Uwajimaya Market

I am freshly returned from a little excursion to Portland, OR to visit sisters and friends. It was a great trip and we did many fun and memorable things. One day was devoted exclusively to shopping ethnic markets, my favorite being Uwajimaya Market in Beaverton. Kate, Natalie and I spent hours here, and upon leaving I felt as though I'd just been on a whirlwind tour of Asia.


Tropical Fruits

Some highlights include these colorful and exotic fruits. I can identify three of four starting with mangosteens in the top right corner, rambutan in the bottom left, and dragon fruit in the bottom right. It was amazing to find these here. If I'm not mistaken, it's only been in the last year or two that mangosteens are even able to be imported to the States. I felt like I was back at a big open air market in Bangkok, except it smelled better inside Uwajimaya.


Interesting Bottles and Cans

We stumbled across these interesting finds including the bottled ginseng root and a very eye catching clear can of soda.


Rice Wine

Shelves and shelves of colorfully labeled rice wines were delightful.


Lucky Cats

Lucky cats in every color and size, just in time for Chinese New Year.


Red Snapper...

...I think, but lovely nonetheless. Notice the clear eyes denoting freshness.


Cock Brand Tapioca Balls

This is a little Dinner Club inside joke, that isn't too difficult to figure out. We bought these and fat straws to make bubble tea at home. As we like to say in Dinner Club, it's better with balls.

It was a fantastic adventure and I'm envious of you Portlanders (and you Seattlites) who have this amazing store at your disposal, with all it's exotic treats and inspiring supplies. We went home and made some delicious miang kam, red curry and bubble tea for dessert.