The Search for Kimchi!: Albany NY

Hi again everyone!

For today I have decided to talk about my Kimchi adventures around Albany NY. My intention here was to find out where and how often Kimchi was sold around Albany. My original thoughts before I started this project was that I would only find Kimchi in Asian stores and not in the average all American grocery stores because I thought that Kimchi had a bad reputation in Albany and in America in general. But boy was I surprised to find out that... Kimchi is actually sold at one major American grocery store but not the other! Please view my adventures below to find out where Kimchi is sold and how often.

Visit one:
Asian Super Market

This is the Asian Super market and it is the largest Asian grocery store in Albany New York. The grocery selection is largely Chinese but the store also sells Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese food products. If you want to taste something new or try a variety of different vegetables you should check out this store!
Interesting fact: This store gives student discounts on groceries.
Follow this MAP and check out the store!

While visiting this store I searched for Kimchi and found a pretty large selection. As you can see in the pictures on the left the Kimchi is a very popular product at this store. The containers come in small sizes and even very large tub sizes!

After looking at the Kimchi aisle I interviewed a cashier and ask some questions about the popularity of Kimchi in their store.
Interview: 
Interviewer: "Could you tell me how often people buy Kimchi here?  " Cashier: "Well....um Kimchi is sold  lot here..that's why we have a big selection. We order large amount Kimchi every month. Interviewer: Are Koreans mostly buying the Kimchi? Cashier: No everybody buy the Kimchi. Interviewer: Who else buys Kimchi at your store?  A lot of Chinese buy it, Vietnamese and white people buy it. It popular to every one.
There you have it. Kimchi is very popular among the customers at Asian Market.

Visit 2:
Asian Food Market

This is the other Asian market in Albany New York. Its much smaller than the Asian Supermarket but it is also special because it has a small Chinese restaurant inside and takes student discounts! Similar to the other market this one has a large selection of Chinese products but also sell other Asian products.
Follow the MAP to check out this store!
Check out the store website!

While visiting Asian Food market I was surprised to find that the store had a very small selection of Kimchi. I guess this is because its a small store that caters mostly to the Chinese population.

After looking at the Kimchi aisle I interviewed a cashier and the store owner on the popularity of Kimchi in their store.
Interview: 
Interviewer: How often does this store sell Kimchi? Cashier: It's not a very popular item here....
Store Owner: Why you ask such a crazy question about Kimchi? Interviewer: Well I am doing a project on Kimchi and I need to find out how often Kimchi is sold... Store owner: That is a crazy question!!...just make it up! Just tell your teacher any number! Interviewer: hahaha..I could possibly do that but could you tell me who mostly buys the Kimchi? Store Owner: People don't buy Kimchi here that much because everyone already knows how to make it. The people who buy are usually whites or young students because Kimchi is so easy to make!

Visit 3
Price Chopper

This is Price Chopper one of the major all American stores in Albany NY. The food products sold here are usually the most popular items that Americans eat. However, Price Chopper and all it's branches usually have a "Foreign food section" which holds food from other countries.

The Price Chopper I chose to visit is one of the smallest ones in Albany NY which is on Madison Ave. Before searching Price Chopper I had a strong feeling that Kimchi would not be found in this store because I thought Kimchi was not as popular as other types of Asian food such as Sushi or Egg Rolls. However, I was shocked to find that my assumptions were wrong! As soon as I asked the clerk if they had Kimchi she brought me to the salad dressing aisle and pointed at several jars of Kimchi. This was a shocking experience for me because this incident shows me that Kimchi may actually be more popular (in Albany/America) than I thought.

If you would like to visit this Price Chopper here is a MAP to its location.














Visit 4
Walmart Supercenter

The final place I searched for Kimchi was at the "largest Walmart in New York State". This Walmart is on Washington Ave in Albany NY. MAP

After visiting Price Chopper and finding Kimchi there I was convinced that "the largest Walmart in New York" would also have it in stock and possibly have much more of it. However, I was wrong once again. While on my search for Kimchi at Walmart I searched for Kimchi for about 20 minutes in both the "Oriental" aisle and the salad aisle but could not find any trace of it. However, after 20 minutes of searching I was not convinced that Price Chopper would have Kimchi over the largest Walmart in New York so I asked one of the Walmart food stokers if they could help me find Kimchi. He was unsure of what Kimchi was so he called one of  his co-workers on the phone and asked him where we could find Kimchi in the store. The man on the other side told us that they do in fact sell Kimchi but it could only be found in Roman Noodles at the store and not on it's own. Thus, I was directed to the Roman noodles aisle!

The Kimchi Search Conclusion: 
After searching all of these stores in Albany I was surprised to find that Price Chopper sold Kimchi while Walmart did not. It was also interesting to find that the Kimchi stock which I found in Price Chopper was almost the same amount as the Kimchi stock I saw in the small Asian Food Market. This new knowledge that I have gained from my adventures to these stores brings me to believe that Kimchi is maybe slowly becoming a popular food item among the American population specifically in Albany New York. I believe this, not only because I found Kimchi at Price Chopper but because the owners of the Asian Markets have convinced me that Kimchi is sold more often to people of different cultures rather than people who are Korean or Korean American.