326475 Sat Sep 16 17:25:11 -0700 2006 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1881107 Jack’s Meats located in the Housewives Market in Old Oakland has always been impressive, but so much has improved since my last visit three years ago. The meat is carefully displayed, the shelves on the wall have African canned goods neatly lined up and there are now some organic products like Rocky chickens. Actually, there is one of the best ranges of chickens I’ve seen ... generic, Perdue, Rocky and Hudson Valley all roosting together in the meat counter. A few ducks joined the flock. As the butcher said to the woman who stopped in her tracks and admired the chicken “We've got the biggest breasts”. The sister wasn’t having none of that and the butcher contritely apologized. All parts of the animal are sold and displayed. If cows feet can be pretty, these were ... beautifully lined up on a tray, looking super-fresh. It is the place to go for items like goat meat, hog maws (pig stomachs), fresh chitterlings, tripe, oxtails, pigs feet and pigs ears. The more mundane (to me) items like whole rib roasts, all sorts of cuts of beef, spareribs, etc. also looked prime-time. African canned goods lined the shelves on the walls in back of the meat counter. Items like Titus sardines from Casablanca, orange bottles of palm oil, Nestles Nido, bags of fufu and elubo flour, etc. At the end of the meat counter is a section carrying spices, bottled beverages and dried fish. That’s where the bat mushroms are located. Although carefully cryovaced, the “eau de stockfish” really is something that defines containing. This is the basis of Norwegiean lutefisk. Enuf said. The Scandianvians and British left a mark on African food. Heinz beans, Bird’s custard powder and bottles of white salad cream are shelf buddies with bags of black-eyed peas and cassava flour. The spice selection was impressive and included ubga, ukwa, ukra, achi, ofor, oziza seeds, uda, uyak, oziza leaves utazi, oha, bitter leaves, whole and ground ogbono, whole and ground egulo. There are some bottles of maltas along with other African beverages and as the infomercials say, much, much more. There’s a small vegtable section at the front opposite the spice counter which carries the large Ghana yams. Prices are good. The butchers really are nice guys and very helpful, always patiently answering my many questions about how to use ingrediants. Darn, I forgot to ask how to use bat mushrooms. Jack's Meats and African Foods 538 Ninth Street (510) 451-6795 Sat Sep 16 17:25:11 -0700 2006 10264 rworange 1 1881115 Sounds like Jack's is going after Oriental Lucky Mart's customers. Sat Sep 16 17:31:18 -0700 2006 1881107 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 1881140 Where the heck is Oriental Lucky Mart? The Housewives Market site lists them as one of their stores, but they are not in the main market area. http://www.oldoakland.org/oo/directory.cfm?stid=6#joe3 I was getting confused as to whether Jack's and Lucky were one. Sat Sep 16 17:43:23 -0700 2006 1881115 10264 rworange 3 1881142 Oriental Lucky Mart, 535 8th Street, Oakland, (510) 452-1556. They're sort of a catchall grocer for ethnic groups that aren't populous enough to support a whole store. Sat Sep 16 17:45:28 -0700 2006 1881140 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 1881153 Ok, across the street. I am so ticked. One of the reasons I went down there was to check out the other African market, African-Caribbean Food Market which is across the street and caught my eye a few times. It turns out there is a major African market in San Pablo, of all places, and I was curious how it compared. Anyway, looked across the street and it seemed like a craft store so I didn't bother trotting over there. Turns out it IS a market too. Next time, hopefully not three years from now. Sat Sep 16 17:56:56 -0700 2006 1881142 10264 rworange 5 1881443 Are you sure? Robert lists the address as on 8th Street. Housewives is btwn 9th and 10th last time I looked. There is a crafts store across from Housewives on 9th St. Haven't noticed anything but baskets, hats, etc. there on my many trips by the place on the way to 817 for breakfast. Sat Sep 16 21:48:57 -0700 2006 1881153 10245 oakjoan 5 1881470 Cool ... thanks. It makes me feel better because I could have sworn I saw an African market in the area besides Jack's. Thanks. Next time I'm in that area, I'm there. Sat Sep 16 22:15:44 -0700 2006 1881153 10264 rworange 1 1881602 I wondered about the cow hooves when I last went through there. Are there cuisines that actually use them? I suppose it might add flavour to a broth, or maybe dissolve into collagen? Just never heard of it being used before, and wondered at their inclusion there. Sat Sep 16 23:57:53 -0700 2006 1881107 10916 merle 2 1881623 Penny's in Berkeley, a Carriban restuarant sells cow's foot soup. A Richmond Mexican joint I'm still trying to track down sells cow's foot soup with big chunks of hoof in there. It is sort of like pigs feet in texture. Maybe more info on the General Board. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/326548 If you are interested, ask the butcher at Jack's. They are really good with information like that ... and patient ... I know from personal experience. Sun Sep 17 00:09:48 -0700 2006 1881602 10264 rworange