Super Grand in Laurel had jackfruit this weekend. It's a tropical fruit with a flavor reminiscent of bananas and mangoes. I have never seen fresh ones here before, although it might just be a short season that I overlooked.
Not that jackfruit looks like any common fruit. On the outside, the watermelon-sized fruits have green, armored shells. But a knife cuts right through and exposes sweet, bright yellow flesh. Imagine dates swollen by steroids, then pressed together like pomegranate seeds. Super Grand was selling jackfruit for about $1.29 a pound. You could buy whole fruit, or you could buy pieces chunked out in three- or four-pound sections.
You carve up jackfruit with technique similar to a pineapple -- cutting out the hard center section and the tough outer skin. That leaves you with the bright yellow flesh. Each section has a huge seed inside, and the sections are separated by a white, stringy pitch. It's perfectly easy to pull that away and be left with sweet pieces that are slightly sticky, but dry like a date. It's a tropical flavor, sweet but not as sugary as many fruit. The flesh is meaty, but the flavor is more in the family of bananas, maybe with a touch of mangoes, and a touch of musk, and maybe . . . Definitely worth checking out.
If Super Grand has jackfruit, then I assume that Lotte in Ellicott City and H Mart in Catonsville will have them as well. (A comment below says H Mart has stocked jackfruit for a while.) They might even be at the Indian markets listed in my ethnic groceries post.
If you're going to Super Grand, watch out for the small watermelon. I bought one Saturday, and it foamed and leaked water all over our counter on Sunday. Bacterial fruit blotch! Not serious, but my read of the Web says entire fields were likely to be infected.
In Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants around New York, I've had dishes prepared with canned jackfruit. (In fact, I've never had jackfruit as "just" a fruit.) Hopefully the restaurants will start using fresh jackfruit now.
ReplyDeleteH Mart has stocked jackfruit for a while now.
ReplyDelete@ Anon #2 -- Does H Mart have it year round? Or is it seasonal? I had never noticed it before.
ReplyDeleteThey just started carrying it recently. I noticed it maybe about a month ago. At first I thought it was durian, but it looked different and on closer inspection I discerned it was jackfruit. By reading the sign, of course. ;)
ReplyDeleteHowever, there have been previous incidences, in January of 2010, a complaint was reported to the Baltimore County Health Department for a possible contamination from the Rockfish/Striped bass.
ReplyDeleteThe Inspector, of the Baltimore County Health Department came out. The general managers assistant and translator Young Sue, was sick and I was asked to translate. As I was translating, I became aware of the fact that the office manager and Young Sue on two previous inspections intentionally deterred the inspector from the kitchen, a little area behind a prepared food refridgerator. The inspector state she did ask about the status of the prepared food on previous occasions. 90+ Prepared food items,(Jinga Brand), are delivered and the rest is prepared in store.
The inspection revealed H-Mart, HAR Inc, Han Ah Reum has no HAACP documentation for the seafood, prepared food, and the produce department at its 3 Maryland stores nor at headquarters, nor distribution centers. When the inspector checked the faucets in sinks had no hot water. The superintendent turned the hot water heater up. The Inspector,Baltimore County Health Department gave H-Mart 30 days to comply. I am unaware of any follow-up of inspection or compliance.
The rockfish complaint in question is sold out of season and so it is not being caught "wild" delivered from it many distribution centers in the U.S.
Mercury level higher in rockfish near fish farms
Mercury concentrations are elevated in copper rockfish and quillback rockfish taken near salmon farms along British Columbia’s coast. Rockfish sampled within 750 m of nine salmon farms, where native communities traditionally harvest seafood, had mercury levels ranging from 1.7 to 3.3 times higher than rockfish found over 3 km away from operating fish farms in the same area.
Many incidents may go unreported due to the fact H-Mart, Han Ah Reum International Grocery Store's customers are immigrants that may or may not be aware their rights.
Let Justice be Served.
ReplyDeleteForgive me, it seems that no one wants to resolve a simple issue of abolishing the policies of employment eligibility forms I9 to stop such heinous activities as exploitation, fraud, and other criminal activities that may include rape, starvation, torture, slavery, and murder within the U.S. borders. This happens in other countries, but it could never happen on our own soil. Or could it?
Social security # and information must investigated to confirm allegations, however, Is government agency, or a cooperative of government agency willing to investigate?
USCIS only investigates the information on Employment Eligibility I9 forms that are stored at several different storage areas among companies, its subsidiaries and affiliates for 7 years separate from payroll employment to avoid potentially producing personnel files that may contain sensitive or business information to which the USCIS would not otherwise be privy.
Employment payroll records are not investigated for identity theft from fraudulent eligibility I9 forms.
My social security number has been assigned to numerous employment eligibility I9 forms for illegal workers by my employer, previous employer and affiliates for its illegal workers to receive credit, health, car, and life insurance and other amenities from the private sector, government health care clinical service, student financial aid, and social services such as food stamps and Medicaid and Medicare and without responsibility for taxation.
Please implement a system to assign legitimate employment eligibility status for the illegal aliens working under assumed identities to ensure the rights of US citizens and its legal residence are not victims of identity theft and to preserve the rights for all not to be exploited or violated by certain oppressive money hungry employers.
Homeland Security have been contacted 3 times. The response 'everybody is doing it." A change in policy and legislation of completing storing and auditing employment eligibility forms is needed so "everybody won't be doing it".