One of the things I’ve come to love about California and Southern California in particular is the prevalence of grocery stores catering to immigrant communities. I have a soft spot for the Nijiya of San Francisco’s J-town, but the Ranch 99′s, H-Marts and Garden Grove Vietnamese market make my stomach sing. Set me wandering the aisles of any of these grocery stores over strolling Rodeo Drive or West Hollywood.

The country of origin may be different, but the groceries are united by cellphones and Johnnie Walker under glass counters, ye olde Berkeley Bowl fresh produce amped with herbal leafy greens, delectable prepared foods and live seafood with an optional fried fish station. Granola is nowhere in sight and Yakult is the closet thing to yogurt. The spices, sauces and snacks spur salivation and a reassuring connection to “home.” Best Buy v. first generation groceries…it’s a really tough call in Lunamania.

Tomorrow, I will head to the Korean H-Mart for live blue crabs, Ranch 99 for live dungeness crab and Von’s for penne to toss with crab juice–these stores stir immigrant nostalgia and make me hungry.

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