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One of the best parts about moving is that we now live within 5 minutes of a thriving Asian community. This weekend we headed over to the Viet Hoa Grocery store to revel in a little culture while picking something for dinner. Danny and I spent a few weeks in China when we were first married and it was one of the highlights of my life. Doing stuff like this always enables me to reminisce about our trip. (Though our Christmas Card from that year pretty much says it all.)
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Being a Asian grocery store there lots of items we weren't familiar with. This, for example, is called a "jackfruit". According to Wikipedia, the jackfruit has a "meat like taste" and "meat like texture" which is why I'll be sticking with my morning banana.
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The Wild Pig Meat, being on sale and all, also caught my eye.
I wonder how many Weight Watchers points this is?
At last, something we were familiar with! Though these rice and carrots were slightly more gigantic than the Caucasian versions.
While Danny and Viet Hoa employees weren't looking I put Macy on the rice for a photo op. Was that sanitary? Probably not. But will it make a good Christmas card photo? Hell yes it will. Am I afraid to ask the occasional rhetorical question? No I'm not.
Despite the intentions of getting something for dinner, we left Viet Hoa with nothing but imported beer and patronized a local restaurant instead. It was a great way to spend a Sunday evening and perhaps a weekly tradition we'll start.....at least until Homeland returns...because Homeland trumps everything.
THE END / Cuối cùng.
mmm imported beer!
ReplyDeleteMacy is adorable.
I never ventured into those stores in H-town because they intimidated me!
Jackfruit is killer in turon, a Filipino dessert. (I just call it "dessert.")
ReplyDeleteJackfruit doesn't taste like meat; it tastes like fruit - it's really sweet, though it does have a very chewy texture (hence the "meat like texture") but it doesn't taste like meat (ew - no; that would be gruesome).
ReplyDeleteI don't suggest buying the giant jackfruit - it'll last a long time, bring lots of fruit flies, make your place smell fruity (hence the flies), and it's a hassle to cut as well as clean. My dad buys it from the Indian grocery stores in the SW region, but I've also seen it growing on trees in Kerala (southern state in India, where my parents are from). You can buy jackfruit in a can, which comes with syrup. You can just take the jackfruit pieces out and drain the syrup - the syrup is too sweet and I don't suggest drinking it or anything icky like that.
This link is much more informative: http://www.skinny-vegan-food.com/2012/02/what-is-jackfruit.html#.UbfaO-trquM
Once I stepped into an Asian grocery store thinking it was a 99 cent store because it was called "99 Ranch" - that was quite an experience. They had aisles for Indonesia, Philippines, China, etc. You can find plenty of Asian fruits at most grocery stores like H-E-B though, probably dependent on the location of the store.
P.S. Cute baby! x.
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Elvia
The New Outlet: http://the-new-outlet.blogspot.com
Oh wait, I just realized the vegan link I sent says "when cooked it tastes meaty" - I haven't had it cooked, so maybe the flavor changes when cooked.
ReplyDeleteBut, you can also buy it in chip form (similar to banana chips).
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Elvia
The New Outlet: http://the-new-outlet.blogspot.com
"Was that sanitary? Probably not. But will it make a good Christmas card photo? Hell yes it will. Am I afraid to ask the occasional rhetorical question? No I'm not." Hahahahaha! I'm still laughing at this part. Hilar.
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