Shopping at Far East Grocery Store
Some may remember the days when Am-Ko was the only Asian grocery store in town. Today, one can choose from perhaps more than half-a-dozen Asian grocers, all of them locally-owned and run as family businesses. Each grocery store has an ethnic focus – Chang’s is Chinese, Lee’s is Korean, Annapoorna is Indian, Am-Ko is Korean and Japanese, and so on. Of these choices, my favorite place to shop is Far East, hidden on Fifth Street just south of University Avenue. Until recently, you probably wouldn’t notice it was there because the only identifying mark was a few hand-painted words on their building. The colorful new sign that just went up may make the shop slightly easier to find.
Far East has the best selection of fresh produce among all the Asian grocers. In addition to typical Asian veggies such as nappa cabbage and bean sprouts, Far East carries some very exotic produce like banana flower, taro stalks, green papaya, lemon grass, chive flowers and my personal favorite: ong choy (also known as kangkung or “water spinach”). This seasonal leafy vegetable is usually prepared very simply – sauteed with garlic and salt and served as a side dish to your favorite meal. Owner Cuong Diep drives up to Chicago twice a week so the vegetables are always fresh. He also brings back some prepared foods such as roast duck or barbecue pork buns which are nearly sold out as soon as they arrive.
Cuong Diep is of Chinese descent, but grew up in Vietnam – so it makes sense that his grocery store focuses on Chinese and Vietnamese products. He’s also the only grocer in town that carries products from Singapore, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. Far East may also be the best stocked Asian grocery store in town as their shelves are always full and the store is so jammed with stuff that it’s a challenge to walk around. Regulars know that Tuesdays and Fridays are the best days to shop as there are usually new loads of goodies stacked all around the store and a fresh batch of veggies have just arrived.
Shopping locally is always better than shopping at chain stores because more of the profits end up staying in our community. Even though Meijer’s does carry a wide range of Asian produce, I still prefer to do my shopping at Far East. Regulars are greeted as friends and the owner and his family are right there ready to make recommendations and help find what you want.
Far East Oriental Grocery
105 S. Fifth St.
Champaign
217-352-7137
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. every day
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Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
You left out the best part—you have to REMEMBER your number after the beer chugging! Yeah, I’m a member.
Great article, man. Like you, I didn’t really know Daniel all that well, but I felt the impact of his death. I too was inspired by him and it pleases me to see that he continues to live on in the spirit of the community.
Thanks you guys…I love living in a community that can connect, share, and create through food. It’s inspiring…
<div> A beautiful recap of the evening and thank you for sharing why you find what the Fund is doing is inspiring. I haven’t been able to write too much about my feelings about the community’s loss of Dan yet either, but Dan has also inspired me…
Seth and Justine, thanks so much! Through your writing and your photos, everyone can get at least a taste of what was served up Sunday night. Dan would very much have liked that! As you say, our community is very much “fertile ground,“ and Dan had such…
That is perhaps the best article you have ever written… a love letter to Champaign-Urbana and the people who call it home.
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Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.
Jason, Savoy could easily join the CPL tax district, which is probably closer to most Savoy residents than the Tolono library is. But my impression is that Savoy residents as a whole don’t want to pay the cost of the CPL (Tolono’s library taxes are cheaper), even…
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Timbo makes a smart, sound argument. Reread it.
I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…
And, I might add, no one is being prevented from using the Champaign library. They are just being asked to pay their fair share if they are going to use it as their primary library.
The equation is pretty simple here. If you want social services, then pay the taxes required to run those social services. These things only work if everyone puts in their fair share. As a heavy user of the Champaign Library, I say bravo to this new policy.
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Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
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@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
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I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…