237832 Mon Apr 22 11:18:46 -0700 2002 15 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1260961 See the link below. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/nyregion/21FEAT.html?pagewanted=1 Mon Apr 22 11:18:46 -0700 2002 0 Bob Martinez 1 1261043 Cute article. The coop has fabulous food, and I was a member for a microsecond, but I would sooner join the Marines (talk about a chowhound experience....) than go back there again. (NB: Nothing against the Marines. Semper Fi.) Tue Apr 23 09:45:00 -0700 2002 1260961 0 Denise R. 2 1261074 Would you mind elaborating on your experience? When I first moved to Brooklyn years ago I thought about the coop, but when I poked my head in it seemed so cramped and frenetic. The recent renovations sound appealing, but I'm still wary of the atmosphere once you get down to working your cumpulsory shifts. What about it didn't you like? ALSO - how is the food? Is it really as good as I've heard? Tue Apr 23 13:46:28 -0700 2002 1261043 0 JOHN C 3 1261078 It is SO much better now that they've expanded. Anyone who has claustrophobia would have hated the old place, and the checkout and cashier lines (yes, 2 different lines, one to have your groceries rung up & another one to pay) inspired high tension. Aisles are a little wider and there's more selection. The real draw of the co-op is the produce. Fabulous selection, always kept fresh. There's a good assortment of organic and "health-food" type stuff, plus things a supermarket would carry (Tropicana, Ben & Jerry's, etc.) There's organic poultry and some fish (smoked & not). Markup is only 20% over wholesale, so most everything is cheaper than elsewhere. If you're at all interested, go to an orientation session one evening (they're mandatory if you want to join). You'll get a tour of the place & then you can decide for yourself if it's worth it for you. Tue Apr 23 14:24:36 -0700 2002 1261074 0 Stephanie L. 4 1265130 after five years living in the slope, my husband and i finally took the plunge and joined the co-op. we've been really happy with it. the work requirement isn't a big deal, and where else can you buy point reyes blue cheese for $9/lb? we love that the co-op carries grass-fed beef (though have decided that when one really wants to chow on a steak, a "conventionally raised" rib eye from one of the better manhattan markets is the way to go). between the co-op, blue apron foods (a few steps from the co-op), and the overpriced biercraft on 5th ave, the only things we find ourselves buying in manhattan these days are fish, the aforementioned steak, and coffee beans. where, where, where can one buy decent beans around here?? Mon Jan 13 13:49:39 -0800 2003 1261078 0 brooklynmonkey 5 1265151 blue apron foods has all different kinds of coffee beans. some are lighter roasts and you can even get illy espresso beans for 8.95 a half pound. they even grind it for you if you want. Sun Jul 20 13:53:27 -0700 2003 1265130 0 claire 5 1265152 Leaf and Bean, between the co-op and Blue Apron. Kind of pricey, but good quality. Sun Jul 20 14:20:03 -0700 2003 1265130 0 efdee 3 1261107 I love the coop, and look forward to my "compulsory shift" every month. The whole point of working together on a squad with people who keep the place going for 2-3/4 hours a month, and having similarly committed squads there when you're shopping, is the "cooperative" part of it. The author's complaints about his squad leader (and no, it isn't "volunteer" work you're doing when you're getting a benefit) miffed me a bit, and somehow suggested that this squad leader wasn't also doing her work assignment. Come to an orientation, which will include a tour, and then decide. Tue Apr 23 19:40:42 -0700 2002 1261074 0 Janet 3 1261119 It's been several years since I was a member, and the place is bigger and relatively beautiful now. The food, especially, the produce, was great then and I understand that it's even better now, and that they have interesting cheeses, artisinal pasta and all that kind of stuff. But I just couldn't stand the atmosphere. I always felt like some hippie organic incarnation of Big Brother was keeping watch over me. It seemed to me like the worst of both worlds -- the rules and regulations of the "straight" world paired with the holier-than-thou crap of the "alternative" world. But I knew going in that it probably wasn't going to work for me; I'm just not much of a group person. Obviously lots of people think it's fabulous. Wed Apr 24 08:48:58 -0700 2002 1261074 0 Denise R. 4 1261126 Weel you went one step further than I did. After the orientattion, I knew that it wouldn't be a possibility for me. Where I went to college there were many food coops which also featured such an atmosphere (as Denise ably describes). You can get most of what the coop offers elsewhere, though not all at one place. Wed Apr 24 09:56:15 -0700 2002 1261119 0 Zephyr 5 1261136 I agree that the things offered at the coop are pretty easily attained elsewhere (albeit not all at the same place). Manhattan Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue has extremely cheap and high quality produce year round, of course the Union Square farmers market in the summer and most of the cheeses, olive oil, etc. can be had at Sahadi's for amazingly low prices. I would much prefer to shop around at different stores than stand in line for long periods of time at a coop. Wed Apr 24 11:17:51 -0700 2002 1261126 0 DeeDee 3 1261216 The atmosphere -- really, the holier-than-thou granola hippie types are outnumbered. There are more and more people joining who just want cheap, good food. I mean, we did vote overwhelmingly in support of carrying beef and beer. A few really vocal, cranky people have a way of setting the tone sometimes. But most of the people are lovely. In addition to the produce, prices, etc. I just love having more of a stake in my food purchasing. I like having a say about who supplies the food, about what kind of beef we stock. About how we stack the cheese. I like supporting local and independent farmers. And most of all, I love having such a quirky little institution in my life. That's what it comes down to. If you have the patience for -- and love -- the quirky, the coop is for you. If you need order and sanity, maybe you should try other markets. Like someone else said, there are plenty of good alternatives. Thu Apr 25 19:01:01 -0700 2002 1261074 0 Adriana 4 1265131 Amen to that. The crazy people and annoying rules are there, but for me they're similarly overpowered by the joy of the wacky. Not to mention really good, cheap cheese, and delicious vegetables, and bulk treats, and more... And the wackos often make for entertaining stories... Mon Jan 13 15:18:25 -0800 2003 1261216 0 Persynna 1 1261131 The bark of the orientation is much worse than the actual bite of the place. Most people are pretty laid back. If you try to eat great local produce and organic meat, your options in this town are either to become an investment banker or join the co-op. (And investment bankers are getting laid off ...) They mark everything up just 20%. Stuff is sometimes half of what it is down the block at Back to the Land. Dean and Deluca, Healthy Pleasures, Whole Foods? Forget about it. At the Co-op, you can't get everything you can get at those places. But you can get most stuff, and what you can get is a hell of a lot cheaper. And if you love food, working in the produce or cheese departments, as I do, just ain't that bad. And supposedly, they're about to start selling beer... imports and microbrews at a 20% markup? I'm not saying the Co-op isn't a major pain in the ass sometimes. But I find it well worth the trouble. Wed Apr 24 10:23:26 -0700 2002 1260961 0 Tom Philpott 1 1261220 I live too far away from the Food Coop to try it. I just want to comment that a good way to get fresh vegetables is through a suscription program (community supported agriculture or CSA.) I was in one last year for the first time and it was great. The 'work' assignment was just a three hour shift and that was it for the season. The price was amazing for organic produce (it came to about $15 and I sometimes came out with three packed bags of food.) The CSA I was in had very little attitude. Most people just went in and out with their stuff, and those who didn't want to socialize didn't have to. It is not for everyone but it's an alternative worthy of consideration. I include here a link to Just Food, a web page that lists all the CSA groups in the city. Link: http://www.justfood.org/html/csa_home.html Thu Apr 25 21:12:39 -0700 2002 1260961 0 Mar a 2 1261238 I think supporting CSAs and local food in general is a very chowish pursuit. Simply put, organically produced food grown close by is fresher and tastes better than the stuff churned out by huge farming factories in distant places. The reason there's so much bad food everywhere at all times in this country is that our food-production system favors corporate profit over flavor. CSAs and projects like the PS Co-op--while they might seem too earnest and insufficiently hedonistic--are actually at the vanguard of transforming this country from a culinary backwater run by McDonald's into true chowhound territory. To all those who say the Co-op's just for austere hippies I have two words: Niman Ranch. They're stocking it in the meat section now. Fri Apr 26 12:31:26 -0700 2002 1261220 0 Tom Philpott