Do you shop at ethnic grocery stores? (restaurant, Gob, peanut)

[Dennis P]

Yes, we have a wealth of ethnic markets in this area, especially catering to Latinos and Asians. I have a favorite Asian market and go there mainly to buy already prepared food to go--so good! The prices on their meat and produce are especially quite reasonable compared with the big chain stores.

There are a couple of Mexican grocery stores where I like getting ready-made, authentic foods. The prices for meat and produce are quite reasonable at these places as well.

[Huckleberry3911948]

its about all i buy asian stuff mostly.

[Amelorn]

I love Asian grocers. Rice is usually far cheaper than the grocery store and there's a wider variety on offer. Spices are plentiful and cheap. At one store, I saw a 12 POUND sack of turmeric for basically peanuts ( under $20). In New York, the meat and fish always appear brightly colored (ie red meats are a pleasant, visceral red) and fresh. In Scotland, the Asian grocers seem to vary in freshness from store to store.

To the guy from Islip, I have been dying to visit V&T, as I have heard nothing but good things about their "canteen" where you can get a cheap meal for $5 or less.

[Pivot Point]

Yes. Ethnic markets are great because you get a combination of fresher foods, a wider variety, and lower prices.

I regularly shop at Asian markets for fish and vegetables. The quality is very high; the fish are usually same-day fresh from the sea. There are often find varieties of fish and veggies that I never even see at other markets. I also shop in Indian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean markets once in a while to stock up on hard-to-find spices and products, like coffee beans, vegetables, rice, fruits, pastries, etc.

Besides the variety, the great thing about these ethnic markets is that the prices are always much lower than at a regular American supermarket, due to economies of scale.

[Mrs. Skeffington]

Is Amish "ethnic"? There is an awesome "plain" store near where I live which is shopped at by our large local Amish population and those of us who are non-Amish who like no-frills and bargains. Staples can be bought there in bulk, as well as seeds, honey, molasses, spices, and baking supplies, very reasonably priced. They also have the best homemade lunch meat and cheese in the area.

[kristisha]

I buy a lot from ethnic shops,especially from jewish shops even though is far more expensive then supermarket but the quality (and taste) is very good.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I guess it was the first and last oriental grocery in Duluth, lol.

Haha, I've never thought of it that way. Though I hear of some gas station on the east side of town that sells "oriental foods".

[blind spot]

One of the few things I love about living where I do, lots of ethnic grocery stores! Mexican markets, middle eastern markets, asian markets...can't go wrong. I can get all kinds of stuff there that I can't at other stores for a better price, so I try to do that whenever possible. There are couple of small chain middle eastern grocery stores (like 2-4 locations) that I frequent. They have literally everything I could ever need to make middle eastern dishes.

And that's not taking into account the huge number of small mom and pop shop ethnic markets there are. Those are mostly mexican, but I have seen a couple of middle eastern markets too. I also like those. I usually do my big shopping there and then when I need to run out for a couple items really quickly, I hit the big chain grocery stores nearby because it's much faster.

[Cinnella]

Korean stores definitely for their produce. I find many others who shop there for fresh produce since its cheaper.

[Trimac20]

One thing I notice here, which I think is a sign of how 'multi-cultural' we're becoming, is a lot more non-Asians shopping at oriental supermarkets. This was a rarity even 10 years ago, but now most people are familiar with things like bok choy, lemongrass, turmeric, stir-frying...Most mainstream supermarkets stock a basic range of Asian food supplies.