Driving around Kingston this morning I was struck by the number of chain pharmacies there were to grocery stores within a 1/2 mile radius. 50 years ago, could one imagine it would be easier to get a prescription of some sort over a bag of fresh produce?
There isn’t any doubt that having meds when we need (or can afford) them is a great advancement to modern medicine. But what ever happened to healthy eating first? It’s kind of poetic that a new Walgreens is opening next to a Burger King – across from a gas station that sells all the beer and cigarettes one could want.
Luckily for the people living in that part of town, there is also a small locally owned market hidden away (the locals know where it is). Although it might be more accurate to call it a ‘deli’ rather than ‘market’, it is one of the very few in the city that at least carry some fruits and vegetables (even if the distance their produce has traveled to get to Kingston is anyone’s guess).
Food for thought at least.
Here is a little reading on this very thing: MORE PHARMACIES THAN FOOD
– Rebecca Martin