Cooking ingredients organized by country, produce, meats, cheeses and hundreds of unique specialty items fill this otherwise typical large grocery. Less typical is the variety of global choices, like German bologna, imported fish, whole lambs, Lithuanian sausage, Chinese broccoli, Indian eggplant and liver pate just to barely name a few.

 

The Scene: Unlike most grocery stores, Global Foods’ shoppers represent a crosscurrent of many cultures. In fact, many shoppers come here from all over St. Louis to find foods and ingredients of their native lands. The store arranges and stocks aisles based on different countries, making it easy to locate items -- if you know what you’re looking for. Inexperienced shoppers tend to browse curiously and gaze with wonder at foods they’re not used to seeing.

Insider Tips Since products are shipped in from all over the world, availability of some foods fluctuates rapidly. So check with store managers about specific foods you may need. One item that is a specialty: rice. There are dozens of varieties from different countries sold in large bulk bags located at the front window. -- Ron Kemm