Relaxing at Ranch 99, or This Little Piggy Went to Market

*** Some additional posts on 99 Ranch Market can be found here and here. And one silly post on "Chinese Spaghetti Sauce" can be found here.  

I know what you're thinking. How can a trip to Ranch 99 Market, that crazy, hectic, center for all things Chinese, supermarket, be relaxing?

I mean, if you're like us at all, you view your trip to 99 Ranch Market with some trepidation. Too crowded, lousy parking lot, small isles, cashiers that are burnt out, and basically dealing with a mass of humanity that's doing the same thing you do; get in, get what you need, and get the heck out of dodge, ASAP!

But when I'm able to, I get to 99 Ranch Market when the parking lot looks like this:

What I do on weekends is do my shopping at about 845 in the morning(there's another reason, keep reading the post). It's not opening time which is 8am, after all, you never want to be first in line and appear too anxious, right!

When the market is at this somewhat "empty" state, the walk to the produce department can seem to be oh, so far away......

What you hit first are the fruits, especially the "special" fruits, as in what's in season, what's popular, or what's on sale. Any any given day it could be Lychee, Jujube, Persimmons, Sugar Plums, or in this case, Longan:

99 Ranch Market also stocks some really great and interesting vegetables, like this one:

This is "Stem Lettuce" also known as Celtuce, Asparagus Lettuce, Celery Lettuce, Woo Ju, or Woo Chu. I'd seen this for many years, but never knew what to do with it. Until one night we were watching an old Chinese Movie called the Girl from Hunan. In that film, the characters are munching on this through the whole movie. Well my Father In Law is from Hunan, so on his next trip out, I asked him how to cook this. In short, peeled and sliced Stem Lettuce is great in stir fried dishes with smoked meats, makes sense, since smoked meats are one of the food items Hunan is known for. So stir fried with some garlic, soy sauce, green&red bell peppers, onions, and a smoked pork, chicken, or my favorite, duck, really brings out the celery-like taste. And if not over cooked the texture will be like a softer water chestnut. Stem Lettuce is also used in soups, though I've never tried using it in any of my soups.

The meat department is large and comprehensive. This is also where I usually get the "pork butt/shoulder" for my Kalua Pork:

But what many people come to 99 Ranch Market for is the full service Seafood/fish department, and at 9am in the morning, you have it all to yourself, especially if you want them to do any of this to your fish:

I like the signage at 99 Ranch Market. For some reason they make me laugh. Check out the one over the boxes of very live crab, I guess somebody has actually grabbed those by hand?

About this time, I'm finding that I'm really relaxed, and am kind of enjoying myself; at 99 Ranch Market no less! And just then I pass the bakery, and all the smells of the fresh bread:

Maybe some taro cake, or red bean cake in my future? No, not today. There used to be a shaved ice snack bar within the market, but it's been turned into a "deli" case with prepared cold dishes:

There's a pretty large selection on display, in fact it could almost be dizzying! The "smoked fish" (Su Shih Hsun Yuu ), looked especially enticing; but I'd already gotten what I needed, and made my way to the cashier, who although yawning and looking very sleepy, rang me up, and I was on my way...well almost. You see on my way out I saw this:

And I swear, the duck was actually calling my name.....in a very Stephen King-ish way:

You see Sam Woo opens at 9am, how convenient.....so I got a half duck($6.75). As I waited for my duck to be chopped, I heard something else calling my name:

Luckily, I ignored the call. Paid for my duck and was on my way.

So who needs meditation, visualization, and all those other relaxation techniques? Just give me 99 Ranch Market early on a weekend morning........

Comments

[Kathryn!]

Hello!
When you are going to open a store in the way West Valley of the Phoenix Metro area?
I'm dyin here!

[Kirk]

Hi Kathryn - I wish I could provide some aid for you in some way. But I'm not affiliated with 99 Ranch in any way. I'm just a humble food-blogger!

[Leslie Arvai]

Please let me know your address in San Diego. Thanks.

[Kirk]

Hi Leslie - I'm assuming that you want the address of 99 Ranch Market...so here it is:

7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

[jeffrey C]

Kirk, I always wondered what those stalks were. I always thought they were wasabe roots. Anyways, the wife and I were just talking about our nice meeting at the 99 market with you when we were in San Diego.
Phoenix's 99 got sold and became King's.

[Kirk]

Hi Jeffrey - Yes, they kinda look like wasabi, don't they? I really had a great time....I hope we're able to do it again. I remember when 99 Ranch Market had just opened in Phoenix, and that shopping mall was brand spanking new....they didn't last very long, did they?

[Shirley]

Hey Kirk,
New reader of your blog here.
Hey, what's up with the title of your post, "Relaxing at Ranch 99...", and you refer to it in the body of your blog as 99 Ranch?
Just was wondering of the inconsistency, minor idiom, that I have.
It's funny because my daughter attends UC Davis and the majority of Northern California folks call it Ranch 99. It bugs the heck out of her and she actually gets into verbal fighting matches. ;-p Gets it from her mom...ahem.
Anyways, of what I've read, you've got a great blog. I so enjoy it.
Happy Kau-Kau!

[Kirk]

Hi Shirley - Welcome and thanks for taking the time out to comment. I did that to give equal time to both parties....I'm glad you noticed - it's kind of an "inside joke" between Cathy and Myself.

[ruby barnard]

this is one of the best most popular Asian market in san Diego California I went here back in 2004 and then 2 years later I went to a similar Asian market called world foods off of el Cajon Blvd. they don't have Chinese restraunts and meat delis like 99 ranch but they both stink.