East Lansing’s Oriental Mart, well-known for its abundant supply of Southeast Asian foods, spices and delicacies, is one of many Asian-based market thriving in the Capital region.
According to excerpts from the article:
"It smells very, very good to some people," says store manager Christopher Lien. "But for most people, they can’t stand it."
A freezer case full of durians sits near the end of the produce aisle at Oriental Mart, on the north side of Grand River Avenue between Hagadorn and Park Lake roads, and is easily the largest pan-Asian store in the area. Want basil seed and honey soda? Shrimp snack chips? Chicken, cow or pigfeet? All are found at the eclectic grocery store, which opened nearly 30 years ago before Lien's parents took over in 1984.
Lien’s Chinese family migrated to the United States via Vietnam, and he says the store provides just about any native Asian—whether they are from the Philippines, India or anywhere between—with the sights, smells and tastes of home. In addition to groceries, Oriental Mart stocks kitchen tools and merchandise, such as tea cups and table sets, decorative statues and even a small outdoor grill that looks like two gas stove burners mounted to a chrome cafeteria cart.
Read the entire article here.
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