Culture and cuisine could be shared with more people

Culture and cuisine could be shared with more people
                        

In the past I’ve encouraged you to get a little outside your comfort zone and visit one of the tienda markets offered by our Guatemalan neighbors. I had to overcome my own shyness and fears to get myself into one, but it was well worth it. I’ve found nothing but welcoming smiles and some interesting ingredients not normally seen in more mainstream, larger grocers.

But I understand it might be difficult to do so. And that makes me think those larger, mainstream grocers may be missing a great localized opportunity, one that could help position themselves as a regional destination and good neighbor.

The thought came to me when observing the unusual offerings in some of those big stores, which are, after all, dedicated to providing us with food, primarily. There are all manner of things for sale, which personally make me blink a bit and wonder at the thought process behind giving over valuable floor space to things like shoes or clothes.

I’m not in the grocery business, so I’m of course speaking out of turn, but it’s hard to figure people would go to a grocery store to buy dresses. And then I see unused floor space.

Here is something I’ve long dreamed of seeing in our backyard: a serious, well-thought-out, controlled section for unusual, imported items representing numerous cultures. I don’t think an aisle marked “international” that carries mostly salsas with Amish country names really cuts it. And those aisles are invariably stocked with the same Americanized brands one can find anywhere.

What I’d like to see is a section stocked with interesting cheeses and aged sausages. There could be rarely seen pastas, spices, olives and canned meats. What about scarce vegetables, preferably at least in part sourced from local producers? I’d like to see a chiller stocked with lamb, goat, elk and unusual seafood, at least odd cuts of traditional meats.

Would it be possible to open a conversation with the local Latino population and form a partnership to offer fresh-made tortillas, grains, cheeses and spices? All this would need to be put together and staffed by some pretty knowledgeable and careful people who have a passion for food and finding the unusual and who guard their turf against mission drift. I also understand the end result might not come at cheap retail prices.

But the market seems ripe for such an undertaking. We’re much more knowledgeable about food than we were even a decade ago, thanks to the explosion of interest in cuisines and food culture, helped along by a galaxy of celebrity chefs.

There also are concerns about certain species overpopulating our oceans and causing serious problems. We are encouraged to eat sea urchins and lionfish as they’re invasive and out of control. But where are we supposed to find them?

I think there’s a market. And I know there’s space to be used. There’s also a large population of immigrants here whose culture and cuisine could be shared with a wider audience. Such cultural exchanges and understanding are always a good thing.

Our German and Italian ancestors had a little help along the way a hundred years ago, once we got over the initial xenophobic foolishness.

So I’ve put it out there, grocery store. Is it possible to become a regional resource for foodies right here in our cornfield? Or do we need to make special trips to Cleveland, Cincinnati or Columbus and while there move other local retail money off the table and spend it in some other county? I mean while we’re there, we may as well go to the big mall and buy shoes, right?


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