Nom de Plume

Funny that I just finished a novel about Orthodox Jews and Reformed Orthodox (I think that’s the term and yes, I PLAN to catch up on book reviews at some point), which goes into kosher and triefe and all that happy jazz.

Why, you ask? Because I went to PCC and was astounded by the sheer religiosity of the segregated scoops.

So for those of you who don’t know Seattle, PCC is a chain of health food stores where people fall into one of two camps: 1) They are vegan terrorists; or 2) They are ultra hip.

Because let’s face it. Most of the people buying organic stuff don’t really care that much about being organic. They care about being PC. They recycle religiously, they bemoan the use of pesticides, they hate Bush pillaging Alaskan oil fields. Of course, a lot of them drive Hummers and live in 3,000 sq. ft. houses too but that’s beside the point.

So I ran to PCC last night to pick up some tea from the bulk foods section. Most of their herbs, teas, spices and so forth are proudly emblazoned with those two magic words: Certified Organic. But lurking on the shelves were a couple of shamefaced commercial varieties.

Oh the horror. You mean my certified organic scoop could be contaminated?

Actually, no.

PCC has solved this pressing dilemma by providing not one, but two sets of scoops. One organic, the other not. Not only that, but the buckets were placed as far away from each other as possible.

Seriously.

Which is, in my mind, taking things a little too far. I admit to being a wannabe cool person. I admit to buying organic. (Well, when it’s cheap.) I admit to getting caught up in the whole Dwell magazine, yoga, buy local thing.

But if the 80s and 90s were about excess, the 00s are about justifying the excess with a backbreakingly expensive minimalism. Where are the gods? Where are the heroes? Its actually kind of sad that people feel so disconnected that organic is no longer something you buy; it’s something you worhsip. And the rituals that once surrounded religion are now found in the segregated counter of the organic scoops.