I posted an article a while back titled “Where to Pocket Pocky†in which I listed two places in St. Louis to get your Asian goody groove on. One was Global Foods in Kirkwood and the other was J International Food. I have thus far only visited J International Food, which is only like nine blocks away. Wow, that place is bigggg. At least it’s the biggest international grocery store I’ve ever been to.
I didn’t even know where to start when I first walked in; there was so much to see. I just walked up and down aisles all agog at what I was seeing. I have never in all my life seen so very, very many types of curry, ever. Thai curry, Indian curry, Japanese curry, Vietnamese curry, geez curry from everywhere. I didn’t mean to get sidetracked by curry, and when I looked at my watch it was time to go.
So my first time at J International was a short excursion and I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to, nor did I on my second or third visit. Finally after going there four times, I kinda have an idea where things are. It seems things are organized by national flags. If you see the German flag, most likely German and Bavarian goods are in that area. Same goes for Japan, Korea, Mexico, etc. But not all things Japanese are in the aisle with the rising sun. Some foodstuff may be in the freezer or in their impressive sweets and treats aisle.
Most of the stuff anime fans would probably be zeroing in on anyway would be located in the treats aisle; located past the cash registers when you first walk in. They have Kasugai gummies of all flavors, rice crackers, Pocky (not the biggest variety), weird marshmallow thingies, and a buncha other stuff I haven’t looked at too closely.
J’s is a well-stocked treasure trove of good eats and sweet treats from around the globe; excepting for a few Japanese munchies like Pretz, Hi-chew, Japanese bubble gum, and some other more exotic grub. Maybe it is there and I just can’t find it under or on top of all the other goodies or I got sidetracked from finding it by something more compelling.
My main complaint about J’s would be lack of organization. Some stuff seems like its just tossed there, no label, nothing. The veggies, fruits, and baked goods for example that are pre-packaged have no identifying label besides the price. What kind of tomatoes are these? Where did this mystery herb come from? What are the ingredients on this jellyroll looking thing?
If you like adventure and the unknown in your life, even in your groceries, then I highly recommend J International Food. It will definitely be worth your while to look for hard to find grub at great prices.
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