Farmers Market and Marukai Supermarket

Aloha Everyone,

I love farmers markets. You often see rare fruits and vegetables. Occasionally you meet vendors who have one-of-a-kind product.

Dolce Monachelli's is a family-owned Gourmet Specialties store. I tried a sample of Italian Butter Rum cake and it was delicious. Here is Chris Monachelli showing off their holiday cake. For information about the company and their products, go to: www.dolce-Monachellis.com

My Mother and I went to Marukai  this afternoon to purchase special ingredients for tonight's dinner. Marukai is a membership store and one of the largest Japanese supermarket in the United States. They sell unusual vegetables such as Gobo, Japanese name for the root of the greater burdock.

Pushing a shopping cart from isle after next isle, it seems that nearly half of the dried and packaged goods in the store were products from Japan.

There were at least 20 different varieties of rice for sale. One of the premium and perhaps costliest 10 lbs bag of imported rice from Japan was $35 but on 3-days sale for the half price. On the other hand, a locally produced 10 lb rice is offered less than $5.

Back at home, it took us less than 30 minutes to prepare this tasty Sukiyaki dinner.

Aloha -- Cathi