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Column<Report from overseas office> [U.S.] Supermarkets are a great way to experience diversity in Los Angeles
The Supermarket for Americans
The fun of supermarkets in the United States has recently been introduced in detail in guidebooks.
In particular, organic supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's are popular for their stylish American atmosphere and attractive selection of products, and I'm sure many people have visited and shopped at them during their trips to the United States.
Supermarkets may have originated in the U.S., but I think they also strongly represent the characteristics of American culture. In particular, what I feel when living in the U.S. is the "strength of individuality" of each supermarket. As a result, each supermarket has a very different selection of products and price ranges.
As a result, the selection and price range of products vary greatly from supermarket to supermarket. To put it another way, which supermarket you use? In other words, the supermarket you go to will tell you what kind of food you like to eat, and how much you spend on food.
Los Angeles Supermarkets Make You Feel Like You're Traveling the World
The chart below shows the ethnicity ratios for the entire U.S., California (where Intage USA has an office), and NewYork.
Population ratio by ethnic groups _USA
U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census Data 2020, "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE" Retrieved Dec 8, 2022 from https://data.census.gov/table?tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2
Population ratio by ethnic groups _USA
The U.S. has always been a nation of immigrants, but in recent years, in rapidly developing cities like Los Angeles, the percentage of Hispanic and Asian populations has increased, surpassing the so-called European Caucasian population, and racial diversification is rapidly progressing. Naturally, supermarkets, which are essential to the lives of Americans, are also changing and evolving to meet the diversifying customer needs of residents, and supermarkets in Los Angeles, like the city itself, have many very unique stores.
In this report, I would like to introduce some of the unique supermarkets in the Torrance area, where the Intage USA office is located.
■Japanese supermarket
First, let's start with the Japanese supermarkets that provide us Japanese expatriates with our daily meals. Torrance is famous as an area where many Japanese and Japanese-Americans live, and there are several Japanese supermarkets here.
主なお店としては「Mitsuwa Marketplace」「Tokyo Central」「Seiwa Market」「Nijiya Market」。
今回私が紹介するのは「Nijiya Market」です。
What I bought at NIJIYA *I'm glad they have a good selection of fish.
NIJIYA is my personal favorite Japanese supermarket. It is different from other Japanese supermarkets in that it offers high quality PB products such as fresh Japanese vegetables from contract farmers in San Diego and NIJIYA brand California rice.
■Chinese Supermarket
While there are a variety of small to medium-sized Chinese supermarkets, mainly in the suburbs of Los Angeles, there are few large supermarkets.
The most famous large scale Chinese market in Los Angeles is the "99 Ranch Market".
99 Items purchased at Ranch * A wide variety of seasonings that are hard to find in Japan.
Since 99 Ranch Market was established by a Taiwanese owner, it features many of the same ingredients (Taiwanese tea, saffron sauce, etc.) that can be found in Taiwanese supermarkets. In addition, in order to meet the needs of customers from a wide range of regions in China, 99 Ranch Market has a wide selection of noodles from different areas and seafood that is difficult to buy in American supermarkets.
■Korean supermarket
Since Los Angeles is home to the largest Korean community in the world, there are many different types of Korean supermarkets (S-mart, Hannam Market, HK Market, H-mart, etc.).
This time, I'd like to introduce you to H mart, which is one of the largest of them all.
Purchases at Hmart *It's fun to compare different kinds of Korean seaweed.
"H mart" is unique in that it has an overwhelmingly large selection of high quality Korean foods that other Korean supermarkets do not carry. In particular, I feel that the Korean seaweed and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) are better than the ones you can buy at souvenir shops on your trip to Korea.
"H mart" is also unique in that it sells Korean food products made in the USA using American ingredients. Kimchi, kim pa, etc. are made in specialized factories, and I think the taste is something you cannot find in Japanese supermarkets.
■Hispanic supermarket
Finally, I would like to introduce the largest ethnic group in Los Angeles, the Hispanic supermarkets.
The Hispanic community in Los Angeles is so grand in scale that it's hard to get a complete picture, but I think it's safe to say that the most famous and largest supermarket is Northgate Gonzalez Markets.
Purchases at Northgate *Tortillas are reasonably priced and come in a variety of ingredients.
One of the specialties of North gate is the tortillas and tortilla chips that are handmade in the store. Nowadays, you can always buy these products at American supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, but I personally like the handmade tortillas here because they have a gentle taste and go well with other dishes besides Mexican food. This is also the place where you can buy spices and a wide variety of chili peppers (fresh and dried) used in Mexican cooking.
In addition to the supermarkets I've mentioned so far, there are many other unique supermarkets in Los Angeles, including Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Russian, Middle Eastern, and Argentinean supermarkets, but I'll leave it at that for now.
New trends are born based on ethnic roots
The supermarkets that I have introduced so far mainly sell ingredients and products that are used by people from diverse ethnicity groups living in Los Angeles to prepare the familiar dishes of their home countries. One of the joys of living in Los Angeles is that just by visiting these unique supermarkets, you can feel a bit like you are traveling abroad.
What I feel, however, is that the real fun of Los Angeles is not limited to the characteristics and differences of each ethnic group.
Fusion cuisine, which is a mixture of foods from various ethnic groups, is now gaining popularity in the Los Angeles food scene. Examples include the Korean-American Fusion "Kimchi Burger," the Japanese-Mexican Fusion "Sushilito," and the Taiwan-Mexican Fusion "Horchata Boba Tea*.
*Horchata is a plant-based milk substitute drink.
These American-born fusion cuisines could not have been created in the countries where they originated, and I believe that it is only in the United States, with its ongoing diversification, that a new genre of food can be created.
Respecting the differences between our roots, we can develop new genres from there, and be flexible and accepting even if they are different from our own roots. I will continue to watch the food scene in Los Angeles, an exciting city full of diversity, and introduce it to you.
Translated with AI Translator
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Author profile
Masashi Sunazuka
A researcher living in Los Angeles, USA. While being surprised and bewildered by the challenging spirit and diversity of the U.S., where new products, services and trends are born one after another, I am always curious to experience the U.S. myself and provide real information about the U.S. today from a Japanese perspective.
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Editor profile
Intege.inc
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- Jun 17, 2019
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