I’ve been dreaming up blogs in my sleep lately but haven’t committed any to cyberspace in the last week or so. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it. I’ve had one rattling around of such magnitude that I wanted to do it justice…take the time to really savor the experience and try to present it in such a way as to create a true need in you to visit.
Last Saturday morning I made the comment, as I sipped my coffee while I stared vacantly at HGTV and Brien poked aimlessly away at the computer, that I would love to go to Jungle Jim’s sometime. Next thing I knew, Brien said, “what time do you want to leave”. This aught to give you a clue that Jungle Jim’s is indeed worthy. Anytime my husband wants (actually is eager) to go to a “grocery store” you know he either has ulterior motives or it is truly sensational.
JJ’s as I will from this point on refer to Jungle Jims, falls into the truly sensational category. Just north of Cincinnati, it is a store dedicated entirely to the belly and it covers six acres of land! This was my second visit, the first lasting two and a half hours which was not nearly long enough. This visit likely lasted as long (if not longer…I lost track) but this time we had a plan.
To give credit where it is due I have to tell you where I first heard of Jungle Jim’s. Vicki, a long time friend and resident of Indiana, knowing my love for cooking and all things related, had been telling me about JJ’s for years. One bleak, rainy, afternoon last spring, after a lengthy stint in Bass Pro (just north of Cincinnati) with my husband, I suggested we “run” by JJ’s to check it out. Clay targets and camo can only hold my interest for so long and my desire to be a “good wife” was waning.
Walking through the door of JJ’s rendered me speechless. Anyone knowing me understands the magnitude of such a statement. I am certain that I will still be talking after I die, so for me to have nothing to say is a miracle. Something else that speaks volumes is to know that shopping is not my thing. I am very task oriented when it comes to shopping. I have a specific thing in mind and I quickly peruse everything and move on until I find what I want…i.e. the perfect pair of black pants or porcini mushrooms. But this was different. Under six acres of roof was everything I have ever wanted to get my hands on and sling in a pan (with the exception of goat and pig heads).
What came over me is what I have always referred to as the “shoppers twitch” (an exception to the “shopping is not my thing”). Those of you who love sales know exactly what I mean. It’s that moment when you realize the volume of items is so great and so reasonably priced that you will be unable to process it all in the time you have available, and God forbid, somebody else will go home with the very thing you know you should have (even though you have no idea what that might be). I have experienced this very thing each time I’ve entered the doors of Jungle Jim’s.
This time Brien and I were mentally prepared. As soon as we entered we hurried to the deli, located on the right hand side by the cheeses and cold cuts. We needed to do some prophylactic eating. Experience had taught us not to shop for food when we are hungry, so we devoured luscious Jamaican Jerk Chicken Subs piled with veggies and laced with oil, vinegar and herbs on crusty wheat bread.
Fortified, we tackled the cheese case, followed by prosciutto, cold cuts, sausages, olives and butters. The butter case alone is a two sided affair approximately 15’ long with butter’s from all over the world on each side. We chose a thinly sliced prosciutto, a nutty Dubliner Cheese from Ireland and a delectable array of black, Moroccan olives swimming in olive oil and rosemary.
This trip we ignored the wine and beer section as we had recently stocked up at the Liquor Barn in Lexington. But every wine making region of the world is widely represented with prices from $5 a bottle to way, way, way beyond our budget. There is even a walk-in humidor for cigars in the wine cellar area as well as a beer cave with over 1200 kinds of beer.
After making a grief stop at the ladies room ( I only mention it because the entrance is actually a single porta-potty door leading to a multi stalled restroom…definitely catches everyone by surprise when they enter...apparently Jim has a sense of humor) the next stop was the bakery. Glass cases housed cakes, cheesecakes, pastries, cookies, muffins, baklava, pies and every conceivable confection known to humankind. Artisan breads filled baskets to overflowing and a chewy loaf of dried cherry, walnut bread made its way to our cart.
I’m not a hard core carnivore but my husband most definitely is so the next stop was one of fascination for me and drooling for him. The extensive butcher shop housed every conceivable creature I have ever heard of to eat…the usual beef, pork, lamb and chicken but, also goat, buffalo, duck, goose, ostrich, rattle snake, alligator, rabbit, elk, venison, caribou, turtle and antelope. I was both horrified and awed. Never in this country have I seen whole heads of pig or goat in Styrofoam containers covered in plastic wrap. I assume they are for making certain ethnic dishes or hogs head cheese. Wow! Dully, we escaped with only four good looking thick t-bones.
The fish market has huge tanks of live fish for sale…trout, bass, catfish, red snapper, and bream, as well as cases of king crab, clams, mussels, oysters, lobsters, stone crab, salmon, shrimp, squid, calamari, and eel.
Next came the produce section. I pride myself on being able to identify a huge variety of food, but without exaggeration, I bet I didn’t know what 30% of this stuff was. This section covers one acre. I couldn’t keep my hands off the piles of Roma tomatoes (which I later roasted), fennel, beets, onions, Bugs Bunny size carrots, portabella mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli, ruby red grapefruit, sweet juice oranges, and 4 pints of fresh blueberries (couldn’t resist at 10 for $10.). The list goes on and on.
As if that wasn’t enough, we hadn’t even gotten to the international foods section. Every conceivable country is represented and showcases a huge array of food. You know you’re in food heaven when “75 countries” are represented with over “50,000 imported grocery items” (junglejims.com).
If you’re lacking in gadgets to cook with there is an extensive “Gourmet Galleria” featuring a Gourmet Cook shop which sells anything you might want for your kitchen and offers cooking classes as well. Did I mention I’m in love!?
I won’t bore you with lengthy details of everything else. Suffice it to say that they have an organic foods section, American grocery items, Amish groceries, a full service deli with party trays and box lunches, a candy store, international honey table, over 1000 kinds of hot sauce, gourmet and organic pet food section, and a sushi bar, full service post office and a pharmacy!
If you do nothing else when you are surfing the internet please check this place out http://www.junglejims.com/ , it is truly one of a kind and extraordinarily worthy. For those of you who visit me from “away” plan on spending a day at Jungle Jim’s on your next trip...we'll have to think about how to scrape together the money for a chartered plane to get all the stuff back home with you!
0 comments:
Post a Comment