South Jackson Street crosses 12th Avenue South at the heart of Seattle's Little Saigon. Vietnamese and Cantonese dominate the tongues here but Spanish, Somali, Tagalog and Russian are as likely as English to be overheard.
Elderly women in broad, woven hats crouch next to brightly colored plastic baskets of Chinese vegetables on the well-traveled sidewalks. Mothers with perky babies bound tightly on their backs shop among ladies clothed in head coverings and street-length robes. Jeans-clad teens wait at the busy bus stops with folks clutching shopping bags, parents with toddlers and construction workers in orange safety vests and hard hats on route to a job site.
High energy pulses through this fascinating swirl. Jeweler's windows show off lustrous jade and clusters of pearls next to insurance offices, hairdressers and Chinese herbalists. Small boutiques, Chinese newspaper vendors and a large Asian restaurant supply store line this crosshatch of streets. Hungry shoppers stop in at tiny cafes offering spicy Vietnamese sandwiches in crusty French bread, bowls of steaming hot noodles, or seat themselves in a variety of restaurants. Most likely though, shoppers come to Little Saigon for the ethnic markets and their fabulous range of cooking ingredients.
Pop into Hop Thanh Supermarket any day of the week and you'll find shoppers busily gathering fresh produce near a big, north-facing window. Bunches of emerald spearmint, garlic in dry, papery skin and curvy, violet-hued Chinese eggplant fill bins near mounds of fresh oranges, piles of ripply-skinned bitter melon and numerous varieties of cabbage. Color is everywhere.
Aisles are narrow in this busy and popular Asian supermarket. One holds packets of dried noodles of every description wrapped in crinkly cellophane. Nearby stand a dozen brands of bottled fish sauce. These range from dark, viscous liquids to amber colored, watery solutions. Used extensively in Southeast Asian cookery to impart saltiness and body to many dishes, these sauces should be used sparingly.
Fish paste, by contrast comes in squat jars, is pinkish-gray in color and thick. Looking closely one can see minute black dots; these are fish eyes. Quickly fried in a little oil, fish paste imparts body and flavor to stir fried dishes and soups.
Small 8 to 10 ounce size bags hold a raft of dried beans, mung, azuki and soy among them. Mushrooms, labeled as 'dried fungus' are nearby. Spidery forms of dried cuttlefish, jellyfish and sea urchin rest in clear packages next to packets of tapioca 'pearls'. Tapioca the size of a small marble is the mysterious element in the popular 'bubble tea'. Hop Thanh also features fish cut to order and a large meat counter.
Across 12 Avenue at the corner sits Lucky An Dong. Called simply 'An Dong Market' prior to the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the store suffered heavy damage followed by a devastating fire. Rebuilt, the new store is bright and inviting. Just inside the entrance sits an assortment of 20-some glass jars of dried fruits. Vermillion strips of sweet, sticky mango and papaya are sold as snacks while sweet-and-salted plums soothe a sore throat when added to hot tea. Dried Chinese dates, also called 'jujubes' have wrinkled, red skin and make great thickeners for vegetarian broths.
One can engage an herbalist at a long, glass counter to prepare treatments on the spot. Asking a series of questions the herbalist plucks various medicinal herbs from a warren of small drawers marked with Chinese characters. He carefully weighs the prescribed amount of each on a simple pan balance. Handing the herbs over the counter in a small bag the man includes instructions on their preparation and use.
Another assortment of large, thick-walled glass jars sealed with heavy lids is close by. Inside each rests a king's ransom of variously sized dried abalone, ginseng roots and many types of dried scallops. The scallops glow with a warm, honey-rust color. These products are used to make broths and teas for the sick; ask the clerk for assistance should you want to make a purchase. Such items are sold by weight.
Across Jackson Street the tiny New Saigon Deli & Grocery offers tasty Vietnamese sandwiches. Housed in the same large building as Viet Wah, New Saigon's sandwiches are crusty rolls filled with meat, pickled radish, carrot strips and sprigs of cilantro. A sliver of hot pepper offers a burst of heat. Inspired by the French jambon, these sandwiches taste even better. Hot coffee, fruit drinks and desserts are also available.
Two stone lions guard Viet Wah's entrance, at the west end of the building. This large store sells fresh and frozen fish, poultry and red meats, but pork is the predominant choice. An imposing grandfather clock stands just inside the entrance facing pallets heaped high with 50 pound sacks of rice. Jasmine, basmati, white and glutinous varieties serve the broad community of shoppers.
Tucked into a small corner in the produce section is an exceptional display of fresh herbs so important to south Asian and Southeast Asian cookery. Bright green cilantro, aromatic lemon grass stalks, bunches of scallions and Thai basil snuggle with purple banana blossoms, nubs of galangal, a ginger relative, and packets of tiny, hot peppers often called 'bird peppers'. Chrysanthemum leaves, aromatic and leafy are offered and make a great change from spinach or other greens in soups.
Nearly an entire wall of Viet Wah is devoted to cooking utensils, tea varieties and housewares. One finds both ceramic and plastic dishes, steel cooking pans, woks, packets of chopsticks, mesh strainers and clay pots for hot pot cookery. Look for tins and packets of herbal, green, oolong and chai teas. Adjacent shelves are replete with colorful and fancy, imported cookie tins. These cookies, often called 'biscuits' in the British manner, are flavored with pineapple, pandan leaf, coconut and citrus flavors and make nice gifts.
Both Viet Wah and Hop Thanh have parking lots but these are very busy, especially on weekends.[[In-content Ad]]
