Gongbao Jiding ingredients; photo by ALJ
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Food and Groceries
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Few buy groceries at more places than I. Below are 30+ Seattle outlets that I now or then patronize. Over half are within my walking distance. Each sells something that none of the others sells; or features a lower price. Seattle residents are privileged to be offered such vast richness of choices. It is a pity how few shoppers choose to avail themselves of more than a handful.
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| Amy's Merkato Ethiopian market |
| Ballard Market |
| Bert's Red Apple |
| Big John's PFI |
| Central Co-op (not a member) |
| Central Market Shoreline |
| Costco (not a member) |
| District Market |
| DK Market |
| Farmer's Market (several) |
| Fred Meyer |
| Grocery Outlet |
| H Mart |
| Hau Hau Market |
| HT Oaktree Market |
| Ken's Market Greenwood |
| Lam Seafood |
| Leschi Food Mart |
| Little Lago Deli & Market |
| Metropolitan Market |
| Montlake Boulevard Market |
| Mont's Market |
| PCC Natural Market (not a member) |
| Pike Place Market |
| QFC |
| Rising Sun Produce |
| Safeway |
| Seattle Chinese Herb & Grocery |
| Trader Joe's |
| University Seafood & Poultry |
| Uwajimaya |
| Whole Foods |
World Market
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The above list excludes 10 local beer or wine stores I buy from, never mind wineries, liquor stores --and mail-order outlets.
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A 2015 book, The Food Lab, is superb and heavyweight, nearly 1,000 pages. The author, J. Kenji López-Alt, worked for the eminent Cook's Illustrated magazine for years. The book is a sound introduction to kitchen tools and techniques; tests accepted practices, assumes readers know nothing, and has recipes for virtually all basic USA traditional dishes. The scope is conservative in, for example, a section devoted to wheat pasta with not even one word about alternatives --corn, rice, bean, chickpea, quinoa. But after a person masters the basics, then he or she is well enabled to delve further. The author also is not into advocacy for organic food, non-GMO, and the like. His writing style is crystal clear and pleasing to read. You find good explanations of and rationale for blanching, searing, sautéing, braising and roasting. A blemish is that the book designer used fonts and colors poorly. And that blemish is seen so often these days as to be normal. Sigh.
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(originally published in my February 2017 newsletter)
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