My favorite (re: made me want to rant) story about food deserts was College Park, MD. The USDA said it was a food desert because there wasn't a grocery store in it. Nevermind College Park is a small suburb that's mostly taken up by the University of Maryland. Nevermind that the bus system in DC is actually quite good to get you from College Park to Riverdale or Silver Spring or Greenbelt where there are grocery stores. Nope, College Park needed a grocery store! ...So they built a Whole Foods. Cause /that/ makes sense.
I recently learned in 2021 from CBS News that I not only grew up in a food desert but currently live in one because the nearest grocery store was 0.7 miles away. Oh, the horror! I remember thinking to myself, “these neighborhoods aren’t food deserts at all!! They weren’t when I was a kid and they’re not now! Why paint such a bleak, inaccurate picture”.
0.7 miles and even 1 mile isn’t much in NYC. At least not in many parts, but it really does depend. For example, in the Bronx neighborhoods featured in the CBS piece, 0.7 miles can be walked in about 7-10 minutes, and is only 2 bus stops. In between are smaller markets that cater to whatever the broad, ethnic make up of the community is be it Jamaican, African, Italian, or Serbian.
I live smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood where I have very easy access to multiple grocery stores that are either 5 minutes away on bus, or 10 minutes. I have a choice between 2 Stop & Shops, a large market that caters to the cuisines of the aforementioned ethnicities, a Foodtown and a Fine Fare, all of which are bountifully stocked and always packed with people. However, it’s considered a desert because I have to travel a little over half a mile to get to these stores. My question is, exactly how close should a grocery store be? You know. I mean, compared to what? The Upper East Side? The distance has NEVER been an inconvenience for me, my family, or anyone I grew up with because the distance wasn’t too far. We’re not suffering because we have to take a 5 minute bus ride, Uber or cab ride or drive to the grocery store, or walk it on a nice day with a cart.
Also, the food desert folks have also got us common folk thinking “organic” is synonymous with “healthy”, so we think now that there are no healthy options around us because we don’t have a Whole Foods that specializes in carrying “organic” foods, when in reality, we have plenty of access to “healthy” foods in the fresh produce and variety that naturally exists in our ethnic cuisines. Sure, we could use less oil, but a lot of foods can’t be made without the vibrancy of healthy fruits, vegetables and herbs. Organic is certainly nice, but it’s not the definition of health. Perhaps a better option in some cases, but not the definition of health.
I could go on and on lol. I’m just very passionate about dispelling such a regressive myth.
My favorite (re: made me want to rant) story about food deserts was College Park, MD. The USDA said it was a food desert because there wasn't a grocery store in it. Nevermind College Park is a small suburb that's mostly taken up by the University of Maryland. Nevermind that the bus system in DC is actually quite good to get you from College Park to Riverdale or Silver Spring or Greenbelt where there are grocery stores. Nope, College Park needed a grocery store! ...So they built a Whole Foods. Cause /that/ makes sense.
ha ha ha ha ha ha. That is nuts! This is a great example of the craziness around this topic. Thanks for the laugh.
Is it possible that supermarkets close down due to losing so much money because of theft?
I recently learned in 2021 from CBS News that I not only grew up in a food desert but currently live in one because the nearest grocery store was 0.7 miles away. Oh, the horror! I remember thinking to myself, “these neighborhoods aren’t food deserts at all!! They weren’t when I was a kid and they’re not now! Why paint such a bleak, inaccurate picture”.
0.7 miles and even 1 mile isn’t much in NYC. At least not in many parts, but it really does depend. For example, in the Bronx neighborhoods featured in the CBS piece, 0.7 miles can be walked in about 7-10 minutes, and is only 2 bus stops. In between are smaller markets that cater to whatever the broad, ethnic make up of the community is be it Jamaican, African, Italian, or Serbian.
I live smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood where I have very easy access to multiple grocery stores that are either 5 minutes away on bus, or 10 minutes. I have a choice between 2 Stop & Shops, a large market that caters to the cuisines of the aforementioned ethnicities, a Foodtown and a Fine Fare, all of which are bountifully stocked and always packed with people. However, it’s considered a desert because I have to travel a little over half a mile to get to these stores. My question is, exactly how close should a grocery store be? You know. I mean, compared to what? The Upper East Side? The distance has NEVER been an inconvenience for me, my family, or anyone I grew up with because the distance wasn’t too far. We’re not suffering because we have to take a 5 minute bus ride, Uber or cab ride or drive to the grocery store, or walk it on a nice day with a cart.
Also, the food desert folks have also got us common folk thinking “organic” is synonymous with “healthy”, so we think now that there are no healthy options around us because we don’t have a Whole Foods that specializes in carrying “organic” foods, when in reality, we have plenty of access to “healthy” foods in the fresh produce and variety that naturally exists in our ethnic cuisines. Sure, we could use less oil, but a lot of foods can’t be made without the vibrancy of healthy fruits, vegetables and herbs. Organic is certainly nice, but it’s not the definition of health. Perhaps a better option in some cases, but not the definition of health.
I could go on and on lol. I’m just very passionate about dispelling such a regressive myth.
Thanks for this article! 🤗
This is so interesting, I wonder if it's an issue due to the disintegration of family
Hmmmm. I wonder if the inverse is true.... How does poverty aid in destabilizing families?
Very fair point. It's hard to work out
Yesssss, you nailed it.