Shopaholic: Mitsuwa Marketplace

I readily admit that I’m horribly nosy when it comes to what’s in other people’s kitchen cupboards. It says almost as much about them as a medicine cabinet, only without as much taboo. Ours has a pretty huge mishmash of stuff from various ethnic stores alongside generic stuff from mainstream supermarkets, as can be expected from a fairly mixed household in the middle of an even more mixed part of the country. I thought it might be fun to share some of my most recent haul when I visited one of our staple stores, Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa.

No, I can’t read the Japanese on the labels. I just recognize the bottles my mother used and know that she doesn’t buy the crappy stuff The mirin there clocks in at a whopping 12% alcohol in volume, putting it right up there with the bottle of table wine sitting next to it. Not bad at all for a sweet cooking sake. Most of the stuff I see in the “ethnic food” aisle of American supermarkets is quite a bit weaker, which I suppose doesn’t matter too much when you’re cooking off the booze anyhow, but I do think it adds to the final flavor if you know what you’re looking for. Next to it, a bottle of sesame oil, a small bit of which goes a long way in aroma. Indispensable in a lot of Asian sauces.

A big bottle of Calpico, which describes itself as a “refreshingly sweet and tangy” “non-carbonated soft drink”. It’s kind of milky white, a little more translucent than coconut milk. It’s somewhat yogurty, I guess you could say. And otherwise, very hard to describe. The most I’ve ever been able to come up with, when friends have asked, is that it’s an “unsoda”. They come in other flavors (lychee, peach, mango and aloe were also on the same shelf as this bottle) but I like the original version best. I’ve been drinking variations of this stuff since elementary school.

When you eat a lot of rice, you come up with lots of ways to give it personality. Shredded seaweed, dried fish bits, sesame seeds and other flavorings are combined in an easy-to-dispense shaker form for all your rice-ball seasoning needs. (Bonito flavor on the left, salmon on the right.) Great for making snacks and fast lunches.

Who doesn’t take a trip down the candy aisle at any store? The boy and I both favor hard candies in fruit and soda flavors, especially the fizzy kinds. Also, the tin in the middle is of fruit hard candies as well — pretty much like Lifesavers, only in a few different flavors. I remember having those things on long road trips as a kid, when we were given candies to suck on if we were thirsty in between snacks. Gotta say, it made more sense than multiple potty stops with three whiny children in the backseat.

Mmm. Chewy goodness in the form of shredded sweetened dehydrated squid. No, really. *So* much better than potato chips, imho. Another popular childhood snack that used to get us odd looks at school.

My family has always used the mild variety because I’m a spice wimp. This is a nice brown curry that comes in block form, so there’s no need to measure out powders and flour and all that stuff. I just chuck in a couple blocks with some cooked chicken, carrots, pineapple and coconut milk — the sauce in ready in minutes to go over a bowl of rice.

So that’s what I got recently What’s in your shopping bags?