ETHNIC GROCERY ADVENTURES RIGHT NEXT DOOR

It's only recently that I've shed my middle-of-the-road taste for food. As a child, I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't "American looking." Chinese food was a horrifying mixture of strange vegetables and alien-looking meats. Luckily, I got over it and now I love the adventure of trying new foods.

Over the last couple of years, the diversity of the Triangle has made itself known with a variety of ethnic grocery stores popping up all over. Each store is a little embassy of it's country—with all the food, music and trinkets that make up their culture. It's a journey with training wheels to another country. You can pay in U.S. currency and usually you have someone who speaks English that can help you shop.

What I like most about going to these stores is that you can find brand name products in other languages for things you have no clue about. Wow, look at this can. What is it? Is it a vegetable, fruit or meat? There's just a picture of a smiling baby cat on it.

Below are some others who feel the same way as me, as they describe their favorite ethnic grocery stores. Skip

Oriental Market, Raleigh I grew up in a classic melting pot town. Youngstown, Ohio - heavy on Eastern European and central Mediterranean immigrants. One advantage of my having grown up among Slovaks, Hungarians, Poles, Rumanians, Greeks, Italians, etc., is that, to this day, I seldom see a surname which I am afraid to attempt to pronounce. After Centofante, Cioffi, DiUllo, Svara, Czompo, Psaromatis, Karavokaris and Xenakis, what is there to fear?

Another positive element of the multi-ethnic environment is my open attitude toward unfamiliar foods. However, in spite of all of my multi-ethnic food experiences, I reached middle-adulthood without really experiencing a broad range of Asian foods. How lucky for me, then, that for the past 20 years, my closest friend happens to be married to a Korean. Born and raised near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sue is as Anglo-European as they come, but she cooks Korean. Her pantry is stocked with no end of boxes, bags, cans and bottles with unreadable (to me) labels. Free-spirited though I am, I sometimes wonder if I would have ventured into the aisles and corners of The Oriental Market without having first accompanied Sue. Although I now venture there on my own, I still get a kick out of going to this magical marketplace with her. While she roams with assurance among myriad foodstuffs with charming labels, I get a good feeling knowing that all the Asians shopping there realize that at least a few of us Anglos not only enjoy their food, but are sometimes even knowledgeable about preparing it.

Anyway, from time to time, I return to this magical store in which I understand nothing of the conversations going on and very little of the package labels. I pretty much stick to my personal favorites: short-grain rice (the kind which stays stuck together so that you can eat it with chopsticks); soy sauce (I like to buy a different brand each time because each has a uniquely artistic label); bags of frozen dried squid (each strand looks like small sections of frazzled rope, and you have to chew on them for at least ten minutes before swallowing); packages of seaweed sheets (you can put rice and small delicacies on them, roll them up, and slice into little cylinders); Kim Chi (fermented Bok Choy cabbage which is tangy, garlicky, and hot); and locally made tofu.

The Oriental Market has not yet entered the sterile, orderly, high-tech era, and that's one of its most appealing aspects. The aisles are narrow; some of the shelves are dimly lit; open crates of produce cover several corners of the floor; bundles of mysterious-looking seafood line the freezer shelves. You know how to find the manager for help or consultation, even if it has to be done in sign language or with sketches.

It reminds me of the ethnic groceries of my youth, when food shopping was decidedly less hectic and much more personal. If you are inclined to go there for a mini Asian excursion, it is located at the corner of Method Road and Western Boulevard. Marilyn Komarc

Grand Asia Market, Cary My wife, Hilary, is an accomplished cook and is willing to tackle pretty much anything, so she figured she'd try making california rolls. Since sushi is enjoying some hightened popularity, you can get most of the stuff you need at your neighborhood Harris Teeter. But the sweet, sticky rice, a vital sushi ingredient, was nowhere to be found. So we decided to try our luck at the Grand Asia Market behind South Hills Mall in Cary, a place we never knew existed before we found it in the Yellow Pages.

We went in and were amazed. Here was this little Asian grocery store, with big aisles and shopping carts and check out counters, like a Chinese Piggly Wiggly or something. We made our way down the aisles and marveled at the endless varieties of rice, noodles and candy with their blissful, colorful mix of English and foreign packaging. We felt like little kids in a strange place.

Then we hit the meat aisle.

There were large chunks of dried squid, just sort of laying in the frozen food display area. Then we found a shrink-wrapped package of duck's feet and a tremendous pile of chicken hearts. By this point we felt like people staring blindly at an auto wreck with piles of carnage surrounding us. We were feeling just fine, but then we saw under shrink wrap this indescribable mash of flesh with the label, "Intestinal Pig Bung." I nearly lost it, and for about two minutes of my life I was the most ardent of vegetarians. But we grabbed that sweet rice and hauled ass through the checkout line, and we stepped out into the clear air and bright sunshine, vowing we would never speak of the meat aisle again. Eric Lamb

La Tienda, Durham Foreign markets aren't all that different from your everyday supermarket or convenience store. You've got your packaged food products, your chilled beverage case, and your chintzy little non-food items. The similarities, however, dissipate when you throw in the issue of atmosphere. There's something about stepping off the street of your average American neighborhood and walking into a little store where you don't speak the language or recognize the products that makes everything seem like a novelty. I mean, where else can you find a jar of octupus in hot sauce, tamarind soda, a catalog of cowboy boots and a colorful CD of "Cootie and the Goldfish" all under one roof? At La Tienda, of course, a small Latino market located across from Lakewood Shopping Center on Chapel Hill Road in Durham. Walking into the very WARM store, you're immediately greeted by a large mannequin leg modeling stockings on the counter. Around the corner are large Rubbermaid storage bins containing tasty pasteles (pastries). One side of the building has clothing and decorative items, such as santos candles, piggy banks and toys. The other side is well-stocked with grocery products: guava/mango/quince pastes, seasoned pigs feet, yuca, every variety of dried chiles, non-refrigerated eggs, large colored marshmallows, candy and lots of the traditional beans and tortillas. I make my visit to the plastic bins and pick out a fresh, ginger-flavored cerdo (pig). Then I pick up a container of "Abuelita" or "Ibarra," a delicious Mexican chocolate drink sold in round, granular tablets that is better than any hot chocolate you'll ever taste. Lastly, I get a paper towel from the cashier and fish a large chunk of sweet potato candy out of the container. No necesito una bolsa. I'll eat it on the way out. Karen Cirillo

Toyo Shokuhin and Gifts, Cary
If the Triangle can be said to have a temple of Japanese pop culture, then that temple is Toyo Shokuhin and Gifts. It's easy to get dazzled by the massive size of the Grand Asia Market, so it may take you a while to discover Toyo Shokuhin, hidden, as it is, in Cary. Although Toyo Shokuhin may be many times smaller than Grand Asia Market, it does rival it in one important aspect: carts. Yes, they, too, have carts and though you may find them frequently jammed in your lower back, it's a good thing they're available because you'll need one to haul around your copy of Shogakukan, the giant mangazine you know you want to buy. Why? Because it's chock full of more molded plastic crap than all the cereal boxes in Kroger. But lo! Without even venturing past the manga rack, you are already in plain view of the refrigerator case and its gleaming cans of Pocari Sweat Refreshment Water, the soda disguised as a Coke for the colorblind and named after a bodily fluid. If you're not already a fan but find the name familiar, maybe it's because Pocari Sweat was featured in the book, Japanese Jive: Wacky and Wonderful Products from Japan. Toyo Shokuhin gets the high score on the Japanese Jiveometer for having the finest collection of featured products available, from Kiss Mint, the gum for all occasions (look for it, you'll see what I mean) to Yogloo, the beverage made of yogurt and...uh...gloo?

On my last visit, I became intrigued by Fresh Tino Shower Candy. It appeared to be some kind of tasty grapefruit candy gelled around a mysterious opaque lump that didn't taste like anything in particular. Despite the name, I found it to be of little hygienic value, though I did notice that Pocari Sweat comes "highly recommended as a beverage for such activities as sports, physical labor, or after a hot bath" and was quite nice when consumed following the Shower Candy. I feel, however, that this was purely coincidence.

"But what if I don't like Pocari Sweat? What does Toyo Shokuhin have for me?" you may be asking. Well, unfortunately, Toyo Shokuhin does not have the facilities for divining exactly what is wrong with you that makes you not like Pocari Sweat. It still can be of help, though, because you are obviously in need of Crunchy Water Chestnut Drink. This I have never tried (why would I when I've got my pal, Pocari?) but there is something undoubtedly interesting about crunchy beverages in general. Shaking the can provides little insight into the nature of this liquid. I suppose I will just have to wait until they're out of Pocari Sweat to find out.

So you've got your cart loaded with your choice of beverages, sugar and manga, but wait! You can't leave without witnessing the "Gift" portion of Toyo Shokuhin and Gifts (they didn't put it in the name for nothing). Keep walking past the classy sushi sets and the waving happy cats (aka Historical Hello Kitty) and discover the majesty of chopsticks emblazoned with the images of your favorite Bandai characters. Personally, I will never be caught eating without Sailor Chibi Moon again.

Now, this may just happen because I'm so irresistibly cute, but each time I've visited Toyo Shokuhin I have left with gifts from the proprietors. Last time I received sweet soybean jelly wrapped in some kind of sticky ricey stuff that resembled Botan Rice Candy (the Japanese Candy Ambassador—easily found in Harris Teeter and other Anglo markets) in flavor and texture. If you're not as cute as me, these are well worth purchasing if only because they resemble Hostess Sno-Balls minus the "Sno." And nothing is more fun than eating squishy white spheres. Unless, of course, it's washing them down with Pocari Sweat. Spit Noechel

Here's some examples of some great products you can find at these shops...

President Oat

I happened upon this product at Grand Asia Market. It was in the refrigerated beverage section and was in a beverage can, but it had a plastic spoon. There was no other English on the can besides "President Oat" I asked a cashier if she knew what it was—hoping that since she was Asian and worked there, she would know. She just shrugged. So I bought it anyway. Let me assure you that it's not a beverage, but a chilled oatmeal soup with sweet red beans and a strong peanut taste. It is also very gross. Skip

Sangaria Citrus Pop Of all the numerous soft drinks at Toyo Shokuhin, this bottle stood out. It contains a super sweet Sprite knockoff and a hitch. There's a marble between the drink and the bottle opening. You can't get any liquid unless you tip the bottle their special way. Maddening and refreshing at the same time! Skip

Basil Seed Drink I first had this refreshing drink at a little Vietnamese restaurant off of Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh. It was sweet like Juicy Fruit gum with little fish eggs-the basil seeds. You can buy your own canned version in any Asian grocery, but I have two warnings: 1) mix this drink with ice and some water to cut the viscosity, 2) don't mix this with rum or you will barf. Skip

Indian Movie Soundtracks Go to any Indian grocery store and you'll find at least one wall covered wtih video tapes of hit movies. The Indian film industry cranks out hundreds of films eclipsing recession-wary Hollywood's output. They can be hard to watch since many videos are duped from a dupe and there are no subtitles to help you with the story. But the film's musical numbers stand out and almost every film has at least one; whether it's a drama, action picture or comedy. Most of the film's soundtracks are available on cassette or CD. I recommend buying the music based on the cover. You won't be disappointed. Skip