It’s a Sunday morning, and maybe you walk into Great China Market meaning to grab a jar of shrimp paste. Maybe a bag of oolong tea. Maybe you’re not looking for anything specific at all; you’re just killing time between errands.

Great China Market is located right next to the Ryu sushi and pho joint on Summer Avenue, and you figure you’ll pop in real quick. But the second you step inside, the whole plan unravels.

The air is thick with the scent of roasted duck fat and caramelized pork. There’s a hush in the store that feels sacred, save for the hum of the heat lamp and the quiet clatter of tongs against trays. The red paper lanterns in the window sway slightly. Without even realizing it, you’ve got a styrofoam tray in one hand, a pair of tongs in the other and a determined look on your face. You’re on a mission now.

$10 Deal: Ragin’ Cajun’s fried shrimp po’boy

First stop: The shelves by the window. This is bun central. The Sunday morning crowd knows what’s up, so the good stuff moves fast.

You spot pineapple buns with their golden cookie crust tops, still slightly warm from the oven. There are soft, shiny sausage buns, too, the kind with a sweet, fluffy roll wrapped around a smoky link of Chinese sausage. A few trays over, you find char siu pork buns — glistening, sticky and so packed with sweet-savory filling they practically sag in the middle. Custard buns, milk rolls, corn-and-ham swirls, maybe even a dan tat or sesame ball if the gods of timing are good to you.

Everything’s under two bucks, which means there’s no internal debate. You’ll grab one of everything that looks good and figure it out later.

Then you veer right and come face to face with the heat lamp altar. It blinks like a lighthouse. Beneath it, metal trays cradle piles of roasted meats that look like they’ve been lacquered by hand. There’s char siu pork, ruby red and caramelized at the edges, sliced thick and sticky like pork candy.

Next to it sits crispy pork belly, golden and glistening with alternating layers of salt, fat and crunch.

And then there’s the $29 whole roast duck, cleaved into hunks, skin crisp and rendered, plenty of five-spice and soy. Plus, it comes with a deli container of juices on the side. It might not technically be a $10 deal, but, in this discussion, it must be mentioned. You’re no longer shopping, after all — you’re communing. 

Somehow, you still make it to the grocery aisles. You weave through rows of chili oils, soy pastes, tea bricks, dried mushrooms and shrimp crackers, trying to remember what you actually came in for. You think maybe you’ll grab a drink or a box of Pocky. But at this point, it’s over. The cart is full. You are full. The tea will have to wait.

$10 Deal: ZamZamz’s kefta pita

At Great China Market, $10 gets you a satisfying variety of combinations — two buns and a half-pound of char siu, or three pastries and a generous chunk of pork belly. You can easily fill a takeout box with enough to make your car smell incredible and your afternoon nap inevitable. This is one of the few places where a sawbuck can still really take you places.

Great China Market is a trap — a beautiful, pork-scented, sugar-coated trap. You might swear you’re only going in for some palm sugar and one treat. You’ll say it every time. And every time, you’ll come out with a full bag and not a shred of regret.

Great China Market, located at 5137 Summer Ave., is open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.