My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it
up."

Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime we
purchase food items from any Asian market.

What is up with that?


--
I made magic once. Now, the sofa is gone...
http://www.dwacon.com




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" dwacon" > said:

> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
> restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
> you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it
> up."
>
> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime we
> purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
> What is up with that?

They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting. At least you
know they'll be open to your questions when you do have some.

Carol

--
Coming at you live, from beautiful Lake Woebegon

dwacon > wrote in message
news:NW%ye.149086$sy6.115100@lakeread04...
> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian
> Market near the restaurant. When I purchased some "water
> spinach" the cashier asked, "Do you know how to eat this?"
> I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it up."
>
> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions
> everytime we purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
> What is up with that?

Because enough round-eyes don't know and don't ask out of fear and
ignorance. Be happy that the cashier was concerned enough to ask. Of
course, the next time you buy something and are too ignorant and scared
to ask, she'll know not to offer.

The Ranger

dwacon wrote:

> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
> restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
> you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew
it
> up."


With those Asian greens, just treat 'em like regular greens, e.g. stir - fry
'em, etc. Can't go wrong...


> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime
we
> purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
> What is up with that?


They just want to make sure you know what you are "getting into" I guess...

One time at a Viet grocery I bought some kind of "fish sauce", it had pieces
of fish in it. It was cheap, thought I'd try it for a lark. The cashier
warned me against it, saying, "You know, you won't like this...".

She was true to her word. I opened it up and, "WHEW!", it stank like hell.
I'm used to some odd Asian things, but this was truly gross.

There are Thai restaurants here in Chicago (and elsewhere) that have one
menu for the "general" public (read "Americans") and another menu for Thai
folks. Some Chinese places do this, too. The "native" menus have things
that are not all *that* radically different, but I guess they think there
are things we "round eyes" won't care for. Someone on a Chicago food board
makes a hobby of translating these "secret" Thai and Chinese menus...

I've been to Chinatown restos with Chinese people, they don't even bother
with menus, they simply tell the staff, "Bring us what's good". Interesting
experience...if you are "American" you won't be offered the same stuff.

--
Best
Greg

Damsel wrote:
>
> They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
> without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
> sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting. At least you
> know they'll be open to your questions when you do have some.
>
> Carol


Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.

On 2005-07-07, djs0302 > wrote:

> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.

Well gee! ....it sucks to be you!

nb

"djs0302" > wrote in message
> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.
>

You must still be eating baby food in your very dull life. I like to
experiment and try new things. You ask or read or otherwise find out how to
prepare what you bought.

dwacon wrote:
> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
> restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
> you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it
> up."
>
> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime we
> purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
> What is up with that?
>
>
In GA it seems every time I bought red cabbage, some old German woman
would stop me as I selected one and ask "Do you know how to cook this".
I'd always reply, "How?" and get treated to 15 minutes on how one cooks
cabbage. I suppose they figured 'Mericans would have no clue how to use
it and felt compelled to help out. I always listened since I figured
that they had some sort of need to be helpful and share their recipes.

( I was shopping at the military commissary so there were always lots
of women from foreign countries ie GI brides)

Sometimes people just wanna be helpful.

djs0302 > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Damsel wrote:
> > They've probably learned from experience that many
> > people buy things without having a clue what they are
> > or what to do with them.

> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy
> something they've never heard of before?

There are lots of people that shop impulsively, walking the aisles of
stores, and reacting to different packaging or whatnot... Go into an
ethnic grocery some time. You'll see things that are sold there that the
mainstream groceries won't carry.

> I can't imagine just buying something and having no idea
> what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.

"<sigh> And that is why you fail."

Explore the world beyond steak-and-potatoes, Wonderbread, and Oscar
Meyer Bologna. You'll be truly amazed at what opens up to you.

The Ranger

"The Ranger" > wrote in message
...
> dwacon > wrote in message
> news:NW%ye.149086$sy6.115100@lakeread04...
>> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian
>> Market near the restaurant. When I purchased some "water
>> spinach" the cashier asked, "Do you know how to eat this?"
>> I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it up."
>>
>> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions
>> everytime we purchase food items from any Asian market.
>>
>> What is up with that?
>
> Because enough round-eyes don't know and don't ask out of fear and
> ignorance. Be happy that the cashier was concerned enough to ask. Of
> course, the next time you buy something and are too ignorant and scared
> to ask, she'll know not to offer.


I can understand no one can tell by looking at me that I lived in Asia for a
long time... but I am never scared to ask questions... especially if the
stock clerk or cashier is a cute young woman.


--
For Lovers Only
http://tinyurl.com/8emny




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" dwacon" > wrote in
news:x5gze.149150$sy6.30131@lakeread04:

> I can understand no one can tell by looking at me that I lived in Asia
> for a long time... but I am never scared to ask questions...
> especially if the stock clerk or cashier is a cute young woman.

.... nevermind

--
Andy
http://tinyurl.com/bczgr

"djs0302" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
>
> Damsel wrote:
>>
>> They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
>> without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
>> sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting. At least you
>> know they'll be open to your questions when you do have some.
>>
>> Carol
>
>
> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before?

This idiot!

What a dull life you must lead.

Dimitri

"Dimitri" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "djs0302" > wrote

>> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
>> they've never heard of before?
>
> This idiot!
>
> What a dull life you must lead.

(laugh) I think I'm probably *the* least adventurous eater on rfc
and even I do that. How else would I know that a pomelo is just
a small grapefruit in the middle of this really thick skin?

Unless I'm shopping strictly from a list, I always look around to
see what I'm missing and try something new.

nancy

djs0302 wrote:
> Damsel wrote:
>>
>> They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
>> without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm
>> pretty sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting. At
>> least you know they'll be open to your questions when you do have
>> some.
>>
>> Carol
>
>
> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.

We get posts here all the time, usually along the lines of "I bought XXX and
am having company for dinner in 4 hours. I need to know how to prepare
this!" It's the having company part that is silly if you've never prepared
a particular dish/item before. And then, of course, everyone here is
expected to jump in and save the day in time for the guests to arrive.

Jill

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> (laugh) I think I'm probably *the* least adventurous eater on rfc
> and even I do that. How else would I know that a pomelo is just
> a small grapefruit in the middle of this really thick skin?

But it is so much tastier than regular grapefruit, even ruby red!

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

In article .com>,
"djs0302" > wrote:

> Damsel wrote:
> >
> > They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
> > without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
> > Carol

> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before?

Idiot? Cripes, that's a pretty harsh word for a curious person.

> I know some people are more adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine
> just buying something and having no idea what it's suppose to taste
> like or how to prepare it.

Fine, but don't brand as 'idiot' one who *is* more open to an adventure.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> 7/01/05 Sam I Am!

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article .com>,
> "djs0302" > wrote:
>
> > Damsel wrote:
> > >
> > > They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
> > > without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
> > > Carol
>
> > Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> > they've never heard of before?
>
> Idiot? Cripes, that's a pretty harsh word for a curious person.
>
> > I know some people are more adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine
> > just buying something and having no idea what it's suppose to taste
> > like or how to prepare it.
>
> Fine, but don't brand as 'idiot' one who *is* more open to an adventure.

Agreed... buying new foods to try is often the highlight of my shopping
trips... eating the same-old all the time is BOREing.

I mean even trying a new shape pasta can be interesting... and if
nothing else I make it a point to check out all the ethnic food
sections for something that looks promising... discovered quite a few
favorites that way... yeah, I'll blow a whole three bucks on some
obscure sauce, chutney, jam. Yeah, sometimes that imported mustard
sucks but I end up with a cute jar.

Lately I've been checking out the frozen veggies section... I've found
a few blends that are excellent... Birdeye has some great new ones,
even contains the stir fry sauce packets.... haven't even stir fried
them yet as they are so good just nuked.

Sheldon

djs0302 wrote:
>
> Damsel wrote:
>
>>They've probably learned from experience that many people buy things
>>without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm pretty
>>sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting. At least you
>>know they'll be open to your questions when you do have some.
>>
>>Carol
>
>
>
> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
> they've never heard of before?

Um, me.

> I know some people are more
> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare it.

Sometimes we are our own best limit-setters.

Pastorio

On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 21:53:47 -0400, " dwacon"
> wrote:

>My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
>restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
>you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it
>up."
>
>Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime we
>purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
>What is up with that?

Well it's better than the first time I went into the Asian market in
the town were I grew up, and when I asked the lady at the checkout a
question about the item I was purchasing, she reacted like I was
being racist by assuming that *she* might know something about the jar
of horseradish- I was so embarrassed! I know it's silly but I felt
like I'd committed a giant faux-pas by assuming an (incidentally Asian
but that's not the point) person WHO WORKS IN AN ASIAN GROCERY might
know, geez! So I'm still grateful for a hint that it's ok to ask
questions, recovering from that trauma 15 years later!


Hope

In article .com>,
"Sheldon" > wrote:
(snip)
>Yeah, sometimes that imported mustard
> sucks but I end up with a cute jar.
LOL!! I can't *bear* to throw out the crocks that some mustards have
come to me in.
>
> Lately I've been checking out the frozen veggies section... I've found
> a few blends that are excellent... Birdeye has some great new ones,
> Sheldon

Ferinstance? I just can't get into those. Or haven't.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> 7/7/05 Family Reunion
and Part II of the Birthday Report

>> (laugh) I think I'm probably *the* least adventurous eater on rfc
>> and even I do that. How else would I know that a pomelo is just
>> a small grapefruit in the middle of this really thick skin?


> But it is so much tastier than regular grapefruit, even ruby red!

Any word on the acidity ? I like grapefruit, but have to limit myself
because the acidity is very high.

Dean G.

I buy all kinds of things, and worry about finding out about them
later.

Kumquats come to mind. Saw them at Jungle Jims, bought a few, and found
out later you didn't need to peel them. (whew!) Saw a horned melon
somewhere else, and had to buy that too. I found that those tiny red
bananas need to be fairly ripe before you can even peel them. Miniolas
(sp) are better than a tangerine. Some of the strange looking peppers
are really hot, but not all of them. Never found out what some of the
stuff was, but most of it was good.

Unheard of cheeses, strange sauces, and odd condiments are also impulse
buys for me.

That green bag of stuff turned out to be wasabi coated edamame. They
were dry, so they didn't go into the stirfry I was planning them for,
but they were a great snack with a beer.

Dean G.

dwacon wrote:
>
> My buddy and I had Pho for lunch and stopped by the Asian Market near the
> restaurant. When I purchased some "water spinach" the cashier asked, "Do
> you know how to eat this?" I said, "Yeah, I put it in my mouth and chew it
> up."
>
> Eric thought it was hilarious -- because we get those questions everytime we
> purchase food items from any Asian market.
>
> What is up with that?
>
Because they are probably used to roundeyes not knowing how to cook the
various vegetables Asian markets sell.

OTOH I gave up asking the (mostly male) Bengali grocers how to cook
something. The answer invariably was 'make a curry'.

jmcquown wrote:
> djs0302 wrote:
>> Damsel wrote:
>>>
>>> They've probably learned from experience that many people buy
>>> things
>>> without having a clue what they are or what to do with them. I'm
>>> pretty sure they're trying to be helpful, rather than insulting.
>>> At
>>> least you know they'll be open to your questions when you do have
>>> some.
>>>
>>> Carol
>>
>>
>> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
>> they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
>> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
>> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare
>> it.
>
> We get posts here all the time, usually along the lines of "I bought
> XXX and
> am having company for dinner in 4 hours. I need to know how to
> prepare
> this!" It's the having company part that is silly if you've never
> prepared
> a particular dish/item before.

>And then, of course, everyone here is
> expected to jump in and save the day in time for the guests to
> arrive.

And (of course) everyone does. Then everyone wants a report on the
outcome...

BOB
--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List

"Dean G." > wrote in message
ups.com...

> That green bag of stuff turned out to be wasabi coated edamame. They
> were dry, so they didn't go into the stirfry I was planning them for,
> but they were a great snack with a beer.


I LOVE those... used to keep them on my desk.

When I started my last job, I accidently brought the plain ones. My new
boss strolled by and helped himself to a handfull. I didn't care, I wanted
to get rid of them and get the good (wasabi) ones...

After a while I brought in some of the really hot ones. Bill stopped by my
office and while talking grabbed the can off my desk and took a handfull.
Now, this is a guy who turns bright red chewing Wrigley's cinnamon gum... so
imagine the look on his face when he munched down on the wasabies...

Priceless...

I managed to keep a straight enough face that I kept my job...



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Dean G. wrote:
> >> (laugh) I think I'm probably *the* least adventurous eater on rfc
> >> and even I do that. How else would I know that a pomelo is just
> >> a small grapefruit in the middle of this really thick skin?
>
>
> > But it is so much tastier than regular grapefruit, even ruby red!
>
> Any word on the acidity ? I like grapefruit, but have to limit myself
> because the acidity is very high.
>
> Dean G.

The ones I have had were just as acidic if not moe. A waste of money,
IMO.

-L.

In article .com>,
"-L." > wrote:
>Dean G. wrote:
>> >> (laugh) I think I'm probably *the* least adventurous eater on rfc
>> >> and even I do that. How else would I know that a pomelo is just
>> >> a small grapefruit in the middle of this really thick skin?
>>
>> > But it is so much tastier than regular grapefruit, even ruby red!
>>
>> Any word on the acidity ? I like grapefruit, but have to limit myself
>> because the acidity is very high.
>
>The ones I have had were just as acidic if not more. A waste of money,
>IMO.

Like most things, there is a lot of variation. I've grown several
pumelos (AKA "pomelos") from seed. So far only three have fruited.

One was pretty acid, to the extent it didn't dismay me when it was
killed by wildfire.

Another is almost sweet and very pleasant to eat. (Fortunately it
seems to have survived the fire -- Murphy was asleep!).

A third tree now has fruit, but not yet ready for sampling; and a
fourth tree has not yet set fruit, in spite of flowering well in the
past two years.

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

BOB wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> djs0302 wrote:
>>> Well what kind of idiot would go into a market and buy something
>>> they've never heard of before? I know some people are more
>>> adventurous, but not me. I can't imagine just buying something and
>>> having no idea what it's suppose to taste like or how to prepare
>>> it.
>>
>> We get posts here all the time, usually along the lines of "I bought
>> XXX and
>> am having company for dinner in 4 hours. I need to know how to
>> prepare
>> this!" It's the having company part that is silly if you've never
>> prepared
>> a particular dish/item before.
>
>> And then, of course, everyone here is
>> expected to jump in and save the day in time for the guests to
>> arrive.
>
> And (of course) everyone does. Then everyone wants a report on the
> outcome...
>
> BOB

And we never hear from them again... ingrates! LOL

Jill