Gala Apple International
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
When I first moved to Kensington in July 2007, I was slightly afraid to go into the Russian supermarket on East 3rd and 18th Ave.
I was afraid the shelves would be filled with dusty containers of odd pickled items, that I’d have no idea what the labels said, and that I’d be shunned for being American-born. I also felt it wasn’t necessary, since I did most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s and the farmer’s market. I was wrong on all counts.
There are several compelling reasons to visit. The first is that they have a large selection of high quality, often organic foods, for reasonable prices. This even includes somewhat local butter and sour cream from Pennsylvania. Their dairy section is impressive and daunting, with many varieties of kefir, yogurt (cow and goat), cheeses (smoked gouda! sliced harvati! goat cheese with honey!), organic milk, and several almond, rice, and soy milks. A bag of frozen soybeans in a microwave-safe bag is $1.69. They have whole wheat gnocchi. They also sell no-antibiotic, vegetarian raised chicken parts.
This is only a small part of the kefir/yogurt section.
The supermarket also sells hard-to-find items. This includes, but is not limited to, cornish game hens, Canadian bacon, pork fatback, and Mexican coca-cola and Sprite and Fanta with real sucrose. Below, you can see some of the varieties of pate in stock.
Lastly, it is a cultural experience. They play Russian pop music and videos near the checkout line. There are also a variety of foods this Westerner hasn’t considered eating, including unsliced bacon, head cheese, and dumplings with “meat” listed as an ingredient. They also stock a number of American condiments in different, often improved, packaging, such as mayonnaise and ketchup in flexible squeeze containers, frozen single sized chocolate covered cheesecakes, and juice boxes for adults.
Gala Apple International, 4112 18th Ave. Open from 8 am – 11 pm, 7 days/week.
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