Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
The Billfold Jan 10, 2013 · 5 min read
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Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores by Stefan Zajic
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Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
I’m here to convince you to shop at your local ethnic grocery stores.
I live in Philadelphia. The map above of where people of diferent ethnicities live in
Philadelphia has red dots for whites, blue dots for blacks, and yellow dots for Hispanics.
In the middle of the map, there’s a place in North Philadelphia where the north-south
swath of Hispanic neighborhoods tapers down to a point and mixes with the black and
white neighborhoods to the west and east. And right there, there’s a locally-owned
Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
grocery store called Cousin’s. Not surprisingly, it’s a fantastic place to shop for food.
It’s made even better by the fact that there’s a fairly strong Muslim community in North
Philadelphia. So: Take a full service American supermarket, add two big aisles of
Mexican/Spanish produce, meats and groceries (including all manner of hot peppers,
salsas, queso fresco, chorizos, octopus, salt cod, all of those diferent kinds of beans and
cornmeal, etc.), and then add a halal meat counter, Lebanese yogurt, and a whole aisle
of Middle Eastern specialties (halva, tahini, sardines in spicy oil, etc.). It’s a dream to
shop there. The prices are rock bottom, the selection is amazing, and the food quality is
equal to or higher than any other major, regular-priced supermarket I’ve tried.
It’s become my favorite place to grocery shop, but I’ve had a tough time convincing any
of my friends to give it a shot.
There are tremendous benefts to shopping at your local ethnic grocery store, even if
only occasionally. You’ll defnitely save money. A lot of money! The diference is really
dramatic. At Cousin’s, most everything feels like it’s priced at 20 to 50 percent less than
mass-market competitors. Five pounds of fresh chicken legs for $3; 18 large eggs for $2;
a pound of unsalted butter for $2. And the prices are similarly low at my local Chinese
market, where I sometimes shop for greens, pork, fsh and Asian goods like sushi rice
and coconut milk. Make no mistake: Shopping at an ethnic grocery will make a big
diference in your monthly budget, enough so that it’s worth trying just for the savings.
You’ll also discover new foods, and new combinations of foods (the combination of
Sriracha sauce with, well, just about everything is a good example). Those foods will
typically be high quality and not over-processed (so, generally healthier!), because that’s
what immigrant populations demand and expect. As economist Tyler Cowen noted in
his article on shopping exclusively at his local Chinese grocery for a month:
When it comes to ethnic markets, most of the shoppers are well informed. They come
Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
from cultures where food preparation receives more attention than in the United
States. They’re also largely immigrants or children of immigrants. Either they hail
from cultures where most food prices are lower than they are here or the immigrants
have lower incomes themselves, or both.
You’ll get outside of your usual loop and meet diferent people. And you’ll actually be
shopping locally, with the money staying in your neighborhood or city, which probably
isn’t the case with Trader Joe’s, headquartered in California (and owned by Germans),
or Whole Foods, based in Texas.
So, why don’t people like me and my friends usually shop at ethnic groceries? The
reasons I often hear are crime, selection, presentation and feeling like an outsider,
whether due to language or ethnicity.
Crime? Well, if people are getting carjacked in the parking lot of your local ethnic
grocery, don’t go there. But typically, grocery stores are built in fairly stable
neighborhoods near large residential populations. I was surprised to fnd that there’s
actually the same amount or maybe even more crime in my mostly white neighborhood
as there is near Cousin’s. If this is a real concern for you, just go on the Internet and
look up the statistics — you might be surprised.
In terms of selection, well, it’s true — your local ethnic grocery won’t have everything
you’re used to, and that’s part of the point. As Cowen points outs:
The Safeway or Wegmans or corner market supplies a lot of convenient food… but that
very convenience can make the local supermarket a rut. The deadening hand of
routine takes over our shopping lives: We know what we want, where to fnd it, when
to get it, and what to do with it. These habits can be the biggest obstacles to
discovering new regions of the food universe.
Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
The foods you miss from your American supermarket probably weren’t that good for
you anyway, and being exposed to the new options at your ethnic grocery is bound to
enhance your cooking and dining.
Presentation is one of the key diferences between American and ethnic groceries. The
wide aisles, gentle Muzak and carefully crafted shopping experiences at conventional
supermarkets may make you feel comfortable, but you’re paying for it in the higher
costs of your food, and in many cases those store design elements are pushing you
towards more expensive, less healthy foods. At the very least, keeping you comfortable
may well be keeping you in your routine, so you’ll keep shopping wherever you’re
shopping. As with selection, breaking out of your rut and shopping in a place where it’s
not immediately clear where to fnd your favorite foods can have great benefts on the
variety of foods you cook and eat.
Addressing people’s discomfort at being in store where the main language isn’t English,
or where almost everyone is of a diferent ethnicity, is complicated. But let me just say:
Try not to let your comfort zones get in the way of your dinner, or the health of your
pocketbook. Race relations in America are obviously complex, but being willing to stand
in line at the supermarket with people who don’t look like you is a good start for
everyone involved. And you can be sure that the owners of the supermarkets are glad to
have more people shopping in their stores. Back when “urban food deserts” were a hot
topic, a local TV station showed up at Cousin’s when I was shopping there to see just
what scarce morsels of food might be found in the barren expanses of North
Philadelphia. The store managers, who are of Middle Eastern descent, were dashing
around the store in front of the cameras waving pineapples, fresh-baked pita, poblano
peppers and giant avocados.
There are such great benefts to shopping at ethnic groceries, and the downsides almost
entirely evaporate upon closer inspection. I’m not suggesting that you follow Tyler
Cowen and shop exclusively at an ethnic grocery — just try to incorporate it into your
Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Grocery Stores – The Billfold
https://thebillfold.com/why-you-should-shop-at-ethnic-grocery-stores-c804ca283171?gi=bf11ea0e5efb[3/7/2017 9:11:16 PM]
routine occasionally. After all, for almost anyone who’s interested in both good food and
not spending too much on groceries, it’s impossible to get everything you need at one
store. Shopping at an ethnic grocery once a week, or even once a month, is bound to
beneft your wallet, your taste buds, and maybe even your city and the people who live
in it.
Stefan Zajic lives in Philadelphia and thinks about science all day. Map Credit: Eric
Fischer
Food Ethnic Grocery Stores Philadelphia
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