PorkChopSammiches: Going Grocery

I love food. I think anyone who spends more than 5 minutes on this blog and gets through the grammatical errors and off-color humor sees that. I love food so much that it fosters a love affair with things related to food. I love cooking, trying new restaurants, sampling local cuisines of places I visit, reading cookbooks and watching food shows.

I especially love shopping for food. Few things make me happier than perusing the isles of a Whole Foods or visiting a local farmers market. There are few other places where you can find the quality and variety of produce available in this area. But as I found out Saturday, there is a place that does indeed stand head and shoulders above even Whole Foods in its selection and quality of not only produce, but meat, fish, spices and other assorted food stocks.   And for far cheaper than even discount grocery stores sell for. This place?
Super H Mart.

If someone blindfolded you and marched you into an H Mart you would swear you were in some new Whole Foods store with its clean and modern design, well stocked shelves and wide open spaces to walk.   Then you'd notice things like instead of having a section devoted to cheese, there's one devoted completely to kimchi and you'd know you're some place special.

When you first walk in you notice many of the signage is in Korean. Which makes sense because it is, in fact a Korean grocery store.   But you immediately forget about any signs or writing or any care in the world when you see the produce. Dear god, the produce. It's beautiful. The most ripe and beautiful looking fruits you've ever seen. Plump and gigantic tomatoes, fragrant herbs, crisp lettuces.... amazing.   And the variety is unlike anything I've ever seen.   Things like bitter melon, star apples and even durian (which smells a little like rotting flesh but is very popular in Southeast Asia. I may have to try it!).

And the rest of the store doesn't disappoint either. The freshest fish I've ever seen not swimming. Tons of beautiful beef and pork. Row after row of spices, noodles, rices, soups and even Asian cereals. All waiting to be discovered by me and you.

I took a few snapshots while I was shopping there.   I would have taken more, but I was took busy being mesmerized by this place.   Take my word for it and just go, if you like food even a little bit, it's an experience that shouldn't be missed (and it's hella cheap!).