Culture Shopping: Findings from the Field

Last April or May, I got an email from Kris Henry who was, at the time, the editor of the Taste section of the Sun. She had an idea for a series about local shops that carry products from different international cuisines and she wanted to know if I was interested in writing it. Oh, was I ever.

Over the course of the next ten or so months, I wrote eight stories, covering cuisines from Afro-Caribbean to Italian. For each, I researched the cuisines themselves, talking to bloggers, shop-owners and restaurateurs, I tracked down recipes, and I visited anywhere from 5 to 20 shops specializing in the food of a specific culture.

If that sounds like a lot of work, well, it was. But it was so worth it. I learned an incredible amount. So much more than I expected.

Overall, the biggest thing I learned was that if you ask people in Baltimore to talk to you about the food of their heritage, they will be thrilled to do just that.

If you smile at them and ask questions, they won't be offended that you don't already know all about their shop or their cuisine. They'll share what they know, they'll cut you bits of cheese and force candy into your hands, and they'll send you recipes their aunts and dads and mother's coworkers used to make.

And when all the research has been done and the article runs in the paper, they'll call to say thank you.

*********

As with any subject with this rich, I had to pick and choose what to include in each article. There just wasn't room for absolutely everything and because of the nature of the articles, including my opinions wouldn't have been appropriate.

So, in order of appearance of the original articles, here are a few extra bits and pieces, including some of my more random observations and opinions. (Original articles are linked in the titles.)

Asian
Holy smokes, Howard County is lucky when it comes to the Asian/international grocery store scene.

This was the first article I wrote and, for a variety of reasons, the most daunting. "Asian cuisine" is almost comically broad and many of the grocery stores I visited were enormous, filled with more ingredients than I could ever hope to catalog. The biggest bags of rice. The most varieties of mushrooms. So many fish and crustaceans. Jellyfish. JELLYFISH.

While this category is filled with incredible shopping options, for my money, Great Wall offers the single best international shopping experience of the entire series. I can't imagine that there's anything you can't buy there. It's overwhelming in the most fabulous way.

Latin American

Latin American markets have the most inexpensive limes. I visited these shops last spring, during that weird lime crisis, when the Mexican cartels were holding American ladies' margaritas hostage (or something like that?) and at regular grocery stores, lime costs were through the roof.

That wasn't happening at the Latin American shops, though, where I was buying up all the citrus I could see.

During these excursions, I also fell in love with Cinco de Mayo in Highlandtown (it's so busy and fun!) and Jalapenos in Glen Burnie, which is probably the area's biggest Latin American market.

At Jalapenos, I bought a couple flavors of homemade salsa in little plastic containers...and then promptly scorched my taste buds. The flavors were great and the heat index...that was the real deal.

Afro-Caribbean
Before I started this story, I thought I knew some things about Afro-Caribbean cuisine. I was wrong. Well, not completely. I'd eaten Ethiopian food and island food and I was familiar with a lot of the flavors, but as it turns out, I didn't really know much about the ingredients that go into those dishes.

Fortunately, the people in these shops were super sweet. I especially liked the people and selection at All in One on Harford Road, and the extremely sweet and helpful lady behind the counter at Island Food Market on Park Heights Avenue.

Greek
There aren't a lot of Greek markets in Baltimore, but the ones we have are good. (And, I should note, a lot of the markets I visited during the Middle Eastern market research also carried Greek products.)

Dmitri's in Mount Vernon is fancy, but wow does it smell good. Seriously, I was starving about ten seconds after walking in. It's exactly the right place to buy someone who loves food a really nice hostess gift.

And Prima. I absolutely cannot say enough great things about Prima Foods. I spent an hour there, tasting feta, learning about domestic vs. European products and generally getting a deep education on all things Greece. If you have a question, they will answer it - and they could not be nicer.

Indian
I mentioned, just above, that there were a lot of Greek products at Middle Eastern shops. The same is true of Indian goods. Though I did visit a handful of stores that catered more to Indian food than other cuisines, there were also plenty of Indian ingredients available both at Middle Eastern and Asian stores.

But what I found at Indian stores, maybe more so than at Asian or Middle Eastern shops, was that the proprietors were super friendly. They were more than happy to walk me up and down the aisles, explaining every spice and bean.

Italian
If you ever have the opportunity to write about Italian markets, especially during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, do it. It's so fun.

This was the cuisine I was most familiar with already. I'd been to most of the shops I visited for the article. It was not a hardship to visit them again. The atmospheres are festive, the people happy and the food so, so good. Ceriello in Belvedere Square and Mastellone's are the two shops I hit most frequently - because they are closest to my house. But on a Thursday morning, my senses were overwhelmed at DiPasquale's and both Pastore's. And during my Saturday morning visit to Trinacria, other shoppers were coming up to me while I looked around, anxious to tell me their favorite products and about their long family histories of visiting the store.

I didn't leave any of the stores empty-handed - how could I?

Middle Eastern
Before writing this article, I had no idea just how many Middle Eastern shops are around the area. This is driven at least in part, I think, by the religious need for halal butchers; most of the shops I went to were butchers that also carried some other products.

This article was challenging not just from a time management standpoint - it involved a lot of driving! - but also because the cuisine of the Middle East is quite varied. The region is huge, but  learned that many of the stores focus on Persian cuisine, with a bit of Turkish thrown in.

I did have the loveliest time at Caspian Market, where the Iranian owner chatted with me forever, pointing out ingredients, explaining how they differ from similar American products and, at one point, slicing open a sweet lemon for me to taste right there in the middle of the store.

Also, if you're ever at Orchard Market and Cafe (a Towson restaurant, not actually a market), ask the owner about saffron. He should really write a book.

Eastern European
The final article in the series was something of a catch-all, including shops carrying products from Russia, Poland, Germany and, in the case of Old World in Randallstown, beers and sweets from all over the Continent. By the end of my research, I was thinking of this as the sausage-and-pickled-things category.

Wow, all that sausage was impressive. At Krakus in Fells, the air was thick with the scent of sausages smoking in the back. At Binkert in Rosedale, I got lucky, showing up when the shop was closed but the staff was there, making sausages for delivery the next day, so I ended up with an up-close tour of, literally, how the sausage gets made.

I also really loved Sophia's, the Polish place in Broadway Market, and Mueller's, the old school German deli on Harford Road.

And then there were the Russians. Who knew they were so into sweets? Seriously, candy everywhere. Everywhere. (And now, as a result of that, in my house, too.)

*********

As it turns out, the story of Russians and their collective sweet tooth was a great note to go out on.

This project was, no doubt, a massive amount of work. But what a pleasure it was, from start to finish. I have learned so much about food, about culture and - maybe most importantly - about how kind and open the people of Baltimore are when it comes to talking about food. Like a great book or a very special movie, I'm a little sad that it's over, but I know that it'll stay with me for a long time.

Stuff I Love: Charm City Chocolate

It's Valentine's week...have you done your shopping yet?

Even if you have, you can always buy more, especially when it comes to chocolate. So you should check out Charm City Chocolates, the new candy shop in Hampden, on the Avenue, near The Charmery.

The shop, recently opened by my friend (and former Sun editor) Michelle Zimmerman and her husband Todd, is pretty much the Platonic ideal of a candy shop. It's bright and cozy and filled with tons and tons of great-looking candy, including some amazing handmade chocolates.

Michelle and Todd learned to make chocolate from Todd's family, who owned a candy shop in Greenville, SC, and at Charm City Chocolate, they put their own spin on sweets.

And those sweets are good. I brought home a whole pile of chocolate for Dixon and Cooper - and we loved all of it. I can't really pick a favorite, though I was especially sorry I only took home one coconut-filled chocolate. I could've eaten three or four more in one sitting.

Dixon is thrilled that we've finished everything...so we have an excuse to go back.

Michelle and Todd obviously know what they're doing in the chocolate kitchen, but I'm sure that part of the reason the candy is so good - and the shop so charming - is that they get why eating chocolate is such a lovable experience.

"Chocolate is a way to treat yourself," Michelle says. "An important part of life is being good for yourself - treating yourself."

Michelle and Todd also know that chocolate's appeal as a treat is anything but simple. "It resonates with people in terms of memories we have as a child," says Michelle. "It's a part of so many great occasions - birthdays and family dinners. Maybe your mom had a special chocolate cake she made or your grandmom had a special brownie. That all comes together in your head when you indulge in chocolate."

Proust had his madeleines...and we have our chocolate. For Valentine's Day, some gifts of chocolate will remind the recipient of memories. Other gifts will create memories.

But all of them will taste fabulous.

Charm City Chocolate; 809 West 36th Street, Hampden; 443-449-5164

On the "Nice" List

No posts for two weeks?!? Not intended, I can assure you. I've had a crazy couple of weeks and posting kept slipping farther down the list.

(I realize that's a common excuse around here - so common that I decided to make an early New Year's resolution to stop complaining about my schedule/stress, since a) no one cares and b) everyone is busy. It is...challenging. I'm way better at complaining than at not complaining.)

Anyway, I'm working on a large-ish post but in the meantime, here are a couple things I've been into lately:

1. Becket Hitch. 

Visiting this Greenspring Station shop, originally conceived as a pop-up, is like touring the inside of my brain. it's full of things I desperately want - or already have, from books to hostess gifts. I'm in love.

2. Frederick.

Sarah G's hometown is adorable - I've known that for a while. But after interviewing over a dozen shop-owners for this Sun article, I really feel like I need to spend more time there. Every person I interviewed was so passionate and interesting and friendly. Even Bryan Voltaggio, who might have a few other things to do besides talk to me on the phone.

3. Chefs and Holidays.

You know what else is fun? Talking to chefs about holiday recipes. Writing this Sun magazine article was an absolute blast. I got to talk to some of the city's most creative and talented food people about the holidays and what they love to cook and eat.

When I see an article like this one, or the one about Frederick, in print (or, more realistically, online), I remember that my actual job involves talking to people about pretty, cool and delicious things that they love to make and sell. Could I be any luckier?

4. Alexa Pulitzer.

A few weeks ago, I came across New Orleans-based Alexa Pulitzer and I could not get enough. She makes stationery, cups, coasters and all kinds of adorable things - including the plastic "hunting crest" cup pictured above. I now own about 50 of those. I couldn't resist! It's so Pollard.

It's a good problem to have, finding so many things interesting and cool. Even if it does make me busier and busier!

Things I Should Never Do: Shopping at Whole Foods while Hungry

And yet, that's exactly what I did this morning. Over $100 later, I managed to buy exactly one thing I really needed.

I rarely go to Whole Foods for exactly this reason. On my way in, my list consisted of one word: "dinner." Really, what that meant was "protein." I've got more than enough vegetables and carbs. Simple enough. But this is what I left with:

- Way too many carbs: organic corn chips, pita chips, a baguette and 2 bags of Snyders filled pretzel rounds (to be fair, we did run out of the peanut butter ones yesterday, and Dixon does love them. Also, the second bag is jalapeno-pumpernickel and they don't have those at Giant. But they're good.)

- 1 spicy tuna roll (already eaten)

- 1 bottle of Terra red wine vinegar (OK, I was out of this, too, and have had trouble finding the - kind I like - O Pinot Noir vinegar)

- Way too many snacks: chili pepper hummus, lemon pound cake (on sale!), gazpacho (seriously, Kit, gazpacho???), 1 jar of Rick's Picks pickled ochra that I just realized cost almost $10! I thought they were like $3.99! Fortunately, I have already had one and they're pretty awesome. But $10?!?

- 1 $2.31 red pepper (it is shiny and flawless)

- ginger miso salad dressing

- 1 pound of Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon (the protein for dinner. The ONE THING I needed.)

Outrageous how little self-control I have.

Two interesting observations, though. First, Whole Foods now carries a lot more mainstream brands than I'd ever noticed before. Like the Snyder's pretzels, and French's mustard.

Also, there was a big sign at the entrance touting $15 family-of-four meals. No mention of Top Chef (at least not that I saw), but clearly a shoutout.

I probably should've looked a little closer at that sign. Maybe then I would've gotten myself out of there for under $50.

Money, Money, Money, MONEY

I wish this article wasn't so true.

It did kind of crack me up, though, and remind me that it's not really necessary for me to buy organic eggs. But, I mean, even Trader Joe's - my revered home of cheap-but-good - is full of signs apologizing for price increases. (My local Giant is, too, and is also undergoing a massive renovation. Shopping has never been so fun! It's like an adventure every day. I mean, who really wants to know where the horseradish is? Isn't it just fun to search?)

Back to the article. It's true, but it's funny, too. Especially the last paragraph, even though I'm pretty sure it was intended to be serious. But it is pure Stuff White People Like goodness. Hilarious.

Trendy Monday: Covered Markets

I'm not surprised to read that there's an effort in Oregan to redevelop a central location, creating a high-end covered market. Easy access to great seasonal ingredients, alongside foodie-ish restaurants seems right up Portland's alley.

What did surprise me, though, (but maybe I read to quickly?) is that Portland's not already home to a bunch of covered markets.

I guess because I live in Baltimore, where the markets range from fancy-pants Belvedere to cheap beer-soaked Lexington, I assumed that every city was full of similar destinations. (As an aside, I have a very clear memory of going to Lexington Market as a kid, with my mom, to buy a pheasant for Christmas dinner. The next time I went back, years later to go to the Greek stand to get lunch when I worked downtown, I was sort of shocked to find that the market's not exactly full of uber-foodie providers of game and high-end pastries or whatever, but that the walk up to the doors is lined with pirated DVDs for sale and the floor inside is sticker than a fraternity party room on Sunday morning. The Greek food is pretty awesome, though. So are the Berger cookies and cakes.)

Anyway, this article just came as a bit of a surprise to me, and a revelation. Especially since Portland is a revered foodie hub, while Baltimore gets no respect...

Commes les Sodas de Mondrian

A rainbow-colored wall of candles at Cire Trudon, an ancient Parisian candle shop (via Rita Konig's blog on domino.com).

Something about this reminds me of being a kid in a candy shop. Not in the metaphoric, 50 cent way either - I'm talking literally about being a kid and being in a candy shop. I think they look like those candy buttons on paper...that I loved, mostly because I could make them last all day.

The Sweet Satisfaction of Food Shopping

Today I met my friend Ellen for lunch downtown, at a little bookshop/cafe called Clayton & Company Fine Books (we go there for the atmosphere: the food's just about the definition of mediocre, but the space is fantastic). Knowing that I'd be heading downtown today, I decided to make a big trip of it (all 10 miles of driving), and go to Cross Street Market after lunch. I'd justify the trip by making oyster stew for dinner tonight.

Lunch was a bagel and chai - as I said, really nothing special, though it was nice to catch up with Ellen. After lunch, though, was quite a treat.

Cross Street is in Federal Hill, an historic neighborhood in the southern part of Baltimore city. It's full of cute shops and restaurants and old buildings with architecture that can only be described as charming:


fed hill 1
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Side streets are cobblestone, houses are lovingly preserved, and there's a great park in the middle of the neighborhood. Really, the area's bright spots are enough to give Baltimore a good name:


fed hill 2
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Federal Hill is also a prime example of one of the reasons why I think Baltimore's a great city. Even the most gentrified neighborhoods (and Federal Hill is nothing if not gentrified - narrow row houses there regulary cost upwards of half a million dollars) retain some of the working class character of the city. New and trendy restaurants sit next door to groceries that have been in business for over half a century. Investment bankers are neighborly with Baltimore Hons living in the houses they grew up in. There's something reassuring about that. It's nice to know that the city won't ever change...that much.

Cross Street Market is a Baltimore institution in and of itself. Open and operating since 1846, the market sits in the square between Federal Hill's main drags, Charles and Light Streets and, appropriately enough, East and West Cross Streets. Parking is a little annoying, but there's a garage a few blocks away on West Street, and the walk is nice enough.

Entering Cross Street from Charles Street, I was immediately greeted by a throng of people eating (and drinking) their lunches:


cross street 3
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

The seafood is good here, and if beer only comes in plastic cups, trust me, nobody minds. On Friday afternoons, especially during the winter, this end of the market is a great place for happy hour. That is, if you like your happy hours packed with young financial types, soggy with cheap beer and accompanied by raw oysters. Everybody who goes smells a little fishy come 7 pm, but agrees that the experience is a quintessentially Baltimore one.

Today, however, I wasn't in the market for Miller Lite. I was on a quest for oysters. But first, I walked my way up and down the market, just because I like to look at produce and flowers - and this market has a lot of flowers:


cross street 1
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

As a side note, Baltimore residents are usually really nice people. Just after I took the picture above, the lady who was walking towards me (pictured) stopped me, smiling, and said, "I hope you got me in that picture." She seemed so genuinely happy...and sort of sassy. She totally made me smile, too.

A minute later, I found my oyster source, a stall with a wide variety of super fresh, beautiful seafood, and a friendly family behind the counter:


cross street 2
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Goods in hand, I could've walked right out of the market. Instead, I browsed for just a few more minutes, taking in the crazy variety of stalls. It's not everyday I see produce next to seafood next to a cell phone, pager and hair dryer store. Not even joking. But they all seemed to do a booming business, which can only be good news.

Oysters in hand and window shopping urges sated, I packed myself back into the car and started home. That's when I remembered I still needed cream and celery salt and a few other items for my big oyster stew experiment. Not willing to ruin the day's shopping high with a side trip to our ugly and crowded and disorganized Giant, I decided to splurge, and off to Whole Foods I went.

It was on my way home, I rationalized, plus, how nice would it be to support their corporate decision to use 100% wind power? Very nice. Nearly $30 later, I escaped with everything I needed (which, OK, would've cost maybe $15 at Giant), plus a lovely goat cheese and leek quiche that we'll have for lunch tomorrow. I have no willpower. But when faced with vibrant colors and clean wood floors and artisinal cheese and a friendly staff, it's all I can do not to pass out from sheer exhilaration. I considered myself lucky to have bought only one item not on my list.

And thus, my big shopping day came to an end. Tomorrow: the oyster stew experiment that triggered it all.

My Food Story - Part II: Learning to Shop

stockholm market
Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

(This is the second installment in a five part series all about my history with food. The first installment is here.)

When I was little, I spent a lot of time at the grocery store with my mother. Not a lot of time shopping, mind you, but a lot of time standing in the aisles, watching my mom talk to friends she ran into (she still does this).

Of course, grocery stores in the early 80's weren't the sensory explosions they are today. Our local Safeway was clean, but boring. The chats broke up the monotony.

I didn't have my real first food shopping experience until much later. One summer home from college, my friend Alison decided to cook dinner for our little group of friends. She took me to Fresh Fields (now Whole Foods) with her to shop. I was amazed.

Totally out of my element, I followed her around, pushing the cart like an excited five-year-old, while she gave me a tour of the store. Taking in all the colors and interesting foods, I'm sure my mouth was hanging open.

Today, I can't get enough of the grocery store. Or, more accurately, grocery stores. While I rarely visit Whole Foods anymore (too expensive), I do go to Trader Joe's nearly every day (it's so cheap and so good!), and try to visit our local covered market and farmer's market as often as I can.

I also find myself seeking out markets when I travel. Something about the bustle of commerce and the cool, exotic look of foreign food makes me feel like I'm going native. (I took the picture at an open air market in the center of Stockholm in May 2001.)

Like most girls, I'm a sucker for a shoe store or something sparkly. But (lucky for my husband), I get nearly the same rush of excitement and pleasure when I see a basket of multicolored heirloom tomatoes, or some really beautiful tropical fruit. Markets are my Neiman's. (Well, no, that's not quite true. Neiman's is my Neiman's. But a great farmer's market is pretty close.)

Oh - and the Safeway I grew up with? It's gone totally Gucci. Sushi bar stocked by one of the best sushi places in Annapolis and everything.