# Asian Markets - treatment and quality



## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

I try not to buy things from China - the horrors I read each day *shudder*
So if I bought Noodles meat from an asian grocery, would it still be the same deal? More of a mistreatment of animals and they do crazy things to their foods and plastics, etc.
Is it safe to feed a dog anything raw from an asian market without worry?


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## tuckersmom20 (Dec 12, 2010)

I've been getting chicken from asian market for a while....

the grocery stores are government inspected just like any other food store....so i thought it was ok..

be interesting to see what others think.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

The quail we buy comes from new jersey. Te rabbits come from Oregon. There are some Chinese anchovies from china and other products, but we were there tonight and they had blue crab, alive and fresh from the east coast.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

I also have this concern. I remember walking around Chinatown and seeing these chicken feet that were GINORMOUS. It makes me wonder what the chicken must have looked like-- and how it got that big :shocked:

I still haven't bought anything from Asian markets for Mateo. Part of it is feeling a little uneasy about how "clean" their products are, but also maybe just my unfamiliarity...


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

I have this concern, too, -- well, I don't even buy US inspected products because we all know their standards...feed a cow corn? Check! Feed a cow other cows? Check! Feed them antibiotics so we can overcrowd them and not have disease spread? Check. Cut the chickens beaks off so they can't peck each other when piled upon each other? Check. I don't buy anything from stores, Asian or not.


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## nupe (Apr 26, 2011)

I am also in NYC....never brought from Asian market and wont... why risk it with so many other choices to get your meat from....I actually have a local butcher I use and goes to Western Beef alot for my stuff.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

nupe said:


> I am also in NYC....never brought from Asian market and wont... why risk it with so many other choices to get your meat from....I actually have a local butcher I use and goes to Western Beef alot for my stuff.


They just opened a Western Beef about 12 blocks from where I live. They do have a lot of stuff there, and the prices seem pretty decent...

Still sourcing from local butchers, too. I found a great butcher in Astoria-- he will give me free lamb bones, plus meat scraps for cheap.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we have a pretty large asian population here...

the chickens my grocer sells are draper valley, the same ones i buy.

i just don't see the problem.

i eat chinese food. i eat korean food. it's the same source. we've even gone to the market where my chinese restaurant buys their stuff...

as to clean? what is clean?

our dogs are dogs. they do sniff butts. they eat carrion if they were outside. my malia ate lizards in georgia.

not everything has to be grass fed/grass finished....

they have gut flora from raw designed to take care of impurities.

we can help that along with probiotics or minerals from the sea, or fish oil with E...and all kinds of stuff....

i just think there are items like black goat and beef tongue and beef tendon and blood and all kinds of goodies that oriental people eat and we don't.

well, i eat them....LOL and so do my dogs. it's a treat to have a chicken foot. makes the best broth and it's a good treat to give the dogs.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Yeah, I wouldn't distinguish the Asian stores any differently than I would any other grocery store here in America. The issue I have is the source of the meat and how it lived prior to being butchered. If I had to buy from the store again, like previous poster said, the Asians has some kick ass variety and I'd probably seek them out first. It's not the Asian part that bothers me, and if you buy from regular stores, you shouldn't be bothered either. It's not like it matters if they drop the food on the floor or keep it out longer than it should be if you're keeping it for your dog. Focus your energy on finding sources that don't source from feed lots and sources that feed species appropriate diet/not GMO corn and soy like the animals in almost ALL stores, or bunch them all together and use antibiotics to prevent the many and frequent diseases from spreading, Asian or not, verses. singling out what grocery store is better/cleaner.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Noodlesmadison said:


> More of a mistreatment of animals and they do crazy things to their foods and plastics, etc.


If you're worried about mistreatment of animals, you probably shouldn't be feeding any commercial meat. The cow/pig/chicken in the store you're buying from, pretty good chance (huge chance unless labeled differently) has been treated horribly. I live by Tyson farms so I can tell you all about the chickens. I've seen beef feed lots and can tell you all about the thousands upon thousands of cows crammed into an area, being fed corn and soy and even dead cow, and being dosed with antibiotics constantly to keep diseases from spreading. The pigs? Tumors hanging down, sick, the whole thing. So don't worry about that when it comes to the Asian markets. If you feel comfortable walking into a Wal Mart to buy food, feel more than comfortable walking into an Asian Market.


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i buy meat for murphy at asian markets sometimes when i can't get it somewhere else. i never thought they were from china since they have local ways to raise these animals

i don't buy the made in china goods within these stores though like teas and spicy bamboo.....i always pick up the Japanese and Taiwanese versions


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i think it's kind of sad that oriental markets are getting such a bad rap because we don't approve of the way china treats its people and maybe even their animals.

i've seen documentaries on how WE treat our animals and i just can't criticise other countries when my own is so awful unless i search high and low for the places who treat their animals humanely.

we actually have to see it written on the packaging here in the usa to know the animal was 'humanely treated'. as if it were a privilege for said animal to stand on four legs or go outside or not have a feeding tube installed or hormones fed to increase milk production or have genetically modified chickens so they have larger breasts.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> i think it's kind of sad that oriental markets are getting such a bad rap because we don't approve of the way china treats its people and maybe even their animals.
> 
> i've seen documentaries on how WE treat our animals and i just can't criticise other countries when my own is so awful unless i search high and low for the places who treat their animals humanely.
> 
> we actually have to see it written on the packaging here in the usa to know the animal was 'humanely treated'. as if it were a privilege for said animal to stand on four legs or go outside or not have a feeding tube installed or hormones fed to increase milk production or have genetically modified chickens so they have larger breasts.


I was honestly just thinking this. And thinking how fooled they have you all thinking America is any better. I just don't think most people have any understanding of how horrible America treats their animals. We have that area that Magicre mentioned with the chickens and and meat industry. We also have the area of animal testing on products and such. We have the medicine area of over-vaccinating and medicating to make profit. This country is just plain SICK. We don't live in some wonderful Utopian(actually, they've just made us think that's a Utopian when in reality it's just nature living correctly!) where the cow you're buying at Wal-Mart ate grass its whole life and just lived happily til it was time to be slaughtered. We could have it that way, but that way doesn't make as much money. I'm so sickened by this country's ways that my girlfriend just got an apprenticeship on a farm, and if we get out of our lease, we'll go learn how to raise animals, slaughter, and grow vegetables and fruits. We're doing this to feed ourselves, our dogs, and future children food. That's how horrible it is in this country. I have to learn how to work on a farm to be able to afford quality food. Sorry, but it really pisses me off. There should be nonstop outrage over the food industry in America. Let China deal with China. Spend your energy boycotting our own horrible industry!


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

magicre said:


> we have a pretty large asian population here...
> 
> the chickens my grocer sells are draper valley, the same ones i buy.
> 
> ...


Yes, I get that. Like I said, part of it is just unfamiliarity together with the chicken foot thing. 

For example, I buy chicken feet from Whole Foods, because that's the only place where I could find them. They are organic chicken feet, and look like they belonged to a real, normal sized chicken. When I saw them at my local Asian market, the enormous size of the feet just freaked me right out. The prices weren't much different; I still bought mine from WF.

Since then, I have found chicken feet at a butcher shop that are not organic, but look "regular" size. So I bought them; they were cheaper than WF.

By the way, I make broth with the feet on a regular basis, for me and the beast. He also gets them raw.

Not sure if my rambling is making any sense, but I agree with the idea of sourcing meat from many different places. I cannot afford to buy all organic. But I'm just saying.... the feet example threw me off with the Asian market visit.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I was honestly just thinking this. And thinking how fooled they have you all thinking America is any better. I just don't think most people have any understanding of how horrible America treats their animals. We have that area that Magicre mentioned with the chickens and and meat industry. We also have the area of animal testing on products and such. We have the medicine area of over-vaccinating and medicating to make profit. This country is just plain SICK. We don't live in some wonderful Utopian(actually, they've just made us think that's a Utopian when in reality it's just nature living correctly!) where the cow you're buying at Wal-Mart ate grass its whole life and just lived happily til it was time to be slaughtered. We could have it that way, but that way doesn't make as much money. I'm so sickened by this country's ways that my girlfriend just got an apprenticeship on a farm, and if we get out of our lease, we'll go learn how to raise animals, slaughter, and grow vegetables and fruits. We're doing this to feed ourselves, our dogs, and future children food. That's how horrible it is in this country. I have to learn how to work on a farm to be able to afford quality food. Sorry, but it really pisses me off. There should be nonstop outrage over the food industry in America. Let China deal with China. Spend your energy boycotting our own horrible industry!


well, there are stores, who feed grass and finish with grain, but the cows happily live outdoors. yes, the grain is a vegetarian mix of corn and soy and probably millet, but not all cows are shot up with antibiotics and hormones....

if it says so on the label then it is probably true.

costco meats are like that as are the meat i buy at my local grocery store.

mainly because i read labels, and so many of them have websites. and on those websites is a contact us. so i do.

i most certainly agree about walmart....but having said that, there are those who are on such a tight budget, that raw would be impossible but for this place.

i'm not as big on organic as i was.....especially when the organic baby food place had to recall all of its baby food because of what? arsenic levels that were too high.

and why were they high? because the organic farmer apparently didn't remember or wasn't old enough to remember or wasn't responsible enough to test the soil for pesticides used forty years ago that are still in the soil.

and people are still feeding baby formulas, even though mostly they are chemicals.

i rarely see people not buying a product because it has xanthum gum and cargeenan and potassium sorbate....and all of those chemicals.

and there are companies who are putting 'non gmo' on their labels, too. voluntarily. and whilst i don't, for a minute believe it's an altruistic gesture....at least the hue and cry from humanity is starting to work.

no. all we rant about is the inhumane way we treat our animals...and, whilst that is as true as true can be....there are worse things than grass fed/grain finished beef.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> well, there are stores, who feed grass and finish with grain, but the cows happily live outdoors. yes, the grain is a vegetarian mix of corn and soy and probably millet, but not all cows are shot up with antibiotics and hormones....
> 
> if it says so on the label then it is probably true.
> 
> ...


I preach about the baby formula also. My whole point was in response to this oriental market thread and how we should all be angry at our own country for carrying on the way they do, and not focus on China and their problems. 

On the chemical note, it's so hard to even begin understanding those chemicals. We go by the rule of if it has chemicals, we shouldn't be eating it. I would say a good 80% of my diet is meat (we bought a grass fed cow from a farmer) and local veggies. I still eat out too much at times which is horrible of me. Surely moving far away from civilization will help curb that issue. I'm very much aware of the food ingredients and such... I almost get ill going to stores, like Wal-Mart, and seeing people buying what they think is good and quality and nutritious, but in reality it's the opposite. That's a Governmental issue in my opinion. We should care more about our people and our earth than this... sad.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Yes, I get that. Like I said, part of it is just unfamiliarity together with the chicken foot thing.
> 
> For example, I buy chicken feet from Whole Foods, because that's the only place where I could find them. They are organic chicken feet, and look like they belonged to a real, normal sized chicken.
> 
> ...


I don't even think we can trust Whole Foods. Almost all their organic, frozen fruit/veggies are from CHINA.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

sheltie lover...we must never get together...revolutions are born that way LOL

NYDogue....no matter from where something is bought, labels must be read. countries of origin must be on the label. if not, don't buy it.

currently, our canteloupes, for instance, which really aren't in season here yet...come from either honduras or guatemala.

much of what we are buying now comes from mexico.

as far as chemicals are concerned....don't get me started. i don't want pectin in my yoghurt. only one i ever found that has no preservatives is fage.

there are so many names for sugar, i can't even begin to rant.

and preservatives. i don't care if they say it's natural. it didn't come off the tree as such.

when i see organic chickens fed the same exact diet as the chicken that comes from washington state, for example...draper valley chickens...yet cascade organic chickens are fed the same diet. and if draper valley says they don't feed gmo grain, well, neither does cascade. so the only difference is antibiotics/hormones and freedom. and if draper valley says their chickens are free and not antibiotic'd to death nor hormone'd...why would i pay 16.00 for a chicken.

my meat is grass fed/grain finished. i'm okay with that. i can supplement with omega threes. but i can't afford to buy grass fed/ grass finished beef at 16.00 a pound.

it's enough that i spend 200-300 dollars a week on groceries buying things that aren't chock filled with preservatives....or crap....so that i can juice, so that i can eat raw, so that i can feed my dogs a better quality than some stores offer.

even niman ranch.....who supplies many of our restaurants....the higher end restaurants finish their products off with vegetarian feed.

it's not the worst. 

grains are bad. sugar is bad. hormones are bad. organic farmers who don't test their soil and then charge an arm and a leg. they are bad.

baby formulas that are more chemical than anything ...that's bad. and maybe just maybe we should start looking toward them as a possibility for autism.

i can't even buy frozen foods anymore because of what they use to preserve.

or don't get me started on 'natural flavours' or cellulose -- which could mean anything.

the chia seeds that i buy are not from the USA. i don't trust the USA. i buy them online, making sure they are NOT grown here. but who knows what peruvians do in their farming practises. makes me feel as if it's fine to buy non gmo chia or hemp seeds from usa.

no, sheltielover, we must never get together LOL


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Yes, I get that. Like I said, part of it is just unfamiliarity together with the chicken foot thing.
> 
> For example, I buy chicken feet from Whole Foods, because that's the only place where I could find them. They are organic chicken feet, and look like they belonged to a real, normal sized chicken. When I saw them at my local Asian market, the enormous size of the feet just freaked me right out. The prices weren't much different; I still bought mine from WF.
> 
> ...



http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/who-knew-chicken-feet-are-big-business/


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

there was a time when butchers would give us wings, feet, tushes, innards for free....

now, no.

i miss those days. but i'll bet those chickens were also fed a vegetarian diet. 

i would hate to see such bias toward asian and mexican and other ethnic markets, especially when they have such wonderful delicacies for my dogs and me. 

not every farm, sheltie lover is like tyson.....or purdue...or cafo lots or certain dairy farms that force feed their cows...

there really are farms who supply our grocery stores that aren't...and maybe i'm just lucky in that i live where i live.

and, nydogue, you've got all those kosher and halal butchers.....


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

magicre said:


> Who knew? Chicken feet are big business | Midwest Democracy


Interesting. Also, which part of the chicken goes where... And also (gasp) that they may be churning chicken feet into pet foods.

I am moving more and more towards simplicity; going backwards, in a sense. I like bone broth, and am incorporating it into my diet in a daily basis- for soups, stews, even by itself. So healing-- and an ancient path towards health, I believe. And it's dirt cheap.

But this path is also frustrating. For example, Union Square in NYC has a huge green market several times per week, throughout the year. Lately when I've gone there, I find a lot of the vendors rather, um, "elitist." They, now, have become the top of the progressive food chain... and they know it. Things are dang expensive.

Part of it is because they cater to high-end restaurants in the area who will buy up any and all of what is in season to satisfy their customers' appetite for the freshest food. But $10.00 for a carton of free-range "local" eggs? Really??

I may revisit those Asian and ethnic markets. Also, halal and kosher, lol...


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I don't even think we can trust Whole Foods. Almost all their organic, frozen fruit/veggies are from CHINA.


Funny, I just came from there, stocking up some frozen fruits for the smoothies I make (by far, the most expensive item I buy regularly.)

I just checked the packages: blueberries from Canada; raspberries from Chile; strawberries from Mexico. The only item from the good ol' USA were the cranberries...

All were organic, except the cranberries.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Funny, I just came from there, stocking up some frozen fruits for the smoothies I make (by far, the most expensive item I buy regularly.)
> 
> I just checked the packages: blueberries from Canada; raspberries from Chile; strawberries from Mexico. The only item from the good ol' USA were the cranberries...
> 
> All were organic, except the cranberries.


I wonder if the standards in Mexico are the same in terms of organic as they are here? Either way, don't trust it. It's unnatural to me to be buying something such as a fruit from Chile and Mexico. I only trust the source if I can meet them directly and visit their farm. Those big corporations aren't to be trusted in my opinion.


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## tuckersmom20 (Dec 12, 2010)

so whats the consensus on asian markets?

Ive been buying from there since i could remember... and my ex buys from the markets... the dogs are healthy as a horse.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tuckersmom20 said:


> so whats the consensus on asian markets?
> 
> Ive been buying from there since i could remember... and my ex buys from the markets... the dogs are healthy as a horse.


well, my consensus is i buy from my oriental markets and i eat in my oriental restaurants and have since i was a child.

there is no such thing as a perfect diet, unless you live and breathe on a farm. and, even then, who knows where those rabbits have been or the mice...dogs catch.

i have no problem buying quail and beef tongue and rabbit from these places. i give my dogs fish oil along with their sardines....when mackerel and herring are back, which i see they are, i shall buy them too, from my oriental market. 

since they have to be frozen anyway, i shall buy them frozen and they will either be from the phillipines with their medical waste and thailand with their who knows what and my sardines from monterrey california will have oil in them, no doubt.

and yet, my dogs and i shall survive. hell, i eat sashimi and i am quite sure i am eating mercury. it's delish, btw.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Interesting. Also, which part of the chicken goes where... And also (gasp) that they may be churning chicken feet into pet foods.
> 
> I am moving more and more towards simplicity; going backwards, in a sense. I like bone broth, and am incorporating it into my diet in a daily basis- for soups, stews, even by itself. So healing-- and an ancient path towards health, I believe. And it's dirt cheap.
> 
> ...


i know. i saw eggs at my store for 10. per dozen. i thought i'd try them. they tasted like dirt.

the ones i buy are fed a vegetarian diet. there is soy in that diet. i can't get away from it totally.

but we also live more simply. i make broth every week....those chicken feet make the best chicken broth.....they are also good for you.....ask my grandmother.

we ate nose to tail. nothing was wasted. the fish bones were used to make broth for gefilte fish....or pickled herring....

i do the same thing, although i no longer make gefilte fish  or pickled herring.

but no more gravies or sauces...unless i happen to blend the onions and mushrooms or whatever i'm braising with. i love braising. so simple...

for the dogs? as i said below...i don't know that there is a perfect diet. back in the day, there was this great scare about chilean grapes....it was as if people clucked and said, well, what do you expect from a third world country?

until feces crept into the las salinas valley and infected an entire spinach crop.

i don't know that even big ag wants to throw away an entire season's worth of crop.....they lose a ton of money doing that.

my thing is to follow a circadian rhythm.....just because it's summer somewhere, doesn't mean it's summer here...so i try to eat the foods appropriate to the season.

i wouldn't eat pumpkin or squash in the summer, so i wouldn't eat grapes in the winter....or peaches. these are summer fruits. 

root veggies are winter veggies. it's a fascinating theory i have going on in my own head, but it works for me. 

interestingly enough...the breast is the least nutritious part of the chicken, so we are exporting all the good stuff to russia.


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## tuckersmom20 (Dec 12, 2010)

magicre said:


> well, my consensus is i buy from my oriental markets and i eat in my oriental restaurants and have since i was a child.
> 
> there is no such thing as a perfect diet, unless you live and breathe on a farm. and, even then, who knows where those rabbits have been or the mice...dogs catch.
> 
> ...


Awesome... Well at least I don't have to worry or second guess anymore.
I really do need to find the boys spleen and such, and probably tongue.
I have a feeling that there just isn't a good rotation in their food.

I feed mainly chicken, beef and turkey...I'm picking up 50 lbs of tripe tomorrow....so they'll be stuffed with tripe lol


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your opinions and such. I think at this point I won't seek out an asian store, but if I pass one I will go in and check it out. If there's a meat that I can't get near me, I will consider buying it at the asian market! Unless it's stinky of course. There are some places near me that stink so badly that you can smell it down the block (the DOH would have a field day with these places).


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Any place with abundant amounts of fish (obviously the Asians would have that) isn't going to smell the best. Honestly, I take it to mean the fish is fresher. I really wouldn't judge an Asian store by its smell... I've never been in one that didn't have a fishy smell. I would be more thrown off by an Asian store that didn't have an overwhelming fish smell as I'd wonder what they used to cover up the smell since fish is much more overwhelming than any other smell. I have been to several, however, and never smelled one "down the block." The seems a bit fishy (ha pun intended!) to me and maybe a little dramatic.

When I fed from the stores, I can't imagine having not gone looking for an Asian market! Whenever we traveled, if we had the car, I'd Google Asian Markets to find one! They're just invaluable as americans eat the same things and the variety is killer there.


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I have been to several, however, and never smelled one "down the block." The seems a bit fishy (ha pun intended!) to me and maybe a little dramatic.


The spanish market near me smells so bad that people complain more than 100 feet away. I have some seriously stinky markets near me. Chinatown smells really bad to me, as well. I don't like that their fish is within 2 feet of rotting street garbage. I wouldn't eat there if I ate fish/meat and wouldn't feed my dog from there.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

well, then it's probably for the best that you don't shop at the asian and mexican markets, if the smell of fish offends you. 

i'd also stay away from kosher butchers and halal butchers, too.

and, maybe you'd not want to walk into an ethiopan market, either....

since you live in NY, i'm sure there are nice, antiseptic Whole Food Markets or Trader Joe's that can accomodate your needs.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Part of it is because they cater to high-end restaurants in the area who will buy up any and all of what is in season to satisfy their customers' appetite for the freshest food. But $10.00 for a carton of free-range "local" eggs? Really??


They have local farmer free range chickens at our feed store for $2.50 a carton. I thought that was expensive 

Last Saturday I went in to get some and they were having a chicken contest. I got so fascinated with the chickens I forgot what I went in there for.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

xellil said:


> They have local farmer free range chickens at our feed store for $2.50 a carton. I thought that was expensive
> 
> Last Saturday I went in to get some and they were having a chicken contest. I got so fascinated with the chickens I forgot what I went in there for.


$2.50 for a dozen... I can't even find a 1/2 dozen for that. :frown:

So... what's a chicken contest?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> $2.50 for a dozen... I can't even find a 1/2 dozen for that. :frown:
> 
> So... what's a chicken contest?


Everyone brought their chickens in and they had a contest - I didn't see the whole thing but I guess there were different categories. I saw chickens I never dreamed of - one rooster was so big I could have put a saddle and Snorkels on him. 

They were also giving away free chicks, which I highly disagree with, but I almost got some anyway.

And on the Asian markets - I just found one for the first time a few weeks ago and I loved it - LOVED IT. Loved the fish especially. and stuff like pork tongue which I never found anywhere else. A whole world of food I never dreamed of. I wish I knew what half of it was or how to cook it.


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> well, then it's probably for the best that you don't shop at the asian and mexican markets, if the smell of fish offends you.
> 
> i'd also stay away from kosher butchers and halal butchers, too.
> 
> ...


Fish has been a struggle with Noodles so I give her fish oil and sardines (only one she'll eat, but we still have to bribe her). I would go in for weird meats, but the smell throws me off. Maybe I just need to get over that? (I do enjoy the unsmelliness of overpriced Whole Foods though LOL)

Edited to add: You know what? I'm just going to go into an asian market and buy some meat she hasn't had before. I'll hold my nose who cares lol


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## Neeko (Aug 11, 2010)

We have an ethnic market here in Indy (a company with two stores, actually) called Saraga. I love it! It doesn't smell the greatest, but it's the only store I can find heart, chicken feet, and goat at. I live closer to the smaller of the two, need to find time to drive to the westside to visit the larger original one


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Just saw this thread so I didn't have time to read through all the posts yet, but to answer the OP's question...



Noodlesmadison said:


> I try not to buy things from China - the horrors I read each day *shudder*
> So if I bought Noodles meat from an asian grocery, would it still be the same deal? More of a mistreatment of animals and they do crazy things to their foods and plastics, etc.
> Is it safe to feed a dog anything raw from an asian market without worry?


Not every Asian grocery store is Chinese...for instance, most of them are Korean in my area. Also, a lot of the meats they sell will say somewhere on the label where it is from. I go to a Chinese market that has a giant sign on their meat counter saying all meat is U.S. sourced unless otherwise specified. Their goat is from Australia. Love that place! Too bad its 40 miles away so I can't go often. I used to buy rabbit from another market...some places say on the frozen rabbit that it is from China or PRC. When I saw that the kind i was feeding had nothing, I still decided to stop feeding it. When in doubt, I assume it's from China. Also watch out for things such as "inspected by..." The Korean market sells frozen quail "inspected in Georgia," but that doesn't tell me where it came from. Once again, when in doubt I don't buy it! Then I found quail at a Middle Eastern market raised and processed in the US, Yay! You just have to keep looking.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

magicre said:


> well, then it's probably for the best that you don't shop at the asian and mexican markets, if the smell of fish offends you.
> 
> i'd also stay away from kosher butchers and halal butchers, too.
> 
> ...


Re, I love Trader Joes, but I'm generally hesitant about buying their meats. I read somewhere that it's not as fresh since they don't have in-house butchering. The times that I do buy meat, I'm always flooded with a strong sulfur smell when I open the pack (usually right after getting home). This past week I've been giving Louis Trader Joe beef because our farm supply ran out and I am lazy to drive out there, and for some reason he throws up within 5-10 minutes of eating the TJ beef every time...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

noodles....i feed raw. venison heart is not parfum.

neither are the sardines that i take out of the freezer....

things smell.......be brave. go in. you'll find black goat...and tongue and all kinds of little delicacies that you won't find at whole foods....

maybe you won't eat it..but your dog will love you for it....

i have a chinese grocery store, a mexican one and a korean one....i feel blessed. throw in a japanese store and i'd be in heaven.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

schtuffy said:


> Re, I love Trader Joes, but I'm generally hesitant about buying their meats. I read somewhere that it's not as fresh since they don't have in-house butchering. The times that I do buy meat, I'm always flooded with a strong sulfur smell when I open the pack (usually right after getting home). This past week I've been giving Louis Trader Joe beef because our farm supply ran out and I am lazy to drive out there, and for some reason he throws up within 5-10 minutes of eating the TJ beef every time...


i have read other things about trader joe's....you're not the first.....odd....we don't have one where i live....so i don't know..


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

magicre said:


> noodles....i feed raw. venison heart is not parfum.
> 
> neither are the sardines that i take out of the freezer....
> 
> ...


I love Japanese stores, they're the cleanest! But hardest to come by... it's funny because in Taiwan the grocery stores are all so clean and the markets on the street don't smell (it's the sewers that smell, LOL) because everything is so fresh. The chickens are always freshly butchered. Last time I went, I took SO many pictures of the market and of the meat...funny thing was I didn't have Louis then. I got him 3 weeks after I came back to the states. Oh how I would be drooling for him now if I were there, hehe!


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I have watched SO MANY asian food market videos on youtube and Bizarre Foods tv show, I am fascinated. I wish I could go to them around here where they just kill animals right in front of you, butcher and sell. Amazing.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

there is a huge population of chinese people in san francisco and for my birthday, one year, i was there visiting a friend. we went to china town and of course, looked for the restaurant where the tourists didn't go.

a man wearing a black robe with a white beard came out of a restaurant, so my friend and i figured this was the place to eat.

he started to yell at me speaking a dialect of chinese. i had no idea what he was saying, so i blurted out that it was my birthday.

he grabbed me by the arm and made me go with him downstairs to this room where i was surrounded by all elderly chinese people.

he sat me down, gruffly...and began to shout out orders.

oh my, the foods we ate. to this day, i have no idea what we ate, but i shall never ever forget this man and my birthday lunch.....

when we were done, he sat with me and haltingly said that birthdays were a thing to be cherished. he then got up and bowed and left.

what a day.


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## Gally (Jan 28, 2012)

I love our Asian Markets, we have some really great ones. Of course there are a few that are less than top quality but that is the same with any store. The meat in my favorite market is really fresh (Almost all the seafood is still alive) and they have every cut of meat and organs from a variety of animals for much better prices than I have found elsewhere. It is always clean, the staff are helpful and it doesn't smell at all. They also have the best selection of produce I've seen. None of the meat is from outside North America and the produce is from NA unless otherwise marked (they carry some specialty things that just aren't grown here).


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

magicre said:


> there is a huge population of chinese people in san francisco and for my birthday, one year, i was there visiting a friend. we went to china town and of course, looked for the restaurant where the tourists didn't go.
> 
> *a man wearing a black robe with a white beard came out of a restaurant, so my friend and i figured this was the place to eat.*
> 
> ...


That is EXACTLY how I make my decisions too. Follow the man with the black robe and white beard. LOL

I am glad you ate a good meal and weren't killed.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

wolfsnaps88 said:


> That is EXACTLY how I make my decisions too. Follow the man with the black robe and white beard. LOL
> 
> I am glad you ate a good meal and weren't killed.


and served for dinner? LOL


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

magicre said:


> and served for dinner? LOL


Yes you might have BEEN the birthday present! hahaha - I got to be really good friends with a Chinese family who ran the restaurant close to where I worked and that was where I found Chinese folks don't eat what they feed us Americans. She would make me food sometimes and I have to admit my regional sensitivities were sometimes shocked (never did cotton to fishhead soup) but oh the stuff she made with rice noodly things were to die for. And she never ate fried rice - always plain. I understood why she only weighed about 85 pounds. She ate very healthy stuff.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

xellil said:


> Yes you might have BEEN the birthday present! hahaha - I got to be really good friends with a Chinese family who ran the restaurant close to where I worked and that was where I found Chinese folks don't eat what they feed us Americans. She would make me food sometimes and I have to admit my regional sensitivities were sometimes shocked (never did cotton to fishhead soup) but oh the stuff she made with rice noodly things were to die for. And she never ate fried rice - always plain. I understood why she only weighed about 85 pounds. She ate very healthy stuff.


i found that out living in philly, where i befriended the owners of a chinese restaurant. i used to eat in the back with them.....and had the most delectable foods....no fried rice and fish head soup is awesome.

then again, my grandmother used to make it, so i already knew i loved it.

being russian, we did eat tail to nose, so there is no part of an animal that can't be smothered in some sauce and eaten....she'd stuff things into intestines....we learned not to ask 

at my chinese restaurant here, i think we may well be the only caucasians to eat there....same with our korean bbq place. 

if i wanted to eat amurrican food, i could go to the mall.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

We used to stuff deer sausage into pig intestines and no one thought twice about eating intestines! Of course I think now they have some kind of fake casing for sausage.

And I do think it's ironic that Americanized Chinese food is some of the most fattening food you can eat while real Chinese food is very healthy. That surely says something not very good about our culture - we like our food as unhealthy as possible and then bitch and moan because we are all fat and have diabetes.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

xellil said:


> We used to stuff deer sausage into pig intestines and no one thought twice about eating intestines! Of course I think now they have some kind of fake casing for sausage.
> 
> And I do think it's ironic that Americanized Chinese food is some of the most fattening food you can eat while real Chinese food is very healthy. That surely says something not very good about our culture - we like our food as unhealthy as possible and then bitch and moan because we are all fat and have diabetes.


I'm Korean. Yes, Asians eat very healthy. I eat chinese takeout once in a while, but much prefer eating at an authentic restaurant where the real goodies are. :wink: 
Korean food is also delicious and very healthy. Asians typically eat a lot of fish, vegetables, and tofu. I was at my healthiest when I lived with my mother and we ate homemade Korean food everyday. 

Xelil, we have a dish called soondae, which is a blood sausage. It's made by stuffing various ingredients into pig or cow intestines. It's really, really yummy! I'd love to try deer sausage someday :smile:

I was originally offended by this thread because of all the bias against Asian markets and the blind perspective that they are "dirty" or "dangerous". 
Just like American stores, some are better than others. You'll just need to look around for the good ones.
Please dont just assume that because something is Asian that is it automatically dirty, bad, low-quality, etc. That is just unfair and ignorant, to think that American products are lightyears ahead of everything else. (This is a general statement, not directed at any specific person. :smile
I guess all I'm saying is to do your research, and dont knock it till you try it.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i too was originally offended by this thread and i'm not korean nor of any other asian descent.

although, i think, in a former life, i was a mix, because i could live and die on asian food.

that being said, we went to a korean bbq....oh, it was heaven.

tofu soup and little dishes of squid and kim chee and croaker and all kinds of little delights with our soup.

you were the only non asians in there...which means i was in the right place.

at the chinese restaurant, the lady who serves us knows that we only want authentic chinese szechuan...if i want amurrican, i can eat at the mall...and that's what she serves us.

who knew bok choy could taste so good, just sauteed in garlic....and some chile?

num.

i'm not offended now, because i can understand that people who are unfamiliar can be put off....i am quite sure if you came over to my grandmother's house when she was making one of her russian yiddish concoctions, the smell might be a little off putting....

especially when brains are being stuffed into a kasha stuffing which was then stuffed into sheep intestines. 

it stunk to high heaven, but i miss it.

i have eaten soondae. wow. all i can say is wow.

what i don't get is new york is home to some of the dirtiest dives i've ever seen...serving some of the very best food i've ever had. always ethnic.....sometimes down and dirty american....but roaches, rats, flies on the wall good.

i personally don't get the homogenised nature of people i've met....my honey was one of them until he met me. ......

as you say, don't knock it 'til you've tried it....

and, anyone who lets their dogs give them kisses should be able to eat or shop just about anywhere.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

magicre said:


> i too was originally offended by this thread and i'm not korean nor of any other asian descent.
> 
> although, i think, in a former life, i was a mix, because i could live and die on asian food.
> 
> ...


Re, I gotta say, right now Im in love with you! LOL! Marry me? I'll cook Korean for dinner :wink:
All of the dishes that you listed remind me of home, and I miss eating Korean food everyday. I'm about to crack open some cookbooks and make something!

Yes, I became less offended as the thread went on because I understand that unfamiliar things can be offputting. I have to thank you and a few others in this thread for helping to dismiss these ethnocentric thoughts. 

I loved living in New York.. there were so many hole-in-the-wall restaurants that looked run down on the outside, but the food on the inside would leave me speechless. 
One day I'll have to try something Russian Yiddish. With cultural dishes, usually the stinky stuff is the best! :tongue:


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

I worked with a Korean sculptor for a few years (one of the most brilliant, sensitive sculptors I have known)-- anyway, when we were in the studio our conversation would often revolve around food. He taught me how to make home-made kim-chee, and how to find the most pure form of Korean Ginseng in NYC (they are found in "pharmacies", in Korea town,-- not health food stores (he even brought me some the of good stuff straight from Seoul, while visiting there).

He also tried to convince me that having supreme skill in using chopsticks was far more efficient that using a knife and fork. He said that sometimes, during dinner with his family, if either he or his wife wanted to sample something from each others' plate, they would pick up the morsel and just flick it to each other using their chopsticks: one would flick, the other would catch. I didn't believe him, so he showed me how precise his "aim" was, lol. Yeah-- can't do that with a standard utensil...

Anyway, the Korean markets I go to in Flushing, Queens, when I am there (about once a month or so) are phenomenal, in terms of variety and quality. However, I only bought a few things for myself because the meat prices weren't as inexpensive as I had hoped... 

But this thread has inspired me; I want to go further afield in search of those unique meat/fish/bird items that are hiding here..within plain sight.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> I worked with a Korean sculptor for a few years (one of the most brilliant, sensitive sculptors I have known)-- anyway, when we were in the studio our conversation would often revolve around food. He taught me how to make home-made kim-chee, and how to find the most pure form of Korean Ginseng in NYC (they are found in "pharmacies", in Korea town,-- not health food stores (he even brought me some the of good stuff straight from Seoul, while visiting there).
> 
> He also tried to convince me that having supreme skill in using chopsticks was far more efficient that using a knife and fork. He said that sometimes, during dinner with his family, if either he or his wife wanted to sample something from each others' plate, they would pick up the morsel and just flick it to each other using their chopsticks: one would flick, the other would catch. I didn't believe him, so he showed me how precise his "aim" was, lol. Yeah-- can't do that with a standard utensil...
> 
> ...


I used to live in Flushing!! Im guessing you visited Han Ah Reum (H-Mart) and Han Yang on Northern Blvd? There are also really great Chinese markets on Main Street, along with lots of street foods that are cheap and delicious. 
The meat isnt that cheap in the Korean markets, but there's a huge selection/variety of fish and other seafoods.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

liquid said:


> Re, I gotta say, right now Im in love with you! LOL! Marry me? I'll cook Korean for dinner :wink:
> All of the dishes that you listed remind me of home, and I miss eating Korean food everyday. I'm about to crack open some cookbooks and make something!


My hubby would want to marry you if you would make him kim-shee (sp?) - I don't know how a local yokel from Missouri developed a taste for it but he loves it.

My parents spent two years in Malaysia. Many of the restaurants weren't clean but they got a whole new perspective on "fresh" when they ordered a fish and it was pulled out of a tank and stomped in the head on the floor by their table. I think they spent their whole time there trying new foods and learning how to eat with chopsticks. Oh, along with snorkeling and swimming in beautiful seas.

I admit, I am still not very adventuresome with food. I only recently caved and went to a Thai restaurant and found I loved it because you can order stuff very hot. But I resisted for years. 

But I still don't like curry, nor can I eat anything with tasteable cumin in it including Tex-Mex. I think i just can't accustom myself to spices. I used to work with people who ate all kinds of wonderful foods but I almost never went with them - I can only remember Ethiopian and Irish restaurants and felt really provincial when I didn't like stuff like vegetarian haggis. I said it was yummy anyway just so they wouldn't think I was not worldly


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> But this thread has inspired me; I want to go further afield in search of those unique meat/fish/bird items that are hiding here..within plain sight.


You live in New York City - you should be able to find anything! I guess you just have to know where to go to find it, and then know what it is when you see it.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

xellil said:


> You live in New York City - you should be able to find anything! I guess you just have to know where to go to find it, and then know what it is when you see it.


Yep-- it's pretty much all here, (except green tripe, lol.) It's about getting stuff wholesale (beef orders); or otherwise inexpensively. I have a new co-op in the area with which I will be placing orders. 

But, yeah, for the more exotic stuff, it's about poking around and spending some chunks of time exploring. Honestly, since I've only had Mateo since July, I haven't been concerned as much about a huge variety of meat, et. al., as I have been with just where to fine large quantities of the basic stuff.

Now that he's doing well on pretty much all that I have fed him, I am more interested in adding in some fun variety of all things meat...


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

liquid said:


> I used to live in Flushing!! Im guessing you visited Han Ah Reum (H-Mart) and Han Yang on Northern Blvd? There are also really great Chinese markets on Main Street, along with lots of street foods that are cheap and delicious.
> The meat isnt that cheap in the Korean markets, but there's a huge selection/variety of fish and other seafoods.


Yes-- I have gone to Han Ah Reum! Right on Northern Blvd. But I have heard there are also some other great markets, (like you have said)-- this will be fun to get to know the area better...


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Give me a pillow and Persian or Moroccan food. I cannot even begin to list the cultures whose foods I just love.

Scooping stuff with my right hand of course from the belly of a goat....delish....

I do love fine dining, and I have even had Chinese cuisine, but give me down and dirty peasant food any day of the week...it is all good and the flies, well, they are just atmosphere

I do not want to die without tasting the language of the world.....food. That common bond of love.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I ALWAYS want to try new foods from different cultures. My rather red neck husband is afraid to try anything spicy or "foreign". He is happy with manwich meals every day 


Still, I find a way to try new things. I tried salmon roe at an ichiban. When I ordered it the lady asked in a heavy accent "Those are fish eggs, ok?" Yes, I knew what it was. I guess most people stayed away from the roe. I am happy I tried it. I will NEVER EVER try it again but I am glad I tried it.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

The way I read your comment Re was that you wanted a pillow and a Persian - I was wondering how hubby would take that.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Liz said:


> The way I read your comment Re was that you wanted a pillow and a Persian - I was wondering how hubby would take that.


Naughty. I did not say that, naughty woman. Such a powerful word "a"!


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