Because you can find just about any ingredient you want in Portland's grocery stores. Halal Meat Market (Maya Setton)
I’m old enough to remember when things like fresh herbs and organic produce were the sole province of food co-ops or higher-end markets. Now the big, normie chains (like Safeway and Fred Meyer) have expanded their offerings to keep up with the Whole Foodses of the world. New Seasons and Market of Choice are often the first stores in the area to stock new food products made by local companies; these are the stores to hit if you’re dying to try something new that was made by someone who could well serve on the PTA with you. Other happy recent discoveries—some made while out on an unrelated errand—include Spice Pilgrim (a gorgeous Sellwood shop offering locally ground spices and teas); Barbur World Foods (whose fresh meat selection includes goose and alligator); and Bazaar Halal Food Market in Hillsboro (which had an incredible selection of hot sauces and olives, as well as things like pickled lemon and Turkish Doritos). You’ve got to get groceries anyway; you might as well grab something you’ve never tried before, and your opportunities to do so are plentiful.
Christen McCurdy is the interim associate arts & culture editor at Willamette Week. She’s held staff jobs at Oregon Business, The Skanner and Ontario’s Argus Observer, and freelanced for a host of outlets, including Street Roots, The Oregonian and Bitch Media. At least 20% of her verbal output is Simpsons quotes from the ‘90s.
Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.
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