What I’ve Learned

By Nancy Van Patten, Marketing/Food Writer

This is my last blog for Whole Foods Market Johns Creek.  Thank you for reading along, leaving comments, asking questions, and becoming a part of the community of our store.  I appreciate you!

Whole Foods Market Johns Creek will celebrate its 5^th anniversary this week.  Sometimes it feels like we just swept up the crumbs from the bread-breaking ceremony, and sometimes it feels like we’ve been perched on the side of State Bridge Road since wagons lurched down its dirt path. Along the way, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge. Some of it is about things I didn’t even know existed before I first strapped on an apron. So indulge me a bit here, and let me tell you some of the things I’ve learned:

• I now know that there are over 200 seeds on the outside of a medium-sized strawberry. That’s one of the many, many food factoids I dug up during my research, and it remains one of those factoids that always make me smile.
• I finally learned how to differentiate between “fillet” (2 L’s means it swims) and “filet” (one L means it moos.)
• However, I will, never, EVER be able to spell hors d’ oeuvres without looking at my spelling cheat sheet.
• You folks love you some Hatch Chiles.  The “Chiles from the Land of Enchantment” blog ( http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/duluth/2010/08/25/chiles-from-the-land-of-enchantment/) still generates passionate posts and urgent questions about this smokily delicious pepper, whose season and shelf life is woefully short.  I hope that one Labor Day weekend I can be in Hatch, New Mexico when the chile roasters are turning and the air is fragrant with their essence.
• You also love to shop to ‘80’s music-it’s our most-requested soundtrack. I’m curious–what is it about Bryan Adams that makes you want to buy organic kale?
• I’ve learned that people love to talk about their Thanksgiving turkey—for over an hour—before they actually purchase it. And that’s cool with us, because we can gobble about turkeys all day long.
• I’ve learned that men who are buying two double-dozen bouquets of roses on Valentine’s Day are either on the verge of proposing or in seriously hot water.
• I’ve learned how hard it is to buy groceries when you are gluten-intolerant, and I appreciate the diligence of the folks who constantly ask about the ingredients in our food.
• I’ve learned that I will never know everything there is to know about wine. Thankfully I will continue research and testing.
• Thanks to our Health Starts Here program, I’ve learned how to sauté without extraneous oils and fats.
• I know what dragonfruit tastes like. (Sort of banana-y, with a pear and citrus undertone.)
• I’ve learned that you absolutely must wear gloves when de-seeding a jalapeño pepper.
• I’ve learned how delicious unsweetened almond milk tastes.
• I’ve learned that a neti pot will clean out your nasal pipes real good when they’re clogged, but don’t do it in front of a mirror. You’ll scare yourself silly.
• I’ve learned that sampling our stuffed brie with figs and almonds can set off a stampede.
• The most important thing I’ve learned comes from our customers-to always be curious, and never settle. Cheers to you all for being such great teachers.