Cultural Plunge free essay sample

As I searched the internet for suggestions on where to go, I found 99 Ranch Market to have the highest ratings. 99 Ranch Market is an Asian market located in Clairmont. I decided to go on Saturday, since I had time off and oh was that a mistake. The parking lot was packed. I could not find a parking space, almost got into and accident and when I finally did find a space, it was too narrow for my expedition. Sadly I’d have to say I thought about the typical talked about stereo type that Asians, especially female Asians do not know how to drive. I instantly felt like I was in Mexico, because we too do not seem to drive responsibly once we cross the border. After 20 minutes looking for parking, I finally was able to go inside. The Market was huge. It had an area for fresh meet, fresh seafood, produce, and even a bakery and some fast food spots. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Plunge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The bakery smelled delicious. I was able to try out some Ube/Taro bread that was purple and it was great. There was also dim sum, which seems to be different types of bread like balls stuffed with different mixtures such as pork, shrimp, chicken etc. Then they had my favorite type of drink, Thai tea with boba. Although it was tempting to buy it I opted for something different. I tried an avocado smoothie which was sweet and surprisingly delicious. As I walked through the market on this Saturday, I thought of the Mexican market that I go to and how packed it gets. This Asian market had the same feel however with different people from Asia. They all spoke a language I did not understand whether it be Chinese, Korean, Cambodian, Tagalog, or Vietnamese. I now know how people who only speak English feel like when encountered by a large group of non-English speaking people. It was a bit difficult to find an employee who spoke English clearly enough to understand. The market was a bit dirty and smelled not so clean, but this I expected especially with the fresh seafood and meat around. Then there was the produce department with all the different types of fruit and vegetable that we normally do not see in a Vons or Albertsons. I especially liked the fruit section. It reminded me of a time I went to New York and walked through china town. There were a variety exotic fruits not seen in the common grocery store such as Lychee, and Durian. The reason why these fruits caught my attention is because of how different they are in color, texture, and shape. They can be bright shades of fusia, purple, green, and spiky enough to hurt someone. Others can be furry like, and shaped like a star. I decided to buy one of each. I bought a rambutan, Jackfruit, passion fruit, Lychee, star fruit, mangosteen, Durian, and dragon fruit. I went home delighted to try each one with my husband. We first cut the star fruit. If you cut it horizontally the fruit is shaped like a star. To our surprise it tasted similarly like a green apple. I definitely recommend this fruits in thin slices and drizzled with caramel. Next was rambutan. It looks like a little ball with long thin spines. It is a mixture of green orange and purple colors. We broke it open and inside was round clear pulp with a nut in the middle. It was delicious, tasting like kiwi, lemon, and an orange all in one. We then opened up the jackfruit. It is a large green spiky three fruit. There are multiple seeds within the pulp in side and it has somewhat of a pineapple taste to it. The next was then the passion fruit. This fruit is purple and supper sweet in the inside. Although not sold in its original form at our common grocery stores, we normally see the flavor being used in teas and smoothies. Then there was the mangosteen. It is another purple fruit. It is creamy and citrusy with a hint of peach. Second to last is the Lychee. This is a common Asian fruit that is small and white in the inside and has a grape like texture when eaten. Lastly was the Durian, sadly the worst one of them. It has hard spiky husk that needed to be cracked opened. I was warned about this one but didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was. It smelled like skunk spray/ sewage. I tried to taste it but didn’t. We immediately threw it away. The smell was horrible. A lady who I spoke to at the store prior to buying the fruit just told me that it was an acquired taste and smell, but I didn’t expect what we experienced. Nonetheless, I enjoyed going through and tasting each fruit. It definitely was an experience and an eye opener to the different types of fruit out there besides your usual bananas, strawberries, and oranges. Ultimately I have to say that I enjoyed this overall experience. It has opened up my eyes to many different cultures and definitely different way of eating. Since my visit, I have bought and Asian inspired cook book and plan to make a few dishes with ingredients that are only found at Asian markets. Oh and next time I decided to go; I’ll make sure not to take my big expedition and not to go on the weekends.