be not afraid, white people!

hmonkey

Dear Amy,

I have noticed that several ethnic food stores close to me have amazing prices on produce and even meats almost every week. I am a little nervous to shop at these stores due to cultural and language differences which may pose a barrier to me. Can you calm my fears about shopping and saving money at ethnic food stores?

Sincerely,

Jennifer T.

hmonkey

omg are the apples of "those people" different than the apples sold by the good white people of trader joes?

hmonkey

amy responds:

3. You can make new friends and expand your culture. At some point, most of us were immigrants to this country. Meeting people of a different culture, faith or background is a great way to expand your life experiences. You never know when you’ll meet an amazing character, friend or even soulmate while shopping the narrow aisles of a local market! Some may speak your language and some may not, but traversing those barriers can be an exciting adventure!

okay, whatever -- but what you are most likely to experience is someone just trying to get their groceries and get out of the store.

Heffalump

hmonkey said:

amy responds:

3. You can make new friends and expand your culture. At some point, most of us were immigrants to this country. Meeting people of a different culture, faith or background is a great way to expand your life experiences. You never know when you’ll meet an amazing character, friend or even soulmate while shopping the narrow aisles of a local market! Some may speak your language and some may not, but traversing those barriers can be an exciting adventure!

okay, whatever -- but what you are most likely to experience is someone just trying to get their groceries and get out of the store.

I don't want to make friends with someone who thinks a trip to the Pakistani market constitutes an exciting adventure.

AuntFlo

Oh, white people.

Dreamergirl8812

The "ethnic" section at the grocery stores is one of my biggest pet peeves. Sooooo, white people don't have an ethnicity? And everyone else is just one big ethnicity?

Why not just be a little more transparent and call it the darker-skinned-people-food section?

kerbohl

There is Dutch food in the "ethnicity" aisle at my grocery store, and the Dutch are some of the whitest people out there (I should know, I look so pale people keep asking me if I'm sick - can't wait for good weather so I'll just look "normal").  So I think it is more that North American people have no ethnicity apparently? 

Heffalump

kerbohl said:

There is Dutch food in the "ethnicity" aisle at my grocery store, and the Dutch are some of the whitest people out there (I should know, I look so pale people keep asking me if I'm sick - can't wait for good weather so I'll just look "normal").  So I think it is more that North American people have no ethnicity apparently? 

Yeah, we have a lot of British expats here for whatever reason, so our single "ethnic foods" aisle also has random things like this:

*Barbie*

the can of spotted dick is microwavable, or just the spotted dick, itself? that seems a little misleading and fire-hazardy....

kerbohl

I don't know why, but Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding just does not seem appetizing . . . warm or cold.

mrsconn23

kerbohl said:

I don't know why, but Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding just does not seem appetizing . . . warm or cold.

British food does not seem appetizing in general. 

Vinegar is their 'ketchup'.