Quinoa at 4 bucks a pound! Holy sh*t.

I had a little stress freak-out at work and decided to duck out and do some grocery shopping. Unlike many people, I find grocery stores a calming atmosphere. But damn, if food isn't insanely expensive these days. I realize this isn't news, but since I just started this blog, I am going to write about it anyway.
I understand I shop at the yuppie organic grocery-store chain of Portland, OR, so naturally, I expect everything to be a little pricier than your average national chain. I shop here cause I like to support the "local-ish" quality of the place and they carry loads of organic and NW produce. I have resigned myself to the fact that I am willing to spend my food budget on less of higher quality items.
But fuck! When I shop bulk, I expect to pay bulk prices! someone please tell me why quinoa, an ancient grain (which someone told me is a complete protein, but I just think tastes good) mostly consumed by hippies, vegans (which I am not) and people watching their figures is 4. dollars. a. pound? it is mind-boggling. sure, eat at home. it saves you money. but for the ten dollars i just spent on 2.5 pounds of grain for eating at home, i could have eaten 3 chicken burritos from the local hole-in-the-wall mexican place. big burritos too. probably 700 calorie burritos. I understand that in the long run eating at home is cheaper and more healthy, but with prices like this, it is easy to see why people eat out at low cost restaurants all the time. Even in a recession.
So does a recession mean that Americans will now have to pay the actual cost of thier food? Probably not for loss-leader staple food items (milk, bread, flour, etc.) but maybe those of us who buy exotic grains will have to. Bummer.