I was in the car quite a bit today and I was able to catch about ten minutes of the Rush Limbaugh Show and about ten minutes of the Sean Hannity Show. What I learned is that nothing enrages conservatives more than public officials suggesting that people eat arugula. I also learned that Sean Hannity cannot conceive of a place anywhere in America where there are no grocery stores. Nor can he conceive of a grocery store that has such a sorry selection of produce that no one would want to eat it. So, for him, everyone has an equal opportunity to eat a healthy diet. Let me make one thing clear. I lived for five years in neighborhoods of Philadelphia that had no grocery stores. We had what we called “corner stores.” These stores had basic staples like eggs, milk, and bread. They usually sold some cold cuts of very uneven quality. But, mostly, they sold total crap. The only fruit you would ever see was bananas. And there were no vegetables of any kind, except maybe in a can. I had to get in a car to go to the type of grocery store most people think of as grocery stores. That’s the reality for most people living in our inner cities. The Obamas understand this because they’ve lived it.
About The Author

BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
I love arugula. It’s a great way to spice up a salad. Years ago, a greek restaurant featured a roasted beet and arugula dish. I loved that too, but it wasn’t very popular and they dropped it. Try it with a glass of Greek red wine. Delicious and healthy.
Okay, I’m going to ask a question which is going to betray both my ignorance and my class roots.
What in hell is arugula?
a green vegetable that is somewhere between lettuce and spinach. It is nice in salads.
That’s it? WTF…listening to the right you’d think it was a type of imported caviar.
That would be Beluga.
It’s a favorite target of conservatives because the word ‘arugula” sounds foreign, therefore only elites eat it.
However, it’s been called “rocket” in “Real America” for two hundred years….and eaten regularly by our grandparents in the heartland.
Its what Obama eats to show that he’s better than you.
One can also find the same problem – lack of adequate grocery stores – in small towns across the US. When I was a boy, more years ago than I want to count, I can recall going to visit some grandparents in a 500 person town out in the central Plains and the town having a full-service grocery store. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it carried the basics. The only thing that town has left is a convenience store these days. That’s also the case in the town where I used to reside. Nearest regular grocery store is a 15 mile trip. In a town with a 25% poverty rate, a lot of people would rely on the nearby convenience stores instead. Basically, forget about fruits and veggies, and expect to dine on a lot of empty calories. And we wonder why obesity and associated ailments like diabetes are at epidemic levels.
So glad you write this. I’ve seen this driving across country and few things I see on these drives make me sadder or angrier. and people blame those without access to healthy food for being overweight or obese.
This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while now. The quality of life and lifespans of many are being compromised largely due to lack of access to better foods. That a large number of privileged jerks seem to get off on victim blame is unconscionable.
Mine also, though peeve is too mild a word. We should talk on email.
i.e. I’ll email you when I get a break (in a few months?)
Sounds good. Whenever you’re free shoot me an email. I understand being busy all too well. No worries.
will do
Like Voice, I also love arugula. For my salads at work I throw it in. What in the hell is wrong with arugula? Is there something wrong with eating healthy? Your body weight is by no means a symptom of your health — fat in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and fat people can be healthy — but I doubt Rush Limbaugh is eating spinach for lunch.
I feel like this is another stupid fucking partisan line that’s being drawn. “Eating healthy? Fuck you. I will eat a red, fat steak, and then I’ll eat another one for you hippie liberals!” Everything is coming back to the culture war. I think digby has this right. How depressing…
This is not particularly new. Twenty years ago Bush Sr. tried to show his blue collar cred by proclaiming his love of pork rinds and his hatred of broccoli.
Of course, that was undermined a bit when he didn’t know what a check-out scanner was…
Yes I know it’s not necessarily new, but I figured it was reserved for only the hardcore partisans. I feel like it’s spreading to the general populace. It’s especially annoying when I got vegetarian from time to time. I did it for one year, and every other jackoff makes some stupid ass joke about “eating extra meat for you.” It’s their constant symptom of needing to do things just to piss us off. Not to mention that the joke is old as hell and it’s not remotely funny.
I find it helps to remind myself that arugula-eating, latte-sipping liberals are winning this particular battle in the culture wars….
I think digby has this right. How depressing …
Heretic!! 😉
I see what you’re saying about pointless anti-vegetarian remarks, but there’s nothing wrong with steak, especially if it’s grass-fed. if the inner city and rural convenience stores were selling good steaks at a reasonable price there’s be less/ no problem with obesity and diabetes- and that’s just the end result – think how ppl feel who have to get through a work day – probably working several jobs – on junk food instead of real food!
There’s a lot of arugula in the salad mix they sell at the Discount Grocery Outlet; that’s how elitist it is.
What BooMan doesn’t mention is that Obama got lambasted by righties in 2008 for being elite by discussing the price of arugula – to an audience of arugula farmers in Iowa during his Presidential campaign!
Shortly afterwards, I came across of a video of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan on the David Sanborn show (late 1980s or 1990, I guess). At the end of the show, SRV did a monologue on “These are a Few of My Favorite Things”, among which he mentioned arugula. The righties are really out of touch.
It’s the anti-elitist drift the powerful want to push our country into.
Same thing with the quality of television offerings – hillbillies catching catfish and fashion-crazed housewives bitching at each other.
Need I mention the situation with presidential candidates? Art, education and an open mind are supposed to be undesirable now.
Imagine trying to grow up in this world – we have our own taliban trying to seize control.
I find it ridiculous that people can find fault with the First Lady and this issue. they have no fucking clue
Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche was published in 1982 and I still think of it every time I sit down to one;-)
Screw what those morons think.