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I read that H Mart will be opening in Naperville this summer in the location of the Dominicks in Ogden Mall (Ogden Ave and Naperville Rd). See the bottom part of this article. I am looking forward to it!

Congratulations!

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Last Friday I was frantically shopping for the Easter meal. Out of the three grocers I visited, H-Mart was by far the most pleasant. They also had the most items on my list {rhubarb, yes!(for the rhubarb chutney), but I never did find fresh tarragon (for the green goddess dip), damn another dried spice to put on the list}. While it was crowded, people where friendly. I noticed produce workers going out of their way to explain some of the more exotic offerings to the non-Asians. They had so many cashier lines open no one had to wait in line. No one had to wait in line at the Pizza Hut either, but that’s because no one was buying.

Other random notes:

They’ve opened up a Korean BBQ around the corner. Arirang Restaurant has a separate entrance and is a large, fairly attractive space. I am reluctant to try since they use gas but at least I got the take-away menu!

I purchase these snack crackers which were fairly tasty. I got more of a kick out of grossing out B with it though.


I always pick up the sale flyer here which includes an ad for a “helath magnetic hula hoop.” It also announces the upcoming “2007 Asian Food Festival” April 26 -- April 29. Event 4 could be of particular interest to LTH’rs.


Heck, bring the kiddies, Event 2 promises, “free photo taking … with our lovely character dolls.”

-ramon

I'm pleased to hear you say that. We were there last Saturday and it was a nightmare. Insanely crowded, long lines, impossible to get help from anyone, and--worst of all--the produce seemed completely picked over.

I resolved not to return to H-Mart during the day on a weekend again. It was one of the most unpleasant shopping trips I've had in a while.

Best,
Michael

H-mart is decidedly emptier on weekdays - it's a whole different shopping experience, however on weekends, if some of the produce is lacking, typically a new cart of veges will be out within 5 minutes. Sale items which are depleted are soon repleted. The only thing I saw last weekend in low quantities were the promotional $.99/lb asparagus - they only had a small tray of 8 bunches which I guess they were repleting slowly. Picked up some very nice bean-leaf tips for $1.49/lb.

Shopping on the weekend IS typically an elbow-to-elbow jostle, but at least that means turnover is high.

Something we HAVE noticed is that the produce in general is looking decidedly worse than when they first opened. Many of the leafy greens being sold are "old" tough greens (you can tell by the flowers) - perhaps just out-of-season?

Still the best shopping route I've got thus far: Himalayan -> Costco -> H-mart.

Today through Sunday there is an Asian Food Festival at H-Mart:



I hope to check the respectable food merchants this evening!

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

I want to go, but am a little scared by the crowds...I was interested to see that on the flyer, "Asian" means Korean, Japanese and Chinese.

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No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

HI,

I recognize the issue with crowds. I plan to go this evening hoping it is a reduced crowd.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Thanks for reminding me about this, C2! I'm going to try to swing by shortly but will probably for sure be there tomorrow early afternoon.

For some reason, I'm oddly interested in photographing the "lovely character dolls."

You'd think that since festival has started they would have released the details of the writing contest by now.

I'll be the one with the cool new blue camera!

-ramon

I'm just seeing these recent posts now, which help to explain the enormous crowd at H-Mart earlier today. I met a friend for lunch and shopping at about 11:45 and the crowd seemed fairly normal. I got a spot right in front of the store.

I thought our lunch, from a couple of different stands at the Food Court, was just okay but I really enjoyed the shopping. It was my first time there and I was impressed by a lot of the offerings. I'll definitely return.

Anyway, when I came out of the store at about 1:00 pm, there was a long line snaked from the entrance around the entire front of the store, which I assumed was for some sort of give-away. But even more amazing was that a lady approached me and offered me $5 for my parking place. I told her that since I was leaving anyway, she could have it for free. Wow!

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Well, 2:00 proved to be an unfortunate time to arrive. There was a line of some 150 people snaking out the door waiting for a free bag of rice. I hate rice, and can gladly buy my own thank you, so I skipped this line.

The line continued to wend through the store past some twenty distributors with food and drink for sampling. It was extremely crowded. Old, I mean wise Korean women thought nothing of bashing the back of my ankles with their carts. The men had no compunction against jumping in front of me in the line. I soon reached a level of potential violence and decide to leave in a hurry.

Toward the exit there was a group of Korean women playing peaceful music on traditional instruments. I stayed and listened to the soothing sounds for a while and was calmed. (I took some pics but don't have time to post now.) I returned to the fray, which had dimished by a very significant measure.

I don't remember much about the food because I didn't take any notes. I remember miso soup, seasoned pollack, red bean paste, several dumplings, sea weed, several ramen, some thick Japanese noodles, and "tiramasu." Nothing stood out as great, but it was all interesting.

I liked the beverages best. Some sort of citrus drink, some really good plum tea, many green teas, pommeganite and rasberry wines, soft drinks of mango and peach. The drinking vinegar was surprisingly refreshing (there were two different kinds).

There were no loveable characters -- although I was attracted to the soju person. Obvious to me now, event 1 must be day one, event 2 tomorrow, etc.

-ramon

Hi,

Ramon, you're going to the jealous! I not only met Mr. Soju, I also met Elmo from Sesame Street.

I will guess the initial burst of people must have been for the free rice. The promised number of rice had already been dealt out when I arrived around 6:45 this evening.

The first hour of our visit was spent going from booth to booth trying all the different kinds of food. There were no crowds, no lines and lot of variety. I did try the vinegar beverage. I learned the vinegar was diluted to 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water taking away the sour sting. I unexpectedly liked the tofu burgers. I was especially pleased the bakery had some of their whipped cream cakes to try. The whipped cream appeared to be real without a lot of heavy sweetening. The tastings will be run tomorrow through Sunday from 10 AM to 8 PM.

Good deals on king crab legs at $6.99/lb and 20-25 count white shrimp for $4.99/lb. When you check-out they give you a scratch off coupon. I was one of 10,000 winners to win disposable gloves. My friends Helen and Ellen each were one of 5,000 winners of rubber gloves. Alas there is only one winner of the HDTV or the Kimchee refrigerator! Clever marketing hook: you have to come back after April 30th to collect your prize. I am putting my winning ticket in the safety deposit box for safe keeping.

I did see the contest rules for the photo and writing competition. It was documenting your impressions during this Asian Festival period. You have until mid May to submit your application. I left the notice in the car, though I am pretty certain first prize was a pair of roundtrip tickets to Korea. Now that should light someone's fire around here.

The performance stage is just beyond the check-out area. We saw two Indians teaching Asian's Indian rhythmic dancing and drumming.

Glad I went tonight ahead of the weekend crowds.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

I tried the pomegranate version and liked it much more than I thought I would. Beforehand, I thought it might end up tasting more like a salad dressing than a beverage but the sweetness and the viscosity were just about right. It was actually recognizable and (possibly) enjoyable as a beverage. I'm not sure how much of it I could actually drink; the sample was fairly small. It'd be interesting to serve it with some specific foods and see how it matches up. Maybe it would be good in some sort of cocktail, as well.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

First a quick pic of one of the musicians playing some stringed thing I was quite intrigued by:


After I was calmed, I was sorely tempted to pick up one of the spare instruments and play along:




But I did meet Mr Soju and he's a she (I peeked! -- shh):


While I love the muppets, Elmo is pretty weak in my book, and I was certaintly hoping for a more Asian flair in my costumed characters.

You are correct though that I am jealous -- jealous that I couldn't accompany you and your friends. That would have been much more enjoyable.

I still intend to fly by tomorrow around lunch time. Anyone interested pm me soon.

-ramon

Looks like a koto to me.

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Joe G.

"Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement

It's actually called a gayageum (or kayageum). A traditional instrument which dates back to the 1st century BC.

-gtgirl

Cathy, thanks for posting. But what, exactly, is a kimchee refrigerator?

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Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.

It's pretty much exactly what it says. A fridge for your Kimchi -- more precise in control of temperature and moisture content than our own -- and usually quite a bit more expensive.

http://www.buhaykorea.com/2005/12/30/ki ... rigerator/

There used to be one on display right in the front of the store. I don't think it's there currently.

-ramon

Being a Korean-American acutely aware of the smells one's cooking emits, I always thought a kimchi refrigerator was more a place to put all your stinky stuff

Sharona

Why is Soju's mouth taped shut? Is he (she) being held against its will? Or is Soju the Hannibal Lecter of beverages? Maybe a symbolic protest against censorship?

It's not.

It's taped on.

E.M.

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"Don't even touch my gold, I'm good."

Now that you mention it, it looks like a shoelace. Nobody had a Sharpie handy? The crooked smile gives the character a smirking and slightly sinister appearance, especially with those huge crazy-looking dilated pupils. I guess they had to give Soju a smile, so he didn't scare children (or maybe that was the point). At any rate, not at all the "lovely character doll" that was promised.

So I swang by yesterday around lunch, camera in hand, still hoping to find “lovely character dolls.” I guess I was hoping for the Korean H-Mart version of Hello Kitty and a couple of panchan Pokemon.

Alas, only Elmo, who somehow gives me the creeps. Even Soju Man was just an empty and forlorn crumpled costume cast off in a corner. I jokingly asked the guy in the booth if I could put on the costume. He very quickly said, “yes,” with an enthusiastic smile. Being a method actor, I scanned my memory palate for the taste of Soju and came up empty. I could not find the motivation for the Soju Man character and to my regret, turned down the role. Who knows what exciting new career I just let pass by?

-ramon

Well, I found something that I'd like to only buy from H-Mart, at least until something as good but closer comes along: Fresh tofu.

They've had tastings of it before, in plain, menthol and filter tip (what? wrong show?) Sorry, plain, green veggie and orange veggie (I think spinach and carrot, but it may have been tomato), and found it to be creamy, smooth, firm, sweet and very, very tasty... but never had a recipe I was ready to cook.

Last Sunday, though, when shopping for Memorial Day grilling (short ribs and shrimp, see elsewhere for my mushy tandoori shrimp results), I bought a leek and a big cube o' tofu, for to make Ma Po Dofu.

I was extremely pleased with the results. Their fresh tofu is firm enough to hold up to being stirred around in the sauce, and keeps a good creamy flavor. The recipe I have isn't as intense as LSC's, but very flavorful and complex (stir fry pork [originally beef], then leeks, then add black beans, bean and chile paste, garlic, ginger, fresh chiles or chile sauce, and a cornstarch-thickened broth flavored with soy, salt and rice wine, before adding the tofu and then sprinkling with sichuan peppercorn).

But that tofu really stole the show. It's rich enough that I'd consider a frozen treat made from it.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

I've been cooking a lot from a cookbook called Thailand: The Beautiful Cookbook and I cannot find galangal powder and tamarind juice. I looked in H-mart for the galangal but couldn't find it. At the time, I wasn't looking for the tamarind juice, and I think I may have seen tamarind something-or-other, but am not sure it was the juice.

Has anyone seen galangal powder and/or tamarind juice at H-Mart?

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"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you want and let the food fight it out inside."
-Mark Twain

I've never seen powded galangal anywhere. The whole stuff is only at H-Mart about half the time I've visited (sometimes they're finger-sized rhizomes, sometimes they're as big around as a corn cob). Given the huge differences in flavor between fresh and powdered ginger, I'm betting that fresh can't be interchanged easily with powdered. On the other hand, perhaps your recipe uses powdered because fresh is so hard to find?

Tamarind juice shouldn't be too hard to find. While I can't say I've seen it at H-Mart because I've never looked, but I know I've seen it in just about every hispanic market I've been in. At worst, I'm sure they have tamarind pulp: steep it in a little hot water and you're set.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

You're best bet for galangal powder and tamarind juice are in the Argyle neighborhood. I saw them both last Friday at Thai Grocery, 5014 N Broadway. The store is small but carries quite a few products. I always pick up a bunch of things including Issan-style sausage (not as good as at TAC or Sticky but still pretty good) and shrimp chips.

While you're in that neighborhood there is no reason not to enjoy a cheap and tasty meal at any number of places.

-ramon

Penzey's will sell you galangal root powder.-Dick

Good to resurrect an old thread. I was in Lake Forest this afternoon and decided to drop down to H Mart for a little shopping trip.

I like the place but I don't understand the pricing. Ox tails are $5.99/lb while marinated rib eye steaks are $3.99/lb. Short ribs are 0.99/lb.

As you can guess I purchased the short ribs, marinated steak, and some of the 21-25 ct shrimp at $5.99/lb.

And the Korean style dumplings were excellent.

I was just here this past Thursday and had the same thought. I went here to get oxtail and the large 6 lb packages were $5.99/lb, I thought that was kind of expensive. I also saw veal tail for the first time and go figure that was $4.99/lb so I grabbed a small 2 lb package.