A Fresh Start

Hello, this is not Casey, this is her doting husband Ian. Some of you may have met me, I am gorgeous. When Casey and I originally envisioned this blog it was with the assumption that I would be pulling my own weight. And for those of you that followed "Everybody Jecheon Tonight" it was clear that I did not contribute, save for twice. So this will be my emergence into the exclusive blogging community.

Please bear with me.

As a recent university graduate, I am what one would call a "broke ass." This is not by choice as many of my Portland brethren would lead you to believe, but rather a symptom of the national recession, and my personal naiveity of obtaining a degree in history. It is forced and accepted position, much like the "Untouchables" of India or Canadians. We must simply make due. However, that is not to say that one must suffer, we need not purchase ramen, mac & cheese or cans of spam. This is an indignity that I shall not suffer. And so, I bring you this.

The "strange and slightly smelly pan Asian market that is near all of our homes" is a dandy place to find quality food on the cheap. Ours is titled "Pacific Market" and, like much of our neighborhood, is primarily Vietnamese. This does come with some inherent difficulties, you might not be able to find your usual brands or more commonly brands that are in a language you speak. But once you get past that you only have to deal with the distinct smell of your store, ours is jack-fruit and ham.

All the aisles are full and everything has a translated sticker on it, I personally think this removes some of the fun, but that's just me. Here is a nice view of the inside.

Produce, it even says fresh.

An all inclusive Vietnamese Deli with flavored rice, noodle dishes and meat wrapped in leaves, I hear these are quite tasty.

And noodles, many, many noodles.

These stores are simple, no Starbucks, no twenty kinds of yogurt or a bookstore, but food. Lots and lots of food. And much like "Costco" and "Cash and Carry" by removing those lovely little additions, that we have all come to love, you get one simple thing. A cheaper grocery bill. I submit to you, our receipt.

"28 cents, how can I get such a great deal on Hanh Vang-Y Onio?"

Though, the receipt is entirely in Vietnaglish it does offer some great deals. Everything at the "Pacific Market" is easily two thirds the cost of another larger and more well lit store. I have to poke some fun, because these places are not comfortable for the average American, we were brought up on clean white stores with a smooth jazz accompaniment. These are not those stores, but don't think for a second that they aren't great. These markets are an excellent way to stock up on things you know you can use; apples, oranges, bananas, beans, rice, noodles, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and ginseng, if you're into that.

This is what we bought.

We have, apples, oranges, limes, an onion, a bag of green beans, three types of potatoes, seven mangoes, et cetera, etcetera. We bought essential staples and enough fresh food to last us a week. That is a week of fresh food, locally bought and on the cheap. I think that if you give your crazy little Asian market a try, you might just like it.