Shopping « Chinese Southern Belle

Classes Full, next Asian Market Tour Feb. 27, Cook’s Warehouse April 15

Our Hands-On Classes at Buford Highway Farmers Market in Jan & Feb sold out fast! Be sure to give us your contact info and get on the waiting list!

The first one last Wed on Springrolls was a big hit. I think we had as much fun as the new “Eggroll Queens” in the class. Yes, all 22 attendees (except one teenaged boy with mom) were women! We wok ‘n’ rolled 3 different kinds: Springrolls, traditional Eggrolls and tricky Thai/Vietnamese Fresh Basil Rolls, plus went over lots of Kitchen Tools and Tips (3 G’s, you’ll have to come to class to find out

If you missed getting in on a class, I’ll still be doing free, Express Demos on Saturdays (Jan 23, 30, Feb 6) at Buford Hwy Farmers Market, details here so come by and say hi, then have a fun, multicultural shopping experience!

By popular demand, we’ll do an Asian Market Tour & Tasting, Saturday, Feb. 27. More details and registration info to come…

We also have more with Cook’s Warehouse: April 15 (I Can’t Believe It’s Tofu) and new class June 22!

Thanks again to Cynthia Bohannon-Brown, CBB Studios for taking wonderful photos at our events! Contact her if you need photographic services, she’s great to work with!

NEW Classes & Demos – starts January 9!

EAT, SHOP & LEARN with Chinese Southern Belle!

We’re excited to bring you NEW Hands-On Cooking Classes in January and February at Buford Highway Farmers Market! (5600 Buford Hwy, Doraville 30340).

Popular dishes made simple, healthy and homestyle
Learn about Asian culture, history, travel
Fun, interactive with tips, tasting and BHFM gift card!

Homemade Springrolls (Jan 20), Asian Hot Pot Party (Feb 16) and Dumplings (Feb 25)!

Cost: $10 with gift card, registration required (Bill 678-873-7447 or bill@aofwc.com) Space is limited so sign up early!

Also at BHFM, 15-minute Express Demos are back! 1:00-4:30pm, every half hour, free, drop by for tips, tasting and shopping list/recipe. Come by and say Ni Hao, Y’all!

See Events Flyer for schedule and details. Store directions here

Asian Supermarkets

Asian grocery stores have finally come out of the mom-and-pop woodwork and we now have a few to choose from. The competition is fierce with national chains muscling onto center stage with supersized stores and aggressive advertising. We’ve come a long way, baby! My mom recalls how she couldn’t even find soy sauce in the local Winn-Dixie grocery store and if there was rice, it was Minute Rice, “fluffy and not sticky!” That’s how we ended up eating dishes like Pepper Steak and Rice-a-Roni and Hot Hunan Catfish. That’s what was available or what my parents caught in Lake Allatoona!

Georgia Asian Times compiled a helpful list of Asian groceries with notes. Several stores, like Assi, H-Mart and Hong Kong Supermarket now have multiple locations and there is a Cobb International Market on Spring Rd in Smyrna.

I have been to all of them. For me, proximity, variety and quality brands are the top factors. It also depends on what you are looking for, e.g. meats and seafood, fresh produce, specific ethnic focus or good foodcourt eats. I go most often to Buford Highway Farmers Market (variety and quality) and Cobb International Farmers Market (proximity).

Regardless of which you choose, it can be a fun, adventurous experience. If you want help navigating or are interested in our favorite products and “pantry essentials,” contact us for a group Asian Market tour.

We also have new events lined up at Buford Highway Farmers Market, click here for flyer

New CSB Food & Cultural Workshops, More Saturday Demos!

EAT, LEARN & SHOP with new Chinese Southern Belle events in Jan/Feb!

*NEW* CSB Food & Cultural Workshops, Buford Highway Farmers Market – Fun, Hands-On, only $10 (with $10 gift card after you “graduate” the class)

Registration required, space limited, all classes 7-9pm. To register, contact Bill at 678-873-7447, bill@aofwc.com or Customer Service at the store (5600 Buford Hwy, Doraville 30340).

Workshop Dates:

Wednesday, Jan. 20 – Homemade Springrolls!
Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Celebrate the Lunar New Year – Asian Hot Pot Party!
Thursday, Feb. 25 – Dumplings!

Back by Popular Demand – Saturday Express Demos, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm, drop-in – tasting, recipe, shopping list, quick tips!

Demo Dates:

Sat. Jan 9 – Homemade Springrolls
Sat. Jan 23 – Sushi Express
Sat. Jan 30 – Tour de Tofu!
Sat. Feb 6 – Asian Noodle Crazy

See Event Press Release

Curry Chili & Green Gift Ideas – Saturday, Dec. 12!

Check out a wonderful, newly-renovated Asian Supermarket, do your shopping, get unique Asian holiday gift tips (including Eco-cookware) and taste Thai Twist Chili–in one trip!

This Saturday, Dec 12, from 1pm to 4:30 pm, drop in and say howdy! More info here

Look for new cooking classes coming in 2010…

Fusion Favorites & Asian Eco-Cookware

Come out to Eat, Learn & Shop–this Saturday, Dec. 12– for Fusion Favorites and Asian Eco-Cookware with Chinese Southern Belle at Buford Hwy Farmers Market

15-minute demos, drop-in 1:00pm – 4:30 pm for free samples, shopping list, product and cooking tips, and holiday gift ideas…plus innovative energy-efficient cookware!

Look for new cooking classes coming in January 2010!

Eggrolls & Springrolls Handout/Shopping List/Recipe

We had a great turnout for this show on Homestyle Eggrolls & Springrolls with lots of families representing different cultures. Everyone loved Mom’s recipe for homestyle, pan-fried springrolls and excited to distinguish the different wrappers, how they could be cooked and that low-oil pan-frying was a healthy option!

The handout included:

History of eggrolls
Shopping List (Basic & Optional Variations)
Where to find products in the store
Helpful Tips
Mom’s recipe for homestyle springrolls

Here’s a complete list of dates and topics in the Eat, Learn and Shop series

Sushi Express Handout/Shopping List

Here’s the handout from the Eat, Learn & Shop Series: Sushi Express (November 14, 2009, Buford Highway Farmers Market).

Sushi history
Shopping List (Basic and Variations)
Where to find in the store
Product and Cooking Tips

For a complete list of dates and topics in the Eat, Learn and Shop series

Lost in Translation: Asian Restaurant and Store Names

Great little Japanese grocery store, tucked away in Smyrna

Some good eateries and grocery stores remain a mystery to newcomers, including several along Buford Highway, because they sometimes have different Asian and English names or no English names at all on signs. What you call it often depends on if you can read the Asian characters, the English name (if given) or like most of us, guess at the phoenetics, usually a mangled Americanized pronounciation.

Glimpse of Restaurant Research “Process”

When I ask my Chinese relatives or their friends to give me their restaurant recommendations, we go through this “a.k.a.” or also-known-as ritual:

1) They give me the Chinese name (or translation). I write it down in pinyin with the tone marks- Yi Tiao Long.

2) I clarify the Chinese name – One Dragon? (Yes) What is the English name? (We only know it as Yi Tiao Long. We’ll take you there to eat.) What road is it on? (Don’t know. It’s near Gwinnet Place Mall.)

3) Eventually, we eat there together and I take a look at the English on the sign and menu. Nothing says One Dragon, but it does say Sydney’s Buffet!?

4) I tell my non-Asian-speaking friends about the Chinese and Japanese buffet at Yi Tiao Long, a.k.a. Sydney’s Buffet in Pleasant Hill!

The photo above is the storefront of a great little Japanese grocery, Tomato, in Smyrna (Windy Hill Rd/Cobb Pkwy). It’s next to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants for lunch, Umezono’s. You can find good quality soy sauce, my niece’s favorite candy (Hi-Chews), oodles of noodles, refrigerated/frozen food, plus non-food items, like Asian herbal medicines.

I will do my best to dig out favorites in the community then “translate,” locate and share them with you here…

For more on restaurants, the Sweet & Sour of Eating Out and other tips…

Asian Noodle Primer, Saturday, December 5, 1:00-4:30pm!

“Eat, Shop and Learn” with Chinese Southern Belle at Buford Highway Farmers Market !

Photos courtesy of Cynthia Bohannon-Brown Photography

Our November shows on Sushi Express and Eggrolls were a hit! Two more show dates for this year’s series. Come out, do your shopping and get new ideas, just in time for the holiday festivities!

Free 15-min shows (1pm-4:30pm, every half hour) includes Shopping List, Cooking Tips, Easy Recipes! No sign up required
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In 15 minutes, Chinese Southern Belle will show you:

How to make it at home
Where to find the ingredients in the store (shopping list)
Recipe
Tasting samples
Variations/shortcut tips

Location: 5600 Buford Hwy, Doraville, GA 30340 (just outside I-285). More info, map/directions

Save the Date: Saturday, Dec. 12 - “Chinese Southern Belle’s Fusion Favorites” Natalie will share her secrets to favorite homestyle, fusion dishes