I love Worcester. You can go around the world without leaving the city. In Worcester, I have shopped or dined: Armenian, Swedish, Ghanaian, Korean, Irish, Greek, Japanese, Lebanese, Russian, Vietnamese, French, Polish, Italian, and Yankee. I have had kim-chee, cow's foot, and ham and eggs (not at the same meal!). 

And of course the range of restaurants in Worcester runs the usual gamut from the hash-houses to the excellent, Remember that Worcester does not suffer from the Tourist Effect: nobody goes to Worcester for the scenery, so the food has to be good!

I lived in New York City for many years, but one of my favorite neon signs in all the world is in Worcester, and it's all about hot dogs.

Worcester is home to the classic diner, and boasts many excellent ones in various stages of renovation or destruction.

So it should come as no surprise that when I am lucky enough to find myself in that hotbed of ethnic foodie excellence, I look for things that are hard to find elsewhere, or that are expensive in gourmet shops but inexpensive and common in some ther cuisine.

And my favorite spice-seller is there. Ed Hyder's Mediterranean Marketplace is a my go-to place for spices and other unusual or rare goodies. I have gone to Hyder's for over 20 years and I have never been disappointed; the spices turn over fast so they are always fresh, and the help is knowledgeable. He also carries an impressive selection of wines. Yesterday I needed vanilla beans and juniper berries, which you can buy by the ounce without having to pay $3 for a glass bottle.

While in Worcester I also went to Bahnan's Market and scored some Fresh Green Almonds, which are to the Iranian foodie (who calls them chaghaleh badam) what fiddleheads are to the Yankee - a harbinger of spring!

Next door was Clem's Sausage, where I got some mild fennel sausage and some XX hot Italian sausage to inaugurate the grilling season.

So it was a very productive day, before we ever set out for The North End of Casco Bay.