It Only Hurts When I Blog

It’s a small world, after all, It’s a small world after all… La, la, la, la, la, la la…

I know at least one person who reads this blog HATES that cute little song from Disney World… Apologies, but it fits!

Are you weary of FOOD stories? Sorry! Got another one for ya…

I had a wonderful time yesterday afternoon going to an International Market over in Antioch, TN (I think it's Antioch anyway). I easily found several things I didn’t find at the stores in the Farmers Market in downtown Nashville, and saw a million other items I didn’t recognize. ;-)

That’s part of the fun!

This International Market is an interesting mix of fresh and packaged foods, produce, and apparently is also a ‘real’ meat market and fresh fish market, judging by the smell. I don’t mean to be rude, but you have to breathe through your mouth in there if you have a sensitive nose like me. ‘Nuff said about that. If you don’t know what I mean that’s OK.

You've seen the above photo of all the STUFF that I purchased. Holy Hoisin Sauce, Batman! I bought something called 'potato glass noodles' but on the package it was spelled 'potatoes glass noodles' - when did Dan Quayle start writing the text for noodle packaging?

So, Karen- you might ask – why did you go there anyway?

Well, my first and foremost reason was to find ‘golden needles’ – they are the buds of day lilies and used in Asian dishes like hot and sour soup and moo shi pork. (my faves)

I also wanted to get mushrooms of various varieties, fresh or dried, and more wood ear mushrooms (I have the shredded variety but wanted the whole ones too). I have just been craving mushrooms lately, go figure...

In the photo, you see enoki mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, fresh shitake mushrooms, and a couple varieties of dried mushrooms. YUM-O!

I also wanted to just look around and just ‘see’ what might be interesting.

I never expected (for some reason) to see so many fresh items like baby bok choy, tiny eggplants called ‘Indian Eggplant’, fresh bean sprouts, etc. So…I HAD to get some of that stuff too.

I already cooked the little Indian eggplants and froze them to make another batch of eggplant parmesan sometime.

I never expected to see LIVE fish swimming in big tanks - you can buy them ALIVE, and various kinds of seafood like clams and mussels and squid and crabs, etc. which reminds me more of a New England seafood market than it does Nashville. They even had lobster.

I didn’t have the guts (yet) to buy any of the seafood, but it looked good. (breathe through your mouth, Karen, not your nose) And of course there was a lot of stuff I didn't recognize!

The prices for produce and dry goods was excellent, in many cases half of what a chain supermarket would charge. The Lily buds, if you buy them off the web seem to range from $3-$5 per package, plus $6-$10 for shipping. I happily paid 99 cents per package. Fresh shitake mushrooms? $4.99/lb, they can go for a dollar an OUNCE. Fresh oyster mushrooms? Hard to find elsewhere and scrumptious, but at the I.M. they are $5.99/lb.

The $$$ damage for all those groceries in the photo? $29.29. I was very pleased with the total!

Interruption - Charlie is hooting in the driveway. It is 5:37am.

I’m a happy camper, but my fridge is so full I have to HALT RIGHT THERE until we (read that ME) consume some of this stuff. Charlie, wanna try some baby bok choy? Not likely!! ;-)

Charlie’s idea of 'vegetables' are green beans cooked with oil, salt and a ham hock, fried corn, pinto beans with 'fat meat' in them, fried okra, and a ¼ pound slab of eye-watering onion.

Changing subjects...

I have to be at the Career Center at 10am this morning to fill out paperwork, and I want to swim before that – so I must Dash to Splash, and I mean it! I've got to leave the house at 6:30am this morning. Gotta go get in line with the COMMUTERS going to WORK! EEEEW!

This nice little old lady I spoke to at the pool yesterday asked me 'When are you coming back?' She must not find many people to listen to her...

Come to think of it, most of the people in her age group probably can't HEAR her.... ;-)

By the way - gas prices are on the rise again. Drat! Don't they know some of us are unemployed and want to go swimming?

Love you Bye!