Searching for Food on Houston's Harwin Dr.

This is not Galleria Shopping...or Dining!
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​Harwin is a crazy road filled with bargain, warehouse shopping.  Indian silk shops, "name brand" perfumes and purses.

Shoppers come from distant Houston suburbs to find good deals... so wouldn't they at least have some curious restaurants?

No food, but they have rugs and blankets!
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The guys might prefer a blanket with Al, or Marilyn.  

The girls will surely want Hello Kitty, or Justin Beiber!

Costumes Luring Customers!
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In March, it's not surprising to see a few folks in faded Statue of Liberty costumes, alerting you to businesses that will help with taxes. But for some reason on this day, every intersection was crawling with costumed characters. 

This clown costume was on a statue, not a person. But the statue seemed eager to sell me something. I'm not sure what! When driving, I wasn't able to snap photos of numerous  golden costumes and star shaped costumes with signs announcing, 
"We Buy Your Gold!" 

Good idea, if you need more money for all the shops on Harwin! 

​Flags, Statues, Fountains...

I'm lucky I didn't run into another car, with all the distractions as I drove down Harwin. Finally I was able to park and walk.

​These statues invited me want to buy "exotic dance-wear" from Body Language Fashions.

Where's the food?

​I was happy to spot this little oasis of bicycle carts and umbrellas! I had no idea what they were selling, but I wandered over. Juan, Pedro and Jose were lounging near an umbrella when I surprised them with my presence.  

I don't think they knew what to make of my enthusiasm, as I asked about the different fruits in the clear plastic containers.
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Wonder where the fruit came from?

​I didn't ask, but I bought a container for $3.00. Papaya, water melon, pineapple and even cucumber. It came with a festive tooth pick and  I was invited to sprinkle a little salt on top... from a container that looked like a catsup bottle! ​

I'm not used to buying fruit from vendors on the street, but the fruit was chilled and I've been far more daring than this, on many other dining adventures. Haven't gotten sick yet. ​​

Posing on the Bike
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The 3 young men laughed and said no, when I offered to take their picture. Instead they offered to let me sit on the bike and have my photo taken.

Too bad you can't see the whole bike-n-cart in the photo, but my shirt matches the umbrella nicely, I think!

Part II of Harwin Adventure

I learned there are no restaurants on Harwin. But a block away, I found numerous cafes on Richmond Avenue!   ​

Ethiopian, Cuban, Columbian and this??? I couldn't tell what it was, so I parked and went in.

​Friendly Greeting!

Jeyad, himself welcomed me upon entering.  He was very delighted to show me all the breads and cookies they make daily. ​​He tried to explain their complicated ovens and he gave me samples of pita bread with olive oil and anise flavored cookies and figs wrapped in pastry.

Jeyad was most excited about a special bread they make in Jerusalem, where he is from.  It looks like a giant sesame bagel and it's best eaten with a hardboiled egg. What a delightful shop owner!
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Shopping

There were boxes and bags of breads and sweets, but Jeyad made sure my purchases came right from the oven.  ​

In the shop, they also had products like oils and seasonings, that are shipped from Palestine. I nibbled on all my free samples and bought a bagful of goodies.

​More smiles at Jeyad's
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​This nice guy got my pita bread right from the big oven. He spoke less English than Jeyad, so I couldn't understand what he was telling me about clay pots above the ovens.  Rising dough, maybe?

It was a nice way to end my afternoon of exploring the foods near the Harwin shopping area.  I have no new countries to add to my list, but I did enjoy my day of wandering and sampling! 
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