Every month Laura Bien, a local blogger and downtown employee writes an article highlighting the wonderful benefits of our Bus System.

April’s Route of the Month is #5 Packard

Route of the Month: # 5
Route of the Finer Things in Life

Lauded African American poet Robert Hayden, whose sight in later life was too poor to drive, rode AATA Route 5. A teaching assistant at the U-M in the 1940s and a U-M English professor from 1969-1980, he took the 5 from campus to his house at 1201 Gardner, near Packard.

About this 1976-78 “Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress” (a position later called “national poet laureate,” Poets.org says, “Surrounded by fellow riders [on the #5] who surely recognized him by his inimitable coke-bottle glasses, Hayden was left undisturbed, though watched with wonderment about what lines he might be silently composing in his mind. Sitting or standing, not reading and unable to observe the scenery rushing by, he remained in quiet contemplation.”

Not only the choice of a poet laureate, Route 5 is also the route to bliss for local foodies. Three nondescript storefronts near Packard and Platt conceal immaculate, tidy stores offering gourmet tidbits from places that include Baghdad, Bavaria, and Bombay.

Pomegranate molasses at Aladdin’s Market at 3188 Packard glows from shelves that also hold oregano water, chicory water, and rose and orange blossom water. Shelves of neatly arranged jars of mouth-watering garlic paste, ginger paste, and garlic-and-ginger paste evoke visions of garlicky sandwich spreads and meats. Nearby, hazelnut paste and mega-jars of Nutella offer sweetness exceeded only by some adjacent halvah. This is the place to buy inexpensive spices: there’s dried fenugreek, tamarind concentrate, and a big bag of what’s labeled “butneg” for only $1.99.

A few doors down, the tiny Euro Market at 3108 Packard offers Russian and Eastern European foods. Pickled mushrooms dominate several shelves, including pickled shiitake, chanterelle, porcini, oyster, straw mushrooms, and “slippery jacks.” Another highlight is the range of jars of succulent vegetable spreads, including roast eggplant spread, roasted red pepper, and mixed vegetable. My planned purchase of pickled mixed mushrooms, roasted vegetable spread, and tinned sprats was thwarted when I learned Euro Market doesn’t take checks or American Express, but I plan to return with cash in hand.

Nearby, Bombay Grocery at 3022 Packard dazzles a visitor with its Wall of Spices. Here it becomes clear that orange is not a color but a spectrum, as a visitor examines luscious tandoori masala (makes a quick, easy, and scrumptious Indian chicken yoghurt barbecue in the oven), chili powders, and the versatile mixture garam masala. As at Euro Market, pickled goods occupy lots of space, but here it’s pungent chutneys and wonderfully sweet-acrid turmeric pickles, resembling curry-colored, sharpened bean sprouts.

Euro Market’s unbought pickled porcini mushrooms danced in my head as I regretfully left this foodie threefer to wait at the Ypsi-bound bus stop just east of the stores. My bag bulged with a large jar of garlic paste, a bargain jar of Lebanese tahini, a big bag of dried fava beans, labeled “broad beans,” and Moroccan sardines in a little green box gaily decorated with a picture of the Taj Mahal. I took the 5 home, anticipating the day this coming weekend when I’d take it back to this trio of wonderful groceries to scoop up more gourmet tidbits as savory and memorable as any poem.

Is there a route you’d like Laura to write about? Email your requests to ypsidixit@gmail.com