The idea that all or even most area residents of Eagan were fighting the new Cub (and previously Radmacher’s) is wrong. People who move near an empty corner lot zoned for retail are wrong when years later they protest retail being built there on private property. The property owner has the right to develop the land as zoned, and Eagan has done great space planning over the years with tons of protected park space all over. We need a grocery store more than green space. Don’t move next to an empty lot that’s zoned for retail if you don’t want to some day be next to retail.

I think the majority of residents within a mile or two of the new Cub will be thankful for the option. If it’s designed as nicely inside as the rendering indicates, it’s a place I’ll shop. I’m a snob when it comes to Cub and Rainbow - as in I won’t shop there as it’s dirty and full of fake food and heavily processed food. If they bike or walk, great! If they drive a short distance or stop there on their way home from work without driving miles out of their way, all the better.

Now of course the new Cub unfortunately will be, too. I’ll be using the Cub to fill in gaps between every-two-week trips to Valley Foods where I am a member. I hope they have a good bakery and adequate produce. If I can save a gallon of gas by getting fresh vegetables and fruits at Cub - as inferior as they are to farmer’s market type produce - it’s better than nothing by far. There will be a lot of aisles I don’t visit at Cub since as a vegan who eats almost no heavily processed food, their selection is 90 percent useless and maddening to me, but such as is the typical American diet - eat crap and then take a vitamin or fish oil pill or latest fad supplement to try to “be healthy and trendy.”

Overall, though, having a Cub nearby to fill in gaps between big grocery trips walking distance from my house is a plus. A big plus. As a neighborhood, I hope we’ll pressure management to stock the types of foods we want, and if they don’t, Kowalski’s down the road can provide a great option now that it appears they’re racing to see who can finish and open first. If Cub has a salad bar, I know I’ll be stopping there regularly as preparing a salad at home with a dozen or more vegetables is tougher than going to a local salad bar like Byerly’s has. Anyway, I recommend “What to Eat” for anyone wanting to sift through diet crazes and debunk all of the meat/dairy industry propaganda.

I’m excited to have competition with Kowalskis and Cub within two miles and two blocks respectively, and a Trader Joe’s going up on Cliff just a few miles away also. Valley Foods is still where my $250 per trip grocery spending will go every couple weeks, but options are better. Now let’s do our part and start buying and demanding better, fresher, whole unprocessed food options.

Exactly.

If you want the freshest vegetables, I would recommend either a stop at the south metro outposts of the St. Paul Farmers Market that are around AV and Burnsville in the summer or joining a CSA. I am a member of Harmony Valley Farm and every week from May to November, I get a vegetable share, fruit share and coffee share delivered right from the program, some picked that day. My pickup spot is over in Rosemount.

Interesting to the original story, Kowalski’s is apparently opening an outpost at Diffley Road and Johnny Cake Ridge Road in Eagan. Nobody is talking about that for some reason.

Not exactly true BTW on your “fresh” comment. Coastal Seafoods in St. Paul has plenty of fresh options, as does Bylerys on occasion. Air freight.

Growing up in San Francisco I am familiar with fresh seafood believe me.

While I don’t want to put words in Sank’s mouth, I didn’t think anyone was complaining about the frozen fish aside from general disappointment about the fact that it’s a reality for those of us in the Midwest.

Hope that clears it up for you.

Bill

so then why complain about it?

Yup, definitely agree with you there and while I guess TJ’s selection of processed and packaged foods might be better than the others in the area, it is still processed and packaged and not exactly healthy for you.

You’re better off creating your own packaged meals, once a week — like a stew, and freezing it in small portions (I use a muffin pan) so it’s easy to carry off. Obviously that won’t work as well for the kids but it works fine when you have access to a microwave for reheating.

confused, yeah, we’re all well aware of that.

Bill

on the frozen I was referring only the fish. I try to eat alot of fish and in the ‘burbs it’s very hard to find good fish. nee impossible. Rainbow has farm raised hormone rich salmon, shrimp and farm raised crap eating tilapia. Byerlys has a the best fish department in town.. but when you think you’re getting fresh, because it is merchandised so pretty, you find out it’s previously frozen fish so you can’t refreeze it. TJ’s has sword, wild salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, all kinds of stuff and it’s flash frozen and inexpensive compared to elsewhere.

I think we’re in agreement on this.