This article is meant to be the first in a series about great places to shop. Being 35+ miles from super- and other markets mountain residents need to shop extra smart to make the most of their space, time and money. It is not easy to shop well for weeks in advance. Dry and canned goods are great to have in the pantry when power lines go down, fire or snow storms beleager the mountain or just in preparation for the imminent bird flu quarantine. 

Great for stocking up your mountain pantry: Chai Oriental Foods is located in the strip mall right behind the Orange Glen Post Office in Escondido, on the right when you enter Escondido on Valley Center Parkway coming from the Mountain.

The very unassuming store front and location (to say the least - politely!) hides a true treasure trove for international gourments if you're looking for dry and canned goods. They not only feature the finest Asian condiments, spices, sauces, curries, pastes, chutnies etc. but also top quality European and American candies, coffees, teas, bakeries - you name it - they may just have it. The prices are as low as it gets, too.

The place is owned/run by a Thai couple who are passionate about quality and "collecting" rare and special goods from all over the world. Sometimes they get carried away and the place is so overstocked that you can barely squeeze through the aisles. In addition, during the morning it can be quite crowded as more people find out about the place with many coming from afar and even restaurant owners.

I made the following pictures large so you can already start "Windows" (or Linux?) shopping.