i posted this in /Hobbies/; sry for double post.

where can i get uncommon ingredients like foie gras and creme fraiche, and quality ingredients like truffles and fresh seafood for sushi? damned recipes i've read at Borders look interesting, but they require a little more exotic than normal ingredients. I live in Southern California. Thanks much.

This is up to you-- search around for niche places.

Google is your friend. If Google can't find you a local source for something, it probably can't be found

Ummmm... perhaps I'm just spoiled because I live in a city, but everything on your list seems quite easy to find. I could give more specific answers if I knew what county you were in. In general, try a natural foods store like Whole Foods or a fancy supermarket like Bristol Farms. Rich people shop in these places, and those people like fancy food along with crunchy stuff.

You can get creme fraiche even at a well-stocked Safeway. Protip: go to one in a wealthy town or part of town. Go to a fish market for the seafood, although recognize that actual raw fresh fish is hard to come by in California -- much of it is flash-frozen or irradiated to kill parasites

Finally, if you're in San Diego, I think they may have banned foie gras--it is produced using a pretty disgusting method deemed inhumane by most animal lovers, if you didn't already know. You can substitute plain goose liver, which you can get at any butcher shop. It's not quite as rich, but the overall flavor is reminiscent.