When I see an Indian Grocery store !

Never in the remotest of my thoughts, I had ever imagined, that of all the things in the world, an Indian Grocery Store would be something I would crave for after coming to US. I get so damn excited with the very sight of an Indian Grocery store that I am short of words to describe the jubilation. Back in India, I used to laugh at my brother when he used to help my mausaji, carry the bags from a grocery store. I never paid attention to any of those monthly lists which my masi used to make. But now, whenever I have to make a list of my own to buy stuff from the indian store, I get quite thrilled and excited. The trip to these stores here, is an experience in itself. There is only one such store in Bloomington known as Olive Market. Here is a picture -

Though, it does not have everything under the sun, which used to be there in India, but it has sufficient things to keep us tied to our roots. It has a wide range of pickles - mango, chillies, carrots, mixed, cauliflower, ginger, garlic; pulses - moong, toor, beans, 3 types of chick peas(chana), ready to eat MTR packets, spices which I had never even seen or heard of in India; all types of rice; flours - makai, bajra, besan, maida, sooji; maggi, bournvita, dosas, idlis...and the list goes on. The only thing which I find missing in their shelves is - my favorite Parle G and Monaco biscuits. Trust me, these grocery stores have so much more than I could have ever imagined. The most famous brands here are Swad, Lijjat, MTR and Mothers Recepie.

On my trip to Philadelphia, due to the limited time I had at hand,my cousin gave me a choice between visiting an amusement park and an Indian Grocery Store. Any guesses for what my answer would have been? My brother would mock at me if he hears that I chose to visit a "Kirana store" over the amusement park. The so called Kirana Store here was as big as one floor of Big Bazaar at phoenix mills(mumbai). So there I was in a huge indian mall, again appalled with the things around. This was the known Subzi Mundi of Philly, I had been to -

Apart from the regular things which I already mentioned, it had lots more to offer. One complete section dedicated to the biscuits - you name them, they would have it. Parle G, Monaco, Krackjack, Marie, Tiger...I can go on with the endless list. Theplas, khakhra's, frozen kachori, samosa, pakodas, vada pavs, paranthas, dhoklas and a wide variety of indian sweets. You need atleast 2 hours to be able to go through the entire store once.

There are lot of Indian Stores in and around New Jersey because of the dominance of Indian population there. The famous chains include - Patel Brothers, Subzi Mandi, International Bazaar, Namaste Plaza,Spice Land etc. Most of these stores are owned by either gujjus or saradrji's. And let me tell you, they are not only up to date with latest inventories from India, but are also abreast with the latest technology. They have their own websites and supply chain system for taking online orders. "Awesome" is the only word which comes to my mind, when I think about this business. The way the entire supply chain system works - the importing , the distribution throughout the US, the marketing...these stores are following the walmart steps !