OK, that settles it
I am definitely going food shopping in Chinatown more often.
> It is way easier to get obscure things
> Actual quality Chinese food, not fakey crap from the "Shop the World" aisle at Shaws
> It isn't marked up for being "fancy", as thing in said aisle usually are
> Good for more than just stirfry sauces
> Pot stickers ~= ideal bag lunch food. Small, discrete, easy to prepare en masse, unmessy, ok eaten cold
(NB: I have yet to find a place that sells those buns that have those traits even more so, but I haven't explored that much. Also, it would help to speak Chinese :-\ )
> Nostalgia
> The Chinese food I make is usually better and healthier than the nonChinese food I make (and this is a self-perpetuating pattern: now I have a craving for those steamed buns with nothing but pea sprouts in, which are healthy as all get out)
> ...HELLO, RED BEAN PASTE!
(On that last note: mm, rice pudding. Tried it once, worked all right -- basically, put some rice in some soymilk, and boil it till it's pudding consistency. Am definitely adding red bean paste to the next batch, oh hells yeah.)
> It is way easier to get obscure things
> Actual quality Chinese food, not fakey crap from the "Shop the World" aisle at Shaws
> It isn't marked up for being "fancy", as thing in said aisle usually are
> Good for more than just stirfry sauces
> Pot stickers ~= ideal bag lunch food. Small, discrete, easy to prepare en masse, unmessy, ok eaten cold
(NB: I have yet to find a place that sells those buns that have those traits even more so, but I haven't explored that much. Also, it would help to speak Chinese :-\ )
> Nostalgia
> The Chinese food I make is usually better and healthier than the nonChinese food I make (and this is a self-perpetuating pattern: now I have a craving for those steamed buns with nothing but pea sprouts in, which are healthy as all get out)
> ...HELLO, RED BEAN PASTE!
(On that last note: mm, rice pudding. Tried it once, worked all right -- basically, put some rice in some soymilk, and boil it till it's pudding consistency. Am definitely adding red bean paste to the next batch, oh hells yeah.)