The Western Slope has a thriving local foods scene. A veritable cornucopia, agriculture is diverse and rich, the farmers market and pop-up options are increasing and the farm-to-table experience is lauded.

*Lotus Root in Ridgway offers a variety of well-sourced bulk teas.*
*Photos by Nickolas Paullus.*

And yet, Western Colorado is increasingly cosmopolitan. The highly local and regional characteristics are being balanced by a healthy dose of worldly influence. This is perhaps most evident in the growing number of ethnic markets across the region. They are truly international in that they represent local manifestations of far flung flavors. They serve small neighborhoods all over the Western Slope, with offerings from decidedly distant destinations. They offer a varied view of food culture worldwide, providing novel ideas about what to eat and how to eat it.

The closest to home, geographically, are the Mexican markets. They are also, perhaps, the closest in terms of form. The Carniceria Sonorain Montrose resembles an American market: meat, cheese, produce, dry and bulk goods. Upon closer inspection, though, there is a decidedly unique Mexican character to all of it. Bins of hibiscus blossoms, pristine manzana peppers and chile-lime chapulines (crickets) replace the iced tea, bell peppers and mixed nuts of their American counterparts. The meat counter is diverse and has a near constant procession of fresh cuts and novel offerings, like marinated pulpo (octopus) and short ribs. Likewise, the produce offers remarkable Mexican fruits, like sour prickly pears and fresh guava and mountains of classic Mexican flavors, like epazote and chiltepins.

Sometimes, though, ethnic markets offer products for which there are no clear counterparts in other U.S. markets. The new Euromart in Grand Junction carries products like borscht concentrate, Hawthorne flower tea and various forms of dried, pickled and sauced paprika (the U.S. pantry staple is but one of myriad forms the pepper can take). There are diverse pierogies, uniquely spiced Polish cakes and a veritable wall of unique chocolate options. And then, there’s the incomparable Chalwa, a whipped tahini candy with a completely unique, flaky, crystalline texture.

*Imported snacks and chocolate from Euromart in Grand Junction.*

Similarly, pan dulce is an immensely popular food that doesn’t have a clear American counterpart. Primitos Bakery in Olathe has a superficial similarity to a donut shop, but the baked goods are actually a broad spectrum of sweet and semi-sweet breads and cakes. There are head-sized calabezas— lightly sweetened milk rolls — which are the perfect complement to black coffee. Niños are decadent, fruit-filled, coconut-topped roll-cakes. And, cacahuates are giant, peanut-shaped shortbread sandwich cookies filled with sweet cream. The cotija cheese, local tortillas and bundles of chamomile flowers for sale further the distance between the bakery and anything “comparable.”

Also, beyond comparison are Asian convenience stores. While similar to their U.S. counterparts in some ways, they function more like a supermarket and carry fresh produce, meat and staples in addition to the more familiar grab and go snacks and drinks.

The GJ Mart in Grand Junction has the bones of a U.S. convenience store, but its heart is distinctly Asian. The cold cases are brimming with swathes of fresh Chinese veggies, like kailan and bitter-melon. There is a full range of bulk dry goods from fermented black beans to canned longan fruit, and smoked fish and rice cakes offer interest at the checkout counter. The Orchard Mesa Market, also in Grand Junction, even has the requisite gas pump, but the model is confounded again, this time with kaffir lime, cardamom seeds and alum crystals.

If these international markets and local food systems are ends of a spectrum, how can they inform one another? Are they mutually exclusive? Lotus Root in Ridgway offers an answer, representing a synthesis of the disparate food systems. There are exotic flavors, like harissa and ponzu, but they are small batch, craft offerings. They have a deli but one with house-made seaweed salad, kimchi and curry. They carry local eggs and produce but also source ethical teas, thus giving customers access to quality regional and global foods.

International implies a relationship between, representing a local connection to the world “out there.” They serve communities here on the Western Slope and abroad. As such, they foster understanding and familiarity and bridge whatever distance is in between.

International Markets On The Western Slope