Actually, super 88 market is much better than I remembered: On Malden's Super88

 I went to the super88 asian Market in Malden earlier this evening. It was the first time I'd been to that place in a couple of years -- I'd been choosing to go to Chinatown over the place. I'd forgotten how large it was, and all the variety of food items they sold. The price is not that much more than Chinatown, but the options are so much greater, and the size of the entire place...it's massive. It's more comparable to the Lotte Market in VA than the tiny Chinatown stores.

It should have been expected, after all, there's obviously going to be more space, and for cheaper in a strip mall in Malden than in Chinatown. Still, for some reason I was under the impression that Chinatown stores would be more...authentic...cheaper...nicer. Realized today that wasn't necessary the case. The variety was impressive, they have items from so many different cultures, all kinds of grains and veggies, and oils and really anything you can think of was there. I didn't even have to search for anything, all I cared for was in front of my eyes.

Of course all the choices and options made me greedy, and I got 35 bucks worth of things I mostly didn't need at all. While missing the one item I DID need, the thing that I'd gone in for. I bought like various sauces and spice mixes, all of that, but forgot to get a packet of msg, which my roommates had asked me to bring the next time I went to the Asian market. The real reason was my hands were too full...I chose not to use a cart for some reason, and didn't feel like going to another aisle, in addition to completely blanking out on why I was there.

I also didn't get any veggies or fruits, things I have never missed from those markets. They taste amazing, and if you're strategic about what you're buying, cheaper than you can find anywhere else. But this evening, my backpack was small, time was limited and the hands were full, so they were ignored.

On the other hand, I saw all the seventeen different varieties, shapes and textures I'd heard you could buy for tofu, but never really paid attention to before today. Tofu sheets, tofu noodles, silken tofu, soft tofu, sliced tofu, spiced tofu, tofu fluff, everything they had. Meatwise they're also quite abundant but I don't look in those aisles anymore.

It's a pity the place is an hour away on foot each way, and it's not a particularly scenic walk either, or I'd go there a lot more often. Like Chinatown is at least an hour away on public transport, plus the cost and hassle of using trains and buses -- even ignoring the public health concerns. I've been feeling nausea in the trains as of late, yet another argument in favor of walking. And of course, healthwise, you couldn't do better than walk for two hours for groceries.

The Malden super 88 is quite good, I should go there more often.