What might I find in a Mexican grocery?

[Sicks Ate]

Whoops, my lack of culture is showing!

There's a small Mexican grocery about 300 yards from my house. It's been there for a couple years now, and I've never ventured in. I always wonder if there's anything really awesome I'm missing out on. I don't know a ton about authentic Mexican food...wait, I do know that Mexican Coke is made with real sugar...but they do seem to have a smoker going out in front on a regular basis. I assume this is for carnitas, but as I said, I really don't have a clue. I look at the Mexican section of the reg'lar grocery story, and don't ever really see anything I feel like I need to have.

Not being one who likes to put myself in situations where I'm clueless, I haven't ventured in to poke around.

Do I need to check it out?

[Ichbin Dubist]

You will find:

A better selection of dried chilies than your grocery store. Unusual canned goods. With luck, excellent tortillas made locally. Apple and tamarind soda. Strange chocolate that makes excellent cocoa. Tamale wrappers.

I've been to an unassuming Mexican grocery store in the next county that has four tiny tables in the back, and they serve the most amazing and authentic Mexican food. So maybe that.

[Leaffan]

Mexicans.

[Drunky Smurf]

Yes. They probably have some really good salsa and quacamole. Some good Mexican sausage like chorizo. Some good flavored meats like carne or pollo asada. They might have fresh made tortillas which are a million times better than the store bought kind.

I can't think of much else at the moment. But here is southern California Mexican food is everywhere and is considered normal everyday food so there's probably a lot more stuff that I don't consider Mexican but as just normal.

I'd definitely check it out just to see what they might have.

[NoClueBoy]

Real sugar soft drinks.

Cans of fruit nectar type drinks.

Chorizo

Candles with Jesus or the Blessed Virgin on them

Candy with chili powder as one of the ingredients

Menudo (not the singing group made up of perpetually 15 yr old boys)

Canned veggies that don't grow around here.

[kenobi 65]

Mexicans.

Beat me to it. :p

[kenobi 65]

Menudo (not the singing group made up of perpetually 15 yr old boys)

But it does answer the question of what happens to former members of the boy band, when they get too old. ;)

[ratatoskK]

Jumping beans!

[Tom Tildrum]

Budweiser with tomato juice.

[Sigmagirl]

Chihuahua and queso fresco cheese, good melty and crumbly kinds.

[Atomic Mama]

Just. GO. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[pulykamell]

I live and shop in a Mexican neighborhood. Main things I find at my grocery:

A large selection of chile peppers, both fresh and dried. In the fresh section, off the top of my head: serrano, poblano, jalapeno, habanero, anaheim, cascabel, banana pepper, peron (aka rocoto). In the dried: ancho, pasilla, guajillo, morita, chipotle, habanero, pequin, arbol, japanese.

The fruit and vegetable selection may be different. For example, at my store you will find fresh tomatillos, guava, various mangos, prickly pear paddles (nopales), prickly pear fruit (tuna and xoconostles), a selection of different types of plantains and bananas, fresh garbanzo beans, sometimes fresh fava beans, chirimoya, chayote, etc. Lots of different root vegetables including name, malanga, yuca, boniato, yautia, etc. The herb selection will definitely include cilantro, but often also epazote, maybe culantro, fresh chamomile, hoja santa (although not around my parts) and things like that.

The meat section may feature parts of the animal you're not familiar with. There are often various types of tripe on sale. Skirt steak (both inner and outer) is usually a featured cut (outer skirt is generally preferred). You may have goat on sale. You may even find a goat or pig head on sale, depending on the time of year and how "hardcore" your Mexican grocery is.

Also, the butcher section may have homemade chorizo (sometimes both red and green varieties) and pre-marinaded meats of all kinds for grilling or roasting.

The dried herb section will usually be a bit different than your standard US herbs. Annatto seeds, Mexican oregano (quite different than regular oregano--they're not even in the same plant family), dried hoja santa, dried shrimp (both pulverized and whole), etc.

You should be able to find masa (a hominy dough) or masa harina (flour made from hominy) that is used for making corn tortillas and tamales. Also, as said above, your tortilla selection should hopefully be better than at a regular grocery. My store doesn't make their own tortillas, but they get deliveries from several different tortillerias in the vicinity, so when you buy them, they're still warm in their wax paper.

If the grocery also contains a bakery, then you will find all manner of delicious Mexican sweets and some of my favorite rolls in the world: the telera and bolillo.

And that's just off the top of my head, but your grocery may be different. Why don't you just venture in and check it out?

[Sicks Ate]

And that's just off the top of my head, but your grocery may be different. Why don't you just venture in and check it out?

Because I'm not one who is always comfortable immersing myself in unfamiliar situations :D

[blondebear]

Reusable canvas bags with vibrant color schemes.

[Cheez_Whia]

The "smoker" out front is probably for charring the skins of fresh (usually green) chiles so that they are easy to peel. Carnitas aren't smoked IME. :)

[Sicks Ate]

Reusable canvas bags with vibrant color schemes.

Well holy crap, why didn't anyone say so in the first place?!?! I'm there!

Nah, I'll go in and look around soon. I Just wanted a little info before I did. I don't know what to do with many of those new foods. Except tortillas, I know some things to do with those.

Maybe I should find a couple authentic type recipes, so that I have a list of things I need to look for...

The "smoker" out front is probably for charring the skins of fresh (usually green) chiles so that they are easy to peel. Carnitas aren't smoked IME. :)

Ah, a little more research on my part would support that observation :) See? Toldya I needed to do a little homework first!

[Cheez_Whia]

This (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Mexican-Cook/dp/B001DSK77Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335470507&sr=1-1) is a cookbook that I own, and it is an excellent primer for newbies to Mexican cuisine. Try the Pollo Aguascalientes, it's delicious!

[Anne Neville]

Nah, I'll go in and look around soon. I Just wanted a little info before I did. I don't know what to do with many of those new foods.

The disks of chocolate with cinnamon: eat them right out of the package. They're good.

If you make any recipes with canned or dried beans, you'll probably find a better selection of those at the Mexican market than you will at a supermarket.

If you like salsa, you will find a better selection of salsas at the Mexican market. You don't need an authentic Mexican recipe to know what to do with salsa.

[Eve]

About ten years ago I was thinking of moving to a town where the only nearby grocery store was Hispanic. I had cats at the time, and did not see any cat stuff: food, litter, etc. My high-school Spanish did not cover this, so I tried to ask the clerk using the universal language of mime. I pretended I was a cat, I squatted, I buried with my paws, I scooped.

They asked me to leave.

[twickster]

Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.

[Cheez_Whia]

Somehow, I knew that was coming! :p

[Little Nemo]

Phone cards

[Sicks Ate]

Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.

Somehow, I knew that was coming! :p

I wasn't sure initially...didn't necessarily intend it to become a discussion about cuisine, but I guess it has taken its logical course!

And now I also know that threads about food at 2:30 in the afternoon are a bad idea :smack:

[guizot]

Candles with Jesus or the Blessed Virgin on themSpecifically, Guadalupe. For example, at my store you will find fresh tomatillos, guava, various mangos, Also, it's where you can get frozen Goya products, such as maracuya (parcha) for making tropical fruit drinks from fruits that don't get imported to the States.The disks of chocolate with cinnamon: eat them right out of the package. . . :eek: Just the idea makes me feel a little sick.

[Anne Neville]

:eek: Just the idea makes me feel a little sick.

Send them to me, then.

[cuberdon]

Has no one mentioned paletas?

[purplehorseshoe]

Because I'm not one who is always comfortable immersing myself in unfamiliar situations :D

Dude, it's a grocery store, there's not really anything to immerse yourself in. Aisles of fresh, canned, frozen and/or packaged food, and then people who are waiting to take your money. Unless you make a scene a la Eve, they just want your moolah. It'll be okay. And hey, you might find some new thing you like!

If you find tamarinds, either in paste form (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Liz-VpvKDvo/S-hvvXDK2dI/AAAAAAAAEHY/NL7ta1dp7Xw/s1600/tamarind+block.jpg)or the original bean (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fsC86MVVdt8/TtaVyHJceUI/AAAAAAAAKbg/EoncgaKiGxo/s1600/sweet-tamarind-pic.jpg), they upgrade any beef stew into Awesomeland.

Oh, and here in north Texas, the Mexican grocery stores have waaaaayyyyy better prices on fresh food like produce and meat than the U.S. based chains. That's reason enough to go.

[Lynn Bodoni]

I've found that a lot of the Mexican/Hispanic grocers around here are more likely to have dried beans and sometimes rice in bulk. And if you go through a lot of dried beans, this can save a lot of money. Some of the stores have bulk spices, too. The selection is usually different, and many products are labeled in Spanish. Sometimes they're also labeled in English, sometimes it's Spanish only. The book and magazine section has Spanish language books and magazines, and rarely has English language offerings.

It's entirely possible to conduct business without being able to speak Spanish, money talks in a way that most everyone understands.

[Taomist]

Because I'm not one who is always comfortable immersing myself in unfamiliar situations :D

Hehe, don't feel bad. I went into a korean grocery, found a GREAT deal on a bag of frozen scallops, only to get home, try to cook them, and realize they weren't scallops at all but some kind of discs made of...gluten, as far as I can tell. :p I have a much easier time in hispanic stores.

[Taomist]

About ten years ago I was thinking of moving to a town where the only nearby grocery store was Hispanic. I had cats at the time, and did not see any cat stuff: food, litter, etc. My high-school Spanish did not cover this, so I tried to ask the clerk using the universal language of mime. I pretended I was a cat, I squatted, I buried with my paws, I scooped.

They asked me to leave.

I laughed out loud. :p

[stegon66]

My ex-wife didn't like going to the local Mexican store because it "smelled foreign." She was more than happy to eat their burritos though! They also made awesome chorizo tacos. Mmm...

[mister nyx]

Phone cards
I came in here to say this.

[Johnny L.A.]

I don't know what to do with many of those new foods. Except tortillas, I know some things to do with those.

Cook some chorizo. (Take the skin off first, since you want to break it up.) Cook some potatoes. Put some chorizo and potatoes into a tortilla. (Add scrambled eggs if you want, but I like just choizo con papas.) And there's your breakfast burrito. Or lunch burrito. Or snackage.

[Alice The Goon]

A lot of Mexican stores around here have package deals on meat. So you'll get a variety of, say, pork products, for a set price. It's usually not the best quality meat, no- but it is often a good deal.

[purplehorseshoe]

Cook some chorizo. (Take the skin off first, since you want to break it up.) Cook some potatoes. Put some chorizo and potatoes into a tortilla. (Add scrambled eggs if you want, but I like just choizo con papas.) And there's your breakfast burrito. Or lunch burrito. Or snackage.

Your suggestion would be improved with the addition of salsa. ;)

[Johnny L.A.]

Your suggestion would be improved with the addition of salsa. ;)

What, and dilute the chorizo spices? :p

I use salsa (and sometimes Vegemite) on all other breakfast burritos. But not chorizo con papas.

[Alice The Goon]

What, and dilute the chorizo spices? :p

I use salsa (and sometimes Vegemite) on all other breakfast burritos. But not chorizo con papas.


Agree. Salsa=good. Chorizo=good. Salsa+chorizo=wrong.

[Missy2U]

About ten years ago I was thinking of moving to a town where the only nearby grocery store was Hispanic. I had cats at the time, and did not see any cat stuff: food, litter, etc. My high-school Spanish did not cover this, so I tried to ask the clerk using the universal language of mime. I pretended I was a cat, I squatted, I buried with my paws, I scooped.

They asked me to leave.

This made my day. Thank you, Eve.

[Zyada]

Our hispanic grocery has a really large section of Goya food products. Goya ginger beer is about rjk's preferred brand - it has a touch of capsaicin in it to add to the bite of the ginger.

They also have really good store-made chorizo, and a great variety of hispanic cheeses, unusual canned and frozen produce, as well as a few fresh veggies that you don't see in your local Safeway.

Check out the beauty section for items you haven't seen in a grocery store since the 70s.

The herbs and spices tend to be a lot cheaper.

I would recommend that you stay away from Mexican vanilla though. There is a plant that tastes similar to vanilla, and is used to make cheap vanilla but is potentially toxic (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2328/is-mexican-vanilla-toxic-plus). It's illegal to sell it in the U.S., but that doesn't always stop sales.

[Zsofia]

Rice ice cream! Also, actually ripe avocados.

[Alice The Goon]

And frozen fruit bars and ones with coconut- my favorite.

[Sicks Ate]

This (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Mexican-Cook/dp/B001DSK77Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335470507&sr=1-1) is a cookbook that I own, and it is an excellent primer for newbies to Mexican cuisine. Try the Pollo Aguascalientes, it's delicious!

Cool! I will look in to it.

I've found that a lot of the Mexican/Hispanic grocers around here are more likely to have dried beans and sometimes rice in bulk. And if you go through a lot of dried beans, this can save a lot of money. Some of the stores have bulk spices, too. The selection is usually different, and many products are labeled in Spanish. Sometimes they're also labeled in English, sometimes it's Spanish only. The book and magazine section has Spanish language books and magazines, and rarely has English language offerings.

It's entirely possible to conduct business without being able to speak Spanish, money talks in a way that most everyone understands.

And that was maybe something I was concerned about! But I guess if I dump an armload of stuff on the counter and look at the total on the register, the mission will be accomplished.

Hehe, don't feel bad. I went into a korean grocery, found a GREAT deal on a bag of frozen scallops, only to get home, try to cook them, and realize they weren't scallops at all but some kind of discs made of...gluten, as far as I can tell. :p I have a much easier time in hispanic stores.

:D There are a couple asian markets here that I've visited...apart from reminding me of Japan, and ogling all of the 'fresh' fish, it was fun to try to figure out what's in the brightly labeled packages.

Cook some chorizo. (Take the skin off first, since you want to break it up.) Cook some potatoes. Put some chorizo and potatoes into a tortilla. (Add scrambled eggs if you want, but I like just choizo con papas.) And there's your breakfast burrito. Or lunch burrito. Or snackage.

Ok, I'm hearing chorizo loud and clear! I was reading the Wikipedia article about it a few weeks ago, so I was kind of curious to check it out, anyway. So, top of the list.

Our hispanic grocery has a really large section of Goya food products. Goya ginger beer is about rjk's preferred brand - it has a touch of capsaicin in it to add to the bite of the ginger.

They also have really good store-made chorizo, and a great variety of hispanic cheeses, unusual canned and frozen produce, as well as a few fresh veggies that you don't see in your local Safeway.

Check out the beauty section for items you haven't seen in a grocery store since the 70s.

The herbs and spices tend to be a lot cheaper.

I would recommend that you stay away from Mexican vanilla though. There is a plant that tastes similar to vanilla, and is used to make cheap vanilla but is potentially toxic (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2328/is-mexican-vanilla-toxic-plus). It's illegal to sell it in the U.S., but that doesn't always stop sales.

I do kind of want to try ginger beer. Let's pretend the label is in Spanish, what would it say?

Rice ice cream! Also, actually ripe avocados.

Oh wow, also worth a trip. My default for avocados right now is Aldi, since they tend to have ones that will be too ripe in about 6 hours...

[guizot]

Send them to me, then.Well, I'll continue to use them for hot chocolate, but I'm glad you enjoy eating them "raw" . . . you animal, you!

[Cheez_Whia]

I do kind of want to try ginger beer. Let's pretend the label is in Spanish, what would it say? Cerveza de Jengibre

[urban1a]

Freshly killed and butchered chickens (with the heads on); chicken feet (they eat them somehow although I have never asked how). Beef cuts unlike any you see in american stores. And, yes, the GOOD Coke and Pepsi.

Bob

[bump]

Oh, and here in north Texas, the Mexican grocery stores have waaaaayyyyy better prices on fresh food like produce and meat than the U.S. based chains. That's reason enough to go.

¡Viva Fiesta! (Fiesta's the name of a rather large Mexican grocery chain here in Texas)

The meat seems kind of sketchy to me, although a lot of that may be the lighting, which for whatever reason, is not the same as in a normal US grocery butcher case.

The produce on the other hand, is both stellar quality and considerably cheaper than what you'll find at a normal US grocery store, and in many cases, there's more variety in fruits than what you're used to as well. Things like multiple varieties of banana, tropical fruits like guavas, mangos, and papayas are all common.

They have fresh (often still warm!) corn and flour tortillas for super-cheap- I think I've seen 88 cents/100 corn tortillas before. They also have some really interesting snack foods and frozen foods that you won't find in other stores- things like plantain chips, yuca chips, and frozen yuca, and convenience foods like empanadas that you may not be able to find elsewhere.

Plus, they usually have an old lady at the front of the store selling $1 tacos that are delicious.

[Little Nemo]

Horchata

[Zsofia]

Oh god, how did I forget horchata? Horchata. (It's a drink made of rice and cinnamon and stuff - grocery stores often have a mix you dilute.) It's delicious.

[Musicat]

About ten years ago I was thinking of moving to a town where the only nearby grocery store was Hispanic. I had cats at the time, and did not see any cat stuff: food, litter, etc. My high-school Spanish did not cover this, so I tried to ask the clerk using the universal language of mime. I pretended I was a cat, I squatted, I buried with my paws, I scooped.Reminds me of trying to buy mousetraps in Vietnam, as our hooches were overrun with the critters. Pantomiming a mouse, a mouse running across the floor, and a mouse getting caught in a trap resulted in a "aha!" moment, and the shopkeeper proudly showed me to a live trap so I could keep them for pets.

Then I had to imitate being a dead mouse -- you can imagine that, I'm sure. Aack! But they didn't see why anyone would want to kill one -- it was just a normal part of domestic household activity.

I gave up -- I had to get some traps from the states.

[grude]

There is a totally unassuming carniceria/Mexican grocery in a old strip mall behind the old Wendy's on Bissonet by the SW freeway in Houston, from the outside it looks rather like a convenience store and gives no clue it has a lunch counter inside with a cook. The cook speaks not one word of English but he makes UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE beef fajitas :eek: OMG out of this world! Marinated strips of beef hot off the grill behind the counter in thick soft tortillas and tons of salsa and onions and cilantro, I don't know his secret but they have to be the best I have ever had! Cheap as dirt too along with a cold beer(you have to pay for the beer separately for some reason.)

I have been tempted to go back to Houston for those fajitas, the guy is probably gone and the place might be too:( But damn I have had cravings for them out of the blue.

[Little Nemo]

Oh god, how did I forget horchata? Horchata. (It's a drink made of rice and cinnamon and stuff - grocery stores often have a mix you dilute.) It's delicious.My local discount store recently got a shipment of horchata they were selling for fifty cents a bottle. I cleared the shelf.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Freshly killed and butchered chickens (with the heads on); chicken feet (they eat them somehow although I have never asked how). Beef cuts unlike any you see in american stores. And, yes, the GOOD Coke and Pepsi.

Bob As far as I know, chicken feet are mostly used to make stock with, much like wing tips. There's not much meat on them, but they will make an incredibly tasty broth. It's sort of like ham hocks for beans, except the ham hocks do have some meat on them.

OK, tomorrow I'm going out for tortilla soup, and nobody's gonna stop me.

[grude]

As far as I know, chicken feet are mostly used to make stock with, much like wing tips. There's not much meat on them, but they will make an incredibly tasty broth. It's sort of like ham hocks for beans, except the ham hocks do have some meat on them.

OK, tomorrow I'm going out for tortilla soup, and nobody's gonna stop me.

My wife cooks chicken feet to eat by themselves, I've also seen them for sale in local restaurants here in Trinidad. There are also souse sellers on the street selling chicken foot souse which is kinda pickled.

You cut the toenails off before cooking, but you are right they don't have much meat on them. They make really thick jelly like juice too.

[Pyper]

I do kind of want to try ginger beer. Let's pretend the label is in Spanish, what would it say?


You shouldn't have to worry about this. From what I can tell, Goya Ginger Beer is a product only manufactured in the U.S. with an English label. It's basically ginger ale.

If you are partially to drinks with chunks of stuff in them (as I am), try some agua de coco (coconut water) or aloe juice. I was just at my favorite Mexican market today, and they are now selling aloe juice in many assorted flavors!

What I picked up on my quick shopping trip:

Refried beans*
Chicken tamale and cheese tamale
House-made tortilla chips
Coconut water
Guava-flavored aloe juice and tea-flavored aloe juice
Crema mexicana (sour cream, but tastier and runnier)

*Anyone in the Westminster, CA area must immediately proceed to El Ranchito and try their refried beans. No beans ever tasted so good, ever.

[Zyada]

I do kind of want to try ginger beer. Let's pretend the label is in Spanish, what would it say?

Good question. Here's what the goya brand actually looks like: http://www.sodapopstop.com/products/detail.cfm?link=330


And here's what it might say in Español: Cerveza de jengibre - However, ginger beer/ginger ale seems to be enough of an english import that they usually just say "ginger beer/ale" (Even in the spanish wiki)

BTW, in Spanish, jamaica means hibiscus. And you can buy jamaica soft drinks (refrescos) and jamaica Kool-aid

[jnglmassiv]

Pulykamell pretty well nailed it.

If they have house-made chorizo in the butcher case, grab a chunk, cut the casing from it and fry in a skillet. Avoid the factory stuff in transparent, plastic casings.

There is a Mexican grocery by my work that had hot rotisserie chickens for $3.49/ea! One of those and 4 or 5 dollars worth of store-made green salsa, onion, limes, tortillas and cilantro is a great couple of meals. They also have a tub of rice for $1.49, a nice add-on.

Outer skirt steak mentioned earlier in the thread can be half the price compared to more mainstream groceries.

Avocados are cheap and the turnover is good.

A block of prepared achiote paste (http://www.elyucateco.com/english/products/condiments/annatto.html) mixed with the juice of an orange for a chicken or pork marinade is hard to beat on the grill.

Cotija cheese resembles grated parmesan but doesn't taste like it. Try some.

[shiftless]

The Hispanic grocery I go to has way better prices on fruits and some veggies than my local Safeway supermarket. That is also the only place I can find ripe avocados and mangos. Normally, if I need one of those and don't plan at least a few days ahead, I have to do without. At the local Best Way I can expect to find something properly ripe and ready to eat.

[Sister Vigilante]

Lots and lots of lard. And not the Crisco kind hidden in cans. Lard in huge chunks wrapped in clear plastic.

After a few intestinal mishaps we stopped buying meat from one.

[stegon66]

OK, tomorrow I'm going out for tortilla soup, and nobody's gonna stop me.


Mmmm. A local Mexican restaurant (not part of a chain) makes the best tortilla soup! Now I'm hungry...

[whitetho]

They asked me to leave.Just like Sara Bareilles in her Gonna Get Over You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUe3oVlxLSA&feature=relmfu) video. (A favorite.)

[pulykamell]

Lots and lots of lard. And not the Crisco kind hidden in cans. Lard in huge chunks wrapped in clear plastic.

I was going to mention that you might be able to find good lard in plastic buckets or cups here. Like freshly rendered, not hydrogenated lard (unlike the Armour-brand lard you get in bricks like butter.) If, like me, you like lard as a base fat for cooking stews (or pastries), it's a godsend.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Mmmm. A local Mexican restaurant (not part of a chain) makes the best tortilla soup! Now I'm hungry... This restaurant is not part of a chain. There are two locations, but it's completely local. And I've been known to send my husband out for some of their tortilla soup when I've had bronchitis. I tell you, that stuff is better than penicillin...especially since I'm allergic to penicillin! Generally I don't like cheese with chicken, but somehow, in tortilla soup, it works.

[VOW]

Go. Take a notepad and pen with you.

Smile at everyone. Be polite.

Try not to gawk at the MUCH lower prices on fresh produce. You might have to carefully select what you want, but you will save a bundle. Most of the store employees speak English. If you approach one who doesn't, you will be nicely directed to one who does.

You'll find sections dedicated to Central and South American food products. Look at EVERYTHING. If you don't understand a label, write it down in your notepad. The Internet is your friend.

My husband doesn't like Mexican markets. I let him sit in the truck while I go inside and shop.

Next, look for Asian markets and Indian/Pakistani markets. Use the same process. Don't forget the notepad!

There's an entire WORLD out there waiting for you! And it's FUN!

(hint: you can save a FORTUNE shopping for spices in an Asian market!)


~VOW

[pulykamell]

(hint: you can save a FORTUNE shopping for spices in an Asian market!)


Absolutely. Really, any non-American market will do for spices. Middle Eastern, Asian, whatever, it's cheap.

Also, if you're in the mood for lamb, find a Halal meat market or similar in town (if you got 'em) and you cant find it for much cheaper than any mainstream market. For example, lamb shoulder at the Halal market a couple miles from my house is usually arount $2.50-$3.00 a pound, carved from the freshly slaughtered carcass you see hanging in the cooler.

[Joey P]

Because I'm not one who is always comfortable immersing myself in unfamiliar situations :D

And as a 6'8" blond guy, it's not like you'll stick out in a Mexican store or anything. Go in, no one will notice, you'll blend right in.

But seriously, go in. I like to say that every big grocery store has two Mexican sections. They have the one with the Pace Picante Sauce and the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and then if you go down the aisle a bit you'll find the Mole Sauce, Chipotles in Adobo, masa and Jesus Candles, right? The Mexican store will be only that stuff. It's pretty cool and if you have one right down the block that you've never been in before you're missing out on a lot of really good stuff. Even if you're not an adventurous eater, the butcher is likely better then the one at your megamart and the meat is probably cheaper to boot. If it's a big/crowded Mexican store, you should go in just for the experience. Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday. Go in Friday afternoon and they'll be friggen swamped, it'll be fun.

Totally just got that...6'8"=Sicks Ate.

[Nava]

Oh god, how did I forget horchata? Horchata. (It's a drink made of rice and cinnamon and stuff - grocery stores often have a mix you dilute.) It's delicious.

I'm curious: the horchata in Spain is usually made from chufas and says "horchata de chufa"; it's somewhat similar to almond milk but sweeter.

Does the horchata over there say only "horchata" and the brand or does it say something more? I never saw it, which is a royal pity because I love the chufas variety.

[NoClueBoy]

I used to think it was slang for chatting up a hooker!

;)

[Sicks Ate]

Absolutely. Really, any non-American market will do for spices. Middle Eastern, Asian, whatever, it's cheap.

Also, if you're in the mood for lamb, find a Halal meat market or similar in town (if you got 'em) and you cant find it for much cheaper than any mainstream market. For example, lamb shoulder at the Halal market a couple miles from my house is usually arount $2.50-$3.00 a pound, carved from the freshly slaughtered carcass you see hanging in the cooler.

Ohh, that's a good tip! I've been wanting some lamb, but it is so expensive...

Go. Take a notepad and pen with you.

Smile at everyone. Be polite.

Try not to gawk at the MUCH lower prices on fresh produce. You might have to carefully select what you want, but you will save a bundle. Most of the store employees speak English. If you approach one who doesn't, you will be nicely directed to one who does.

You'll find sections dedicated to Central and South American food products. Look at EVERYTHING. If you don't understand a label, write it down in your notepad. The Internet is your friend.

My husband doesn't like Mexican markets. I let him sit in the truck while I go inside and shop.

Next, look for Asian markets and Indian/Pakistani markets. Use the same process. Don't forget the notepad!

There's an entire WORLD out there waiting for you! And it's FUN!

(hint: you can save a FORTUNE shopping for spices in an Asian market!)


~VOW

What? A whole WORLD?:D Ok, I'm convinced.

And as a 6'8" blond guy, it's not like you'll stick out in a Mexican store or anything. Go in, no one will notice, you'll blend right in.

But seriously, go in. I like to say that every big grocery store has two Mexican sections. They have the one with the Pace Picante Sauce and the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and then if you go down the aisle a bit you'll find the Mole Sauce, Chipotles in Adobo, masa and Jesus Candles, right? The Mexican store will be only that stuff. It's pretty cool and if you have one right down the block that you've never been in before you're missing out on a lot of really good stuff. Even if you're not an adventurous eater, the butcher is likely better then the one at your megamart and the meat is probably cheaper to boot. If it's a big/crowded Mexican store, you should go in just for the experience. Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday. Go in Friday afternoon and they'll be friggen swamped, it'll be fun.

Totally just got that...6'8"=Sicks Ate.

Yeah, it's the dumbest name I could come up with a year ago when I was pretty buzzed and could not stand to lurk any longer.

[Little Nemo]

I'm curious: the horchata in Spain is usually made from chufas and says "horchata de chufa"; it's somewhat similar to almond milk but sweeter.

Does the horchata over there say only "horchata" and the brand or does it say something more? I never saw it, which is a royal pity because I love the chufas variety.The stuff I see is mostly only called horchata. this (http://maxcdn.nexternal.com/vegane/images/HorchataXL.jpg) this (http://crazysalad.typepad.com/crazysalad/images/horchatamixes_2.jpg) this (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g8daIm4rzVk/TdAxHHYDNTI/AAAAAAAAALU/yumw2VRCSYA/s1600/horchata.jpg) this (http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/104585938/Don_Julio_Horchata_drink.jpg)

[Zsofia]

I'm curious: the horchata in Spain is usually made from chufas and says "horchata de chufa"; it's somewhat similar to almond milk but sweeter.

Does the horchata over there say only "horchata" and the brand or does it say something more? I never saw it, which is a royal pity because I love the chufas variety.
Pretty sure it generally just says "horchata" although I haven't had any in a while.

[Shakes]

If you go and some dude wants to sell you corn in a cup. Buy some. You'll thank me later. (Tell him to dowse it with hot sauce.)

[bubba jr]

Here I don't have much of a choice. Where I live and also where I work is in the boonies, so I mostly stick to the small markets, which lean heavily Mexican.

The good stuff is anything spelled CHILE.

They ALWAYS have fresh cilantro and avacado's.

Weird soda's, I've been hitting the fruit punch sodas lately, they are tasty.

They usually have a REALLY good selection of spices, blows walmart and albertsons out of the water.

Things I hate....

Their meat is always sliced paper thin, not cold cuts, but MEAT. Pork chops 3/16 of an inch thick, steaks, 1/4" thick, drives me fricken nuts.

The burger is always crap, the "lean" stuff is 80/20. the bad stuff is 73/27, sometimes 70/30

The bread selection is crap, but you can get good torilla's.

Things I'm not quite sure about:

Mango on a stick covered in red chile.

Tripe, tongue, chicken backs and tails.

Mexican candy, most I've tried sucks. The goat milk lollipops, yummy.



Pretty much like a regular market, just more peppers and odd pieces of meat. And beans.

[Eva Luna]

I'm curious: the horchata in Spain is usually made from chufas and says "horchata de chufa"; it's somewhat similar to almond milk but sweeter.

Does the horchata over there say only "horchata" and the brand or does it say something more? I never saw it, which is a royal pity because I love the chufas variety.

The default here is the rice kind. I've never seen the chufas kind. Dammit, now you're reminding me of more things I meant to try in Spain but didn't get the chance! Ah well, I guess this means we'll have to go back. :)

[Little Nemo]

The default here is the rice kind. I've never seen the chufas kind.Chufas are native to Europe and Africa. I don't know how common they are in the Americas.

The main flavoring in the horchata I've seen here in the US is cinnamon and occasionally almonds.

[pulykamell]

The default here is the rice kind. I've never seen the chufas kind. Dammit, now you're reminding me of more things I meant to try in Spain but didn't get the chance! Ah well, I guess this means we'll have to go back. :)

Same here. I've been keeping an eye out for Spanish tigernut horchata for awhile now, but I've never seen it here, either.

[Little Nemo]

Thanks to this thread, I decided to have Mexican food for lunch today.

[Sicks Ate]

This is so good! Happy with the results, thanks for the input! I haven't had a chance yet, but as soon as I do I'll report my findings...

[Cheez_Whia]

What didja get?! :D

[pulykamell]

Things I hate....

Their meat is always sliced paper thin, not cold cuts, but MEAT. Pork chops 3/16 of an inch thick, steaks, 1/4" thick, drives me fricken nuts.

The burger is always crap, the "lean" stuff is 80/20. the bad stuff is 73/27, sometimes 70/30

Yeah, at my market, too, the meat is sliced a lot thinner than I normally like. I never buy steak (other than skirt) at a Mexican market. It's just not catering to the same style or tastes. I go to Costco for a decently priced, thick-cut steak.

The burger, at least at the markets I go to, doesn't the problem you've experienced. You can find up to 93:7 meat here, and the normal cheap one is 80:20. I wish mine had 70:30, because I like the fatty stuff for hamburgers. 80:20 is the minimum fat content I like to use for ground beef that's to be used for hamburgers.