International Fun at Home

We took our grandchildren on an international field trip without leaving town.

We visited the huge Asian Pacific grocery store in town for a scavenger hunt.  I texted them the list of items they were to find. Once we were at the 40,000 square foot market, we paired off to explore. Then they took photos of each item from the list:

1. The biggest vegetable or fruit
2. Something you wouldn't eat
3. Items produced in foreign countries
4. A strange-to-you candy or pastry
5. An unusual drink
6. Some personal product - shampoo, soap, etc.
7. A fruit you've never seen
8. Some food you would like to try

We headed back to the fish department with live fish to buy and take home to eat. It prompted discussion about buying live things just to kill and eat them, in this case lobster or crabs. You can tell they don't have farm or hunting backgrounds.

The produce department was the most amazing. We saw things we'd just read just read about, like sugar cane and the durian fruit, the world's smelliest fruit. We found something that looked like a three pound grapefruit, and another that was so heavy I could barely lift it. 

Addie's drink of choice was a Japanese orange soda.

prepare the coconut

Our granddaughter decided to buy a fresh coconut, and got lots of free advice from the store clerks and other shoppers on how to open it.

An entire double sided aisle of tea attests to its popularity, and the immense variety. I brought home a box of cinnamon green tea which I've enjoyed.

Within the store was a sub-section for other international foods. We barely scraped the surface there.











We glimpsed different cultures in the goods and the shoppers. Our timing was right to be introduced to the upcoming celebration of Chinese New Year February 16th, the Year of the Dog. They had a huge display of coconut candies and fresh plants suitable for gifts for the holiday.

At stop number two, the middle eastern market, we found a flier for Persian New Year, which coincides with the beginning of spring.
One of their customs is to buy, or grow a small tray of sprouted wheatgrass.

I'm ready for some green already. I may try it!

By Anthon01 at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53601927

So grab the kids and head to the nearest foreign-to-you market. Introduce them to a taste of the rest of the world. It may be as small as the local Mexican grocery, or a large as the Ocean Pacific Marketplace.  We need to be intentional about cultivating a sense of adventure and acceptance of new things in our kids. 

And if you come to visit, I promise to take you to one of these fascinating markets.