There was nothing that surprised of Al-Habashi's Market only because I used to regularly visit this specific market with my grandparents during my childhood. It brought back many great memories and it has not changed one bit. As for the Chinatown Market though, I was very surprised at the variety of options that were available. One minute we were looking at endless choices of shrimp chips and the next, we were in the fruit isle, and in the middle a fish market. It was not what I expected at all. My favorite packaging (lack of) had to be the spices at Al-Habashi's. It gives you a different feel when the herbs and spices are set up the way they are. To me, it seems so much more ethnic and diverse, which I really enjoyed.
The spices were my favorite part. They would have surprised me, but after seeing the slide in class of the mounds of spices from that country (can't remember which one), I guess I had some expectation of how they openly display them. Also, the variety of teas in the jars was amazing. Brian pointed out the Chai tea. We smelled the lid. Boy, it was strong with the scent of cloves. Didn't realize that could be one of the ingredients. I drink Chai all the time but never noticed that flavor.
I loved the smell of the spices, but I wouldn't buy them because of how they were left open inside and outside. I'm too conscious with bugs getting in my food.
You asked us to say if we bought something. Obviously, from this picture, you can see that I was in process. I bought Japanese peanuts, which have a hard coating around the peanut. I bought wasabi peas and macadamian nuts. All delicious. Even better was when I mixed them altogether.
I go to the city market about 4 times a year. But I do not patronize either market that we visited except to buy spices, so there were no expectations. I was surprised about the "Fish Oil" isle in the Chinese market, the entire isle, five shelves high and twenty feet long was nothing but various types of fish oil....my only question is what do you use it for? I also felt that the packaging in the chinese market was messy and not clean, it's possible from the fish smell. The Al-habashi market was more appealing, the packaging was also seemed to be better marketed with color and pictures, whereas the chinese market just stated what was in the package. Overall, the class before did enlighten me into what to look for other than just looking for something to eat.
The Al-Habashi market was surprisingly small. I thought it was going to be as big as the Chinese market because I didn't know what other cultural food they had inside. I noticed that there were not that many items for sale. One thing I noticed that stood out was the bag of rice sitting on the floor. Normally, the Jasmine rice we buy does not come with a zipper at the top for better storage and packaging. The Chinese market had more snacks than the Al-Habashi, which would attract more children that will tell there parents to shop there. It was also colorful inside because of the products. The Al-Habashi market did not store their spices, dried fruits, and dried nuts very well. Bugs can easily feed on the products that can cause customers to get sick. It was good to know the differences.
I thought the Chinese market was going to be as big as the 888 Market in Overland Park. I guess people didn't realize that the reason why it smelled like fish in there is because most Asian countries are around the ocean, which got them used to getting fresh fish. It's the closest they can get to a fresh fish. The Al-Habashi market was not that interesting to me. I felt clausterphobic, and did not really see anything too different. As a matter of fact the Nido brand of powdered milk was also sitting in the Chinese market's shelves. How would anyone know if the nuts in the boxes are not expired? I'm used to a Chinese market. I've been around it all my life. In the Asian countries, these kinds of markets are usually outside.
There was nothing that surprised of Al-Habashi's Market only because I used to regularly visit this specific market with my grandparents during my childhood. It brought back many great memories and it has not changed one bit. As for the Chinatown Market though, I was very surprised at the variety of options that were available. One minute we were looking at endless choices of shrimp chips and the next, we were in the fruit isle, and in the middle a fish market. It was not what I expected at all. My favorite packaging (lack of) had to be the spices at Al-Habashi's. It gives you a different feel when the herbs and spices are set up the way they are. To me, it seems so much more ethnic and diverse, which I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThat's really awesome that you visited that particular market with your grandparents! What an exciting experience! :)
DeleteI love the mounds of spice as well - makes me want to go cook.
ReplyDeleteThe spices that were outside of the Al-Habashi Market smelled so good. I agree with Dotty, it made me want to go make food right then and there!
DeleteI also agree, I loved how you could smell all of the different spices before you even got to the Al-Habashi Market.
DeleteThe spices were my favorite part. They would have surprised me, but after seeing the slide in class of the mounds of spices from that country (can't remember which one), I guess I had some expectation of how they openly display them. Also, the variety of teas in the jars was amazing. Brian pointed out the Chai tea. We smelled the lid. Boy, it was strong with the scent of cloves. Didn't realize that could be one of the ingredients. I drink Chai all the time but never noticed that flavor.
DeleteI loved the smell of the spices, but I wouldn't buy them because of how they were left open inside and outside. I'm too conscious with bugs getting in my food.
DeleteMarcus, in spite of your best efforts, there is little you can do to truly keep those pesky 'no-see-ums' out of your food.
Deletehttp://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/29/how_many_insect_parts_and_rodent_hairs_are_allowed_in_your_food.htm
You asked us to say if we bought something. Obviously, from this picture, you can see that I was in process. I bought Japanese peanuts, which have a hard coating around the peanut. I bought wasabi peas and macadamian nuts. All delicious. Even better was when I mixed them altogether.
ReplyDeleteI go to the city market about 4 times a year. But I do not patronize either market that we visited except to buy spices, so there were no expectations. I was surprised about the "Fish Oil" isle in the Chinese market, the entire isle, five shelves high and twenty feet long was nothing but various types of fish oil....my only question is what do you use it for? I also felt that the packaging in the chinese market was messy and not clean, it's possible from the fish smell. The Al-habashi market was more appealing, the packaging was also seemed to be better marketed with color and pictures, whereas the chinese market just stated what was in the package. Overall, the class before did enlighten me into what to look for other than just looking for something to eat.
ReplyDeleteThe Al-Habashi market was surprisingly small. I thought it was going to be as big as the Chinese market because I didn't know what other cultural food they had inside. I noticed that there were not that many items for sale. One thing I noticed that stood out was the bag of rice sitting on the floor. Normally, the Jasmine rice we buy does not come with a zipper at the top for better storage and packaging. The Chinese market had more snacks than the Al-Habashi, which would attract more children that will tell there parents to shop there. It was also colorful inside because of the products. The Al-Habashi market did not store their spices, dried fruits, and dried nuts very well. Bugs can easily feed on the products that can cause customers to get sick. It was good to know the differences.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Chinese market was going to be as big as the 888 Market in Overland Park. I guess people didn't realize that the reason why it smelled like fish in there is because most Asian countries are around the ocean, which got them used to getting fresh fish. It's the closest they can get to a fresh fish. The Al-Habashi market was not that interesting to me. I felt clausterphobic, and did not really see anything too different. As a matter of fact the Nido brand of powdered milk was also sitting in the Chinese market's shelves. How would anyone know if the nuts in the boxes are not expired? I'm used to a Chinese market. I've been around it all my life. In the Asian countries, these kinds of markets are usually outside.
ReplyDelete