My Asian Market Adventure

A while ago I got this crazy notion to stop by an Asian market out of sheer morbid curiosity. I have been in similar ones, especially in the neighborhood where I live. There's a large population of Asian people here, and there's an Asian something-or-other kind of shop on every other corner.

Upon entering this particular store, that familiar smell hits my nostrils, and suddenly I am transported to the memories of other Asian markets. This is a pretty large store, with narrow aisles, over-stocked to the ceiling. As I wander through, it occurs to me that it's an oriental version of Wal-Mart. It's got everything from food to cookware, to small household odds and ends. But it's mostly food products.

I am particularly struck by a glass tank full of murky brown water. There's no air or water pump, that I could tell. In the bottom of the tank were a number of what looked like snails, neatly arranged in a rectangle in the middle of the tank. In a front corner sat a crab. It did not look alive. Other things I saw in what I presumed to be the seafood section was a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag, filled with ice and whole catfish. Interesting presentation.

I moved on to browse the many jars and cans and packages of food, noting that some had both oriental and English writing. A good many only had the language of the country the product came from. Because I am versed in the European languages, this form of writing is a total mystery to me. The pictures of what some of the food products look like when prepared did little to help me identify what it is supposed to be. I will spare you any visual details.

I walked by piles of produce, packages of what looked like squid and dried fish, and wandered past the frozen food section. Some of the packages had been opened, and I could not resist looking inside to see what kinds of delightful foodstuff they contained. One contained whole, raw shrimp, and they were huge. But their little eyes looked back at me with a sad look as if saying, "Why??"

I finally made my way to the last aisle, and it was stocked with what I have come to know Asian food as being. Ramen noodles! And rice wafers, dried pastas, rice, and other staple ingredients. Now this stuff I can handle eating.

Honestly, I am not trying to ridicule what other countries consider to be food. I understand that we all have different tastes and different food preparation methods. But being raised in the USA, I have grown quite accustomed to the way of shopping and eating here. It was an interesting visit to say the least. Though I left this little Asian market empty-handed, it was an eye-opening culinary adventure.

Ironically, I got "Chinese" carry-out for lunch shortly afterward. Oh, the powers of persuasion!

**Post script

I re-visited this particular Asian market with a friend not long ago. We came across another cardboard box filled with what appeared to be dead crabs. Just as we got up close to get a better look, one of them MOVED. I swear, it must be what it felt like to be on the movie set of ALIENS for the first time. Aside from nearly soiling ourselves from shock, we made a quick exit. We haven't been back to that shop since.