My first impression of Taj Grocers was that it was similar to any other grocery store, but with a different cultural variation. Most grocery stores have carts outside, signs that say no loitering, aisles with goods, automatic doors, and so on and so forth. This grocery store even reminded me of some Mexican grocery stores I have been t. This is because there’s a café inside the restaurant, cultural decorations along the walls, and aisles stocked with food and products you might find in the country the grocery store caters to.

The moment I walked into the grocery store, the smell of Indian spices filled my nose. Immediately to my right I saw packages of Holi colors and it reminded me of when I ran the Color Run. In this run, I was decorated with colored powder thrown at me by spectators. As I moved on in the grocery store, I saw rows of rice stacked as tall as my girlfriend. Most grocery stores have a small section dedicated to rice, not aisles of huge potato-sack packages of rice. If I didn’t know anything about Indian culture, there’s one thing I could have figured out upon this sight: rice was a staple in Indian cuisine. In the refrigerated aisle, I spotted yogurt in gallon-sized containers. This was not the usual 6 oz. Chobani-sized yogurt I usually encounter. In this class I learned that yogurt was the foundation to multiple recipes. One of these is the Mango Lasse which I have indulged in at an Indian Restaurant before. I also saw some fruits I had never seen before. I decided to buy a Jackfuit which was recommended to me from a classmate. Another thing I noticed was that a meat section was absent in this grocery store. This makes sense because many Indians are vegetarian.

I found it interesting that I saw some of the same products in this Indian grocery store that were also sold in Asian grocery stores. I was surprised to find Lychee jelly which I had considered to be more a part of Asian culture and other non-Indian food in the aisles of this Indian Grocery Store. Many of these items were written with Mandarin symbols. India is a part of Asia, but I had always separated different regions of Asia in my head. Here, they were connected.

I was amazed that I made so many connections to the items I saw in the grocery store. Although I don’t normally shop at Indian grocery stores, I was happy to know that I had some other experience with Indian culture. Apart from the connections I made in my own experience of Indian culture, I made connects of Indian culture to other cultures. Indian cuisine is similar to many other cultures, including Ethiopian, and Mexican. In Ethiopian cuisine, lots of lentils are used. In both Indian, Ethiopian, and Mexican cultures, utensils are absent. In Ethiopian culture, utensils are replaced by injera, in Mexican culture, utensils are replaced by tortillas, and in Indian culture, utensils are replaced by Naan. I also noticed many mango products, especially in a juice form. Mango is extremely popular in Mexico and one of my favorite fruits.

Overall, I enjoyed experiencing a new grocery store. It was like other grocery stores but catered to the needs of the Indian community and therefore offered a different cultural experience. Ultimately, I was able to take this cultural experience and connect it to my own.