[scubadude]

I have a couple of asian food stores that are fairly close to me....some of them are like mega supermarkets...I have gotten nori for much cheaper as well as krill...but ther are some other things I would like such as silversides...and im pretty sure that they are in these stores but alot of the food is written in asian so I was hoping there where some asian reefers out there that buy there reef food @ these stores and could give us some translations and tips

[Ninong]

...written in Asian...

Sorry, Rocky, I just couldn't help myself. If it's from Korea, it's in Korean. If it's from Japan, it's in Japanese. If it's from Taiwan or mainland China, it's in Mandarin (aka Chinese), if it's from Hong Kong, it's in Cantonese (or sometimes Mandarin), if it's from Vietnam, it's in Vietnamese, etc., but not Asian.



P.S. -- Just bring whatever looks interesting to the nearest employee under 30 and ask them "what's this in English?" Or better still, tell them what you're looking for because they may be able to speak their native language but not read it.

[scubadude]

I tried the "ask the employee" approach they have looked @ me like I was crazy when I have asked for Nori b4.

[Ninong]

That's how they look at me down here in Louisiana if I ask for anything Asian. I didn't have that problem in San Francisco.

Usually if it's a family owned business, then the older people in the business will both read and write the native language but they may not fully understand you. That's why I used to look for someone I knew had probably attended local schools.

Oh, wait a minute, you're in Whichita, Kansas, right? You can't just walk up to any employee and ask them for nori or silversides* or something like that, you have to have someone who looks the part, preferably young enough to understand you. And besides, silversides for human consumption are going to be of a much larger species than the little bitty ones we use to feed our fish.

Come to think of it, even if you do find silversides, aren't they going to be packed in something? Like oil or something? Just make sure that whatever you come across has abolutely no processing with salts or preservatives or oils of any kind.

*Maybe you should just look for frozen silversides at your local LFS? You can get them for less than $10/lb online but shipping would be a killer.

[Minh Nguyen]

You can buy nori from the Oriental market. Just make sure that they are not seasoned nori. I would avoid those frozen small fish that they sell. It may contain preservative that not always in the label. I just get fresh fish, clams, mussels, and shrimp to use to feed my tank.

[My2heartboys]

Ninong, I have tried shopping at the Asian markets here too and they can be very intimidating. I have just given up and bought what I needed at the LFSs.

Anne

[Ninong]

Anne,

I don't think we have any Asian markets around here. We have one small section, one-fourth of the aisle on one side, that is devoted to what they call Asian food but it's mostly Kikkoman sauces, etc. There is a really nice red, mildly spicy Thai dipping sauce that I love but I hate to try to bring it back from California because my suitcases are softsided. I have two old Samsonite type suitcases that I usually never use because they are so big and bulky.

You don't have to go to an Asian market in San Francisco because every supermarket has a very large Asian selection. And Hispanic selections, etc. In fact, they have virtually everything in San Francisco. If they don't have it, you don't need it.

[Cas]

I live near Motorela's HQ as well as Abbiott and other drug manufacturers. I live a mile away from the 1st school in the USA approved by the Japanese Education Ministery. We have more asian markets and sushi bars than most large cities. I understand about how intimadating they can be. My neice is comming home next week after spending her jr year of college in Japan. I am going to try to have her help me with identifing the fish in the stores.