. "2"^^ . "8"^^ . "6"^^ . "They should change their name to Fresh, Easy and Fatty.\n\nAre you kidding me? After all the rave reviews of Fresh and Easy, I waited for the dust to settle and ventured there today only to find it is a major disappointment. I find this is a view not shared by several of my friends and many trusted fellow reviewers. \n\nFrom many comments I expected a Trader Hoe's type place where I would also have to stop at a Fry's to get everything else...your basics. Well, it is that to a degree, just not as good in terms of price, quality or health as TJ's.\n\nI have never cared for pre-packaged fruit and vegetables -- which admittedly is a criticism I have of Trader Joe's also. I love being able to select and decide which orange is to my liking at a place like Fry's.\n\nMy biggest criticism, however, would have to be its incredibly unhealthy take-and-go food selection. This is where TJ's has them beat. Sandwiches all weighed in at 50+ fat grams. An average person's total daily recommended allowance is something like 67 fat grams, so eat the sandwich reeeaaalllly slowly and savor it for the rest of the day.\n\nFor a store that prides itself on ecologically-sensitive gestures such as grocery bag recycling, organic foods, priority parking for hybrid vehicles, etc, etc., I was shocked to see how poor their nutrition facts weighed in on many foods -- making a triple bacon cheeseburger look like Lean Cuisine. Where's the social responsibility in that? \n\nSmall 8 ounce containers of chicken salad measured at 88 fat grams and 980 calories are more offensive than slightly higher prices or the absence of ecological gestures would have been. I mean, seriously, is there any chicken product in that salad at all, or is it just a tub of lard with chicken seasoning? Perhaps this is some sort of sick joke the Brits are making at their fat-ass American counterparts.\n\nI left the store with some fruit salad, organic lemonade and a spicy shrimp roll (which, btw was just as awful as TJ's sushi). I found that the pricing was no different on many items and in many instances was more expensive at F&E.\n\nSorry Fresh and Easy, I don't buy it and I won't buy it. Trader Joe's, where are you baby? I'm a coming running back to you."^^ . "13"^^ . . "2008-03-09T00:00:00"^^ . .