Central market

Central market and market street are the last of the stores on my list, i was expecting them to

be similar to wholefoods and that i would be disappointed with what i would find. On entering the

store their was another fantastic produce department, but the attention to detail with product layout put wholefoods to shame, there is every kind of fruit and vegetable that a foodie could wish for, the array of herbs that are on offer would grace the best professional kitchens of Europe.

As i continue around the the department i come across the " Kit Kitchen ", this is ready meal USA style, a vast selection of pre - packed ingredients that include portions of salmon with sliced lemon wedges and marinade, a selection of sauces that will compliment various recipes, portioned protein items again packed with various garnishes, as i move further along the counter i come across chopped garlic, finely chopped onion and shallots, grilled and roasted peppers, all the ingredients you would ever need for cooking Thai, Chinese, Indian, gastro etc, this is the ultimate lazy way of scratch cooking but it beats all the convenience junk food that i have seen. These items are all accompanied by recipe cards that match the ingredients below.

The bakery is just as impressive with a good range of artisan breads every shape and size and all have tasting buckets with good size chunks to chew on as i move into the grocery aisle and where i am met with hundreds of tubes, dispensing coffee beans from around the globe to my left, and to my right, confectionery, peanut butter, flour, flavoured sugars the list of products is endless.

As i reach the other end of the store we have the opposite of the scratch cooking, counters full of cooked individual protein items, vegetables, cous cous, rice , along with the sauces to compliment, "pick n mix" ready meals which are packed for you just to be reheated at home, the fixture is constantly busy.

As logistics in the US prevent ready meals as we know them, maybe Central Market has hit on the next best thing, as i said at the start of my Trek, it is a country of two extremes "ultimate convenience" fast / junk food or scratch/ semi scratch cook.

When i visit market street a few hours later the story is very much the same, great produce, good quality grocery and the store layout being very similar.

Next stop Dallas - London for IFE