yeah, its okay to splurge sometimes. noones getting out of this alive anyways... my asian market is the place where i buy my rice, tastes just so much better than regular rice... tried some spice-mixes once, but it was kinda bitter. never seen any lardblocks, but id guess thats the way to go.. i am experimenting with fresh and roasted chillies at the moment, thats enoguh spice for now =)