Local Asian Supermarket Opens Up
Living in Acton, many sources of Asian food in the Massachusetts area are not perfect. Some restaurants, as well as supermarkets, are too small and do not contain a wide range of dishes or groceries. Other supermarkets, which are deeply rooted in Chinatown and are not thoroughly cleaned, are a forty-five minute of drive away, especially with the road rage-inciting traffic in the Boston area.
However, just a couple of months ago, a huge new Asian supermarket opened up. This marketplace, called H-Mart, is located on 3 Old Concord Road in Burlington, Massachusetts. With many Asian restaurants and markets, such as the Chinese-themed restaurant Ginger Court in Acton, recently closed, there is no visible hint of financial troubles in the one-mile radius encircling H-Mart.
As one walks into the parking lot, one should expect to see people pushing and shoving each other to crowd into H-Mart. When entering H-Mart through the sliding doors and walking around the first few aisles, consumers push and shove, causing many customers to become suspicious of whether or not they were tackled on purpose. There are no hints of recession, unemployment, or lack of demand inside H-mart.
As one walks in through the main entrance, a number of small Asian fast food restaurants lie on the immediate right. One can see Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian restaurants lined up against the wall with a disproportionately small number of tables seating the onslaught of territorial and starving costumers. Near the restaurants stands an entire section that distinguishes H-Mart from many other Asian supermarkets in Chinatown: a fish and seafood area that is not inhabited by blood and guts. The cleanliness in H-Mart certainly takes visitors aback. In the seafood area, one may purchase hard-to-find Korean and Japanese specialties such as Kimchi and Japchae. In addition, H-Mart proudly displays aisles lined with rice cakes and spicy foods. The food is different from that of any typical supermarket; there are a large number of Aloe and Grass Jelly drinks, which are not as strange as they sound. In the spices section, one can easily spot hot chili garlic sauce and gallons of soy sauce. There are even more unique and delectable Asian snacks, such as shrimp-flavored crackers and fried and salted peas.
However, many people have never been inside an Asian supermarket. If the vast amount of unfamiliar foods in H-Mart somehow makes you feel displaced, you will surely feel right at home while browsing an entire section of Ramen noodles. Is there any better way to get ready for college than to eat Ramen noodles? There certainly is not.
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