Erich's Wuerstelstand

the first time i heard of this supermarket, i was starting my first semester at uc berkeley and i thought we were going bowling.  i ended up someplace even better than expected, and took to it immediately.  this supermarket is a cultural establishment that is a must-see for any out-of-towner who wants to get a glimpse of the miracle that is berkeley, ca.  it represents the city's demographic well:  hippies, college students, professors and professionals who all want to make a solid meal for a solid price, all with a clear consciousness and a want for a bill of clean health.  talk to an employee and ask them about the supermarket's philosophy.  this is a city where everyone knows who alice waters is and starbucks is so demonized that it's been successfully run out of business.  it's also quite bourgeois but so endearingly so.

in-season fruits will be represented by the usual 10+ variety, which is daunting until you realize that they don't mind it (too much) if you tried one of each.  there is also a daily cheese sample, which i would make a point to stop by four or five times during each shopping trip.  the bulk food section also a lot of fun:  i've tried just about every variety of granola that they have.  also, ask them where you can find the kombucha.

I enter the store and veer right – I check on the dessert offerings of the day, maybe grab a vegan doughnut and a cup of shade-grown coffee. Next I pick up a loaf of fresh bread, some walnut sourdough, perhaps. A sampling of olives from the antipasto bar would be nice, too. 

I snake through the aisles, skipping over most of the stuff on the bare-bones display shelves. Most of these groceries can be found just about anywhere. Nothing really special here. Besides, this is not why I’ve come to The Bowl. I know nirvana awaits me on the other side of the 40,000 square foot store. I weave up and down each row of boxed rice and canned tomatoes as part of the journey. Upon turning down each aisle, my heart rate speeds up a bit. I take deep breaths in anticipation. I’m getting closer… closer… closer to my destination. This is my pilgrimage… to the produce section.

As I enter the vast section offering tubers, herbs, berries, tropical plants – you name it – I pause. I take in the scene with all my senses. I probably tick off a few people because I’m standing in their way. But I don’t care. I’ve traveled 3000 miles for this. 

I meander among the mangoes, amble around the artichokes and saunter past the strawberries, looking at, touching and smelling the vast diversity of Mother Nature’s abundance. I count six types of basil, fourteen kinds of sweet potatoes and the goddess only knows how many variations of citrus fruits. I know what it’s like to be a newborn child in a stroller on the streets around Times Square. This is over-stimulation at its finest.

Alas, I can only select a few items of the bounty since I’m headed home within days. Still, the journey to this agricultural Mecca feeds my soul and my senses. And isn’t that what a pilgrimage is meant to do?

Berkeley Bowl is at first incredibly daunting, in the same way that climbing the face of Yosemite's vertical Half Dome may be daunting. It's not for everyone. But fear not! For once you get to the top, it's totally worth it. You just have to keep your wits about you and take the smart route. And don't do it in a snowstorm... er, I mean after 4:00pm.

The secret to this market is the produce - if you stick to this section and buy things in-season you can come out with a brimming grocery bag for under $20! Keep an eye out for daily specials. The selection is IMMENSE (you want four varieties of yams? how about a durian?) and there are usually organic and regular varieties of everything. Asian produce is particularly well-represented here. There is even a dirt cheap bin in the back of various "over ripe" grab-bags for the intrepid bargain hunter. Next to this section are the popular Dry Goods in Bulk, where you can buy practically anything from nuts and granola to flax seeds and fifteen varieties of beans. 

The other sections of the store are similarly primo, but here the prices are too. The cheese section is absolutely worth it. The prepared foods are pricey and not spectacular. The variety of packaged dry goods can be overwhelming, in a good way. If it's not here, you may never find it. Or you'll probably pay more for it at Whole Foods.