As you may know, I live in a food desert. But beyond the horizon, past the farms and cows, there is civilization, which includes ethnic markets and specialty stores.

I'm planning a little road trip with a friend (and some coolers) and if we make good time, we will visit:

A large Hispanic grocery store
A large Oriental grocery store
A Polish deli
An Italian deli
Penzeys.

I already have my list for Penzeys. and I've been to the Polish deli, so I kinda know what I'm going to get there, mostly.The Italian deli allegedly has good sausages, but I don't know what else they've got. I don't know if they've got grocery items or it's just meat and cheese, but I'm eager for anything.

So, if you had this list of places, what sorts of things would you look for in particular?

The Hispanic and Oriental markets both have pretty large produce sections, and I'm also more interested in things like spices and condiments and sauces than I am in prepared pr frozen foods, but I'm open to experimenting with anything..

So help me out. If this was a once a year excursion, what things would you be looking for at any or all of these places?

Any fruits/veggies that are a must have, keeping in mind that the local selections are pretty grim in the regular grocery stores?