In my Chinatown they're located in the grocery stores in the
kitchenware aisle. I'm in a store yesterday looking at what I thought
was a light color brown decorative ornate Yixing teapot and trying to
figure out how to get the lid off and saw it was sealed with a white
bead looked at the display again and noticed it was made of
gingerbread. I was fooled for a good five minutes.

Jim

Rebecca Ore wrote:
> In article >,
> (Joseph Kubera) wrote:
>
> > >The other interesting thing was a conversation last week with a
Chinese
> > >exchange student who told me that guywans are old-fashioned in
China,
> > >but used in some restaurants.
> > >
> >
> > Interesting that that's the case in China. Here in NYC, you can't
find a
> > gaiwan at the Chinese dept. stores, only at the specialty tea
places. And one
> > of the proprietors of Tea Gallery (they carry lovely tea, zishu
and porcelain
> > teaware) was grumbling that she doesn't get many Chinese people in
there (and
> > they're in Chinatown).
> >
>
> We have them in Chinese grocery stores in Philadelphia, but they tend
to
> be a seasonal item -- as if the potteries in China made them at
certain
> times of the year. They're not as common as the regular tea pots and

> the covered mugs. I've also seen a bunch of Yixing pots at different

> times in Philly, and the exchange student said that those are
considered
> to have health-giving properties. And Ti Kuan Gying (I'm not
checking a
> reference right now--Iron Goddess of Mercy) oolong is really strong,
she
> said.