We had company scheduled to come over for pizza last Friday night--our first guests. I suppose I could have just purchased a link or two of Italian sausage, some peppers and onions, and made the standard pizza, but that's no fun. I needed--you guessed it--exotic mushrooms.
Mushrooms do not like the heat, and we've had triple-digit heat here for the past 2 weeks. And the grocery stores here seem to be a little sparse on mushroom selection: button mushrooms and portabella (both agaricus bisporus)--boring. (Mushrooms are not a key tex-mex ingredient.) Whole Foods didn't even have anything a mycophage would consider interesting...
Then it came to me: Asian markets. I needed to find an Asian market. A quick Google search and an hour or so later and the 3 girls and I were off to Hong Kong Market in North Dallas. It was big, and part of an entire Asian mini-mall just a mile or so from the biggest Korean Presbyterian Church I (in my limited experience) have seen.
Walking through the entrance was an experience. Instantly we hit a wall of strong seafood odor that stopped the girls in their tracks. Thea gagged loudly and Ivy began to cry. Petra put on a good face...which was hidden form the nose down under her shirt. I stopped to encourage the kids to move onward. I told Thea that she couldn't sound like she was vomiting while in a grocery store--she might hurt someone's feelings. (We're still working on developing a healthy amount of self-consciousness in that one.)
Reactions under control we proceeded. I felt like I was walking into a market in a sci-fi flick. Giant geometrically horned fruits the size of large watermelons, banana blossoms, strange roots, pickled puffballs, live conchs, catfish, carp, crabs, clams--the girls felt like they had arrived at the Dallas aquarium. They were enamored by a customer picking through live crabs with an experienced eye, and tossing their wriggling, clamping bodies into a plastic bag. I have never seen so many fruits, creatures, products that I didn't know the names of--it was like being a kid again. I half expected to find gagh (http://www.startrek.com/database_article/gagh).
The girls seemed to be having as good a time as me. They ran up and down the aisles (with their shirts over their noses) asking me to buy everything. They drew more than a few laughs from elderly Asian women pointing at their noses.
In the end we found the fresh mushrooms. Enokitake, Beech Mushrooms, Shiitake, Oyster, Royal Trumpet...and all at the best prices I'd ever seen. I bought a little bit of everything--except pickled puffballs (next time).
All done we hopped in the car and started back. From the back seat Petra called my name. "Yes, Petra." She exalted, "Dad, that was the funnest, smelliest place I've ever been!!" I agree.
Here's to the funnest, smelliest place ever! and our new favorite grocery store.
