If there is one thing that I’m sure many of us like to do, it’s eat. Sure, visiting hiking trails and archery ranges and museums are all amazing things to do, but sometimes, you aren’t in the most adventurous mood. But there is a way that you can travel the world and find some amazing eats all in one place, and that is by visiting an international food store. There are plenty of amazing international food stores--Athena International Foods in Brockton is another favorite of mine, especially if you love Mediterranean food. But a great place I found recently was the Cost Plus World Market in Framingham. It has a great selection of food and home goods from around the world and is a great place to try something new. Even though it is a chain, I found that I enjoyed the selection and variety of the store.
And I know what you’re thinking. Your next recommendation is a grocery store? Why not go zip lining or to the world's largest indoor go-kart course (actually located in Massachusetts)? But I love to travel, and I especially love trying food from a variety of different countries when I do. Unfortunately that hasn't really been possible in the last year, so I’ve had to scout out a few other methods to satisfy my craving for English chocolate or Japanese gummies.
One of the best sections in the store was their drinks. I am an absolute sucker for different types of sodas or seltzers--I actually work in a soda shop, so I’d consider myself pretty much an expert. I actually bought 3 bottles of soda, which I tried over the course of a few days. Some of my personal favorites were the New York Seltzer and the Guaraná Antarctica drink which is from Brazil. They didn't have just soda in the drinks section though, for those of you who do not have as big of a sweet tooth as I do. The tea selection was also very wide, and my personal favorite was the Thai Iced Tea. There were plenty of other drinks to purchase though, and I probably didn’t even try more than a tenth of what they had available.
Maybe the largest selection of food items was in the candy isle. One of the first things that I was drawn to was their European chocolates. In my opinion, I really prefer European chocolates to American ones (not to sound like a snob! I do enjoy a good Milky Way too.) They had a wide variety of chocolate, but my personal favorites are the Milka bars, which my friends introduced me to a few years back. They also have plenty of other food items, like jams, curry, and more varieties of pasta than I even knew existed.
I really enjoyed the selection that the World Food Market had, in general. If I had to list one complaint, it would be that the food was primarily European-based, with a small selection of Japanese candy as well. That’s not to say that the food they had wasn’t good, or that they didn’t have anything from outside Europe. But it is something to keep in mind if you were looking for food from specific countries.
Other than food, they did have a nice selection of other items available for purchase. They had plenty of decor and furniture, as well as a wide selection of journals. I actually ended up buying one with The Great Wave on it, which is beautiful and good quality. Mostly though, I focused on their selection of food rather than any home goods that they sold.
Now that I’ve made myself both hungry and thirsty, I think it’s time to end the post for now. Definitely go to check out the World Food Market, especially if you like European food and cute home decorations like candles or succulents.
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