Yesterday's Stop # 5 on this year's summer tour found us visiting -- and shopping -- at the Central Market of Austin, Texas.
It is a huge, showpiece specialty food emporium (the term grocery store just doesn't do it justice!) owned and operated by H.E.B. It's so big that a person could get lost inside and wander around for weeks, but at least they wouldn't go hungry!
Rebecca, foodie that she is, was in seventh heaven. A smile of satisfaction spread over her face as she roamed the aisles of exotic cheeses, types of produce I had never heard of (including lichi fruit from VietNam), breads of at least 3 dozen different types, meat, fish and poultry so unusual I wondered if it had been imported from Mars.
We, who are not foodies but eat primarily to survive until the next meal, were in a state of amazement. Never before had we seen displayed a dozen different types of olives, fish filets as large as an RV table, nor an entire room displaying so many varieties of wines that the bottles reached from floor to ceiling! The live orchids offered for sale were beautiful and huge; the assortment of pastries and sweets were almost (but not quite) irresistible.. We did a lot more looking than buying.
It was a very interesting place to visit but I doubt if we'll go back again soon. It's a real diet -- and budget -- buster!
Stop # 6 is coming up soon!
