The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
3
Specialty grocers cater to all appetites BY TANYA TRIVEDI STAFF WRITER
Avoidance is one of the most commonly used mechanisms by college students. They often wonder: Can I put off finishing my research paper for a couple more days? Can I avoid making another trip to the grocery store? While this second task can often feel time-consuming or overwhelming, grocery stores provide a wide variety of options near our campus and have staff dedicated to helping their customers.
County Market is a full-service supermarket with five Champaign-Urbana locations, with the Campustown location situated at 331 E. Stoughton St. Lee Lewis, manager of County Market, said they “go out of (their) way to make sure that the customer is taken care of.” Casbah , a deli at 1715 W. Kirby Ave. in Champaign, is known for its deli and fresh meat, which is sourced from local farmers. It also carries imported cheeses and fresh bakery goods. Natural Gourmet , located at 2225 S. Neil Street, is a great option for those who are vegan or maintain a strictly healthy lifestyle. This grocery store specializes in providing a full range of vitamins, supplements
and healthy food alternatives including gluten-free and organic products. If planning to cook an authentic Asian meal, students may consider Green Onion Asian Market at 2020 S. Neil St. It specializes in Korean, Japanese and Chinese products that are often difficult to find at traditional groceries. Green Onion also offers a wide selection of liquor, beer and deli items, along with Korean movies and dramas.
World Harvest Foods exposes its customers to a wider variety of international foods, claiming that it gives Champaign-Urbana “a taste of the world.” It carries olive oils from four continents, as well as an assortment of over 100 types of gourmet and international chocolates, cheeses, coffees, teas, jams, pastas, sauces and spices. World Harvest Store is at 519 E. University Ave. in Champaign. Strawberry Fields, 306 W. Springfield Ave. in downtown Urbana, is a natural food store that carries a variety of organic produce, vitamins, supplements and natural bodycare products as well as an in-house bakery, coffee bar and catering services. It also carries a number of teas that run the gamut from medicinal blends to organic gourmets and coffees in bulk.
As a special service to its customers, Strawberry Fields features services from on-site nutritionist Susan Kundrat. Ying Meng, graduate student in Food Science, said students may avoid grocery shopping because of three reasons: lack of time, limited transportation, and the comfort of
having so many restaurants on campus. However she thinks it is something all students must do on a regular basis eventually. “People can get tired of a very good restaurant, but they will never say no to homemade food,” she said.
Tanya can be reached ttrive3@dailyillini.com.
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