Winter Stent Moon
SeoAh and I went to H-Mart yesterday. Not sure if I’ve written about it before or not. H-Mart is a New Jersey based, Korean owned Asian grocery chain. It has two stores in the Denver metro. An obligatory part of a SeoAh visit is at least one visit to H-Mart. These are huge stores, set up like a cross between a grocery store and a suk with many small shops set inside a standard mall large box. On any visit there are folks from India, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam scrutinizing the produce, buying live lobster or clams or fish, Asian cookware and dishes, choosing from so many brands of soy sauce. There are, too, the occasional Caucasians, some in families with Asian kids, presumably adopted, a few just shopping for themselves.
I asked SeoAh if seeing all the Asian people made her feel at home. She shook her head, then picked up a package of rice cakes, “But the food? That makes me feel at home.”
My goal in going with her was to learn how she shops, what she looks for. I want to learn at least a few Korean dishes; but, I really want to learn how a Korean cook thinks. That way I can make my own Korean meals. Kate likes the food and so do I.
A problem quickly arose however. SeoAh bought items with Korean language labels. Well, just look at it, I thought. What’s that? I asked. You know ginseng? Yes. Dried. Ah. So many kinds of seaweed, including some small packets, lunch box sized. I like them, remembered she bought them last time, but I’d never recognize them again. Guess I’ll have to take photographs.
Another issue is that both H-Marts are far from here. At least an hour. No good for weekly shopping. I love their ambiance though and even more the wide selection of fresh food. I might try to get there a bit more often that during SeoAh’s visits.
