人人乐 Market

Asian Market is Asian Market, where ever I am they will always look the same. The only difference; outside China, the signs have English (or Dutch, or French, Korean, etc etc) translation. I've been to many Asian markets in my life. Holland, France, America and China, almost everywhere I stay for a longer time I end up in a Asian Market. I always wonder around, be amazed with all the products, produce and other nicknacks. Take my time to find familiar things and be astonished by new things. Reading labels, finding out that every sauce in the Chinese kitchen is made from soybeans. That curry pastes are not always vegetarian. That the Asian taste is enhanced with E-numbers and MSG.

For many years my family and I go to this big warehouse on a industrial site. There is a huge (for Dutch scale) Asian Market/Warehouse 'Tai Pan'. As a child (and even now) I spend most of my time there along the freezers. They leave all the crazy goodies there. Frog legs, durian, all kinds of frozen fish and seafood, ducks. I can still wonder along the freezer and the aisles. 

人人乐 (ren ren le) was my daily supermarket I went to in China.
Ren Ren Le or translated Everyone Happy (translated word by word meaning people people happy). And I guess everybody was happy with this supermarket. They will catering to all your needs. Close by the university campus, great hours, with a fresh produce dept, fish, meat, deli, bakery, toiletries, kitchenware, clothes, you name it! They had a crazy candy department. With flavors I never imagined, durian, jackfruit, red date and more craziness. Like dried meats and tofu and seasoned spicy chicken feet!

But most of my wondering along Asian market aisles happens in LA. From Delmar market, to Hawaii market, Korean markets, Hong Kong Plaza, and many, many many more! Duck tongs, intestines and organs, turtles, seaweeds, fishheads, octopus and roots I never saw before and all kinds of kitchenware and utensils. 

Made you curious? Look up your local Asian Market and take some time to take a look! If you're an Asian food lover, these markets would definitely make 人人乐 (everybody happy, pinyin: ren ren le)

up: I found this picture in the stacks and boxes of pictures we have. My dad is an amateur photographer, always taking pictures, analog and digital. So I guess this is one of his pictures.
Asian market around Rosemead, LA County, Januari 1990

middle: Emy and I in the Korean supermarket, astonished by it's products and seafood department.
Greenlang, Rowland Haight, California, June 2012

down: Fresh food department of the Ren Ren Le, Na'nan District, Chongqing, Februari 2013

Here are some of my favorite Asian Markets:

Tai Pan Oriental Foods
Laagraven 2B

3439 LG Nieuwegein

THE NETHERLANDS

Toko Tjiau Jiang

Croeselaan 199-203

3521 BM Utrecht

THE NETHERLANDS

Dun Yong

Stormsteeg 9

1021 BD Amsterdam

THE NETHERLANDS

Ren Ren Le

Located next to the CTBU (Chongqing Technologie & Business University,
重庆工商大学) entrance & 五工里 lightrail (wugongli) station

No. 19 Xuefu Ave. Nan'an District

400067 Chongqing

CHINA

Hawaii Supermarket

120 E Valley Boulevard

San Gabriel, CA 91776

USA

San Gabriel Superstore

1635 S San Gabriel Boulevard

San Gabriel, CA 91776

USA

Hong Kong Plaza

989 S Glendora Avenue

West Covina, CA 91790

USA

168 Market

1421 E Valley Boulevard

Alhambra, CA 91801

USA