Good enough for a politician. I suppose this is just knee-jerk New Yawk haughtiness, mindlessly dispensed whenever dealing with those flyover-country proles, but just to be clear, Hy-Vee is not a "low-end" supermarket. It's not exactly a posh supermarket, either, but it's as good as it needs to be, and no better, which makes it very Iowan, I think. And their deli sandwiches are perfectly serviceable, as deli sandwiches go – especially the panini – though I would't go out of my way to eat there.

Our little town is host to two Hy-Vee's, one at the east end and one at the west end. The west end store is noticably spiffier than the east end store (wood-veneer flooring in the bulk and organic foods section, etc.) though the east side store has been undergoing a facelift. We figure it's because the west side store is closer to the U., and some of that University-inspired cutting-edge toniness – or tony edginess – has seeped into the retail environment. We commonly identify the two stores as "the Red State Hy-vee" and "the Blue State Hy-Vee". I suppose you wouldn't mistake either one for Zabar's. For one thing, the counter help won't insult you for thinking about your order too long.

It's not like the Clintonistas picked up some pre-formed frozen burgers at the local Sam's Club. Jeez.

[Via.]

Posted by David Fleck at 24 February 2008 09:38 AM