LAM's Supermarket - A strange combination that actually works!

A few months ago I was complaining about the lack of Goya products in Arizona's supermarkets - being Hispanic and coming from the East, I needed my Goya, but all I could find was Mexican products (when are marketing experts going to realize that Hispanic doesn't necessarily mean Mexican?). Anyway, during one of my rants, my newest favorite person, Carmen, mentioned that I could find Goya products at LAMs supermarket. So Saturday, with some free time on my hands, I decided to check it out.

On first impressions, LAMs looks like the kind of place I wouldn't set foot in because it looks too much like a mix of an outdoors and indoors market - my food needs to come from neat, clean places......yes, I'm picky, very. Nevertheless, against all my instincts, I decided to get a cart and move on ahead. The first thing to greet me was Asian sweets - I thought it was odd and interesting being in the middle of Arizona, maybe I would find ginger candy which I used to buy at a Japanese supermarket in NJ and was craving lately. After marveling about the size (and price) of the mangoes - the size of a head at $9/ea! I turned around the corner to find my beloved ginger candy! But not only did I find that, I found Lychee gummies as well!! Some of you may not have a clue as to what I'm talking about, it's just things I've been introduced to by my friends through the years - Ginger candy was introduced to me by a Japanese friend and Lychee gummies by Filipino and Peruvian friends. By now I have a broad smile on my face and am actually dancing down the isle of the "supermarket" praising my new best friend Carmen. Go down Isle #2 and what do I find, the promised Goya Isle!!! By now I can hear the angels sing! And I start singing along the minute I spot one of the things I've been craving lately, "Habichuela con Dulce" - which Goya makes, no as good as the homemade one, but enjoyable nevertheless. At that time I hear the little voice in my head...."remember the eternal diet".........this is the same little voice that warned me against entering such place, so I ignore it.

The rest of the trip through the store was just as full of surprises - they also have an Indian section, but I couldn't find my favorite Indian/Arabic food - still don't remember the name, but it's a flat bread/pizza which I like to eat with yogurt spread on top. Two out of three is not bad, so I'm very happy and will definitely be back here, it was worth the trip! Thank you Carmen!!