[Northkeep] Drop Talana in a spice merchant's shop and watch her go

[Jennifer Carlson]

Tulsa . . . has an epicier!  
 
Spiceology opened this week in the Farm Shopping Center, just north of Hancock's Fabrics, in the space once occupied by the Game Shop.  I have been waiting eagerly since the sign went up over the door before Christmas.  Last night, while making an emergency run for thread at Hancock's, I saw that they had finally opened for business, but alas, had closed for the day.  This morning the Tulsa World and an article on the store, which opened yesterday: so, of course, I beelined for the shop after work this evening, and was delighted at what I found.
 
The shop is set up like a boutique, meaning that the display cases are small and the shop has a lot of open space, but hey - their product is all in small bottles, so there is a great deal of stock to drool over.  You'll see test tubes among the bottles - those are display samples you are welcome to sniff.  They package and label their own goods, and the colors and scents of their wares tell you this stuff hasn't spent five years in a leaky Italian galley coming from Cathay by way of India, to be held in an Adriatic port for another year until it's packed and shipped to Paris, with upcharges and price hikes along the way, until a poor London housewife can hardly afford a bit of cinnamon for her camaline sauce, and peppercorns become a form of currency. 
 
I immediately scooped up a jar of Ceylon cinnamon - that's cinnamomum verum, or true cinnamon, not the cassia that we're used to.  True cinnamon has a more delicate scent and flavor.  It was $3.49 for .9 ounces - you can't beat that.  Also for $3.49 I snagged a bottle of garam masala.  It's so fresh the aroma smacks you.  Diarmaid is looking forward to a tikka masala dinner soon.
 
I made myself pass over whole and ground corianders and cardamoms and nutmegs.  They have juniper berries, allspice, mace, and cloves.  They have jars of grains of paradise that make the tiny packets from High Gravity look stingy.  One display case is devoted to salts - sea salt and mined salt; white, gray, and pink.  There's even a salt that our friends who ride the Mongolian Steppes would be familiar with.  For those whose cookery leans toward the grill, you can take your pick of mixtures and rubs.  If you need extracts, you can find high-quality vanilla (I confess I didn't examine those as closely, as my wallet was making mewling noises and I knew if I didn't leave soon, it would be ramen noodles for dinner till payday).
 
I was hoping for long pepper, cubebs, and blade mace, but at least for now, their stock is a tad more mainstream.  The owners (a husband and wife), however, said they are open to doing special orders, and took notes about the long pepper in particular.
 
I am not being paid anything by Spiceology - I'm not getting kickbacks or free merchandise for talking them up (though that's something to discuss with them).  My reason for emoting is far more selfish:
 
We have a spice merchant in town.  The prices for some of these items - when you can find them - at local grocers would make a Geonese trader petition for price controls.  Let's do what we can to get them up and running and keep them that way.  
 
Oh, and their hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
 
Now, back to making candy,
 
 
Talana