"Whole Foods 2 with Emily Yoshida" is Episode 434 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Whole Foods 2 with Emily Yoshida" was released on February 22, 2024.

"Tomorrow… with Emily Yoshida" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Emily Yoshida (@emilyyoshida, Shōgun) joins the 'boys to talk favorite months, Iowa chains, and Amazon before a review of Whole Foods. Plus, a new segment, The Price is Ripe.
Nick's intro[]
Not long after the widespread adoption of the diesel tractor, a backlash arrived in the form of the natural-foods movement. Growing organically, if you will, from a collective of farms united by their commitment to environmentally friendly practices, by the '60s and '70s, natural-foods stores began to pop up in hippie-friendly communities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas.
And it’s Austin where partners Renee Lawson [Hardy] and John Mackey founded their store, SaferWay, in 1978, which would merge with rival Clarksville Natural Grocery in 1980, birthing a supermarket brand that’s become ubiquitous today. But barely a year into the joint concept’s existence, Austin was struck by the historic Memorial Day Flood of 1981, which killed thirteen people and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses — including this fledgling organic store. The dream appeared to be dead.
But then, the rain stopped, the community rallied, and in a potent show of solidarity, locals committed to "Keep Austin Fed" volunteered to rebuild the devastated storefront. Less than a month later, the retailer reopened, and local bands played at a benefit dubbed the Resurrection Party to celebrate the miraculous comeback. And back it came, and grew, from an Austin institution, to a chain spanning Texas, and then the U.S. and Canada, exponentially increasing its footprint as baby-boomer hippies evolved like evil Pokémon into SUV-driving suburbanites, willing to pay a premium for alternatives to processed-food-stocked supermarkets.
In 2017, the company was acquired by Amazon in a billion dollar bid to expand its Amazon Fresh operations — the two corporations sharing common ground in their hatred of organized labor. Today, 43 years after the Texas flood that nearly smothered a mom-and-pop green grocer in its crib, it’s inconceivable that a community, in the wake of a natural disaster, would rally to rebuild what’s effectively a refrigerated Amazon warehouse.
But it seems that no movement, no matter how pure; no institution, no matter how beloved; can muster the necessary psychic resistance against the soul-devouring mind-flayer tendrils of capital.
This week on Doughboys… we return to Whole Foods Market.
Fork rating[]

The Doughboys at Whole Foods
The first time The Doughboys reviewed Whole Foods was during Friendly Green Grocer Mitch's Grocery Store Month in 2020, where it averaged 3.67 carts (out of 10).
guest / host | ordered | rating |
---|---|---|
Nick Wiger |
|
1.5 forks |
Mike Mitchell |
|
1.5 forks |
Emily Yoshida |
|
2 forks |
Nick and Emily made their own trips to Whole Foods first; they then all went together. Susser joined them.
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Cheese Pizza. Nick thought it was gross.
Emily's favorite item was the Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza.
With these scores, Whole Foods joins the Reverse Tenet Club. (Mitch invents this Club in the episode, but it was previously developed and cataloged as the Broken Plate Club.) Susser apparently gave it 1.5 forks, and Amelia offered 2.
The Price is Ripe[]

In this new segment, Amelia joins to host The Price Is Ripe!
Amelia offers a product and The Doughboys try to guess how much it costs, without going over. If you win the price, you get to play in the Doughcase Doughdown: guess if the produce is ripe or not.
product | Nick's guess | Mitch's guess | Emily's guess | correct |
---|---|---|---|---|
organic red apple from Whole Foods | $1.86 | $.01 | $2.05 | $1.72 |
Doughcase Doughdown: organic avocado | ripe | not ripe | ||
Doughcase Doughdown: another avocado | not ripe | ripe | ||
a cucumber | $2.50 | $.01 | $1.59 | $2.19 |
Doughcase Doughdown: bunch of bananas | not ripe | ripe | ||
a pineapple | $.01 | $4.15 | $4.99 | $3.99 |
Doughcase Doughdown: nectarine | not ripe | ripe | ||
Driscoll's Raspberries (6 oz.) | $3.00 | $5.19 | $3.01 | $5.99 |
Doughcase Doughdown: cotton candy grapes | ripe | ripe |
Emily wins!
Favorite Months 🗓️[]
guest / host | favorite month |
---|---|
Nick Wiger | May |
Mike Mitchell | October |
Emily Yoshida | May |
Roast Spoonman[]

Yogi Bear
“ | Hoagie Bear | ” |
–Sarah in Victoria, BC (in Canada) |
Quotes[]
“ | Mitch: What's your favorite of the months? I'm an October guy. Nick: This is a good question. October is a good month. |
” |
–Emily re: The Doughboys conversation |
“ | Mitch: [Nick] works as much as Punxsutawney Phil over here! Emily: Oh my god, that was such a sick burn! That was amazing! |
” |
–Mitch re: Nick spending 300 hours on a video game |
“ | Mitch: That route you take? That's my answer when people ask how I old am. Emily: Wait. What? |
” |
–The Doughboys |
#hashtags[]
- #WhatsYourMonth
The Feedbag[]
“ | Has there been a food item you've initially turned your nose up at but since have shoved your nose deep into upon trying it? | ” |
–Big Al |
guest / host | food they initially thought was gross or not interested in, but now like |
---|---|
Nick Wiger |
|
Mike Mitchell | |
Emily Yoshida |
|
Restaurants[]
official visits | location | notes |
---|---|---|
Whole Foods | Silverlake, CA | Nick, Mitch, and Emily went together to this location |
Whole Foods | Santa Monica, CA | Nick went to this location on his own before the show |
restaurants referenced | location | notes |
---|---|---|
Pancheros Mexican Grill | Iowa | Emily talks about this chain that started in her home state |
Pizza Ranch | - | Nick asks Emily about this Midwest chain; they'd considered it for Octdoughberblessed |
Taco John's | - | Emily brings this chain up as disgusting |
|
- | some of Emily's other suggestions she wanted to do on the show |
Drops and Plugs[]
reference | notes |
---|---|
The Beach Boys "Barbara Ann" | in Mitch's drop (by Dan F) |
Shōgun and Shōgun: The Official Podcast | Emily's plugs |
Related Episodes[]
Whole Foods episodes |
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