I knew going into the Asian food tour this month, a visit to two of the major Asian grocery stores here in Sioux City was inevitable. So, this post, and the next will take a
I knew going into the Asian food tour this month, a visit to two of the major Asian grocery stores here in Sioux City was inevitable. So, this post, and the next will take a look at the Hong Kong Market first, then the Great Wall.
In addition, as stated before, my husband and I have strategically removed big box stores from our lives, and now we are addressing other avenues to acquire our groceries. We already go to the Farmer’s market during the Spring and Summer, local meat markets, and craft fairs. And now we are on a mission to look elsewhere for our day-to-day groceries.
Our initial visit
Therefore, one afternoon we decided to make a trip down the newly remodeled 7th Street, which looks amazing by the way, and visit the Hong Kong Market. Previously, I’ve only been in their parking lot supporting a local food truck La Palapas, but have never actually gone inside to check out their merchandise.
In fact, for Secret Santa at work this year, I asked that whoever got me should go to Hong Kong Market and have fun buying me something. I never really need anything, I just enjoy participating in Christmas activities, so whatever they got me would be greatly appreciated. So, I got candy! Hard fruity candy, that my husband and kids really liked! That’s when I knew I really needed to make a visit to check out what else they had in store.
Never seen these energy drinks before
Walking in, we grabbed a hand basket, and started to make our way around. We first came to the energy drinks, where we found an array of options we have never seen before. I decided to try “Versace” just because the name made it look fancy, and my husband got “Bird’s Nest White Fungus”…yeah.
So, my drink tasted just like a Redbull, but my husband’s culinary adventure of the year tasted like cake batter. I guess this mysterious white fungus drink has chunks of mushrooms in it, and literally pieces of a bird’s nest. It’s supposed to be holistic, repair damage done to your body after a raspatory infection, and give you much needed energy. I think I’ll get him a six-pack for Father’s Day.
Exploring the grocery aisles
Moving on, we have never seen so much rice in our lives! We asked ourselves if there’s a preference to which one we should get next time we come, so by watching other shoppers, we think we narrowed it down to the sweet rice, or lavender rice.
We will also be trying new desserts here soon from their vast array of Pia cakes. And yes, I have no idea what that is, but I’m willing to try anything. Along with hundreds of canned goods, we stumbled upon a variety of soup options. Perfect for the cold Winter months we are currently enduring. I love making soups during the Winter, so we will be experimenting with several of these mixtures soon.
If you remember from my Pete’s Thai blog post, I talked about that paste that was soul-torching hot, well I found it! Now I can enjoy pain any time of day. But seriously, this stuff is sneaky. It starts off subtle, then you eventually end up breathing fire.
With uncommon grocery items, also comes unfamiliar produce and perishable options. We didn’t get any this time, but we will begin familiarizing ourselves with what fruits and veggies to buy, and what pairs well with other ingredients. And my husband seemed quite interested in their duck and quail eggs, since they are rich in protein, and organic.
Holy mochi!
Being the sweet tooth that I am, it was quite difficult to walk away from their snack aisle. But I did grab a couple boxes of mochi. Most people are familiar with mochi ice cream, but I know it as a rice cake filled with red beans. Now, this may not seem like a sweet treat for you, but this brings back so many college memories for me. One of my roommates was from Hong Kong, and I helped tutor several Asian students from China, Japan and Taiwan. Through our engagements, I was introduced to a handful of their favorite snacks, mochi being one of them, and ever since then I’ve been addicted.
As my husband and I sat down to enjoy our mochi, I told him “This right here brings me right back to my college apartment”. I also introduced him to pocky and fudge sticks, but next time we’re trying some of their crème filled Euro cakes.
Plan your visit
In all, we had a great time discovering new grocery items, getting out of our comfort zone, and brainstorming different dinner ideas for the future. Our goal in the next couple years is to completely substitute main stream grocery stores, with locally owned and ran businesses like this one. Plus, getting to know new people in our community and seeing different faces will only add to our overall quality of living.
I hope you do what we did, start with baby steps, get familiar with new territory, try something new every week until you create a new routine, and open up your pantry to unique and tasty options. Also, to help yourself get familiar with what products they sell, visit Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hongkongmarketsc/) for daily specials and check out even more pictures of what they have to offer.
712-277-8712
501 W 7th St
Sioux City, Iowa 51103
Hours of Operation:
Mon – Sun: 10am to 8pm
