Thursday, January 19, 2006

New Continental Market

For about 15 years now, Italy along with Spain, Ireland and Greece has been experiencing a wave of immigration from Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and South America. These European countries that were poor in the 19th and early 20th centuries were bleeding people during that time and filled countries like Canada, the US, Australia and Argentina. Now that Italy is relatively rich and part of the European Union the immigration tide has turned. Some Italians are in shock, some are welcoming but it makes me feel more at home. Number 1, I’m not the only foreigner on the block so I’m not alone and number 2, the food possibilities have skyrocketed since new groups of people have come here.

New Continental Market, just north of piazzale Loreto on viale Monza is my favorite of the many new foreign food shops in Milan. It sells groceries from every continent except Europe (well, ok, they don’t sell any Australian or Antarctic stuff either) and at a fair, non-exoticized price. I buy my fresh cardamom pods and tamarind paste for curries, my wasabe and nori for sushi and my dulce de leche for topping gelato all at New Continental, oh, and they even have peanut butter! I still pass by the African ungubu and red palm oil with wonder, but give me time! I’ll get there too.

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