Asian grocery stores (NTW article "don't call it an 'ethnic' grocery store" )

[ShiroKuro]

When we first moved to the US so I could go to grad store, we lived in a town with a small Japanese market (that was specifically Japanese), and a more general Asian grocery store. Both were with bicycling distance, and Mr. SK shopped there often. @wtg might be interested to know that the Japanese store was always closed on Mondays because that's when the owner made special trips to Chicago to go to Mitsuwa and pick up things to bring back and sell in their store.

After grad school and before we moved last year, we had to drive about 90 minutes one way to get to a city with a Japanese grocery store. Or we could drive 2+ hours and get to an H-Mart. Mr. SK made regular trips to the Japanese store.

When I interviewed for the job I have now, several people made it a point to tell me about the Asian grocery stores in town -- there are two, plus an Indian grocer, a "world" grocery store and an Italian grocery store. Now that we live here, we know which of those stores has the most stuff, the most Japanese stuff, and the most stuff we like. That store is a 10-minute drive one way.

If we had an H-Mart nearby, we'd shop there too. They usually have a bakery (Korean bakeries tend to be similar to Japanese ones) and always carry Japanese stuff as well.

But we are very, very happy to have the Asian grocery right here in town. Mr SK loves it! It's hard to articulate how important it is for him to have access to the things he buys there...

Anyway, here's a gift link to the NYT article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/dining/asian-grocery-stores-america.html?unlocked_article_code=1.y00.Y7pB.UYsQqmaE0MPQ&smid=url-share

[Mary Anna]

There is a huge Asian grocery store in Oklahoma City. It's bigger than some big chain supermarkets. Its owners are Vietnamese, but I believe the store is accurately described as Asian, because I think it carries products for the cuisines of many Asian countries. It stocks hard-to-find produce, plus high-quality produce like you'd find at any nice grocery store. I've seen a house nearby growing tons of bitter melon in their front yard, and I wonder if local people supply some of the less common vegetables by growing them right there in the city. In the spring, they have starter plants for many Asian vegetables and I think some flowers.

There are multiple freezer aisles of all kinds of dumplings, shumai, etc., followed by multiple aisles of various sauces and canned goods. I think it's possible that at least some dim sum restaurants could stock their kitchens from those aisles. There are aisles and aisles of tableware, cookware, and other cooking supplies. There's a lot of fresh seafood, including whole fish, crayfish, etc., etc. There's a well-stocked butcher. It's completely not what I expected in OKC. If we lived closer, I'd have gone more often.

The owners came from Vietnam in the seventies. I learned this when the OKC newspaper wrote an article on them when the store celebrated its fiftieth birthday.

There are grocery stores from several cuisines near our new house but, honestly, nothing like Super Cao Nguyen.

[ShiroKuro]

Sounds great! And similar to the place we now go to. I think owners are Chinese but they stock Korean en Japanese good as well

[wtg]

Chicago is rich in cuisine diversity, and that includes grocery stores. We have Patel Brothers, HMart, Mitsuwa, along with any number of independent grocers that carry products from all over Europe. Polish, Russian, Italian, German.

So much food. So little time.

[ShiroKuro]

That area of the Chicago suburbs has My two favorite stores!!! Mitsuwa!!! Caputo’s!!!

[DeweyLOU]

There are a couple of decent Asian markets here in Louisville, but if you're ever in Toronto, you must go to a TNT market - incredible!

[ShiroKuro]

Never heard of it. But there’s an academic condense that rotates thru a few cities, one of them is Toronto, so maybe I can visit!

Speaking of which, I visited Seattle once to give a talk and really, really enjoyed going to Uwajimaya!!

[jon-nyc]

I have an H-Mart 3 miles from me.

[ShiroKuro]

Lucky you!!

[Big_Al]

My wife shops at Oriental Market (yes, that its name) a few miles from us sometimes. She was introduced to it when she was tutoring English as Second Language classes for two Korean ladies. It moved to a larger building a couple of years ago.

She likes what she buys there and much of the produce is very good. I've shopped with her a few times. The most frustrating part is the shelves and shelves of different foodstuffs that I have no idea what they are or what to do with them. I could use a tour guide.

We have a decent variety of Mexican, Indian, and East Asian food stores in our general area, with a bigger choice in the Strip District of Pittsburgh where a lot of food sellers are concentrated. When trains delivered produce in refrigerator cars, it was the focal point of that trade in the region.

Big Al

[Nina]

I love Uwajimaya! And if you're ever in Phoenix/Mesa, check out LeeLee's.

[AdagioM]

I love Uwajimaya; I don’t know if they all have bookstores in them, but the one in Beaverton does. Kinokuniya. I could spend a lot of time in there looking at craft books, pens, paper.

If I want something not quite as refined, I go to Fubonn, which is a very large grocery/everything store in Portland. The produce is great. And where else can I get pig snouts? (I don’t, but they are available.)