Here’s a review of an “exotic” Indian grocery store in the small township of Temecula, CA, that I found floating online. [Press Enterprise]

Apparently, Indian stores are as exotic as beachfront property in this inland town.

In the shopping center there’s the dental office, the tax service, the escrow business and Hooters. And does it get any more American than that joint?

Yet, amid the slice of suburbia is something different: Indian Grocery & More.

Indian groceries? In Temecula? Next you’ll tell me there’s beachfront property here too. (OK, let’s not get carried away.)

Mutter paneer is more exotic than meatloaf and mac’n'cheese.

The store at 27365 Hooters Ave., I mean Jefferson, is stocked with dal, mutter paneer … . What kind of gibberish is that, you may be wondering? Where’s the meatloaf and macaroni and cheese?

Sorry, it’s more exotic here. The small store also has rice (Yes, if you’re into hoarding it, there’s plenty), lentils, coconut milk and lots of curries, stuff you recognize.

Visiting an Indian grocery store will make you culturally more aware and cosmopolitan.

But because we’re into stretching our palates and our cultural awareness in a southwest Riverside County that’s becoming more cosmopolitan by the newcomer, this is your one-stop, international experience.

Turbans, Punjabi dialect and accents will add to your exotic experience.

The friendly owner, Nirmal Singh Gill, adds to the effect with his turban and thick accent. He answers a phone call in English then shifts to Punjabi to better communicate with the caller. For the moment at least, it’s as if you’re standing in Calcutta, not Temecula.

Bathinda would’ve been a better example than Calcutta since Nirmal Singh is Punjabi, but lets not nitpick here.

The author even gets a crash course on the health benefits of consuming Indian food, which in case you haven’t realized is exotic.

That leads us to a broader point about Indian food: it’s so healthy. While American cuisine has its good points, (Dhiman says she does fast food on occasion.), Indian food in general is much better for you. “The spices here are good for your blood,” Gill says, standing in front of a shelf stocked with them. If it sounds tempting, the store also hosts cooking demonstrations.

If you ask me, most times, the healthy spices are offset by all the artery-clogging oil and ghee we use to fry our food in, but let’s not burst this gentleman’s bubble.

And of course, no trip to an Indian store is complete without Parachute hair oil and Shikakai shampoo, both of which are exotic. Lets not forget the pirated Bollywood DVDs, which by the way are also exotic.

Indian hair-care products are also available. And you thought shampoo was just shampoo! There also are about 400 Indian videos for rent.
Perhaps you’ve heard of India’s world famous Bollywood movie industry? Here’s your chance to check it out first hand. And you don’t have to get on a plane to do it.

That, ladeej and gentemans (<— in exotic accent), concludes our review of an exotic Indian grocery store. Thank you, come again.

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