The Extra Trip

Grocery shopping with my mom has always been a memorable experience, often taking a lot out of the day because of the lack of accessibility for Asian produce and ingredients. Our weekly decision was between driving all the way to PA to the nearest H Mart and just going to Acme. This choice between comfort and convenience shouldn’t have to weigh on anyone’s mind and is a prevalent issue for people across many races. Personally, we would want to go to Hmart to be able to make and enjoy dishes that my parents grew up with, but most times we would just cave and get food from Acme or Giant, as they were so much more accessible. Being from Bear, our closest Hmart is around an hour away.

While at Acme or Giant, you can tell the typical demographic is not made for people of color, with Hispanics and Asians getting a measly one aisle, and sometimes they’re even combined, labeled with the “international” or “ethnic” title. This is unfair, as America is a melting pot and should not just default to “ethnic” food in one aisle. To increase inclusivity and advocacy of other cultures, big grocery stores should not isolate “ethnic” ingredients. This also unconsciously promotes hate towards food that others may not typically have had exposure to. Think about lunch; when I had lunch in elementary school, I always worried about the smell of my food and how others would react. If people were more exposed to the various cultures and food types in America, there would be so much less hate and shunning, as we can work to share foods instead of fearing them.

It is not just about putting ethnic food on shelves in big stores, though; it’s about having more variety and pushing it to the public just as much as cereal and other staples. However, having more ethnic stores and supporting them is just as important, if not more important, than the representation in the big stores. Helping other small shop owners thrive instead is great for supporting our own communities, if one has the ability to, and hopefully will bring more attention to the many different cultures that big stores should also represent. 

Just because big stores include ethnic foods does not mean they represent them properly. By pushing ethnic food off to the side, it divides people from each other based on what they eat. Instead, shopping for groceries should bring convenience to all people regardless of what they want to eat. In the meantime, if there’s a local store closer to you, try your best to support them if you can; it’s always worth it to help the community.