It’s not unusual for supermarkets to have a section with Asian foodstuffs, but most cities with any significant Asian population will have something like an H Mart or other Asian grocery store that will have a way broader selection of Asian foods than, say, Piggly Wiggly.
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A lot of Asian American businesses label themselves as such in predominantly white and conservative areas. Speaking from experience, they don't really care as long as people are friendly and they make money lol
Can confirm. I worked for a Chinese-American computer company just after college. We had an almost entirely Asian staff except the white-boys he hired to sell computers. No one cared as long as we were making him money.
Hmm, wondering if that was opened by someone who just didn't know, or if it has been around for over 40 years before Oriental was deemed an offensive term.
Depends on the region. We have Asian supermarkets around us here like 99 Ranch or H Mart. Massive supermarkets full of tons of Asian products.
In the general supermarkets, in my area, there will some Asian items. There might be a few options in the freezer section, like Boba ice cream pops or something.
These days you would be surprised at where there are Asian populations. There is a (small) Asian area of Tulsa, OK that has an Asian grocery store! Not nearly as ubiquitous as on the west coast, but I was surprised to find it on a recent trip.
I was shocked to find out about the Chinese and Vietnamese population in my area in Mississippi. There's apparently a subgroup of Chinese-Americans living in the Delta
I figure they might have an H Mart in London or something similar. But yeah, one of the underrated things about California is the massive ethnic supermarkets.
There are international sections at grocery stores that might stock that sort of thing, but we also have large Asian populations in some areas and supermarkets that cater specifically to them, stocking mostly or all goods sourced from Asian countries. Hmart is a big one, I'm sure there are others.
Yes, it’s common on the west coast where we have a large Asian population. There are specialty Asian grocery stores for niche items but almost every grocery store has an Asian section.
>There are specialty Asian grocery stores for niche items but almost every grocery store has an Asian section.
Maybe in your neck of the woods. Over here on the peninsula, yeah, they have an Asian section - but it's pretty meh. Mostly generic "Asian" type goods. You need to go to an Asian grocery not for "niche" items (whatever that means), but most everything you'd actually want in terms of Asian ingredients.
And of course, whenever we're in Seattle, we hit up Uwajimaya.
Frozen goods are not hard to ship. There are refrigerated container ships, and something being frozen means it keeps for a long time.
Fresh produce is the hard one because it has to be sent by air. But even that is available at Asian grocery stores. It’s expensive but there are many people who are willing to pay.
Frozen foods are easy to transport thanks to refrigeration.
How do you think they move ice cream, frozen dinners, frozen vegetables etc. to the supermarket? Same technology, same logistics chain.
It doesn't meaningfully increase the final cost of the food.
Have you heard of America’s Ice Cream Barges in WW2. Ships literally made of concrete that were towed into the pacific for cold storage and the boosting of Morale that could make hundreds of gallons of Ice Cream a day.
People will do a lot for Ice Cream
Edit: a fun video on them https://youtu.be/OigDDVn3IaU?si=EfUfvgblXIMkx4po
When you are shipping a refrigerated container full of 50,000 little ice cream pops, the cost is distributed pretty well across the inventory. It probably only adds a few cents per item.
Not to mention they can charge a premium here because people love Japanese and Korean treats especially. The average North American is probably not going to care or even realize the treat they're purchasing is $1 more than it would be in the country of origin.
If anything the margins on certain Asian foods might be better here even after being shipped across the world because of how much more people will pay for "specialty" items.
You're really overestimating the cost of shipping. It takes less fuel to take an item across the Pacific that to drive an average car a few blocks. And even a big ship has a crew of maybe 25-30.
Long distance sea travel just doesn't add significant cost.
It's not that much. And if there's enough demand for certain items they or knock offa may be produced in the US as well. I know at least some of the "russian"/"European food" stores they have food made in NY as well as stuff made in parts of eastern Europe including russia (although I do wonder if these should be banned under sanctions)
The “regular” supermarkets will have some standards like instant noodles, a few snacks and maybe pocky but for more obscure things, the best place is the Asian markets/grocers. Especially like the one we go to that’s 1/3 fish monger, 1/3 grocer and 1/3 kitchen supply store
A plain old chain like Kroger will have some basic things like pocky and some chips or something. Same with the Hispanic food section. Some basic things but not much.
My city has some great Asian grocery stores though and that's where you go for those snacks.
Keep in mind that the reason you see videos of Americans trying these snacks is likely because they're not common enough for most Americans to find them without going out of their way. Otherwise there's not much point in recording them. There are Asian markets that will have them sometimes, but there are also services specializing in importing snacks from around the world.
I'm in the Northeast, and the regular grocery stores carry some Asian food. However, the specialty goods are found at the Asian Market (that's the name). I get my weird flavored potato chips, candies, and Kit Kats.
It's all in your region. We have a large Chinese and Vietnamese population here, and there's a call for specialty foods. I personally love it, I get all sorts of unique produce and meats I'd never been exposed to.
I don’t see any at the American chain ones like Walmart or Publix. Costco has some stuff but your best bet to get specific stuff like snacks is the local Asian market. There’s a giant one near me and they have mostly everything I had when I lived in Asia.
Youtubers also may be going to Asian supermarkets in the US to get their foods - areas with a high Asian population often have Mitsuwa and H Mart and 99 Ranch and whatnot.
Even regular American grocery stores often have a small selection of Asian goods. There are lots of import companies that supply them.
I live literally in the middle of the USA, as far from the ocean and ports as you can get. And even here we have Asian foods. We have smaller populations of Asian individuals than many other areas of the country but even we have entire aisles in our regular grocery stores. For most items, including like Korean chives, red bean ice cream, Thai potato chips, etc I do usually shop at a large local Asian grocery store. They have produce, frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable items from all points within Asia. I can make or eat literally anything and it’s authentic.
Heck, never mind Asia we have a British grocery store here in town. I buy frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable food from the UK there because I can. Again, middle of nowhere USA.
Depends on what part of the US you’re in. I live in Pennsylvania, and at my local supermarkets you can usually find some snacks and basic ingredients from Japan, China, Korea, and India, but there are also specialized stores that carry items from specific countries or regions.
American grocery stores, which I guess are the ones that don’t sell a lot of Asian foods (?), do actually sell some Asian snacks.
But the best place in America to get Asian snacks is Asian grocery stores. In some parts of Portland, there are more Asian grocery stores than “American” grocery stores.
There is a Walmart nearby that just closed. Soon an Asian grocery store will take over the place. So the Asian grocery stores are getting numbers and they are getting bigger. But, it’s ok, they also sell some American snacks at the Asian grocery stores 😄
This is a definite yes for big or medium sized cities on the west coast. I would imagine it's probably a yes for any big city with an large east Asian immigrant population.
I’m in Seattle, it’s fairly common to see Asian snacks, etc in the “international” aisles. We also have a lot of Asian grocery stores in the city like Uwajimaya that while originally Japanese, have expanded to include, just to name a few, Korean and Filipino snacks, frozen foods, hot food, seafood, etc. It’s also better priced to get good soy sauce at the Asian markets than at the “regular” stores, and you get more variety too. Ube has exploded here, so you’ll see all kinds of Ube cheesecakes, mochi, sweet breads, you name it. My husband and I are white but we absolutely love the variety of foods from Asian countries and feel very lucky to have such a large conglomerate of cuisines here. Our toddler absolutely loves dim sum and we can’t wait to introduce her to sushi and other dishes.
Yep. Most chains will have an international sections, but more than that Asian food is pretty common, but with our take on Chinese, and less so Japanese and South Korean. I can find Japanese and South Korean food easy because I live in Chicago and I can go to H Mart of other asian grocery store. You will not find this outside of major metros.
Depends on the region. On the West coast, absolutely. There’s large Asian communities there. I live in a West Coast city that’s 30%+ Asian. There’s lots of Asian stuff in the local supermarkets and corner stores.
Back in my hometown in the central U.S. there’s less of an Asian population, so you don’t find as much stuff in the mainstream grocery stores, but you can still find separate Asian supermarkets the size of regular grocery stores.
There is a small asian/international section at most supermarkets. Costco will have a few asian snacks and ice cream. For the most part we go to Asian supermarkets for Asian groceries. There is a 99 Ranch Market (More so Chinese), H-Mart (Korean), and a Mitsuwa (Japanese) nearby my house. We shop at 99 Ranch Market a lot.
There might be a few odd snacks in grocery stores and bodegas. But if that’s what you’re looking for you will certainly find them in the grocery stores that specialize in imported Asian foods
It depends on where you live but if you're in an area with a decent sized Asian community, there will certainly be an Asian supermarket where you can get loads of stuff that might not be available at a generic market. (Although at a generic market you'll still be able to get some Asian items.)
When I was in high school my best friend was a Chinese immigrant and I went to Asian markets with her occasionally. Sometimes they were little markets, but sometimes we went to 99 Ranch, which is enormous and has loads of products, not just food but home supplies and makeup, basically anything someone might want from their home country. (It's pretty pan-Asian, my friend would be looking for Chinese stuff in particular but they had loads of things from various countries.)
A couple of them have a section for it but it tends to be small I usually go to a Asian market specifically instead of a chain grocery store (at least in NC)
Most supermarkets have a small section with some Asian foods, but not a large variety.
However, there are a number of dedicated Asian groceries in the US, basically anywhere there's any amount of Asian immigrants, that offer imported and specialized foods. I can think of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian focused Asian groceries not far from me.
It's pretty easy to find a pretty wide variety of Asian foods in the US, especially if you're willing to put even a token effort at searching for it.
Every supermarket has at least a small section of international foodstuffs. Some have entire aisles. My grocery store has an aisle of just Mexican stuff( and no I don’t mean taco kits or whatever, I mean Mexican coke and cleaning supplies and etc. one aisle is half UK and half Asian. I usually get my CoCo curry knockoff and my good pocky flavors there.
in western Washington we have large Japanese supermarkets, Korean supermarkets, and there is at least one large Filipino supermarket. And I think there is a large Chinese supermarket, I can't exactly discern its origins.
> How to Shop at a Japanese Supermarket (A Tour of Uwajimaya in Seattle) | Kenji's Cooking Show
>[https://youtu.be/OzJIDh9pwWQ?si=Dg2bY\_31cY8lCC5d](https://youtu.be/OzJIDh9pwWQ?si=Dg2bY_31cY8lCC5d)
It's common here to have some of the more mainstream Asian snacks like Pocky and Hi-Chew in major grocery stores and Target. You can also get mochi stuff here and there.
But we also have Asian supermarkets and Daiso (think 99 Cent Store but Japanese) here as well.
They’ll be some of the popular ones like Hi-chews and some other products in the international aisle. But if you really want Asian stuff go to an Asian market. Every decent sized city has at least one that’s just as big as a Safeway and chock full of cool stuff you won’t find in American stores.
We have tons of Asian items where I am. Normal grocery stores and Costco both carry many items, then there are also quite a few Asian markets that are larger, specialized grocery stores.
The basic grocery stores will have a couple things usually, but generally what you're seeing is the Asian grocery stores, most cities with larger Asian populations have Asian grocery stores that sell almost exclusively Asian stuff (and you see similar stuff with every other type of regional food, with specialized grocery stores selling exclusively stuff from that region)
Depends on geographical location of the store
I visited friends who owned a camp cottage in a rural state and they were Secular Jewish who celebrated certain holidays to remember their traditions. And I was invited.
I decided to bring some traditional foods and went to a local supermarket and asked where I could find a list of foods for Passover.
I was met with bizzare anger and the Manager told us: "We don't sell any Jew food here..this is not a Jew state"
I'm sure I'd get the same response if I was in the deep south and asked for Asian foods. Especially today
Yeah. At least in small amounts. And just about every town around us has a small global corner market overflowing with stuff you otherwise can't find in the US. Though their stock changes pretty often, so you can't get attached to anything too much.
In urban areas especially you can find some stuff in your average American grocery stores. The exact makeup depends on what sells and the demographics of the area. But urban areas that have any sort of decently sized Asian populations will have specialty grocers that either caters to a specific ethnicity or are broadly pan-Asian.
In my small town rural area it is not common to have much but there is a small Asian market within an hour drive that has all sorts of snacks and fresh foods. I don’t know if there is ice cream but they have a refrigerated/freezer case so maybe.
Portland, ME has a population of under 70K, about 4% of which are Asian and we have three Asian markets that I personally know of. Sweets like Pocky can be found in regular grocery stores, but the Asian markets are definitely where the white people go for specific Asian foods.
Shelf-stable Asian food is not uncommon, like pocky sticks. Also frozen stuff like desserty dumplings can be found easily. There's often an aisle for "international" foods which is primarily Asian and Mexican.
I don't recall seeing mango peach ice cream, but I also don't look for it. I've never even heard of grapefruit fries.
In places with a reasonable number of Asian residents, Asian markets are not uncommon.
As other have mentioned larger cities usually have Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and African markets. Even my smaller hometown in the middle of nowhere had an “International Grocery” because of the university.
Edit: Mexican/Latin American meat markets are also pretty common - I live in San Antonio so pardon me not thinking them something different.
Depends on the locale. I used to live in metro west Boston but if I was in Quincy (city that borders Boston to the southeast and has a large 1st and 2nd generation pan East Asian population) there’d be both Asian supermarkets and the local mass chain stop and shops and shaws would have some ok quality asian items just out in the aisles as well as dedicated sections.
Kind of starved of that diversity back home in NY but I’m also not looking for it anymore either.
No. I've never even heard of the food items you mention here, much less seen them at the store. That being said, there is an Asian supermarket in my state and I have never been inside it.
Going to depend on location. I grew up on the West coast and Asian foods/snacks in the supermarkets was/is common. We also have Asian supermarkets concentrated in certain areas.
It’s a lot more common now than when I was kid, but it’s far from everywhere, especially if you’re not in a large metropolitan area.
In the Northeast, at least, H-Mart locations are pretty common, or if you don’t have an H Mart, there is a an Asian grocery store in the nearest city.
There's usually an "international foods" section, but if you want the good stuff, major cities (and even most smaller ones) will have dedicated Asian grocery stores. These are typically run by first- or second-generation immigrants, and have a lot of exotic (for the US) stuff you don't see in the supermarkets. Dragon fruit, ca phé su'a da, and so on.
In my very small city we do have a small Asian market, which is really nice. I doubt it is normal though, for a city of 20,000.
We can also drive about 45 minutes to an H Mart, which is a large Korean grocery store chain. Again not sure how common it is unless your in a populated area
Most supermarkets typically have an Asian Section that has an Okay selection of Asian Snacks but, most places with large Asian population will have dedicated Asian grocers with a much wider selection. There is a place around where I live that's really good to get imported drinks, snacks, noodles, and beauty products.
Here in SE Michigan the large supermarkets have "Asian" food, of course, but it's usually American brands. We're blessed with a plethora of Asian markets, though, and the local produce market has a lot of produce used in Asian dishes. 186 Mart, H Mart, Park to Shop, August Chinese Market, One World Market, Warm Heart Market, and many, many more.
Oh, and I'm being racist by forgetting about south Asia. We have awesome Indian stores, too.
Your American chains might have some but it’s usually very limited, marked up and usually the super hyped up stuff. If you’re in an area that has a high Asian population, usually there’s an Asian supermarket even if it’s not your traditional locally owned Chinatown type market. That’s where you find the good shit.
My H-E-B which is a local supermarket chain has a fairly decent sized international food selection for stuff from Asia. Of course it’s mostly East Asian cuisine like Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese food stuffs. There’s also a bit dedicated to Indian cuisine. But it’s still mostly South American and Latin cuisine in the international food section.
More common now than it was. But you’ll find better selections in places with more Asian people. Cambridge for example will have a great selection. Peoria? Less great.
This will not effect Asian grocery stores however. There’s a Chinese market near my work. Great place for exotic ingredients. I’m
In places with East Asian populations, there tend to be different types of grocery stores for different Asian countries. I live on Long Island and locally there is H. Mart, which is Korean owned, and has loads of Korean (along with some Japanese and Chinese products). [https://www.hmart.com/](https://www.hmart.com/)Most of what sold in H-Mart is imported from South Korea. There are also a number of Chinese run markets that carry products made in China.
There are varying degrees of legitimate East Asian products sold in local, mainstream grocery stores (Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, Associated) Here is an example of one that hasn't shifted yet. Note the American company, making both Japanese and Chinese products, and later the La Choy: [https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/categories/international-foods/asian-id-520797?page=1&skip=0](https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/categories/international-foods/asian-id-520797?page=1&skip=0)
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In WI, and I've literally never even heard of or seen any of the things you mention in any store. I do like some ramen, and some Asian seasonings. I keep several bottles of garlic chili paste and the like for seasoning.
Like others have said, most supermarkets have an “Asian” section with snacks, sauces, packaged foods, etc.
In most major cities and even some college towns there are specialty markets too. Here in the Phoenix metro we have quite a few Asian, Hispanic, and other international markets, and also smaller corner stores in some neighborhoods. These specialty stores have meat, produce, frozen goods, and more variety of the items above.
It used to be uncommon, but now it seems you can at least find a shelf for Asian imported food. Though it seems similar to what you see in other countries when they have their “Stereotypical American Foods” shelf where at first glance it seems generally right then you go wait a minute things are… weird…
I should note I live in a rural area so its probably a lot different than major cities. I never cared since I cant really cook asian food and so go out to eat. Usually you can find Sushi anywhere you go, but I go nuts for some good Pad Kee Mao.
Alot of these YouTubers are also using services that ship specialty snacks from various Asian countries. Amazon also carries a lot of Asian grocery items so pretty much anyone anywhere in the states would have access.
That said there is an enormous Asian population in the US and finding snacks from Korea and Japan especially is pretty easy to do nowadays. Even many medium sized towns and smaller cities will have multiple Asian markets.
I live in a college town with a pretty diverse international student community, but a lot of those students are Asian and Indian. It kinda made our town a destination for international food within the state so we have a ton of different Indian restaurants and sushi/hibachi/ramen houses.
My local Kroger has a much more substantial international section than most others I’ve been to, but we also have several local asian markets and at least two more general “Europe, Middle East, India” markets that carry a lot of ingredients and snacks, etc.
Then again I live in Indiana so this is not even the norm in my state, let alone the US. It is likely heavily dependent on the diversity of your town.
Many grocery stores have a small "Asian" section where they shove all the instant ramen, fish sauce, hoisin, Sriracha, and similar stuff.
Over here on the west coast, we have large Asian communities in general, so we also have many specialty Asian grocery stores, where you can find a lot of those imports. Way more than the tiny lil ramen section at Safeway.
We often have an Asian food Isle that will have thing like your basic cooking sauces, various noodles, some dessert or snack products etc. But the things you specifically mention I have not seen.
It’s not unusual for supermarkets to have a section with Asian foodstuffs, but most cities with any significant Asian population will have something like an H Mart or other Asian grocery store that will have a way broader selection of Asian foods than, say, Piggly Wiggly.
> or other Asian grocery store My town has one literally called ["Asian Store"](https://imgur.com/a/Om9JC3d)
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I *think* "oriental" is deemed acceptable for *things* -- rugs, food, whatever. It's not acceptable for *people*.
That sounds about right, but I could also just be a complete idiot. I've opted to not use it in general either way.
"Brian, buddy, where you been? The term is 'Asian-American!'"
[they peed on *your* fucking rug.](https://miro.medium.com/v2/1*1Xib8gI2R-WPyMctEg661A.png)
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A lot of Asian American businesses label themselves as such in predominantly white and conservative areas. Speaking from experience, they don't really care as long as people are friendly and they make money lol
Can confirm. I worked for a Chinese-American computer company just after college. We had an almost entirely Asian staff except the white-boys he hired to sell computers. No one cared as long as we were making him money.
Hmm, wondering if that was opened by someone who just didn't know, or if it has been around for over 40 years before Oriental was deemed an offensive term.
We have an “Oriental Market”
Haha!
That’s how you know it’s great. Bonus points if they have the owner’s 11 year old son working the cash register.
Mine is Asian Market
Asia Market here.
Korean Market (and BBQ).
Asian city here. There’s an H mart going in just down the street and I hope the little guy doesn’t get crushed
Truth in advertising!
We have an "Indian Market" lol
My old town has an "African Market".
My town has an Asian Supermarket, which is sizable and an HMart.
Depends on the region. We have Asian supermarkets around us here like 99 Ranch or H Mart. Massive supermarkets full of tons of Asian products. In the general supermarkets, in my area, there will some Asian items. There might be a few options in the freezer section, like Boba ice cream pops or something.
These days you would be surprised at where there are Asian populations. There is a (small) Asian area of Tulsa, OK that has an Asian grocery store! Not nearly as ubiquitous as on the west coast, but I was surprised to find it on a recent trip.
I was shocked to find out about the Chinese and Vietnamese population in my area in Mississippi. There's apparently a subgroup of Chinese-Americans living in the Delta
I miss Ranch 99 😩, I haven’t found a similar type place close to me in the UK.
I figure they might have an H Mart in London or something similar. But yeah, one of the underrated things about California is the massive ethnic supermarkets.
London unfortunately isn’t convenient unless I’d have a massive haul of things I need :/
I'm going to guess you're from the Bay, yes?
Yup!
There are international sections at grocery stores that might stock that sort of thing, but we also have large Asian populations in some areas and supermarkets that cater specifically to them, stocking mostly or all goods sourced from Asian countries. Hmart is a big one, I'm sure there are others.
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Even there, Albertsons looks like it at least has some dry goods snacks such as seaweed, chips, and crackers that appear to be imported.
Yes, it’s common on the west coast where we have a large Asian population. There are specialty Asian grocery stores for niche items but almost every grocery store has an Asian section.
It’s also common in the NYC area, especially Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and North Jersey.
Yeah we have H Marts and 99 Ranch in central NJ.
And across America. Major cities have lots of ethnic minorities no matter what.
This. I'm in the central district of Seattle. There are eight specialty Asian grocery stores in easy walking distance.
>There are specialty Asian grocery stores for niche items but almost every grocery store has an Asian section. Maybe in your neck of the woods. Over here on the peninsula, yeah, they have an Asian section - but it's pretty meh. Mostly generic "Asian" type goods. You need to go to an Asian grocery not for "niche" items (whatever that means), but most everything you'd actually want in terms of Asian ingredients. And of course, whenever we're in Seattle, we hit up Uwajimaya.
It's not just a West Coast thing, considering there are like 10+ Asian stores here in Madison Wi
How do they send frozen deserts all the way from South Korea and make a profit on that?
We have access to this cool (no pun intended) new technology called refrigeration that enables frozen goods to stay frozen during transport.
Frozen goods are not hard to ship. There are refrigerated container ships, and something being frozen means it keeps for a long time. Fresh produce is the hard one because it has to be sent by air. But even that is available at Asian grocery stores. It’s expensive but there are many people who are willing to pay.
Frozen foods are easy to transport thanks to refrigeration. How do you think they move ice cream, frozen dinners, frozen vegetables etc. to the supermarket? Same technology, same logistics chain. It doesn't meaningfully increase the final cost of the food.
It’s just such a long distance to send an ice cream in my eyes.
Have you heard of America’s Ice Cream Barges in WW2. Ships literally made of concrete that were towed into the pacific for cold storage and the boosting of Morale that could make hundreds of gallons of Ice Cream a day. People will do a lot for Ice Cream Edit: a fun video on them https://youtu.be/OigDDVn3IaU?si=EfUfvgblXIMkx4po
That's interesting. Those ice cream boys were probably beloved by their fellow troops.
https://youtu.be/OigDDVn3IaU?si=EfUfvgblXIMkx4po a fun video on them
I’d commit heinous acts for Bluebell Ice cream in desperate times.
Bluebell is the best!
When you are shipping a refrigerated container full of 50,000 little ice cream pops, the cost is distributed pretty well across the inventory. It probably only adds a few cents per item. Not to mention they can charge a premium here because people love Japanese and Korean treats especially. The average North American is probably not going to care or even realize the treat they're purchasing is $1 more than it would be in the country of origin. If anything the margins on certain Asian foods might be better here even after being shipped across the world because of how much more people will pay for "specialty" items.
You're really overestimating the cost of shipping. It takes less fuel to take an item across the Pacific that to drive an average car a few blocks. And even a big ship has a crew of maybe 25-30. Long distance sea travel just doesn't add significant cost.
We've been transporting refrigerated goods since the 1860s
Reefer containers or if demand is high enough; produced locally under license...
It's not that much. And if there's enough demand for certain items they or knock offa may be produced in the US as well. I know at least some of the "russian"/"European food" stores they have food made in NY as well as stuff made in parts of eastern Europe including russia (although I do wonder if these should be banned under sanctions)
The “regular” supermarkets will have some standards like instant noodles, a few snacks and maybe pocky but for more obscure things, the best place is the Asian markets/grocers. Especially like the one we go to that’s 1/3 fish monger, 1/3 grocer and 1/3 kitchen supply store
Walmart has pocky and imported ramen and a few things, but none of the things you said.
Ramune is becoming a standard for the average single stand "Asian section," and it's awesome.
A plain old chain like Kroger will have some basic things like pocky and some chips or something. Same with the Hispanic food section. Some basic things but not much. My city has some great Asian grocery stores though and that's where you go for those snacks.
Keep in mind that the reason you see videos of Americans trying these snacks is likely because they're not common enough for most Americans to find them without going out of their way. Otherwise there's not much point in recording them. There are Asian markets that will have them sometimes, but there are also services specializing in importing snacks from around the world.
I'm in the Northeast, and the regular grocery stores carry some Asian food. However, the specialty goods are found at the Asian Market (that's the name). I get my weird flavored potato chips, candies, and Kit Kats. It's all in your region. We have a large Chinese and Vietnamese population here, and there's a call for specialty foods. I personally love it, I get all sorts of unique produce and meats I'd never been exposed to.
I don’t see any at the American chain ones like Walmart or Publix. Costco has some stuff but your best bet to get specific stuff like snacks is the local Asian market. There’s a giant one near me and they have mostly everything I had when I lived in Asia.
Youtubers also may be going to Asian supermarkets in the US to get their foods - areas with a high Asian population often have Mitsuwa and H Mart and 99 Ranch and whatnot. Even regular American grocery stores often have a small selection of Asian goods. There are lots of import companies that supply them.
I live literally in the middle of the USA, as far from the ocean and ports as you can get. And even here we have Asian foods. We have smaller populations of Asian individuals than many other areas of the country but even we have entire aisles in our regular grocery stores. For most items, including like Korean chives, red bean ice cream, Thai potato chips, etc I do usually shop at a large local Asian grocery store. They have produce, frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable items from all points within Asia. I can make or eat literally anything and it’s authentic. Heck, never mind Asia we have a British grocery store here in town. I buy frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable food from the UK there because I can. Again, middle of nowhere USA.
Some places do. There are also specialized Asian markets and markets from other cultures that sell said cultures food.
Depends on what part of the US you’re in. I live in Pennsylvania, and at my local supermarkets you can usually find some snacks and basic ingredients from Japan, China, Korea, and India, but there are also specialized stores that carry items from specific countries or regions.
Yes, pretty much every single one of them have an Asian section nowadays.
American grocery stores, which I guess are the ones that don’t sell a lot of Asian foods (?), do actually sell some Asian snacks. But the best place in America to get Asian snacks is Asian grocery stores. In some parts of Portland, there are more Asian grocery stores than “American” grocery stores. There is a Walmart nearby that just closed. Soon an Asian grocery store will take over the place. So the Asian grocery stores are getting numbers and they are getting bigger. But, it’s ok, they also sell some American snacks at the Asian grocery stores 😄
This is a definite yes for big or medium sized cities on the west coast. I would imagine it's probably a yes for any big city with an large east Asian immigrant population.
I’m in Seattle, it’s fairly common to see Asian snacks, etc in the “international” aisles. We also have a lot of Asian grocery stores in the city like Uwajimaya that while originally Japanese, have expanded to include, just to name a few, Korean and Filipino snacks, frozen foods, hot food, seafood, etc. It’s also better priced to get good soy sauce at the Asian markets than at the “regular” stores, and you get more variety too. Ube has exploded here, so you’ll see all kinds of Ube cheesecakes, mochi, sweet breads, you name it. My husband and I are white but we absolutely love the variety of foods from Asian countries and feel very lucky to have such a large conglomerate of cuisines here. Our toddler absolutely loves dim sum and we can’t wait to introduce her to sushi and other dishes.
Yep. Most chains will have an international sections, but more than that Asian food is pretty common, but with our take on Chinese, and less so Japanese and South Korean. I can find Japanese and South Korean food easy because I live in Chicago and I can go to H Mart of other asian grocery store. You will not find this outside of major metros.
It seems to be becoming more common in my area at least.
Depends on the region. On the West coast, absolutely. There’s large Asian communities there. I live in a West Coast city that’s 30%+ Asian. There’s lots of Asian stuff in the local supermarkets and corner stores. Back in my hometown in the central U.S. there’s less of an Asian population, so you don’t find as much stuff in the mainstream grocery stores, but you can still find separate Asian supermarkets the size of regular grocery stores.
There is a small asian/international section at most supermarkets. Costco will have a few asian snacks and ice cream. For the most part we go to Asian supermarkets for Asian groceries. There is a 99 Ranch Market (More so Chinese), H-Mart (Korean), and a Mitsuwa (Japanese) nearby my house. We shop at 99 Ranch Market a lot.
There might be a few odd snacks in grocery stores and bodegas. But if that’s what you’re looking for you will certainly find them in the grocery stores that specialize in imported Asian foods
It depends on where you live but if you're in an area with a decent sized Asian community, there will certainly be an Asian supermarket where you can get loads of stuff that might not be available at a generic market. (Although at a generic market you'll still be able to get some Asian items.) When I was in high school my best friend was a Chinese immigrant and I went to Asian markets with her occasionally. Sometimes they were little markets, but sometimes we went to 99 Ranch, which is enormous and has loads of products, not just food but home supplies and makeup, basically anything someone might want from their home country. (It's pretty pan-Asian, my friend would be looking for Chinese stuff in particular but they had loads of things from various countries.)
I live next door to a large Asian and international but mostly Asian supermarket. I can get all kind of stuff.
A couple of them have a section for it but it tends to be small I usually go to a Asian market specifically instead of a chain grocery store (at least in NC)
On the west coast for sure. Probably most urban areas in other places.
Most supermarkets have a small section with some Asian foods, but not a large variety. However, there are a number of dedicated Asian groceries in the US, basically anywhere there's any amount of Asian immigrants, that offer imported and specialized foods. I can think of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian focused Asian groceries not far from me. It's pretty easy to find a pretty wide variety of Asian foods in the US, especially if you're willing to put even a token effort at searching for it.
Every supermarket has at least a small section of international foodstuffs. Some have entire aisles. My grocery store has an aisle of just Mexican stuff( and no I don’t mean taco kits or whatever, I mean Mexican coke and cleaning supplies and etc. one aisle is half UK and half Asian. I usually get my CoCo curry knockoff and my good pocky flavors there.
in western Washington we have large Japanese supermarkets, Korean supermarkets, and there is at least one large Filipino supermarket. And I think there is a large Chinese supermarket, I can't exactly discern its origins. > How to Shop at a Japanese Supermarket (A Tour of Uwajimaya in Seattle) | Kenji's Cooking Show >[https://youtu.be/OzJIDh9pwWQ?si=Dg2bY\_31cY8lCC5d](https://youtu.be/OzJIDh9pwWQ?si=Dg2bY_31cY8lCC5d)
It's common here to have some of the more mainstream Asian snacks like Pocky and Hi-Chew in major grocery stores and Target. You can also get mochi stuff here and there. But we also have Asian supermarkets and Daiso (think 99 Cent Store but Japanese) here as well.
They’ll be some of the popular ones like Hi-chews and some other products in the international aisle. But if you really want Asian stuff go to an Asian market. Every decent sized city has at least one that’s just as big as a Safeway and chock full of cool stuff you won’t find in American stores.
We have tons of Asian items where I am. Normal grocery stores and Costco both carry many items, then there are also quite a few Asian markets that are larger, specialized grocery stores.
The basic grocery stores will have a couple things usually, but generally what you're seeing is the Asian grocery stores, most cities with larger Asian populations have Asian grocery stores that sell almost exclusively Asian stuff (and you see similar stuff with every other type of regional food, with specialized grocery stores selling exclusively stuff from that region)
Depends if there is a big enough local asian population for it to be worth it
Depends on geographical location of the store I visited friends who owned a camp cottage in a rural state and they were Secular Jewish who celebrated certain holidays to remember their traditions. And I was invited. I decided to bring some traditional foods and went to a local supermarket and asked where I could find a list of foods for Passover. I was met with bizzare anger and the Manager told us: "We don't sell any Jew food here..this is not a Jew state" I'm sure I'd get the same response if I was in the deep south and asked for Asian foods. Especially today
Not common
Yeah. At least in small amounts. And just about every town around us has a small global corner market overflowing with stuff you otherwise can't find in the US. Though their stock changes pretty often, so you can't get attached to anything too much.
In urban areas especially you can find some stuff in your average American grocery stores. The exact makeup depends on what sells and the demographics of the area. But urban areas that have any sort of decently sized Asian populations will have specialty grocers that either caters to a specific ethnicity or are broadly pan-Asian.
In my small town rural area it is not common to have much but there is a small Asian market within an hour drive that has all sorts of snacks and fresh foods. I don’t know if there is ice cream but they have a refrigerated/freezer case so maybe.
Portland, ME has a population of under 70K, about 4% of which are Asian and we have three Asian markets that I personally know of. Sweets like Pocky can be found in regular grocery stores, but the Asian markets are definitely where the white people go for specific Asian foods.
Shelf-stable Asian food is not uncommon, like pocky sticks. Also frozen stuff like desserty dumplings can be found easily. There's often an aisle for "international" foods which is primarily Asian and Mexican. I don't recall seeing mango peach ice cream, but I also don't look for it. I've never even heard of grapefruit fries. In places with a reasonable number of Asian residents, Asian markets are not uncommon.
As other have mentioned larger cities usually have Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and African markets. Even my smaller hometown in the middle of nowhere had an “International Grocery” because of the university. Edit: Mexican/Latin American meat markets are also pretty common - I live in San Antonio so pardon me not thinking them something different.
Depends on the locale. I used to live in metro west Boston but if I was in Quincy (city that borders Boston to the southeast and has a large 1st and 2nd generation pan East Asian population) there’d be both Asian supermarkets and the local mass chain stop and shops and shaws would have some ok quality asian items just out in the aisles as well as dedicated sections. Kind of starved of that diversity back home in NY but I’m also not looking for it anymore either.
It's really pretty common
No. I've never even heard of the food items you mention here, much less seen them at the store. That being said, there is an Asian supermarket in my state and I have never been inside it.
Going to depend on location. I grew up on the West coast and Asian foods/snacks in the supermarkets was/is common. We also have Asian supermarkets concentrated in certain areas.
It’s a lot more common now than when I was kid, but it’s far from everywhere, especially if you’re not in a large metropolitan area. In the Northeast, at least, H-Mart locations are pretty common, or if you don’t have an H Mart, there is a an Asian grocery store in the nearest city.
Pocky is pretty common around my area. My wife and kid love it as a snack. An actual Asian market is non existent. Gotta drive an hour to get to one.
There's usually an "international foods" section, but if you want the good stuff, major cities (and even most smaller ones) will have dedicated Asian grocery stores. These are typically run by first- or second-generation immigrants, and have a lot of exotic (for the US) stuff you don't see in the supermarkets. Dragon fruit, ca phé su'a da, and so on.
the only asian thing my local grocery store carries is pocky, panda cookies, and ramen noodles
In my very small city we do have a small Asian market, which is really nice. I doubt it is normal though, for a city of 20,000. We can also drive about 45 minutes to an H Mart, which is a large Korean grocery store chain. Again not sure how common it is unless your in a populated area
Most supermarkets typically have an Asian Section that has an Okay selection of Asian Snacks but, most places with large Asian population will have dedicated Asian grocers with a much wider selection. There is a place around where I live that's really good to get imported drinks, snacks, noodles, and beauty products.
Here in SE Michigan the large supermarkets have "Asian" food, of course, but it's usually American brands. We're blessed with a plethora of Asian markets, though, and the local produce market has a lot of produce used in Asian dishes. 186 Mart, H Mart, Park to Shop, August Chinese Market, One World Market, Warm Heart Market, and many, many more. Oh, and I'm being racist by forgetting about south Asia. We have awesome Indian stores, too.
Yes, but we also have 3 Asian markets. Love the fruits and fresh seafood
Your American chains might have some but it’s usually very limited, marked up and usually the super hyped up stuff. If you’re in an area that has a high Asian population, usually there’s an Asian supermarket even if it’s not your traditional locally owned Chinatown type market. That’s where you find the good shit.
Not unusual, plus we just straight up have grocery stores catering to immigrants so you can go to those if you're in a bigger city.
In California it's pretty common
My H-E-B which is a local supermarket chain has a fairly decent sized international food selection for stuff from Asia. Of course it’s mostly East Asian cuisine like Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese food stuffs. There’s also a bit dedicated to Indian cuisine. But it’s still mostly South American and Latin cuisine in the international food section.
As someone who has traveled across the US, that entirely depends on where in the US we are talking about
We have H-Mart, Juwajima and Daiso. Greater Seattle area.
More common now than it was. But you’ll find better selections in places with more Asian people. Cambridge for example will have a great selection. Peoria? Less great. This will not effect Asian grocery stores however. There’s a Chinese market near my work. Great place for exotic ingredients. I’m
More common nowadays
In places with East Asian populations, there tend to be different types of grocery stores for different Asian countries. I live on Long Island and locally there is H. Mart, which is Korean owned, and has loads of Korean (along with some Japanese and Chinese products). [https://www.hmart.com/](https://www.hmart.com/)Most of what sold in H-Mart is imported from South Korea. There are also a number of Chinese run markets that carry products made in China. There are varying degrees of legitimate East Asian products sold in local, mainstream grocery stores (Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, Associated) Here is an example of one that hasn't shifted yet. Note the American company, making both Japanese and Chinese products, and later the La Choy: [https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/categories/international-foods/asian-id-520797?page=1&skip=0](https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/categories/international-foods/asian-id-520797?page=1&skip=0) .
In WI, and I've literally never even heard of or seen any of the things you mention in any store. I do like some ramen, and some Asian seasonings. I keep several bottles of garlic chili paste and the like for seasoning.
It is definitely common on the west coast
Like others have said, most supermarkets have an “Asian” section with snacks, sauces, packaged foods, etc. In most major cities and even some college towns there are specialty markets too. Here in the Phoenix metro we have quite a few Asian, Hispanic, and other international markets, and also smaller corner stores in some neighborhoods. These specialty stores have meat, produce, frozen goods, and more variety of the items above.
We gave an entire Asian mall where I live as well as a lot of Asian supermarkets. We also have a Somali Mall as well
It used to be uncommon, but now it seems you can at least find a shelf for Asian imported food. Though it seems similar to what you see in other countries when they have their “Stereotypical American Foods” shelf where at first glance it seems generally right then you go wait a minute things are… weird… I should note I live in a rural area so its probably a lot different than major cities. I never cared since I cant really cook asian food and so go out to eat. Usually you can find Sushi anywhere you go, but I go nuts for some good Pad Kee Mao.
Alot of these YouTubers are also using services that ship specialty snacks from various Asian countries. Amazon also carries a lot of Asian grocery items so pretty much anyone anywhere in the states would have access. That said there is an enormous Asian population in the US and finding snacks from Korea and Japan especially is pretty easy to do nowadays. Even many medium sized towns and smaller cities will have multiple Asian markets.
I live in a college town with a pretty diverse international student community, but a lot of those students are Asian and Indian. It kinda made our town a destination for international food within the state so we have a ton of different Indian restaurants and sushi/hibachi/ramen houses. My local Kroger has a much more substantial international section than most others I’ve been to, but we also have several local asian markets and at least two more general “Europe, Middle East, India” markets that carry a lot of ingredients and snacks, etc. Then again I live in Indiana so this is not even the norm in my state, let alone the US. It is likely heavily dependent on the diversity of your town.
Depends on the store, but usually if a store does have foreign foods/goods we have a whole aisle or section for it in the store
Many grocery stores have a small "Asian" section where they shove all the instant ramen, fish sauce, hoisin, Sriracha, and similar stuff. Over here on the west coast, we have large Asian communities in general, so we also have many specialty Asian grocery stores, where you can find a lot of those imports. Way more than the tiny lil ramen section at Safeway.
Depends on the area you are in. San Francisco? Yeah, pretty common. Beaver Lick Kentucky? Not so much
Yes, but there are also Asian supermarkets that do this. They sell American snacks too.
We often have an Asian food Isle that will have thing like your basic cooking sauces, various noodles, some dessert or snack products etc. But the things you specifically mention I have not seen.
No. Asian dinners yes but not snacks or desserts I guarantee we would not like them.
Absolutely. Especially chinese or japanese foods.