Comments on: The Quirky, Wonderful Market that is the Berkeley Bowl

By: granny annie

granny annie — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:40:55 +0000

I'm originally from LA area..used to the nuts and nasties...but live in Berkeley now and have shopped at Berkeley Bowl for a long time and have NEVER seen fights or people being crazy. The worst is a woman with a very loud voice who shops their regularly and tries to make conversation with all the people working in produce. they are polite to her but go on about their business. I love this store because it offers just about EVERYTHING and carries exotic fruits and veggies and many varities of all that is in season from around the world... everything is fresh and the prices, especially in produce, are great. There are many nationalities that shop here...they are quiet and respectful, and do their shopping and leave....just like I'm doing now....

By: Tracy

Tracy — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:16:04 +0000

I miss Berkeley Bowl and the awesome bakery across the street from it. Sure, it was always chaotic at best, but it had a sense of character I've never found at another grocery store, and I never had a problem with sampling. I feel like that part of the article is being played up in a lot of places, and I think it's misleading. There'd always be produce guys around who would be happy to give you a taste of something if you asked if they weren't already handing out slices of whatever impossibly fresh peaches or mangoes or whatever they had handy. I used to buy more produce from the farmers markets, but there was always something wonderfully breathtaking about coming into the store and seeing a truly massive amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.

By: Ali S.

Ali S. — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:44:35 +0000

@ gjd

Many thanks! I got a few days off so I'm going to be gallivanting across the city and see these markets.

By: Gail Pink

Gail Pink — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:16:54 +0000

Is their company slgoan" Where Assholes Come to Shop and Be Assholes"? Because it should be.

By: Christophe

Christophe — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:43:07 +0000

"Before you buy anything," [Yasuda] says, "you have to smell it, taste it."

And now he complains about customers sampling ?

By: CelticCatEyes

CelticCatEyes — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:23:14 +0000

I've found that amazing stores with unbelievable selection create crazy people. Its the idea in psychology that more choices may not necessarily be better...We are most comfortable when we simply have a routine and 'the usual'. I went to an organic store recently (in my new neighborhood) that has a secret 'Lounge' with wifi above the main store. Only those with the club card are allowed in the 'Lounge'(the main store has organic cafeterias). When one of the residents complained that there may be too many of the local University students up there, a much older resident told him "You have a right to be there! You tell them to get out!". The whole thing was just insanity in the making.

By: Zombie

Zombie — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:59:57 +0000

Sounds like the old fable of the land that is paradise, but made hell by the people living there who act like, well - people.

By: gjd

gjd — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:37:25 +0000

Ali S.

St. Lawrence Market is good. Kensington Market is real. Chinatown is fine. Yonge and Davisville has two fresh grocers who might as well be farmers markets.

Hope that helps. Toronto is a great city.

By: NicoNico

NicoNico — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:38:24 +0000

I'd go there to shop. However, I'm not anywhere near there. What I do have is pretty nice, though. Here in my corner of Arkansas, there are farmer's markets everywhere. They're small, but the cost to get into it is low, so tons of people are out there selling anything imaginable, even local restaurants who want cheap advertising. Also, there are millions of farmers selling produce out of their trucks. I'm not kidding when I say that there was one person off the side of the road selling a bushel of apples for $1 (yep, a full basket, maybe 10 or 15 apples, for $1 - I thought it was a typo at first). I miss the east coast, but the constant bombardment of fresh fruit and veggies kind of makes up for it.

By: EEM

EEM — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:20:38 +0000

Hahah why is everything in my life ending up on neatorama. I go by there all the time.

Berkeley is full of ass hats, which is why I try to stay in Albany

By: Peeves

Peeves — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:04:10 +0000

I never would have thought people in Berkeley were assholes..but when you cross hippies with rich I guess I can see it.

By: Ali S.

Ali S. — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:56:40 +0000

Since moving to Toronto I've been slowly adapting to the city and it's quirks. One thing that I really want to find are the Farmer Markets that are dotted across the city. Nothing like fresh fruit and veggies!

By: Geekazoid

Geekazoid — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:37:07 +0000

Interesting, used to pass by that place all the time but never knew what was in it.

By: xtopher

xtopher — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:29:38 +0000

The author of the article has now been banned for life.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:17:51 +0000

Now I want to fly to Berkley ONLY for the fruit shopping.