discovery, will robinson!

So I had just got back home from Atlanta and was taking all my stuff from my car to the room. I was walking past some apartments that are right behind my dorm, when what do I spy? International Jerusalem Market! An on-campus international market?! How did I not know of this for the past 3 months that I’ve been here? I totally flipped out. The only other two international markets I know of (Mexican and Indian) are 3 and 7 miles, respectively, away from me. Finding this place was amazing! The tingly sensations inside of me only increased when I explored the treasures hidden  within:

Pictured above are: a jar of date syrup; lots of different bulk spices, and all-natural “falafil” mix. There were so many other wonderfous new things, like authentic whole-wheat pita bread, tons of different dried legumes and grains (some of which I have never heard of before), preservative-free figs, jugs of extra virgin olive oil, weird canned commodities, different sweets and cookies, and big 4.25-lb. aluminum cans of solid palm fruit oil, sitting next to cans the same size full of ghee. And much much more. It’s full of bizarre Middle Eastern charm and wonderfulness. I can’t wait to go buy stuff!

mexi market

I rode to the grocery store today to get some ingredients for baking, but by the time I got back home it was dark, and trying to get decent light for the pics would be a mega-hassle. And I must do my baked goods right! This blog today is not so much cooking related as food-discovery related.

So, on the way to the store, I always pass this Latino grocery, La Tortilla, but I never go in because I like to avoid crossing five lanes of traffic on my bike when I can. But I went for it today, totally unsure of what wonders would await me.

I walk in, and it’s like many a Mexican market: dimly lit; shelves packed with bags of chips and pork rinds; the mysterious Bubu Lubu candy bar everywhere, with the weird polar bear on the label staring at me with shiny plastic-wrapper eyes. I browse through the the tortillas, checking to see if I can’t find some that aren’t loaded with preservatives (I can’t). Just as I’m looking at a can of black beans and thinking, Pffft. I could get these at the grocery for 30 cents cheaper, I see a rack of medicinal herbs, something I had never seen in a Mexi market. Apparently, they’re from Peru. I’m rifling through them, and it’s actually a pretty impressive selection, when–what do I see?–maca.

The mythical, pricey superfood maca? One and the same. 3 1/2 ounces… for $1.50. Certain online raw foods suppliers *coughcoughSunfoodNutritioncough* sell 8 ounces for $26! To be fair, theirs is organic and raw, characteristics which are really important to a lot of people. But to find it in a humble Mexi market in my neighborhood, for dirt cheap? It’s phenomenal! Next time I go I’ll get a bag of iron-rich nettle leaves.

I can’t wait to try a tablespoon with my breakfast tomorrow; it’s supposed to be reknowned for giving strength and endurance to those who consume it. That’s a good thing, because Tuesdays are busy for me. Maca is also sometimes known as, um… an aphrodisiac? But little ol’ me, 3 hours away from my boyfriend, has no need for an aphrodisiac. And even if we lived in the same city, I don’t… feel like… I’d need one? (Man this is awkward…) I think it will be interesting tomorrow to see if there’s anything to that allegation, though. Does that make me weird?