mkr5000 > wrote:
>
> I like to hit my local Oriental grocery about once a month ...
>
> Cuttlefish?

It's a mollusc so if you like clams, oysters, scallops, calimari
you'll love it. It's a close relative to calimari. Wonderful
sauteed.

I'll be the third poster so far to mention the sausages. To that
I'll add the Chinese style bacon. Plus pretty much any other
type of processed pork stuff. It may not look familiar but it
will be good.

If they have BBQ ducks and/or pressed ducks, put them near
the top of your list along with the sausages. We go the the
local Chinatown in Chicago a couple times per year for BBQ
duck, BBQ ribs and cha-shu-bao then we continue shopping
at other shops for the other items I discuss.

Chinese ethnic places generally have fresh meat from assorted
animals that's great. Types of fish whose name I don't know,
cook them like types of fish whose name I do know. Breeds of
chicken that look slightly different than the breeds I know, cook
them like chicken because that's what they are. Other types
of bird, parts of cow/pig/lamb that aren't cut the same as I'm
used to, cook them anyways. There was one place in the Los
Angeles Chinatown that usually had live turtles - I never did get
around to buying one then figuring out how to cook it. But if it's
an animal it's made of meat so it's going to be good.

They are likely to have all sorts of veggies. Most people like
most types of veggies, so what's the down side to trying a few?
If you don't like one type, toss it and move on to the next.

I like roasted sesame oil. It's dark brown and a few drops go a
long way. I get a pint jar and it lasts me 2-3 years. I also like
Chinese style soy sauces. They aren't all that different from the
Japanese style ones, but a little bit different is often a good thing.

If they have a Japanese section they are likely to have dessert
looking pastel colored spheres or cylinders that look like a soft
candy. They are usually made from rice flour so they are more
rich than sweet and they often have fillings of bean paste or
whatever that's also more rich than sweet. Softer texture than
gummy bear, lighter than marzipan.

If they have an herbalist section with hundreds of jars of dried
stuff, let your nose and imagination run wild. Buy this that and
the other one of items that smell good to you. Start out trying
them in a broth or to flavor a sautee. Buy more of what you
like, not of what you didn't. There's a lot more there than just
dried mushrooms, shrimp, ginger and ginsing.

Tea. Try a few types. Canned stuff. Go by the pictures. So
many varieties of rice there's got to be a difference. Being
wheat intollerant I go for the rice noodles. Some places that
stock Japanese style buckwheat noodles have some that are
wheat-free (I have found that more often in Whole Foods or
Wild Oats, but I read the labels just in case).

If they have Thai items, lemon grass, coconut milk.

Do you already have a hammered wok, a cermanic steaming
kettle, a cleaver knife, a steaming rice cooker? Get them there.