Stan’s Obligatory Blog

11/11/2006

Getting ethnic

Filed under: — stan @ 2:25 pm

Since Lucinda asked for Chinese food for dinner, I took a trip to the 99 Ranch Market in Arcadia to get in touch with my roots and stock up on food. Being half-Chinese is not an odd thing any more, but it was cosidered pretty peculiar when I was a kid. And the food is really my only connection to Chinese culture.

Today I noticed more signs of cultural assimilation at the store. The PA announcements giving the week’s specials are now in Chinese and English, which was kind of novel. And the shopping cart ads are also different than what we see in the regular supermarket. Who knew that Chevrolet has a Chinese web site?

So I got home with my 25-pound sack of rice and lots of other stuff that we can’t find in the regular grocery store. And I’m ready to get down and cook.

4 Responses to “Getting ethnic”

  1. Michelle Says:

    I have to wonder how close it is to the culture when I see fried canned bisquits with sugar on them at the restaurant. :-)

    I miss the Asian market in Austin. One Halloween, I bought a HUGE commerical-sized box of fortune cookies. I miss the rice too. Their Jasmine was the best. Time for a trip…

  2. GraceD Says:

    Ranch 99! It’s a sort of pilgrimage for me, as well, to shop at a Ranch 99. However, my squeamish caucasion side gets a little worked up when I pass the butcher department – I have a hard time dealing with the appearance of organ meats and certain fishy smells.

  3. Dave K. Says:

    Shop at arcadia supermarket (around the corner on duarte Rd. and baldwin).. Ranch 99’s prices are a rip off!

    re: good ol’ chinese comfort food.. try this one (i got it from my mom) – its simple and I guarantee kids will like it.

    1. mix 2tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs sugar, 1tbs rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1tbs minced ginger

    2. add 1 to 1.5lbs of ground pork into the mixture (or you can use beef if you like, but pork is better) and mix well

    3. put it in a steamer for approx 30 min (or until pork is done).

  4. Karen Says:

    One of my *silly* stories is shopping in an asian food store and there was the fruit & veg area with bins of various items. Some were in picle brine in barrels, other in boxes, some stuff was crated. None of it looked familiar to me…

    So – I pointed to a barrel and asked the shop owner: “What’s this?”

    “Bamboo shoots,” he replied.

    I asked about the grey things next to the barrel: “What’s this?”

    “Bamboo shoots,” he replied.

    Again, There was some unfamiliar stuff: “And What’s this?”

    “Bamboo shoots,” he said…now looking at me like I was nuts.

    Turns out it was ALL Bamboo shoots (pickled, shredded, dried, stalked…what ever). But ya sure coulda fooled ME! *smile*

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