We used to have an Asian market just up the street, but as the demographics of the neighborhoods have changed, so have the shops. So now, the nearest market (Lotto – can’t find any link for it online) is about 25 minutes away, so I don’t get over there as much as I’d like. (The international section of our local grocery is getting better, but just not the same!)
If you are lucky enough to have an Asian market near you and have been too intimidated to walk in (yes, it can be intimidating, especially if it’s laid out so the first thing you see are live turtles.) go do it anyway. They’re great places to just wander around if nothing else. You may very well stumble across that sauce or spice or snack you’ve had before somewhere and have never been able to find anywhere else.
But today I had errands to run that had me right there, so I had to pop in, if for no other reason than chopsticks, as I’ve just about exhausted my supply that I bought in Chinatown a while back. Let’s face it, there are just some things that really should be eaten with chopsticks: Chinese take out, Japanese sticky rice, Ramen and Soba just to start with. And I like all these things, so I need chopsticks.
This market also happens to have a great little housewares section with tons of cups and bowls and plates and a positively dizzying array of rice cookers. I picked up a couple proper bowls for sticky rice (or miso) and a couple plates that will make perfect spoon rests, even if that wasn’t the original intent of the designer:
Then to the chopsticks. Picked up a pack of metal ones, and a couple packs of what I thought were wooden, except I now realize they are plastic. So, I am set for chopsticks until I die. (The plastic ones were incredibly cheap, so there are still no worries over losing one in a lunchbag or in the garbage disposal.) I almost made the mistake of getting Korean ones, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but they’re more oval shaped than round and a little harder to use, and I don’t feel like accidentally flinging ramen across the room.
On to the noodle aisle – because I can. :) Spied some Soba noodles with the bonus of English cooking directions on the back. (My knowledge of Kanji is non-existent. 3 years in Japan and I was still doing good to be able to sound out Katakana symbols, the most basic of the language.) Now, just to figure out how to season them properly! (I’m already thinking cooking in chicken stock might be a good place to start.)
Of course I had to hit the candy aisle. And of course I had to grab a box of Pocky.
And some orange bubblegum that I used to get all the time when we were overseas. (It’s just like Chiclets, but better somehow.)
Now, I’m off to enjoy some sticky rice the way it supposed to be enjoyed:
(Let’s just pretend that the Mountain Dew I’ll be drinking with it is a traditional cold accompaniment for sticky rice.)