegas. And then who knows? At the rate they’re producing, maybe some will accidentally spill into the Midwest if the British can figure out how to attack that part of the country.