With the rise in interest & increasing popularity of Asian culinary culture, now’s a great time to see what all the fuss is about. Check out our definitive list of Asian grocery stores in Buffalo Niagara.

by Max Fisher

Many staples of Asian cooking not only impart characteristic, all-important flavors, but also have proven health benefits – from antioxidants & anti-inflammatorys (like tumeric), and cardiovascular-health-promoting & cancer-fighting (like various cumin species)

A Health Food Culture

When the words “clean living” come to mind, I instantly think of Asian culture; because to put it bluntly, they know how to live. When it comes to longevity, Asian culture has us beat lock, stock and barrel. Whether it be medical practices using herbs and spices taught and handed down for hundreds of years, or more subtle things like eating more white rice than what’s considered “normal” to us in the west, Eastern culture seems to understand something we seem to have only scratched the surface of recently. The idea that food, beyond being fuel for your body, is medicine.

With that in mind, along with the rise in interest and increasing popularity of Asian grocery stores in Buffalo Niagara, now’s a great time to see what all the fuss is about.

Not Your Average Grocer

In my experience, I like going to Alamin Grocery because it’s been there a while and is an established pillar of its community. It has special items such as spices and herbs that I can’t find anywhere else except by maybe stumbling upon them in the international section of the supermarket or paying an arm, a leg, and a migraine on Amazon and, yes, they have produce that doesn’t look like it’s just gotten back from its second tour at war. Alamin Grocery and places like it are unique because they’re a bit off the beaten path when compared to places like Tops and Wegmans. They also provide a personal touch that the other places sorely lack.

When you go to a chain supermarket, you know what you’re in for. Some sort of crowd of people sporadically moving their carts, in some cases like they’re in a chariot race sprinting from one aisle to the next, throwing products in their carts like live grenades. They have people there supposedly ready to help you, but more often than not, it just leads to someone calling a colleague on a walkie-talkie to confirm or deny the availability of something, or they’ll literally just point you in the direction of where you need to go like a car passenger would to an annoying hitchhiker asking for directions (talk about being lost in the supermarket). No matter what you get, when you finally reach the checkout counter and the cashier tries their best to muster a smile, it’s not a genuine one any more, just an automated fabrication. When you finally get home and start putting items away, you notice all your products are just a jumble of different name brands, to be stored away in your cupboard until you decide to do something with them.

What’s in a Job?

Smaller grocers, like Buffalo Niagara’s Asian markets, usually have an in-depth knowledge of the products on their shelves that you won’t find at supermarkets

In other words, the people who sell these products in these substantially large places don’t take pride in the products they are selling you because of the simple fact that they can’t. There are just too many items on store shelves, so the employee with just a cursory knowledge of the items he or she oversees in their aisle is elevated to superstar status, while you just have to make due, but when your dealing with a smaller place people are much more knowledgeable about the products occupying their store shelves. This is the case with Asian grocery stores in Buffalo Niagara. Buffalo Niagara is blessed to have Korean grocery stores like Hana Mart, huge general markets like Asia Food Mart on Niagara Falls Boulevard, Indian grocery stores like Spice Bazaar, and many others!

It’s a whole different ballgame when the market you work at isn’t just a job, but also a livelihood. If it thrives, you do as well and vice versa. The people running these stores, in many cases, this is their sole source of income. This is essentially their lifeblood and as a result they put everything they have into these comparatively smaller markets to make sure everything is in order. From vegetables to meat, you can go up to a worker in one of these such places and actually have a genuine conversation about what recipes this might be good with or possibly what ailments these might cure. Now I’m not saying that every person in every Asia grocery store in Buffalo Niagara that you come across is some kind of food shaman with an encyclopedic knowledge of every food known to man. Still, I can guarantee you that the employee working at this type of supermarket is more knowledgeable about the products they stock than the worker at the big supermarkets because everyone working there on some level realizes just how vital their service is to the community.

When it comes down to it, it’s not about food. It’s about perspective. Having places like this available to communities that didn’t have them before can only be seen as a positive in my eyes. Because it gives people unfamiliar with a different culture a door in which they can thoroughly explore what they have to offer, which can lead to understanding, which can only lead to a stronger community as a whole.

Your Are What You Eat

Ever wanted to learn more about cooking with Indian spices? Just go to any of the many Indian grocery stores, like Spice Bazaar, around Buffalo Niagara, and you’ll not only be surprised at what you find but how friendly, knowledgable and helpful the staff are

Food can be a great many things: fuel for your body, medicine, and even a means of connecting with others. That’s what Asian markets and other places like it represent – authentic food from produce all the way to fish, but also a means to show what great things a plethora of cultures can offer and, more importantly, what we all experience if we create a sense of community. Maybe you are looking for a new chicken soup recipe, a more effective remedy for a cold, are seeking new flavors and ingredients, or are just bored with the monotony of everyday life. Try seeking out one of these markets. You might be surprised. There are always secrets to be found and experiences to be gained at many of the Asian grocery stores in Buffalo Niagara.

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