05
Oct
So, this is Ranch Market Part 2: Groceries.
After our meal, Steve and I started to wander around the market. I was taking photos left and right, mostly in the produce section. I got as far as the differnt types of queso fresco when a security guard tapped me on the shoulder. No photos. I was bummed, but it was understandable. He said I could check with customer service, so I walked over to the window to inquire. After a few minutes, the manager walked up and asked me if she could help. I explained my situation, and she shook her head. She explained, politely, that it was a corporate policy. We had a nice conversation, and she said she completely understood my interest. She gave me a little marketing shpiel about checking out the website and other stores, and then we parted ways.
I kept wandering, seeing things I’d never seen: a multi-worker tortilla assembly line, a fish counter with a half-dozen types of ceviche, bulk bins of dried chiles, a cooler with cheeses and sausages of all varieties, a meat counter longer and more in-depth than anything I had ever seen (have you seen a skinned cow’s head before? Or beef tongue?), and so many things I can’t even remember to mention.
It truly was a supermarket, a great example of an American idea adapted for an immigrant market. It reminded me a bit of the huge Korean markets I used to visit out on 82nd Avenue in Portland, years ago. Only this was bigger, and I dare say, better. If anyone had any curiosity about how Mexicans actually buy and cook their food, one could learn a lot by shopping in this market. I wish I could go more often. For now, I’ll have to remember and check out the few photos I took before I was shot down.
Their website is here. The chain is actually called Pro’s Ranch Markets.
