Hong Phat

I have some awesome Vietnamese friends who own, of all places, an ice cream shop. However their family also owns an Asian Market. It is one of my favorite 'not just a regular grocery store' to shop. I go there every once in a while to pick up items for making Asian food. Ingredients like hoison sauce, jasmine rice, bean thread, rice sticks, rice paper wrappers, garlic chile paste, coconut milk, soy sauce, etc. Everything there is much cheaper than at a regular grocery store. There are many things there that I would never know what to do with, but I'd love to learn. There are also many things there that I don't think I really want to eat.
The place always smells like a fish market because they have fish just sitting out in containers. Beepers loves it. The fish at the regular grocery store don't have heads. And the regular grocery store doesn't have a cooked pig's head on display. A couple of months ago we went there and they had a whole cooked pig. We went earlier this week and Beepers was sad he couldn't find it. He said to me, "maybe it got up and walked out." Sorry Beeps, I don't think so.
When I walk in sometimes people look at me funny. I've randomly seen other caucasian people there, but I'm usually the only one. I stick out a bit because I'm tall and blond. There is always somebody there who knows me and they are always excited to see me. It's a bit like 'Cheers'. They always tell me to get a drink and they always give me food. It is not the reason I go there and sometimes I don't want anything. However, even if I tell them no, they still give me something. Most things I've liked, but I've learn I don't like the sandwiches. They put some kind of fish paste on them. And the dressing for the noodle salad has fish oil, or something in it. When it comes to drinks, they have some very strange ones. The strangest I've tried is aloe vera juice, which has chunks of aloe vera in it. I didn't really like the taste, but maybe it's good to drink after you've eat something really spicy. Maybe it helps soothe the burn.
For Chinese New Year they have dragon dancers perform in front of the store. It's fun, but loud (they have firecrackers going off constantly).The place is called HONG PHAT. If you want to be a bit adventurous check it out. It's at about 3100 South and Redwood Road.
Buy some Mae Ploy Sauce. It's sweet, spicy, and garlicy. Mmmmm!