Pearl Whole Foods Is Hopping Today

Big doings today at the Whole Foods store on Pearl Street.  I managed to get there shortly before the end of the Cinco de Mayo taco throwdown contest, and my, what a competition it was.  I had time to sample the verdura, the carne, the bison, the tilapia, and at least one other one, and who knows what all else I missed, as they were scattered throughout the store.  While they were all astonishingly good, my fave, the tilapia, won the contest by popular vote at the 2 pm closing.  They're also doing an unannounced weekender sale, with handsome domestic corn for 25 cents an ear.  The sign didn't say from where, but I'd guess either Florida or California.  Then to top it off, they're conducting a market research project at the checkout lines, and if you have a home landline to give them (increasingly a rarity), they'll give you a free reusable lunch-sized bag to thank you for helping them identify where their customers are coming from.  So I departed with my groceries (including Hatch chile burgers made especially for me, as their stock had flown out of the case), a tummy happy with multiple excellent taco samples, fresh corn to celebrate the domestic's first of the season arrival, and a free lunch bag, to boot.  Way to go, Whole Foods!