Wegierski​ ​1

Andrew​ ​Wegierski
Professor​ ​Dunbar
Honors​ ​Colloquium:​ ​Social​ ​Science
12​ ​December​ ​2017
A​ ​Review​ ​on​ ​My​ ​Ethnic​ ​Grocery​ ​Store​ ​Experiences
I​ ​was​ ​mildly​ ​excited​ ​about​ ​this​ ​trip​ ​due​ ​to​ ​my​ ​prior​ ​experience​ ​at​ ​an​ ​Asian​ ​market​ ​in​ ​Cleveland.
I’m​ ​usually​ ​pleased​ ​at​ ​the​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​novelty​ ​I​ ​get​ ​when​ ​I​ ​shop​ ​at​ ​one​ ​of​ ​these​ ​stores.​ ​On​ ​Saturday​ ​morning,
I​ ​departed​ ​for​ ​my​ ​first​ ​stop:​ ​the​ ​Asian​ ​Food​ ​Market​ ​in​ ​Cuyahoga​ ​Falls.
Upon​ ​arrival,​ ​I​ ​was​ ​reminded​ ​of​ ​the​ ​quite​ ​tiny​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​most​ ​ethnic​ ​grocery​ ​stores.​ ​The​ ​parking
lot​ ​was​ ​small​ ​and​ ​the​ ​front​ ​door​ ​was​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​mistake.​ ​There​ ​was​ ​one​ ​person​ ​working​ ​in​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​store,​ ​a
very​ ​polite​ ​middle-aged​ ​Korean​ ​man​ ​at​ ​the​ ​front​ ​desk.​ ​There​ ​were​ ​about​ ​five​ ​other​ ​customers​ ​shopping,
half​ ​of​ ​which​ ​were​ ​Korean​ ​and​ ​half​ ​were​ ​not,​ ​so​ ​I​ ​didn’t​ ​feel​ ​too​ ​out​ ​of​ ​place.​ ​The​ ​products​ ​ranged​ ​from
frozen​ ​food​ ​to​ ​candy,​ ​vegetables,​ ​drinks,​ ​and​ ​lots​ ​of​ ​ramen.​ ​I​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​try​ ​a​ ​can​ ​of​ ​rice​ ​punch​ ​for
ninety-nine​ ​cents.​ ​The​ ​clerk​ ​and​ ​other​ ​customers​ ​spoke​ ​English​ ​fairly​ ​well,​ ​so​ ​I​ ​was​ ​comfortable.​ ​He​ ​was
very​ ​appreciative​ ​and​ ​seemed​ ​excited​ ​to​ ​see​ ​new​ ​faces.​ ​I​ ​imagine​ ​at​ ​these​ ​stores,​ ​everybody​ ​knows
everybody.​ ​The​ ​drink​ ​itself​ ​was​ ​interesting​ ​and​ ​OK;​ ​it​ ​literally​ ​contains​ ​chunks​ ​of​ ​rice​ ​and​ ​what​ ​seems​ ​to
be​ ​highly​ ​sweetened​ ​water.​ ​I​ ​first​ ​shook​ ​the​ ​can​ ​lightly​ ​to​ ​mix​ ​the​ ​contents,​ ​and​ ​upon​ ​consuming​ ​it,​ ​I
noticed​ ​it​ ​was​ ​very​ ​watery​ ​but​ ​very​ ​sweet.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​almost​ ​sweeter​ ​than​ ​a​ ​can​ ​of​ ​American​ ​soda,​ ​but​ ​the
texture​ ​was​ ​so​ ​thin​ ​that​ ​it​ ​didn’t​ ​appeal​ ​to​ ​me.
My​ ​next​ ​stop​ ​was​ ​the​ ​Indian​ ​Grocery​ ​Store,​ ​also​ ​in​ ​Cuyahoga​ ​Falls.​ ​This​ ​store​ ​was​ ​a​ ​little​ ​larger
and​ ​featured​ ​multiple​ ​employees​ ​throughout,​ ​and​ ​more​ ​customers​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​the​ ​customers​ ​were
Indian,​ ​so​ ​I​ ​was​ ​a​ ​little​ ​more​ ​uncomfortable​ ​here.​ ​I​ ​was​ ​immediately​ ​drawn​ ​to​ ​the​ ​frozen​ ​section,​ ​but​ ​I
forced​ ​myself​ ​to​ ​examine​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​store.​ ​It​ ​featured​ ​plenty​ ​of​ ​sauces,​ ​spices,​ ​vegetables,​ ​rice,​ ​beans,
and​ ​a​ ​large​ ​assortment​ ​of​ ​candy.​ ​Most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​customers​ ​spoke​ ​in​ ​Indian​ ​languages,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​clerk​ ​spoke
fluent​ ​English.​ ​For​ ​a​ ​dollar​ ​and​ ​ninety-nine​ ​cents,​ ​I​ ​purchased​ ​a​ ​package​ ​of​ ​four​ ​Onion​ ​Uttapam,​ ​which
are​ ​rice​ ​cakes​ ​topped​ ​with​ ​onions​ ​and​ ​peppers,​ ​essentially.​ ​I​ ​proceeded​ ​to​ ​cook​ ​it​ ​in​ ​the​ ​oven​ ​for​ ​seven
minutes,​ ​thawed​ ​out​ ​the​ ​chutney​ ​sauce​ ​pouch,​ ​and​ ​was​ ​amazed​ ​at​ ​how​ ​good​ ​it​ ​was!​ ​The​ ​cakes​ ​were​ ​soft
and​ ​full​ ​of​ ​good​ ​taste,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​sauce​ ​was​ ​just​ ​spicy​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​complement​ ​it​ ​perfectly.​ ​I​ ​might​ ​consider
returning​ ​to​ ​that​ ​store​ ​in​ ​the​ ​future.
Overall,​ ​the​ ​trip​ ​was​ ​a​ ​fun​ ​and​ ​rewarding​ ​experience.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​a​ ​much​ ​needed​ ​break​ ​in​ ​my​ ​heavily
monotonous​ ​life​ ​as​ ​a​ ​student​ ​musician,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​was​ ​exposed​ ​to​ ​one​ ​item​ ​that​ ​I​ ​liked,​ ​and​ ​one​ ​that​ ​I​ ​didn’t.
My​ ​favorite​ ​part​ ​is​ ​the​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​family​ ​that​ ​these​ ​small​ ​shops​ ​have;​ ​everybody​ ​is​ ​so​ ​kind​ ​to​ ​one​ ​another
and​ ​seems​ ​to​ ​know​ ​everyone​ ​else.