Mi Pueblo Food Center
Have you ever been to the Mi Pueblo Food Center at Rengstorff and Central Expressway? I stopped by this week to have a look at the inside of a market that I’ve been driving past for years. First thing I noticed was that the intersection in front of the store is rather chaotic and that I probably would prefer not to risk my life like that very often. The store is small but seemed to have everything you would need if you lived within walking distance. The main reason to shop at this market would be for the tremendous meat selection. They have more beef than I would ever know what to do with, lots of really fresh looking bass, catfish, salmon and 3 or 4 different types of shrimp. Within the meat department was also a wide variety of cow tongues, chicken feet and lots of other miscellaneous body parts. The meat department smelled fresh and clean.
Loud hispanic oompah music blasted in the produce department and lots of piñatas hung over the fruits and vegetables, awaiting upcoming birthday parties. Inside the front door of the store is a giant case of Mexican pastries. I bought the only pink one that I saw. They probably had 70 different kinds of colorful baked goods in that case. I wanted to stand in front of it and take photos, but I didn’t want to look like a tourist. I decided to buy the bright pink one and take photos of it in the privacy of my office.
The store was bright and clean and I would go back to purchase food items imported from Mexico and fresh meat. It’s another one of those little neighborhood markets that makes Mountain View interesting. This particular neighborhood, Castro City, is very rich in culture and tradition. I went on a police ride-along a few years ago and the officer who I was riding with took me up and down all the little streets in this area of town and told me about some of the people that live here. Some of the residents waved at him as we drove past their homes and he knew some of the children by name. Every since that day, I’ve wanted to go shopping at Mi Pueblo Food Center and I’m happy that I finally did it. It’s a friendly little market and I’ll be back.
