03 October 2009

H is for heavenly

I've confirmed eyewitness reports of unbridled pandemonium coming out of Burlington, MA. Was it a Justin Timberlake sighting? No, just the grand opening of H Mart, a supermarket specializing in Asian foods. Outside, shoppers jockeying for parking spots were directed into overflow lots by private police. Inside, I encountered crowds that put the Superbowl to shame.

The seafood counter featured umpteen varieties of exotic fish and bivalves on ice. A staff of knife-wielding fish cutters stood ready to clean and filet shoppers' selections. There I received advice on how to gut a sea bass from a young salt and chef de cuisine. "Slit from the tail and pull it down the middle," said he.
I pressed on, discovering heavenly heaps of fresh vegetables and fruit at pre-inflation prices. The bakery, however, took the grand prize. Tucked into a corner of H Mart and separately branded Tous les Jours, temptingly exotic breads (many touting a chestnut filling) and pastries exuded fresh, buttery smells. Will I return again soon? My-oh-yes...with a bigger shopping bag!

Reminder: tomorrow (October 4) Utton Bay appears at Design Hive!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have to ask: Is this store a repurposed K-Mart?

Mr. Answer Man said...

Nothing to do with K-Mart. It's a supermarket chain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_Mart

Anonymous said...

No, that's DEFINITELY a repurposed K-Mart.

Chaka Cohn, good eater said...

If you go...
You'll laugh, you'll cry, but you'll never be the same, Anonymous. K-Mart wishes it were H mart.

S.S. Kresge said...

Gentlemen (and women),

Upon my retirement, I added a legal clause that prevented any future Kresge store, or spin off off such, from selling Korean food.

Sincerely,

S.S. Kresge