> wrote in message
...
> On 10 Jan 2005 11:08:15 -0800, "
> > wrote:
>
>>Lewt me guess - you shop at Casa Acoreana in Kensington Market?
>
> Among others. I like their large packages of knorr chicken bouillon,
> and that I can get decent bouillon cubes in a wide range of other
> flavours. (Yum, mushroom. Yum, fish stocks) I hit them once or twice
> a year when I'm down in the area.
>
> I live in south etobicoke, overlooking the Humber River. The area is
> heavily polish, russian, ukrainian, with a generational smatter of
> italian and portuguese. My home cooking is heavily asian influenced,
> with a smattering of prairie chinese, and a residue of acadian. The
> wok lives on the stove.
>
> Grant's (a large chinese supermarket just over the western border of
> the city in Mississauga, named after the US $50 dollar bill) also have
> ample Asian and South Asian seasonings, and their turnover is high. Is
> handier for me than Kensington. I usually do a shopping run in Little
> India on Gerrard East when I'm down there.... where else can I get 1
> kg bags of cumin seed?
>
> Yes, I am spoiled compared to many in other parts of the Great White
> North. But then, I also fresh roast my whole spices before grinding,
> and I find that makes a huge difference, even with spices that are a
> "little long in the tooth".
>
> Seriously, what_ is_ the draw of Penzey's? I'm asking out of
> curiousity. I've been there, but I want to understand what pulls
> people in to pay the premium. We don't use mail-order as much on this
> side of the border as on the Yank side (although it has gone up with
> online sales) and therefore, tend to rely on what can be sourced
> locally. It's not worth my while to order from an American supplier
> unless it is a really big order, as we are charged duty, brokerage and
> sales taxes on incoming product. Most cities of any size have
> ethnicly oriented stores, and decent seasonings can be got there
> affordably if you know what you are looking for.. Even when I lived in
> Lethbridge, the local chinese/south asian store had large fresh
> quantities cheap.
>
I'd say the draw is two things. First, Penzey's generally has high quality
merchandise, and second it is convenient to order everything from one place
and have it delivered to your door. Also, many USAians do not live near
reliable sources of good spices. Toronto is unusual in having such a wide
range of ethnic sources. I just returned from a visit - my wife's family
lives there. I am always tempted to stuff my suitcases with food, like from
the cheese shop in "Greektown" on Danforth that had my mouth watering! We
did bring back a big piece of peameal bacon.
--
Peter Aitken
Remove the crap from my email address before using.
--
Peter Aitken
Remove the crap from my email address before using.
|