Conference turris::cooks

    
    I know of two stores in Worcester that may be of help.  One is a
    Chinese grocery store located in a small strip mall on Cambridge
    Street in the section between Illinois street and Webster Square.
    I don't know the name of this one unfortunately but there's a sign
    that says Chinese blah blah ...
    
    The other one is an Asian/American store on Water Street directly 
    across from Lederman's bakery, and it's called Kien Giangs.  This
    place is rather big and has a very good selection of Asian goods.
    I recommend you go and check it out, I suspect you may find what
    your looking for there, or you can call them on the phone, I believe
    they're listed under Oriental Markets in the Yellow Pages.
    
    - Lar

    In the Worcester yellow pages I found: 
    (under `Chinese Food Products')
    Joyce Chen Unlimited
    423 Great Rd. Acton
    263-6922
    
    (under `Grocers-Retail')
    Cho's Oriental Supermarket
    118 Cambridge St Worc
    798-2547  (I think this is the one Larry was referring to)
    
    Martha

    There is also a Chinese food store in Acton on Rte 2A across from Carol
    Reed.  It's called Joyce Chen.        
    

    There is a small place in Westboro on the south side of Route 9
    called Rose Lee's.  It is a combination restaurant/market.  She
    also gives lessons there.  I have found many of the little oddities
    I need for Chinese cooking there....no produce though.
    
    Judy

    
    Sarah, please let us know where you finally get the items so those
    of us who may be looking for the same thing know where to go. 
    
    If you go to Kien Giangs, check out the bags of Thai Jasmine Rice.
    It's $9.00 for a 25 Lb bag, and the rice is _excellent_, very tasty.
    
    Lar

    You may also want to try the Mediteranean Marketplace on the corner
    of Park Ave and Pleasnt St.
    
    ...while not specifically an oriental market, they do carry a great
    assortment of hard to find items, many of them use in Chinese cooking.
    
    And it smells great inside!
    
    Edd 
    
    

    I tried both KienGiang and Cho's (also known as Twin's).  Both had
    anything "dried" I could possibly have wanted.  The only problem I had
    with KG's is that a lot of the items didn't have the English name
    printed anywhere.  Since I didn't know what some of the ingredients
    looked like, I may very well have by-passed it.  Cho's products had
    both.  As far as produce goes, I'll stick with my local supermarket.
    Neither place had woodears (whatever those are...I'm assuming some sort
    of mushroom/fungus?) that I could see.  The prices for both are
    comparable.  If you go to Cho's, and you don't see what you need, ASK. 
    They have things stuck away in lots of different places.
    Guess I'll have to run by Joyce Chen's for a third comparison?
    
    Sarah
     

    
    re: .8
    
    I don't believe the Mediteranean Marketplace is in business any more.
    The Living Earth took over the building that they used to occupy at
    least a couple of years ago. 
    
    Larry

    Living Earth is on  the corner of Park and Chandler.
    Mediterranean Market is in business on the corner of Pleasant and
    Park as mentioned.

    
    Thanks for clearing that up.  I wasn't sure since because I believe
    at one time the building where the Living Earth is was once either
    a Mediterranean store or an Oriental store. Umm, I'll have to go check
    out the Mediterranean market now.
    
    Lar

Where did Kien Giang go? I went there this weekend and it was closed
down....store was empty. Looked like it had happened recently...the food
shelves were still there. There was a "FOR RENT- Call Eddie" sign up.

Did they go out of business or did they move? Maybe they couldn't last selling
Jasmine rice so cheap!! THere was no "We have moved" sign up.

This was going to be my first time there ! Sigh!
Is there an equivalent store to Kien Giang in Worcester?

-joanne

    
    I had gone to Kiengiangs last week to buy some rice and the door 
    was locked then.  There wasn't any signs or anything and the shelves
    were all empty.  There's other stores mentioned in previous notes that
    may suffice.  I called the Mediterranean market on Pleasant street 
    and they have the Thai Jasmine rice but couldn't quote me a price on
    a 25lb bag because they were all out.  In single Lbs it was .69 a lb.
    
    Cho's Oriental market on Cambridge street has Japanese Jasmine rice 
    for $11.00 per 25lb bag.  Not as cheap as Kiengiangs, but cheaper 
    than going to the gas station these days.
    
    - Larry

    There are 2 or 3 Oriental grocery stores on Main St. in Worcester. 
    They are in the stretch between the Galleria and Clark U.

    How about a store in the Nashua area??
    Does anyone know of a place that sells Chinese spices/groceries?
    
    -TB

    I got chinese 5-spice at East West Foods in Lamplighter Square (on DW
    highway, near D'Angelo's, across from the Dead Pheasant Mall.)
    
    I happen to have a *huge* container of 5-spice that I bought for once
    recipe that I will never use in a million years, so if you want half,
    I'd be glad to give it to you.
    
    D!

    When buying five-spice, I find it a good idea to check the ingredients.
    Not for *what* spices, but for the order of appearance. I'm not fond
    of anise, and avoid powders listing it first...
    
    Edd

East/West Foods stocks it in Nashua, NH.  Many of the supermarkets carry China 
Bowl's line of Chinese food products.  I know they producea 5-spice powder, but 
I don't remember specifically seeing it in any stores.  There's also a Chinese 
goods place in Simoneau Plaza that might have it.

Finally, there's Joyce Chen's Unlimited, on rte 101A in Amherst, in the plaza 
behind the Midori Japanese restaurant.  They carry a full line of oriental 
(Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese) cooking supplies, including several 
brands of 5-spice powder.

--PSW