Maangchi on YouTube Maangchi on Facebook Maangchi on Twitter Maangchi on Instagram Maangchi on TikTok

Happy encounter at Oriental grocery store

Home › Forums › Korean food discussion › Happy encounter at Oriental grocery store

Viewing 3 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • June 26, 2015 at 5:02 pm #62711
      rocknchick
      Participant

      I had a happy encounter at my favorite Oriental grocery store yesterday and couldn’t wait to tell Maangchi. I am still ridiculously happy about it. My family and I were checking out at the register and a Korean lady (younger than 40 but not a teenager) glanced over and noticed the huge jar of kimchi I had. She looked at me, surprised, pointed to the jar and said “You can eat that?” I told her yes, we love it, I buy the big jar and split it into two smaller jars so one can ferment longer. She said “wow” and paid for her groceries, then looked over at me again and asked “What kind of cooking do you use it in?” I told her Kimchi Fried Rice, but basically lots of things because I’ve been really into Korean cooking. I started listing off the foods I’ve made (using their Korean names, not English). She kept smiling and nodding, and I said I wasn’t sure I was pronuncing everything correctly. She said I did very well, the best she’d heard from an American. She also said, impressed, “That’s hard to make, even for Korean women!” while I was rattling off the names. As she was leaving, she said “It was very nice to meet you. Thank you for your interest in Korean cooking!” It made me feel really good- I can’t believe I impressed a Korean with my Korean cooking and pronunciation!

    • June 28, 2015 at 11:11 am #62741
      EvilGrin
      Participant

      I get some crazy looks when i go to our Korean market. They cant get over i make kimchi and danmuji from scratch. Its one of the few places that sells reasonably good mirin without salt or corn syrup added.

      They had huge smiles when i bought some nuruk the last time.

    • June 28, 2015 at 8:23 pm #62745
      Lynnjamin
      Participant

      The Korean grocery store I frequent is called WooRi Mart. I was told it means “Our Market”. I’m not sure who they mean by “our” because the store is always packed with a mix of Korean and non-Korean shoppers. The staff is always ready to encourage my enthusiasm for making things that even housewives tend to buy prepackaged. I try to explain that it’s my hobby, and that I learned from a lady on Youtube, but I always get the same response. Smiles, laughs, and lots of head shaking in disbelief. I can honestly say that my trips to the market are so fun and encouraging, I am thrilled when Maangchi posts a recipe calling for something I don’t have on hand. Yay! Time to take a trip to WooRi Mart!

    • July 13, 2015 at 12:13 am #62976
      Oxide
      Participant

      Recently I accompanied a friend on a visit to a lawyer’s office. The lawyer started talking about the fantastic Korean meal she made for a gathering of friends. She shared her suggestion of an oriental market to me. It was not an ‘oriental’ market — it is our local Korean market! And very well known to me. It does not have a Korean sounding name. I told her about Maangchi’s website and videos — she said she already knows, the folks at the Korean market referred her to Maangchi’s website. How cools is that! … when a Korean market on the West coast refers customers to Maangchi’s videos to learn how to cook Korean dishes.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 3 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.