Behold: the Asian Market

I don't think it's possible to overstate how excited I was when I found this market. After a bit of googling, I realized that in Berlin, one must really go to a place to find out if it's any good or not. There are so many hole-in-the-walls and random little places down small alleyways that might turn out to be your next favorite haunt. In my case, I was just searching for a place where I could get a taste of home, specifically my momma's cookin'. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of Asian markets in Berlin, but I wanted to find one close to me with a good selection of imports. And by that, I meant a store with all this:

THERE IS A BIGGER SELECTION OF NOODLES HERE THAN IN ALMOST ANY 99 RANCH IN CALIFORNIA.

Like the kind my grandma used to make my favorite spicy noodle soup when I was still a little girl living in China. I kid you not when I say that I teared up a bit when I saw them. I am on terrible terms with my grandma now, but that is how much those noodles meant to me. Ultimately, I chose not to get them since I haven't figured out how to buy broth here yet (the saddest realization ever), but I will be back once I do. The only noodles I ended up getting were instant. No shame. I haven't been able to find them anywhere else, or perhaps I didn't look hard enough anywhere else; in any case, I can't say no to a cheap, quick meal here in Berlin, though it's something I try and avoid at all costs back home.

Additionally, I found a decent variety of stinky tofu. It's not nearly as universally loved as noodles, and I didn't expect to be able to buy it anywhere at all! A pleasant surprise for a Chinese American, grocery-loving dork in a very white European city.

as nasty as it sounds, stinky tofu is the bomb dot comb. makin' my pops proud!

There was this hot sauce that I ate like crazy when I was in middle school. It was discontinued by 99 Ranch for most of my high school years and recently slowly reintroduced. Guess what?

JARS AND JARS OF CHILIBOHNEN

And let's get real, I didn't think I would be able to have Pocky or Chocopie or any of my favorite Asian supermarket snacks until August. Well...

true story: my sister eats a bag of these onion rings at a time

There are misses, too. I still have to head next door to the regular grocery store to get normal everyday vegetables. This market stocks a variety of frozen dim sum, buns, seafood, and even gyoza, but sadly it's all so expensive!! We're talking 5,50 EUR for an average package of veggie gyoza which I can admit is too damn much, even if I miss that stuff like crazy.

This afternoon was nostalgia hour in the best way possible. From the merchandise on the shelves to the Vietnamese chatter between employees, everything felt familiar.