Everyone knows that one of the great advantages of living in a large city is the food scene. While we enjoy sushi, perfectly cooked meats with pan sauces, and culinary influences from around the world, we pity our friends far outside the Beltway who, save for a few hidden gems, only have a Lone Star Steakhouse and Chi Chi’s to choose from. Not only can we choose from hundreds of establishments, with character, charisma, and plenty of foodie flare, but we also can select which cultural influence we want for our dining experience. There are those who think Chinese and Mexican are the only foreign foods, but we know differently and are treated to Thai, Ethiopian, Indian, Afghan, Pakistani, Caribbean, Russian, Irish, English… and the list goes on.

The Food Network has also stepped up to the plate, serving up television chefs who entice us with creations from all corners of the globe. Watching our favorite TV persona easily whip up spicy tuna rolls and miso soup, it is impossible not to be inspired. We can not only dine out for these treats, but now we can see the possibility of making them in the comfort of our own homes. But fresh wasabi, miso paste, pickled radish? Where can we find these ingredients? Enter the second greatest reason to live in a major metropolitan area: the ethnic grocery.

For almost every ethnic restaurant the D.C. area can conjure up, there is a corresponding grocery hidden somewhere. Usually small, dimly lit and narrowly marketed, these stores offer terrific bargains and hard to find ingredients. While traversing markets from Falls Church to Silver Spring, DCist found ingredients as common as cumin and as crazy as cockroaches in a wide variety of grocery aisles.

The Super H Mart (thanks to reader for the correction) in Falls Church, however, is in a league of its own.