Feb 24, 2010

eastern exposure

The other day, I took myself on my bimonthly trip to one of the Asian markets in my sacred homeland the westbank . It's a former Walmart converted about a decade or so ago into a huge supermarket, with a wall of aquariums filled with live fish, more ramen noodles than you've ever dreamed of, and a produce section with carrots the size of my...umm...wrist.

Oh, and the smell of dead fish and durian that'll knock you to the ground if you catch it in the wrong nostril.


While there, I ended up buying (yet another) pack of joss paper. I don't know why. I have no use for it, but I can't help but buy it. It's so pretty...and only 2 dollars!

Long ago, I framed a sheet or two...and I've also used it to decoupage a box. I once used it to wrap a small gift, for a person who didn't really seem to appreciate it.
Ah well, one tries.

Now I'm just too lazy to do much of anything with it, but I couldn't help but buy it.


The main reason I went was to buy herbs. The herbs there are cheaper than at the supermarket, there's a better variety....and most seem locally grown.
I got some mint, cilantro, parsley.

Oh, and Korean moon pies.
Yeah, you heard me right.


Korean freaking moon pies.

They're not very good, however.
Those Koreans might have nuclear warheads or whatever, but you can rest assured that moon pie technology is still proudly in the our hands.

God bless America.



Later that week, I made some Nasi Goreng, some type of Indonesian fried rice, with tamarind paste and shrimp and tomatoes and fried eggs and a lot of other things that added up to a big blah.
It was ok, but not worth the effort.


I also bought some bread from the local Vietnamese bakery, which I also always do when I go there, three loaves, fresh from the oven, for a dollar. You can't beat that.

Ominously, the place seems to be on the verge of being invaded by hipsters. How they ever found their way to the westbank, I don't know.
Something is clearly wrong with the world when one sees hipsters on the Wank.



One, clearly a hipster émigré from the North, and his girlfriend were leisurely wandering the aisles in front of me---she dressed in the standard skinny jeans/ American Apparel top uniform.

He, however, was bare chested, barefoot, long wavy hair wrapped up messily on top of his head, taut body wrapped loosely in an off purple sari...(in February?)...like some kind of wannabe Devendra Banhart, but better looking.

Shiva, as cast by Abercrombie and Fitch.
Yeah, he was hot.

Of course I had to follow them.

Sure enough, somewhere in the ramen noodles he turned a bit too fast, and don't you know he wasn't wearing underwear.

The lingam was in the macaroni, baby.

I didn't get a picture of that, but I did get a picture of this Thai aluminum serving spoon:







$ 3.00!

14 comments:

The Mistress said...

If you'd wrapped yourself seductively in the joss paper, he would have taken notice and your chances of snapping his photo would have improved.

jason said...

ummm.....maybe...but only if I'd lit it on fire.

Michael Guy said...

I've never heard the term "joss paper" but I'm liking what you've shared here. I've seen it but didn't know the term; I'd definitely snap a bit of that up as well.

Korean Moon Pies are horribly wrong in concept and apparently in taste.

I like the serving spoon too!!

Michael Guy said...

On second thought: maybe they were "Sun Myung Moon" pies.

Bada bing!

Anonymous said...

Oh, no, hipsters on the West Bank!

I grew to be fine seeing their little Carnivale/Bob Marley outfits when I'd go to the Bywater or Lower Garden District, but recently they've been spotted around Mid-City as well.

As people in Portland and Brooklyn can tell you, they're very hard to contain once they begin to spread. I really hope they stay out of the Hong Kong Market.

Thombeau said...

Anonymous is definitely right about the hipsters in Portland!

Mar gar et said...

LMJossAO 'Sun Myung Pies!'

Philip Mershon said...

Once again, you are my spiritual sole twin Jason!

I keep a stack of joss paper on my desk (rectangle. kind of orange with a silver block and a gold block) that is blank on the back. I use them for note paper, to do lists, grocery lists, etc.

The hipsters discovered our Chinatown about 10 years ago, Little Tokyo and Little India about 8 years ago, Koreatown and Thaitown about 6 years ago. The white redneck areas of the Valley are about all that's left untouched. Imagine that.

Frontier Psychiatrist said...

"...like some kind of wannabe Devendra Banhart, but better looking."

You could probably say, "but good looking." Still, thank you for that. For whatever reason, thank you. Thank you for kind of acknowledging that Devendra Banhart isn't good looking.

Miss Janey said...

Gdamned hipsters ruin EVERY place worth going.

Anonymous said...

Loved to know that you know what a lingam is.

I wonder how many understood that joke...

Silly Monkey said...

Even in my wildest dreams I wouldn't think Korean Moon Pies would taste good. :P Were the ingredients in English?

mrpeenee said...

I don't think American Moon Pies ingredients are in English. And even if they are, I don't want to know what's in there.

Jill said...

I miss everything! No commando sari wearing hipsters around here!