The 626 Night Market is held a few times each year and is advertised as “the largest Asian night market in the U.S.” Now, when I first read this, I was ecstatic to believe that the markets I had visited so often in Taiwan would be recreated here so that I could avoid the hefty airline fees. However, I stubbornly doubted that any event in America would be able to capture the authenticity of Taiwan’s famous night markets. I was right.

The 626 Night Market is an interesting concept. The idea that the 626 area’s dominant Asian influence would be used  to start the country’s largest Asian night markets truly impressed me and I initially went to the market with high expectations, despite hearing numerous complaints about the event from the previous year. As I reached this year’s venue, the Santa Anita racetrack, I braced myself for the rumored onslaught of cars but was pleasantly surprised to see that the parking was not as hectic as I had expected. Yet, I did see the downside of the parking lot – the cars were packed so tightly next to each other that I cringed at the thought of someone attempting to maneuver to the exit.

Aside from parking, the admission was reasonably priced at $2 before 6 p.m. and $3 after. I was excited to see that what the 626 Night Market lacked in a genuine Asian atmosphere was made up for by an amazing variety of food. Although the grilled cheese trucks and other food items of that sort threw me off and automatically dismissed my hopes of an authentic Asian night market experience, I was quickly distracted by the abundance of food vendors that was available.

As I walked around the night market, I noticed a lengthy line coming from Takoyoki Tonata, a vendor which sold Japanese squid balls. Although the line was extremely long, it moved quickly, and I was able to get my Jalapeno Takoyoki in less than ten minutes. My favorite part of the snack was the flavorful kick of Jalapeno sauce and I was satisfied with the booth, even if the girl behind the register stopped working for a few minutes to gorge herself with Takoyoki and chat with her coworkers while her confused customers watched. After, I was able to taste lamb skewers from Kebab Brothers, which were juicy, spicy, and tender. I also attempted to buy a potato swirl from Hotato Potato but was dissuaded by the ridiculously long and slow moving line. I figured that I wasn’t missing much since the last time I had visited the night market and bought a potato swirl, it tasted like thin potato slices coated with a heavy layer of MSG – definitely not worth the wait and the five bucks. Finally, to end my night with a dessert, I tried a Coconut Mango Ice Pop from Cococurry. Although the popsicle looked unimpressive, the taste was incredible – the top was sweet and milky, like the traditional Thai sticky rice, and the bottom of the popsicle was tart and tasty. In fact, as I reached the mango part, I was so sure that I detected the actual fibers of the mango. By the end of the night, I had only spent $10 and was delighted with the fact that I had extra pocket money for perusing the stands selling items such as flower crowns and phone cases. I was also entertained by a line of very talented, amateur singers who belted their hearts out up on the stage.

Yes, the rumors of the night market were correct to some degree. The market was unbelievably crowded, the parking lot was cramped, and the smell of the infamous stinky tofu wafted throughout a huge section of the night market.  However, the experience was undoubtedly memorable, the effort to recreate a night market was admirable, and the musical talent was jaw dropping. Unfortunately, the night market on Labor Day weekend was the last one of 2013, so to the foodies and the brave souls waiting to try the stinky tofu, save your stomachs for next year!