No matter where you are on your adventure journey, visiting specialty markets is one of the best adventures you can have. Most cities have them, and the bigger cities will have multiple options.
In this post, I’m going to teach you why visiting specialty markets need to be on your adventure list, how to find specialty markets near you, how to visit a specialty market and what to do while you’re there, and how visiting specialty food markets will open your eyes.
Before we get started, let’s answer a big question:
What is a specialty market?
For the purpose of this article, I define a specialty market as a store that sells a variety of foods within a narrow category. The categories can be a region, ethnicity, style, or some other specific group: an Asian market, Mediterranean market, Middle Eastern market, etc.
There are all types of specialty stores that cater to non-food items, such as furniture stores, florists, lotion stores, etc. But I want to focus on the yummy ones. The specialty markets that expose you to another culture, lifestyle, cuisine, or language.
Specialty markets cater towards a specific group of people, but they’re not exclusively restrictive to whom they sell their items. So you don’t have to worry about visiting specialty markets if you’re not from that particular region or cook that specific way!
Why should you be visiting specialty markets?
First of all, who doesn’t love good food? People in every country and culture need to eat, and I don’t think any of them would willfully choose to eat anything they didn’t find tasty.
Visiting specialty markets exposes you to new ingredients, smells, tastes, and options. During my 30 adventures in 30 days challenge, I visited a local mediterranean market that I’d drive by, I don’t know, 100 times before? While there, I found a new spice that I’d never had, but heard about it, thanks to a Netflix show. I purchased the spice and found a fun recipe to try it out with, much to my tummy’s delight!
Check out my visit to the Mediterranean market and see what I bought!
Do you ever get bored cooking the same things over and over? When you visit specialty markets, you come away with new ideas. And if not, you’re at least a little more inspired to switch up your “regular menu items.” I like to check out markets when I’m feeling a little uninspired in the kitchen.
Just like most supermarkets or traditional chain grocery stores, specialty markets will have ready-to-eat take-aways, instant meal options, or restaurants in the store. This is a quick way to try something new and takes the potential stress away from your fear of the unknown.
Visiting specialty markets that cater to a specific region of the world offers a way to travel without actually traveling. It exposes you to a new culture. This was one of the saving graces for me during the pandemic lockdowns. Since I couldn’t travel for most of 2020, I made it a goal to check out as many specialty markets near me. I was exposed to new smells and tastes, similar to what I’d experience abroad.
When you visit local markets and make purchases, regardless of the type, you’re stimulating your local economy, supporting local business owners, and, in the case of specialty food markets, usually supporting a minority business owner. Everyone wins. Plus, they’re local, so you’re usually close to home and your place of comfort!
How do you find specialty markets near you?
There are so many ways to find specialty markets near you, and I’ll share with you the strategies that I employ. No matter where you are in the world, these methods will remain the same. Remember – everyone eats and has to get their food from somewhere!
Pay attention when you’re out and about. When I’m driving around town, just doing my normal routine and running the usual errands, or on the bus, I look around. When I’m stopped at a signal, I look at the buildings. If I see a sign with the word “market” in it, I write it down on a piece of paper, make a note in my phone, or create a voice recording. When I get home later, I do a little research to see if it’s a place I want to check out. It’s always amazing to me just how many specialty markets I pass on a regular basis, but never stopped to check them out.
Ask your friends, family, coworkers, and social circles. Where does everyone shop? Don’t racially profile anyone and go up to a random stranger that looks different from you. Ask people you associate with on a regular basis. Where do they grocery shop? Have they been to any fun specialty food markets that cater to a particular region or cuisine? What’s their favorite (fill-in-the-blank) market? Believe me – I have this conversation a lot, and because I’m known for it, people come to me for recommendations.
Google. If you’re interested in finding and visiting a specific type of specialty market, you can Google to see if there are any options close to you.
You’ve found a specialty market – now what?
You’ve done the legwork and have found a specialty market near you that you want to visit. What do you do next?
As simple as going to a store is, and as often as we typically go shopping, visiting a new specialty market can seem intimidating. And I get it. It’s new, you don’t know what to expect, and that can be scary.
If you don’t want to go alone, you don’t have to. It’s fun to see how many people want to join you – you just have to ask! Your roommate, spouse, colleague, neighbor – not that people are just sitting around, waiting for you to ask them to go, but kinda. I love getting asked to go with friends to check out new places.
Once you are ready to go, get out to the market however you need to – car, bus, train, walk. Take a deep breath, and walk in. Smile at the workers who will turn to see who walked in. Take some time going up and down each aisle. Take pictures. Take notes. Ask questions.
My kryptonite is the spice aisle. While I’m perusing the different exotic spices, I like to pull out my phone and look up recipes.
Check out another visit to a new-to-me Asian market…and see what I bought!
Part of the fun of visiting specialty markets is making purchases. Buying something new and fun to try. For your first time, you don’t need to feel compelled to spend a lot of money, or any at all. However, many of these markets have fun, delicious items to try for under $5. If you’re going on an adventure and the market is providing your entertainment, you really should make at least a small purchase to show your appreciation.
And, if you don’t end up enjoying what small item you purchased (because, let’s face it, we like what we like), you can rest assured that you didn’t spend a lot on it and the owner is grateful for your patronage.
How can visiting specialty markets open your eyes?
One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie “Anna and the King.” During this particular scene, Anna, a tutor, is talking to the heir-apparent to the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand). He’s asking her why his father, the King, is trying to teach him a lesson by sending a tutor. Her response is fantastic:
Most people do not see the world as it is. They see it as they are. And a good king needs a broader view.
Jodie Foster as Anna Leonowens
Just swap out “king” for “person” and you have one of the most profound statements ever. Our views are determined by the things we consume. If we widen the consumption to include things from other countries, regions, and lifestyles, our eyes are opened just a little bit more. Not that we need to conform to everything we intake, but we’re more capable to find compassion, understanding, and common ground with everyone we come across.
It’s also so much fun to discover new foods. Not to make fun, but to see what other people and cultures eat as their comfort food, versus what we eat as our comfort food. That little knowledge of “everyone eats” levels the playing field.
As you can tell, I’m a huge advocate for visiting specialty markets. Whenever I travel, I like to visit the local markets. It’s like a window into the local culture. And when I can’t travel, or need to experience another culture, I can go on a local adventure to a specialty market!
What do you think about visiting specialty markets? Would you want to check one out in your hometown?
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