I finally went today! Looked like the sort of place that my dad would just
love so I couldn't understand why he was so opposed to going there. I
mentioned this to my mom and she said that it has drastically changed since
they went there. I wasn't aware that they ever went in. All my dad would
say was that there were too many people and lines a mile long. Bro and SIL
were in there fairly recently which I found odd because they don't eat Asian
food. But apparently from the way they described it, my mom said it is now
different.

I saw that they had an Asian food court. It was dinner time and I didn't
see anyone eating there. But I also didn't check out the food to see what
they were serving. Nor did I go into any of the other little establishments
outside of the main store.

Outside of the main store were some rotting fruits and vegetables being sold
for cheap.

Inside, there was a HUGE variety of produce but again, much of it was
rotting. At least the some of the rotting stuff seemed to have been marked
down a lot. But the bell peppers were close to $3 a pound even for the
green ones They were all mushy. The other peppers were all shrink wrapped.
I learned the hard way that is the way to disguise mushy ones. Wrap them
tightly and the customer can't tell. I did buy some Korean purple yams.
Not sure what to do with those though.

Most of what I saw on the food aisles was stuff that I couldn't tell what it
was. Did see some common American stuff and Asian, Mexican and other
"foreign" foods that can easily be bought elsewhere for much less money.

I did buy some pinto beans and rice only because they were the El Mexicano
brand. I like the brand. Probably no bargain but I do need the beans and I
wanted to try the rice.

Also bought a can of spicy hot Luncheon meat. That will be a good winter
emergency meal for husband who actually loves that sort of stuff. Also some
Kraft processed cheese in a can and two cans of hummus. There will never be
another hummus emergency in my house! I am prepared.

Picked up a weird looking little brush. I thought it said "Slime brush" and
intended to use it in my shower. But got it home and discovered that it
actually says "Smile" brush and is for shoes. I can't imagine my shoes ever
needing such a thing so I will still attempt the use in my shower that has
all sorts of little nooks and crannies where scum and mold like to hide.

Got a colander/spoon, soap dish, little sauce dish to give as a gift
(thought it was a tea bag holder), some Korean potato flavored puffs, really
cute little panda cookies for my dad and a few ordinary things that I could
have bought elsewhere.

All in all, it was interesting to visit but I am not likely to go back
unless I need some cheap plastic items. I sure won't be going there for the
food. I can get better/fresher/cheaper at Central Market or Winco. They
might not have all that variety but I'm not big into Asian food so those
serve my needs. Oh and it reeked of fish! Not as bad as 99 Ranch Market
but pretty darned bad.

On 11/21/2013 7:20 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> I finally went today! Looked like the sort of place that my dad would
> just love so I couldn't understand why he was so opposed to going
> there. I mentioned this to my mom and she said that it has drastically
> changed since they went there. I wasn't aware that they ever went in.
> All my dad would say was that there were too many people and lines a
> mile long. Bro and SIL were in there fairly recently which I found odd
> because they don't eat Asian food. But apparently from the way they
> described it, my mom said it is now different.

I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell
food in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good
trick actually.

>
> I saw that they had an Asian food court. It was dinner time and I
> didn't see anyone eating there. But I also didn't check out the food to
> see what they were serving. Nor did I go into any of the other little
> establishments outside of the main store.
>
> Outside of the main store were some rotting fruits and vegetables being
> sold for cheap.
>
> Inside, there was a HUGE variety of produce but again, much of it was
> rotting. At least the some of the rotting stuff seemed to have been
> marked down a lot. But the bell peppers were close to $3 a pound even
> for the green ones They were all mushy. The other peppers were all
> shrink wrapped. I learned the hard way that is the way to disguise mushy
> ones. Wrap them tightly and the customer can't tell. I did buy some
> Korean purple yams. Not sure what to do with those though.
>
> Most of what I saw on the food aisles was stuff that I couldn't tell
> what it was. Did see some common American stuff and Asian, Mexican and
> other "foreign" foods that can easily be bought elsewhere for much less
> money.
>
> I did buy some pinto beans and rice only because they were the El
> Mexicano brand. I like the brand. Probably no bargain but I do need
> the beans and I wanted to try the rice.
>
> Also bought a can of spicy hot Luncheon meat. That will be a good
> winter emergency meal for husband who actually loves that sort of
> stuff. Also some Kraft processed cheese in a can and two cans of
> hummus. There will never be another hummus emergency in my house! I am
> prepared.
>
> Picked up a weird looking little brush. I thought it said "Slime brush"
> and intended to use it in my shower. But got it home and discovered
> that it actually says "Smile" brush and is for shoes. I can't imagine
> my shoes ever needing such a thing so I will still attempt the use in my
> shower that has all sorts of little nooks and crannies where scum and
> mold like to hide.
>
> Got a colander/spoon, soap dish, little sauce dish to give as a gift
> (thought it was a tea bag holder), some Korean potato flavored puffs,
> really cute little panda cookies for my dad and a few ordinary things
> that I could have bought elsewhere.
>
> All in all, it was interesting to visit but I am not likely to go back
> unless I need some cheap plastic items. I sure won't be going there for
> the food. I can get better/fresher/cheaper at Central Market or Winco.
> They might not have all that variety but I'm not big into Asian food so
> those serve my needs. Oh and it reeked of fish! Not as bad as 99 Ranch
> Market but pretty darned bad.

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 11/21/2013 7:20 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>> I finally went today! Looked like the sort of place that my dad would
>> just love so I couldn't understand why he was so opposed to going
>> there. I mentioned this to my mom and she said that it has drastically
>> changed since they went there. I wasn't aware that they ever went in.
>> All my dad would say was that there were too many people and lines a
>> mile long. Bro and SIL were in there fairly recently which I found odd
>> because they don't eat Asian food. But apparently from the way they
>> described it, my mom said it is now different.
>
> I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
> guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell food
> in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good trick
> actually.

For one thing, "American" stores don't do a lot of fish. Central Market
does do fish and sushi and it will stink of it around that area, especially
when they are cleaning. They seem to use hot water and bleach for cleaning
and I can't stand to be in there then. I do not really Uwajimaya stinking of
fish at all. We used to go there all the time but I haven't been there for
many years. There was likely a slight fishy smell around where the dried
fish was but since I dislike fish, I would have avoided that area. But...
99 Ranch Market and H Mart reeked all over of fish. Very off-putting. So
much so that I never go in the direction of the smell.

On 11/21/2013 10:58 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>
> For one thing, "American" stores don't do a lot of fish. Central Market
> does do fish and sushi and it will stink of it around that area,
> especially when they are cleaning. They seem to use hot water and
> bleach for cleaning and I can't stand to be in there then. I do not
> really Uwajimaya stinking of fish at all. We used to go there all the
> time but I haven't been there for many years. There was likely a slight
> fishy smell around where the dried fish was but since I dislike fish, I
> would have avoided that area. But... 99 Ranch Market and H Mart reeked
> all over of fish. Very off-putting. So much so that I never go in the
> direction of the smell.
>
Whole Foods will have a lot of smells. Mostly, it smells like nice,
wholesome food. It's quite a warm, homey, smell. I don't know how they
do it. It's like the opposite of fishy.

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 11/21/2013 10:58 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> For one thing, "American" stores don't do a lot of fish. Central Market
>> does do fish and sushi and it will stink of it around that area,
>> especially when they are cleaning. They seem to use hot water and
>> bleach for cleaning and I can't stand to be in there then. I do not
>> really Uwajimaya stinking of fish at all. We used to go there all the
>> time but I haven't been there for many years. There was likely a slight
>> fishy smell around where the dried fish was but since I dislike fish, I
>> would have avoided that area. But... 99 Ranch Market and H Mart reeked
>> all over of fish. Very off-putting. So much so that I never go in the
>> direction of the smell.
>>
> Whole Foods will have a lot of smells. Mostly, it smells like nice,
> wholesome food. It's quite a warm, homey, smell. I don't know how they do
> it. It's like the opposite of fishy.

Hmmm... I don't recall a lot of food smells in there but I can smell the
essential oils.

On 2013-11-22 07:02:37 +0000, dsi1 said:

> I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
> guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell
> food in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good
> trick actually.

Not this one. It's practically antiseptic. Both H Mart (Korean) and
Mitsuwa (Japanese) aren't like the others. Can't say why because they
both have significant seafood departments. But of them are enclosed
though, now as I think about it.

On Friday, November 22, 2013 4:30:15 PM UTC-5, gtr wrote:
> On 2013-11-22 07:02:37 +0000, dsi1 said:
>
> > I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
> > guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell
> > food in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good
> > trick actually.
>
> Not this one. It's practically antiseptic. Both H Mart (Korean) and
> Mitsuwa (Japanese) aren't like the others. Can't say why because they
> both have significant seafood departments. But of them are enclosed
> though, now as I think about it.

There is no unpleasant odor if the fish is fresh and the shop is kept clean. It's very simple.

http://www.richardfisher.com

On 11/22/2013 11:30 AM, gtr wrote:
> On 2013-11-22 07:02:37 +0000, dsi1 said:
>
>> I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
>> guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell
>> food in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good
>> trick actually.
>
> Not this one. It's practically antiseptic. Both H Mart (Korean) and
> Mitsuwa (Japanese) aren't like the others. Can't say why because they
> both have significant seafood departments. But of them are enclosed
> though, now as I think about it.
>

When we go to the Korean market, my nose gets assaulted the moment we go
through the door. It's not a problem because I'm expecting it. It's a
fishy, musty, old, kind of smell with hints of cabbage and kimchee. My
wife won't buy meat from the K-market because she does not trust the
stuff. That's too bad, cause they look pretty good to me. She does love
that kimchee sold in the big buckets though.

On 2013-11-23 20:33:29 +0000, dsi1 said:

> On 11/22/2013 11:30 AM, gtr wrote:
>> On 2013-11-22 07:02:37 +0000, dsi1 said:
>>
>>> I have never heard of H Mart but those Asian stores sure are stinky! I
>>> guess the question should be is how do American stores manage to sell
>>> food in such a way that there is no odor of food. It's a pretty good
>>> trick actually.
>>
>> Not this one. It's practically antiseptic. Both H Mart (Korean) and
>> Mitsuwa (Japanese) aren't like the others. Can't say why because they
>> both have significant seafood departments. But of them are enclosed
>> though, now as I think about it.
>>
>
> When we go to the Korean market, my nose gets assaulted the moment we
> go through the door. It's not a problem because I'm expecting it. It's
> a fishy, musty, old, kind of smell with hints of cabbage and kimchee.

H Mart isn't just any Korean store. All the ones we have around here,
3 of them and all very new and spotless, are nothing like that. There
are other older regional, or one-off Korean supermarkets that are just
like that though. I think both H-Mart and Mitsuwa (at least in SoCal)
are trying to foster a tidy Kroger/Von's image.

> My wife won't buy meat from the K-market because she does not trust the
> stuff. That's too bad, cause they look pretty good to me. She does love
> that kimchee sold in the big buckets though.

We have a number of joints in Garden Grove that sell only kimchee.
They just have four or five big glass-door refrigerators with their
stuff, and the label has the same address as the outlet. I can't use a
gallon jar of the stuff though!

On Sat, 23 Nov 2013 10:33:29 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> When we go to the Korean market, my nose gets assaulted the moment we go
> through the door. It's not a problem because I'm expecting it.

Oh, man... you should go to the Korean owned store near me! That
place is so clean you wouldn't know you're in an Asian grocery store.
They also have a huge food court and you don't smell anything coming
from there either, so the ventilation in that place must be superior.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 2013-11-23 04:36:56 +0000, Sqwertz said:

> That and the open freezer chests full of ripe durians probably
> contribute to the smell.

Actually a very good point, and likely a significant reason why the
Vietnamese places smell so rank.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in
:

> I finally went today! Looked like the sort of place that my dad would
> just love so I couldn't understand why he was so opposed to going
>

I don't know where your H Mart is, but the one in Burlington, MA, is
clean and reasonably odor free, and I've never seen rotting produce
anywhere in or around the store. And their Asian food court is always
packed.

I've bought seafood, beef, pork, and poultry there and I've been pleased
with the quality of all of it. The prices are a little bit up there, but
the quality is fine.

I also just enjoy wandering up and down the aisles and playing the "Now
what the hell do you suppose that is?" game. But I used to enjoy that
same game all over SE Asia when I was deployed.

"Alan Holbrook" > wrote in message
. 3.30...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in
> :
>
>> I finally went today! Looked like the sort of place that my dad would
>> just love so I couldn't understand why he was so opposed to going
>>
>
> I don't know where your H Mart is, but the one in Burlington, MA, is
> clean and reasonably odor free, and I've never seen rotting produce
> anywhere in or around the store. And their Asian food court is always
> packed.

Lynnwood WA. Yelp reviews sometimes indicate less than fresh produce. So
it could be a sporadic thing.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/h-mart-lynnwood
>
> I've bought seafood, beef, pork, and poultry there and I've been pleased
> with the quality of all of it. The prices are a little bit up there, but
> the quality is fine.
>
> I also just enjoy wandering up and down the aisles and playing the "Now
> what the hell do you suppose that is?" game. But I used to enjoy that
> same game all over SE Asia when I was deployed.

I really didn't need anything today. Was mainly killing time. Daughter had
a driving lesson and while I wanted to read some books, the building wasn't
open and it was too cold to sit in my van for 2 hours. I was pretty cold
after 45 minutes!