SHOP VISIT ENJOY DOWN TOWN

for sale further the distance between the bakery and anything “comparable.”

Also, beyond comparison are Asian convenience stores. While similar to their U.S. counterparts in some ways, they function more like a supermarket and carry fresh produce, meat and staples in addition to the more familiar grab and go snacks and drinks.

The GJ Mart in Grand Junction has the bones of a U.S. convenience store, but its heart is distinctly Asian. The cold cases are brimming with swathes of fresh Chinese veggies, like kailan and bitter-melon. There is a full range of bulk dry goods from fermented black beans to canned longan fruit, and smoked fish and rice cakes offer interest at the checkout counter. The Orchard Mesa Market, also in Grand Junction, even has the requisite gas pump, but the model is confounded again, this time with kaffir lime, cardamom seeds and alum crystals.

If these international markets and local food systems are ends of a spectrum, how can they inform one another? Are they mutually exclusive? Lotus Root in Ridgway offers an answer, representing a synthesis of the disparate food systems. There are exotic flavors, like harissa and ponzu, but they are small batch, craft offerings. They have a deli but one with house-made seaweed salad, kimchi and curry. They carry local eggs and produce but also source ethical teas, thus giving customers access to quality regional and global foods.

International implies a relationship between, representing a local connection to the world “out there.” They serve communities here on the Western Slope and abroad. As such, they foster understanding and familiarity and bridge whatever distance is in between. :

Carniceria Sonora 347 N. 1st St. Montrose, CO 81401 970.240.5908

Euromart 1059 North Ave. Grand Junction, CO 81501 euromartgj.com

970.424.5215

Primitos Bakery 312 Main St. Olathe, CO 81425 970.323.6818

GJ Mart 2355 Belford Ave. Grand Junction, CO 81501 970.628.1688

Orchard Mesa Market 176 29 Road Grand Junction, CO 81503 orchardmesamarket.com

970.243.6601

Lotus Root 618 Clinton St. Ridgway, CO 81432 lotusrootridgway.com

970.626.8705