If I can buy a big bag of shoots for $5 at the market, why does the food stall
in the same building charge $12 to saute them for me? I realize there is a cost
associated with growing and whatnot, and that 1 $5 bag shrinks down quite a bit..
but 1 bag is at least 1 order prepared.

--
Dan

Hi Dan,

I see we're back to our DaoMiu/pea shoots discussion again. I don't know
about the States but over here in the UK/London, it's also more expensive
than other Chinese veg. done the same way (Yao choi style). The only reason
i can give is that it's a seasonal veg. & restaurants will charge more for
it simply based on that. If you're familiar with Cantonese dining in
restaurants, you'll know that when it comes to ordering veg. etc. the best
thing to do is ask what veg. they have instead of reading the menu. The
waiters will then tell you what they have in stock & in season. Often
DaoMiu/pea shoots are not on the written menu. It's also one of those dishes
that sells out fast, so it's a case of first come, first serve i find. Some
Chinese restaurants don't even serve it as they stick to their menus. Really
decent Chinese restaurants will have a seasonal menu or a listing like
seasonal veg. - ask for price etc. like they do with seafood in other
restaurants or the waiter will tell you what they have in today's special
etc.

If i were you, i'd set up a simple wok burner on the end of the stall or
outside the restaurant & fry up veg. on the spot, charge $9-$10 : )

DC.


"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
...
> If I can buy a big bag of shoots for $5 at the market, why does the food
stall
> in the same building charge $12 to saute them for me? I realize there is
a cost
> associated with growing and whatnot, and that 1 $5 bag shrinks down quite
a bit..
> but 1 bag is at least 1 order prepared.
>
> --
> Dan
>

DC. wrote:

> Hi Dan,
>
> I see we're back to our DaoMiu/pea shoots discussion again. I don't know
> about the States but over here in the UK/London, it's also more expensive
> than other Chinese veg. done the same way (Yao choi style). The only reason
> i can give is that it's a seasonal veg. & restaurants will charge more for
> it simply based on that. If you're familiar with Cantonese dining in
> restaurants, you'll know that when it comes to ordering veg. etc.


Sorry to bring this back up.. but I hadn't look at the price for the shoots
in the market, literally around the corner from the stall. The food stalls
get their goods from the market.. just wondering how they justify the $7
to cook increase over the market's price.


> If i were you, i'd set up a simple wok burner on the end of the stall or
> outside the restaurant & fry up veg. on the spot, charge $9-$10 : )

I know! I'd make almost enough to pay the fines for serving food without
a license. Heh heh.

--
Dan

<snip>
> Sorry to bring this back up..

No worries, i was only teasing yer.

> I know! I'd make almost enough to pay the fines for serving food without
> a license. Heh heh.

Heeheee... maybe you should have a gas wok burner in the boot of your car,
drive around & see which veg. stall, butcher or fishmonger is doing well,
then just set up your wok next to them & do simple fry ups with oil, garlic
& salt, nothing complicated just simple cooked dishes. i think that's how
some of these street side hawkers actually started in Asia. The ones i've
seen come & go on motorcycles, bicycles, tricycles. But one i saw really did
make my eyes pop. This guy arrived in his white mercedes & as he unloaded
bags of fresh noodles from the boot, i noticed he had on a chunky gold rolex
watch, business must be good! I've even seem these 'street hawkers' in
Istanbul, but their circumstances were a little different. Along the
Bosphorus straits, the bit of water that seperates Istanbul from the East &
West, literally on one side is the start of the Middle East & on the
other... Europe. Anyway... these guys had their boat by the the bridge or
bank & fish for mackeral. On one side of the boat, a few guys were line
fishing for mackerals straight out of the water & it looked like they
weren't short of fish, they were pulling them up 1 or 2 a minute. On the
other side of the boat, they were gutting & frying them & served in a bread
sandwich. It can't get any fresher than that. : ) At the end of the day or
maybe when the cops turn up, they just start the engine & chug, chug... off
down the water to wherever they came from. How cool is that! heeheee.

DC.

Dan Logcher > wrote:
> DC. wrote:
>
> > Hi Dan,
> >
> > I see we're back to our DaoMiu/pea shoots discussion again. I don't
> > know about the States but over here in the UK/London, it's also more
> > expensive than other Chinese veg. done the same way (Yao choi style).
> > The only reason i can give is that it's a seasonal veg. & restaurants
> > will charge more for it simply based on that. If you're familiar with
> > Cantonese dining in restaurants, you'll know that when it comes to
> > ordering veg. etc.
>
> Sorry to bring this back up.. but I hadn't look at the price for the
> shoots in the market, literally around the corner from the stall. The
> food stalls get their goods from the market.. just wondering how they
> justify the $7 to cook increase over the market's price.
>
> > If i were you, i'd set up a simple wok burner on the end of the stall
> > or outside the restaurant & fry up veg. on the spot, charge $9-$10 : )
>
> I know! I'd make almost enough to pay the fines for serving food without
> a license. Heh heh.

Color me stupid, but it seems to me that 2.4 X the cost of the main
ingredient isn't excessive, even for a food stall in Boston (?). °~/

--
Nick. Christmas Day, the twenty-fifth Day of December, being established a
Federal holiday by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1870: Merry Christmas!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops! You are not forgotten. Thanks.

wrote:

> Dan Logcher > wrote:
>
>>DC. wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hi Dan,
>>>
>>>I see we're back to our DaoMiu/pea shoots discussion again. I don't
>>>know about the States but over here in the UK/London, it's also more
>>>expensive than other Chinese veg. done the same way (Yao choi style).
>>>The only reason i can give is that it's a seasonal veg. & restaurants
>>>will charge more for it simply based on that. If you're familiar with
>>>Cantonese dining in restaurants, you'll know that when it comes to
>>>ordering veg. etc.
>>
>>Sorry to bring this back up.. but I hadn't look at the price for the
>>shoots in the market, literally around the corner from the stall. The
>>food stalls get their goods from the market.. just wondering how they
>>justify the $7 to cook increase over the market's price.
>>
>>
>>>If i were you, i'd set up a simple wok burner on the end of the stall
>>>or outside the restaurant & fry up veg. on the spot, charge $9-$10 : )
>>
>>I know! I'd make almost enough to pay the fines for serving food without
>>a license. Heh heh.
>
>
> Color me stupid, but it seems to me that 2.4 X the cost of the main
> ingredient isn't excessive, even for a food stall in Boston (?). °~/

I'm sure they get the shoots for less than what the market sells them
for retail. So it is probably a high profit margin. It probably costs
them $4 for the shoots, 3X cost.

--
Dan