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Welcome to Swarthmore's Food Blog

Several members of the community involved in the slow food movement, local foods, nutrition and cooking will be posting on this blog on a regular basis. We look forward to your comments and replies.

The COOP - The Agora of Swarthmore

Is there a better place in town for meeting friends and acquaintances than our COOP?
True, I go there to shop for seasonal local fruits and vegetables, to scrutinize the ever-widening selection of excellent cheeses (to accompany the fresh Metropolitan baguette), and to custom-order meats for dishes I want to try out.  Lately, however, I noticed that I spend a good amount of time talking to people in the COOP because – well, because half the people in know in Swarthmore seem to be there whenever I enter the store.  Seeing so many familiar faces made me think of the ancient agora – the meeting place of Greek cities where citizens met to exchange news and gossip and engage in the occasional political or philosophical argument.
Like the COOP, the agora was situated in the center of town and people came there to shop – for vegetables, fruits, fresh meat, fish, oils, and wine (in some things, ancient Greeks were way ahead of PA).  Vegetables, fruits, meats and fish are the first things I look at when entering the COOP, hoping to find locally grown varieties (the strawberries sold the last few weeks are delicious), wild-caught fish (currently, Alaskan Chinook salmon is available), meats from local, grass-fed animals.  For me, moving away from the products of industrial food production to those that are sustainably and often more locally gown is one of the most important developments at the COOP.  It is astonishing how many artisanal products one can find at the COOP, not just the cheeses and olive oils, but baked goods and everyday staples (who can resist the handmade Sweet Olive Oil Tortas from Seville?).
This development is mostly due to the last two general managers the store was lucky enough to hire, first Jack Cavanaugh and now Gerry Greway, and the forward thinking COOP board.  The opening of the new store perfectly symbolized all the changes and thoughtful developments that occurred and are occurring at the COOP.  Its staff is dedicated to serve all customers in a friendly and efficient way, and Gerry tirelessly strives to keep and improve the quality of all products (he is our agoranomoi).
Lastly, a word about the prices at the COOP:  I am amazed how well our little store can compete with the monstrously large, cut-throat competitive, national chain super markets of the area, given the superior quality the COOP offers in vegetables, fruits, meats, and many other product areas.   One of the pernicious effects of industrial agriculture and factory meats is the race to the price- and quality bottom, a race that the gigantic industrial producers can easily win thanks to billions in federal subsidies and no responsibilities for the environment.  Combine agri-business with the marketing power of huge chain supermarkets and it is easy to see how hard it is for small farmers and stores to compete.  And yet, compete they do, and very successfully, with healthier, better tasting food that really does not cost all that much more than all the same-same pseudo selections at the supermarket (the “neighborhood” Trader Joe’s stores are owned by Aldi, a German discount-grocery behemoth that suppresses prices for its purveyors so rigorously even Walt-Mart cannot compete against it).
Given such relentless consolidation in the production and selling of food, it is really quite wondrous that our COOP not only continues as a small store in the heart of our town but also thrives and flourishes.  Instead of seeing the newly established small Saturday farmers market as a threat, it has welcomed it as an ally in the attempt to offer seasonal, fresh produce to the community – as an extension of our very own agora.
So when you go the COOP next, take the time to have a brief chat with Gerry, or with the staff, and with all those acquaintances and friends you will encounter.  Encounter them you will!