# Help me demystify Asian grocery stores! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797 "2003-11-01T05:49:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/21 "2003-11-04T00:15:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Peach \* > \*\*i used to be too until i read the ingredients - the very first thing in it is lard…:eek: \*\* [And your problem with lard is???](http://web.media.mit.edu/~jofish/pictures/undatable/kitchen-related/they.happy.because.they.eat.lard.jpg)😃 ---
**Author:** ![scablet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@scablet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scablet)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/22 "2003-11-04T01:01:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > **scablet** , I’ve always had balut “neat”, if you like. In Vietnamese company, I’ll crack the top like a soft-boiled egg, and add some pepper and salt, then tuck in with a spoon. If I’m with Filippinos, I’ll tilt my head back, and “drink” the thing from the shell. I prefer the Vietnamese way, I think. Your method sounds interesting though. I haven’t tried it. \*\* This made zero sense to me until I realised I had somehow managed to confuse _balut_ with [bagoong](http://www.tribo.org/vegetables/bagoong.html), which was why the recommendation surprised me, to say the least. Balut is great the Flip way, or at least the way my lolo partook of it - knocked back like a shot. Balut is also not at all as bad as it sounds, whilst bagoong is every bit as bad as it sounds. :eek: (in all seriousness though, stupendous with rice and kare-kare.) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/23 "2003-11-04T01:55:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Antonius Block \* > Er, **DreadCthulhu** , I don’t know quite how to admit this to you, but my local Asian market has a really good fresh seafood section, and one of the items I buy the most frequently is — _gulp_ — **squid**. See, this is the problem with a lot of Asian food ingredients. We call them by their English names, so they sound gross. If we called it “calimari”, no one would be the wiser. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/24 "2003-11-04T02:30:16Z")
**Scablet** , _your_ post makes a little more sense now too. 😃 I was wondering about the “little goes a long way” part, because although balut grosses many people out, it has quite a mild taste. I’ve not tried bagoong yet. I’ll have to give it a go. I suspect I may just like it. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/25 "2003-11-04T02:37:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*See, this is the problem with a lot of Asian food ingredients. We call them by their English names, so they sound gross. > > If we called it “calimari”, no one would be the wiser. \*\* Aah, the curse of monosodium glutamate, which I believe has a quite prosaic, everyday monosyballic name in Chinese. Then again, we might have a healthier population in the West if we said, “Pass the sodium chloride please.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/26 "2003-11-04T02:40:45Z")
Monosyballic? Ballicks t’ that. ---
**Author:** ![DaisyFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@DaisyFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaisyFace)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/27 "2003-11-04T02:56:21Z")
My all-time favorite which I get in the Korean grocery down the hill is simply called “Korean Barbeque Sauce” I’m not sure what brand name (in English) or Korean name it has but, man it’s good. I put it on fish, steak, chicken, whatever. Damn fine marinade as well as a great “brushing” sauce. I’m still working on perfecting a peanut-sauce recipe for noodles (but I think I’m getting closer). Just have to keep trying till I get it right, I guess. (have to keep eating nummy peanut sauce too 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Peach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@Peach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peach)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/28 "2003-11-04T02:58:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > \*\*Aah, the curse of monosodium glutamate, which I believe has a quite prosaic, everyday monosyballic name in Chinese. Then again, we might have a healthier population in the West if we said, “Pass the sodium chloride please.” 🙂 \*\* …and msg is always next in line :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Peach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@Peach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peach)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/29 "2003-11-04T03:04:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > \*\*[And your problem with lard is???](http://web.media.mit.edu/~jofish/pictures/undatable/kitchen-related/they.happy.because.they.eat.lard.jpg)😃 \*\* funny poster! i like this: “Years ago, the most popular cooking fat of Emilia-Romagna was chemical-free, sweet lard. I still remember my mother"s potatoes cooked in a large black skillet with lard. They were awesome. While some traditional cooks, such as Ivan and Barbara of Hostaria da Ivan in Parma’s countryside, still make their own lard and use it in many of their dishes, the majority of people have replaced lard with olive oil.” -Biba’s Taste of Italy ---
**Author:** ![Sonyadora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sonyadora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonyadora)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/30 "2003-11-04T04:01:36Z")
Avoid bitter melon. Trust me. Try fresh lychee (not the canned ones), Pocky, and mochi. Yum. Try brands of rice until you find one you like, they all taste different. I’m not happy unless it’s Nishiki. Fish sauce, sesame oil, lemongrass, and chili are all things no kitchen should be without (yes, fish sauce is gross, no you can’t make good Thai curry without it) ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/31 "2003-11-04T05:13:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rabid\_Squirrel \* > \*\*You can also use the tranparent rice noodles made form mung beans. Just soak them briefly in hot water to soften them up, drain and put them in the soup at the last minute. Do not boil them like regular noodles! \*\* Another name for that is long rice. It’s pretty good with hamburger or chicken, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/32 "2003-11-04T05:14:39Z")
I myself prefer to eat Asian stuff in restaurants - not only is it very yummy, but almost ALL the ingredients are foreign enough to me that I’m nervous about trying them out (I like to experiment a little when I cook, but I have a basic idea of how my “standard” ingredients work). I’ve limited my attempts at Asian cooking to stir-fries and egg rolls, although I got really ballsy once and made some glass noodles - that was cool! There’s a site I like to surf for recipes - I’m not good at making links, but here’s the URL: [http://www.recipesource.com/](http://www.recipesource.com/) You might find some good ideas there. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797/33 "2003-11-04T06:25:54Z")
Proceed with caution. If you see something four-footed in the meat department, it is not a rabbit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-demystify-asian-grocery-stores/210797.md?page=1)