A Universe of Flavors — and Ramen

Oh, ramen.

I am the rare adult who actually likes ramen. Most of my friends cannot stand the sight of the 10-cent wonder after two, three, four years of it in college. I, on the other hand, knew how to cook and therefore only ate it as a treat, even during my apartment-dwelling days in Pullman, Wash.

But a few years ago, I upped my standards. I had “real” ramen during a trip to Los Angeles, and after that, the 10-cent variety just didn’t hack it anymore. But here’s the thing: I have never been able to find ramen as equally fabulous as they make in Gardena, Calif. — at least not in Lakewood.

I resigned myself to either moving, which seems just a tad overzealous for noodles, or learning to love the packaged variety once more.

Enter Pal-Do World.

Looking for bok choy in bulk or a pound or two of dried anchovies? Egg rolls with every filling imaginable or cream puffs by the tray full?

This veritable palace in the heart of Lakewood’s international district is the place for all things Asian, mostly imported from South Korea — with a little Mexican on the side. Among the Chinese, Japenese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese offerings are unintentionally hilarious beans and enchilada sauces.

In addition to a grocery store, Pal-Do World is attached to a bank, cosmetics store, gift shops and a bakery featuring highly delectable-looking pastries. It has long been a mainstay in Lakewood, but moved down the street to its current, larger location, at 9601 South Tacoma Way, in 2006.

And on any given day, the aisles of Pal-Do World are filled with shoppers of all ages, ethnicities — and from as far away as Olympia and Port Orchard. Why go to Seattle for Uwajimaya with so many Asian flavors smack dab in the middle of South Tacoma Way?

I hadn’t been to Pal-Do World in close to a decade, but my quest for ramen got the better of me. I figured I could find something better than Top Ramen —  but I wasn’t expecting a good 40 different varieties of dry noodle soup.

Wander down the aisles and feel like you have actually been transported to another continent.

Most impressive is the sheer variety of items. Broth, dim sum, fresh crab, a dizzying amount of tea in every shade of green and made of every imaginable herb, shampoos and laundry detergent … I had so much fun just wandering around.

Traditionally, my quest for mochi, a traditional Japanese sweet rice cake, leads me to Trader Joe’s, where they sell four flavors — but all of the same brand. Granted, they are fabulous, but those have nothing on the traditional selection at Pal-Do World. Red bean? Green tea? Ball-shaped? Flat? The possibilities were endless. And at less than $2 each, it’s easy to try a few. (I recommend the fabulous green tea.)

The produce section is huge, with everything from zucchini and peppers to Asian spices and dried seaweed by the pound -- and it's all reasonably priced. You're not going to find broccoli for 99 cents a pound or a bundle of cilantro for less than two quarters elsewhere. 

And I nearly got body-checked by a woman on a frantic search for just the right style of kimchee — and believe me, there are many from which to choose; an entire wall, in fact.

And the ramen … oh, the ramen.

I slobbered over the vast selection and finally chose a chicken-flavored offering by Sapporo Ichiban, a Japanese company. It was more expensive than standard grocery-store ramen, but larger and pretty much guaranteed to be better quality.

In addition to the ramen, I left with bulk bean sprouts, wonton wrappers, green-tea mochi and bear-shaped cookies and chocolate wafers for my son. No, really. I only ate one.

OK, one handful.

As for the ramen? Well, I won’t be packing for the Golden State anytime soon —  but I will be going back to Pal-Do World.

After all, chicken isn’t the only flavor to try.