I was up in Pittsburgh (snow!) for the weekend to see some family, and we ran to the Giant Eagle for some emergency snacking supplies since Grandma eats dinner in the old folks home dining room at 4, every day, except for Sunday when she ate at 3 because The Game was coming on. “Isn’t it any good, dear?” “Oh, it’s great, Grandma, it’s just… early…”
So we went to the world’s most awesome Giant Eagle - it wasn’t one of those dirty depressing grocery stores they usually have up there! It was huge and open 24 hours and had all kinds of interesting things, including a huge and varied ethnic foods aisle including ethnicities I have never personally seen represented with their own sign in a grocery store. One of them being “Southern”, which we examined with great glee.
It was, you know, a little offensive? Half of the stuff there should have been elsewhere (I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t put those Zatarain’s rice mix things in with the rice, for example) and the rest of it was, um… I mean, “fried” was very highly represented, especially “fish fry with pictures of black people on the bag”, brands I’d never seen before. No grits, nothing I’d really consider something you’d look for in the “Southern food” aisle, just a surprising number of grinning black folks and faux Cajun.
Then two feet to the right was a better selection of Mexican and assorted other Latin American foods than I’ve ever seen outside of a Mexican grocery store. The weird thing is that I’ve never in all the time I’ve been going to Pittsburgh so much as seen a Spanish speaking person - even the hotel maids are white ladies who speak English. So what exactly gives, y’all?
The whole experience was what I imagine it must be if you’re, say, in Japan and you go to the “American Restaurant” and it’s hilarious but also kind of offensive, because you find out what they really think you do all day.
One of the things that amuses me about the awesome grocery chain known as Wegmans is their “ethnic cuisine section.” In addition to a “Southern Food” section, they have a Goya section. Not a Hispanic or Latino section, a Goya section.
We have GE stores here too and while I’ve been amused at their selection in the ethnic aisle, I don’t think I’ve seen a Southern section. They have Mexican, Hispanic and Asian, plus a little kosher section (not marked, I don’t think) and all of that is across from the pasta (or un-marked Italian) section.
Here’s a secret, tho - there’s an entire spice rack in the Mexican section that has most, if not all, basic spices. They’re about 1/4 the price of the spices in the spice aisle!
I’ll have to see tonight if there’s a Southern section now.
Did they put grits in the “Southern” section? I’m always amused when I visit North Carolina and there is an entire grits section. Up here, I think we may have 1 kind of grits available, if at all!
We have a pretty substantial illegal alien population. Walmarts here are also better stocked with Mexican stuff than I have seen anywhere else since I left Laredo.
The Ethnic foods aisle at Wal-Mart in Somersworth NH also has southern foods. I can’t think of another place you can buy grits, but you can get grits, canned okra, and other things most people never eat up here right there.
If you’re talking dried peppers, try anchos (a dried version of the poblano). Very flavorful with just a little heat. For fresh peppers, try poblanos, anaheims, or cubanelas.
Fresh peppers vary in heat. I’ve had poblanos that are about as sweet as a green pepper, to versions that may be too hot for people who are sensitive to chile heat. Just deseed and scrape the ribs out if it’s too hot for you.
The upscale grocery store near my house has, in the ethnic foods aisle, a section devoted to British food.
There are some scary, scary products on that shelf, man. Salad cream? Spotted dick in a can? I’m so tempted to try some of the odder items. Mushy peas? No, marrow peas. A lot of cans.
The only thing I’ve dared so far was some Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate. Not bad.
