I needed a fresh supply of whole foods so I decided that instead of going to the grocery store down the street from my house like I usually do I would try something new. I ventured to the Fordson Fruit Market on U.S. 153 or Ford Road, in Dearborn, Michigan on the other side of my town. I entered in the wrong direction of the rather small parking lot. My car shared a common space with that day's freshly arrived goods. The fresh foods were on pallets and bins just outside the west entrance door. It was neatly organize, like it would be if Fordson had a receiving bay. The image was similar to that of a bustling port dock of New York, but on a much smaller scale. The simple concept of importing goods was intact and alive with energy at the market. The size of the space inside the fruit market was relatively small as well, covering just less than 2,000 square feet. This made workspace outside necessary. Large, box chain stores would cringe upon such a sight of activity, and rightly so for their business model. But functionality was at work here. A fake facade that much larger stores employ was not part of the agenda of this market.
As I entered the Fordson Fruit Market, I felt like I traveled back in time to an age of the 'mom and pop' store. In an instant, the clock seemed to reverse some fifty years to an age when neighbors had neighborhood stores to walk to daily for the ingredients in their family meal. This healthy meal took place at the same time each day, together around a hearth like table that family members happily surrounded. Food had to be bought daily this way because it lacked preservatives, which is contrary to the prepackage food source many shoppers buy today. Families would shop daily, a pattern that has not been seen much with the super busy lifestyles that encompass us here in the U.S.A.
Inside the store I noticed young children running in to get last minute ingredients they needed for the family meal and then run back home like a sprinter who was about to win an award. The other shoppers bought enough food for that nights meal and seemed to know exactly what they needed. There were a few shopping carts available, but many just used their cradled arms to carry their items to the single register next to the entrance. The shoppers arrived in bunches, didn’t spend much time deciding on their purchases and then left as quickly.
The hard working energy that was outside followed me in. Fruit and vegetables had a center location that greeted me with warm and bright colors. There were two wooden fixtures that had four sides of capacity and all of it was used for the fresh fruit and vegetables. There was a large 40-pound burlap bag of rice from India and also a 25-pound bag of sugar neatly nestled on the floor. I thought Fordson Fruit Market was providing supplies for local Arabic restaurants, but I learned that families bought in bulk and a large bag of rice would last for two to three months.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was in an ingredient store, rather than a store of finished products that the chain retailers offered as its main ingredient. However, Fordson did have finished or packed food products. I found breakfast cereal, but only a few healthy brands, like Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. You could find Jiffy peanut butter, but not at eye level. Instead it was on the top shelf, somewhat hidden. And yes, I even found Spaghetti O's, which was my unhealthy food staple growing up in the same town. If you need baby food in a jar, you could find it there, but not much of it.
In the front of the store there were large amounts of cooking oils in big sizes nicely organized in rows. I found honey that had a honey cone inside the clear reveling jar. Honey seems to be an important ingredient in Arabic dishes and there was many to choose from. There was a long bank of clear glass coolers with handled doors that was over 40 feet long fully packed with products. There was an area for cleaning products and trash bags. There was milk and bread, but the bread was like French Baguettes. The Baguettes were neatly in a basket near the register. The other bread like source came in the form of pitas in a bag and were in large supply.
I made my purchase of eggplant, lemons, and other things. I even found butter from Denmark that even Marwa, who rang up my order, didn’t know was in the store. Marwa was very helpful and also she was very knowledgeable about what ingredients were necessary for many meals that people prepared. The stock guys were very knowledgably as well, and gave me insight about the shopping habits of their customers. The employees made you feel like family.
I was pleasantly surprised by my shopping experience at Fordson Fruit Market. There is much to be learned from my visit. If you are not into making meals from scratch, then this fine market might not be for you. But, if you are into whole foods and wish to prepare your own healthy meals, then this market might be for you. I liked it there and I will go back.
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