all right !! IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE:
always fresh, (unless you’re in the dried fruits/vegs section). SOMEHOW. could be a Shakraan (that’s the word i’m using for MandoMart now) out in the middle of whoknowswhere where imports are v expensive, and yet … they have fresh produce. every day
towards the end of the day, if they’re receiving a fresh shipment tomorrow, prices are slashed to move inventory out quickly.
only local mando’ade appear to be aware of this, and it is always mayhem the last two hours before closing (or mayhem to aruettise B’), probably bc everyone is speaking some dialect of mando’a, either “standard” or a local dialect )
GOOD FUCKING LUCK if you’re not wearing armor at this time
mandalorian coconuts that they whip out a huge butcher knife out of nowhere to crack open on the spot for you to drink on purchase. They literally crack it open in their hands.
there’s a section completely dedicated to gi/gi’e/gise. Fish. Under the crushed-icetrays holding displays of fish, are tanks where live fish are swimming in. you can get them whole, or butchered on the spot. they butcher them right there, in plain view, so good luck if you’re squeamish.
kids love those tanks btw. be careful not to trip over them when ordering. the fish are usually incredibly terrifying to look at, and large enough to feed a family, and sometimes fight each other.
shellfish, also huge. live space-lobsters big enough to eat a child. barrels of space crabs. No warning signs — you should know the risks.
if asked, they also have dried and spoiled/rotting fish/fish products in a dedicated back area. they have to be asked for, specifically, as they’re not openly accessible to the public — and only mando’ade know to ask.
every Shakraan family (as most of these diasporic stores are family or clan/house run) has their own unique method and recipe to gi’haale reflective of their family history, origins and location
but the smell is strong and especially pungent from this end of the store
there’s also a frozen fish/seafood section, separate from the live section.
dried fruit. cookies. candies, usually flavored in mandalorian-specific spices or teas. dried sweetened roots. meat jerky. dried fish cut into thin strips. fish-flavored chips. everything has a spicy variation.
they all can be threatening-looking to aruettise (you got the standard snacks, and then some … weirdly shaped ones. fish shaped ice cream sandwiches. caramelized insects. cookies filled with some kind of flavored creams shaped like native mandalorian wildlife — even extinct ones).
nothing is in standard alphabet — everything is labeled entirely in mando’a. everything.
pastries have their entirely own section, separated by savory or sweet and shelf-life. also has spiced/spicy variations.
they have (non-alcoholic) drinks that are really popular among mando’ade — and they’re always referred to with a soft nostalgic sigh.
they’re usually softly spicy and/or sweet, with different flavor variations on top of the base sweet-or-spicy, with a unique opening mechanism that requires significant force to open the bottle in some way.
sometimes with a knife. sometimes with a fist. never simple — to those not used to nor expecting it.
all of the above is organized by shelf life, specifically, even if the local diaspora is considered a fixed community, mandalorians were once a nomadic culture and thus food culture still carries this idea of longevity.
mandalorians are HUGE on tea and spices, btw (they have at least two words for tea, and the implication is that tea is very common part of the culture. I’ll compile a post discussing this in the future) in addition to spices. they have at LEAST one long aisle dedicated to tea, and another to spices if not an block of the store. sometimes it’s the whole Shakraan, depending.
the labels are entirely mando’a, again
separated by type, originating locale, and price
if a dedicated tea section, will have a local expert with vast knowledge in multiple areas (including traditional remedies). he can assist if asked.
dedicated section is also close/near dedicated spices section. sometimes the experts of both work in tandem with each other to assist customers.
also a section dedicated solely to teaware and ceramics (plates, bowls, spoons, etc). it’s a small part of the aisle, or a small wall, but it’s usually from floor to ceiling
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