Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#151

Post by mistermann » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 12:53 AM UTC

koalaman wrote: post #125

tacostakohashi wrote: post #72

I can't help but think that this article, and other comments, gloss over some major, obvious factors: 1) More than anything else - high volumes, low margins, and intense competition. People travel to Chinatown from all over NYC to buy at those prices. When they do, they're often making a long trip (in many cases, over an hour), and so they buy in much higher quantities than they would at a local grocer or supermarket…

they're also a community that is notorious for tax avoidance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Invoice_lottery

If I lived in a region with a generous social safety net and high immigration I'd be a bit worried.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#152

Post by steveax » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 12:54 AM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #148

steveax wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For example, I have seen one place where if they have baskets of strawberries, and some of the strawberries are getting moldy, they will by hand separate out the non moldy ones, toss the moldy ones, and repackage the baskets. Having worked produce in both regular chain markets, and in "gourmet natural foods" markets, I can assure you that this is a common practice.

Makes sense to me. I get moldy strawberries so often at the local supermarket that I absolutely open the container and rumage around before I buy. If they bothered to remove the moldy ones for me, I'd appreciate it. What's the alternative? Should they be throwing away the entire container?

At some point in the ripening, handling the berries damages them enough that it's not worth it, but otherwise the practice is fine. At the gourmet market I worked at, pretty much all the berries were taken from the original flats they arrived in and repackaged (removing the bad berries along the way).

Pro tip for delicate berries: when you get them home, remove them from the package they came in and store them in a broad container lined with paper towels, something big enough so they can be spread out with a minimum of stacking. They'll last much longer that way.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#153

Post by x1798DE » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 12:56 AM UTC

sitharus wrote: post #131

wutbrodo wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Indian (dots) stores Huh?

I think GP means Indians from India instead of American Indians but is using a racial stereotype to describe this.

I understand that the dot/feather thing is considered crass, but I will say it's a bit overboard to be offended at it. The idea isn't that all India Indians have dots or whatever, it's just synechdoche, where one aspect of the broader culture stands in for the whole. Like if you said, "He's from America - suit not cowboy boots." (Referring to urban vs rural America) it would hardly be offensive as a stereotype.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#154

Post by jsprogrammer » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 12:56 AM UTC

thomasfoster96 wrote: post #49

jsprogrammer wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would be nice if the Google link were on the front page instead of having to waste many seconds dealing with this bullshite (go to page, full text loads, split second later screen flashes and locks down, make it out to HN, look for Google link, almost flag post, wait for discussions to load, find Google/web link, wait,find correct link, reload same content, discover fluff).

If loading a small text page is a hassle... I'm not sure what millennium your connection is in.

That "small text page" weighs in around 2.1MB.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#155

Post by khedoros » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:09 AM UTC

JabavuAdams wrote: post #99

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this describes grocery shopping in China, not just Chinatown. I look forward to the day I can just go to a western supermarket and not have to worry about getting jipped on veggies...save so much work even if they cost a lot more money.

FYI "jipped" is actually spelled "gypped", which is a slur against Gypsies. I only raise this because I used to say it a lot, and was unaware of its etymology and connotations.

And "Gypsies", describing the Romani people, is sometimes considered derogatory because of its negative connotations, and because it is reflective of the mistaken belief that they were itinerant Egyptians.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#156

Post by cavisne » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:09 AM UTC

x1798DE wrote: post #153

sitharus wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think GP means Indians from India instead of American Indians but is using a racial stereotype to describe this.

I understand that the dot/feather thing is considered crass, but I will say it's a bit overboard to be offended at it. The idea isn't that all India Indians have dots or whatever, it's just synechdoche, where one aspect of the broader culture stands in for the whole. Like if you said, "He's from America - suit not cowboy boots." (Referring to urban vs rural America) it would hardly be offensive as a stereotype.

Or just as easily America (perpetually offended) to tell the same thing

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#157

Post by amalag » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:29 AM UTC

Alex3917 wrote: post #18

The veggies in NYC's hispanic green markets are also really cheap. Same with the produce in the Korean markets, the Cambodian markets, etc. While there might be something unique about the Chinese markets, I think in general stuff marketed to white people is just overpriced. Just look at how the cost of food at Smorgasburg compares with the cost of prepared food in Flushing, or at the price of housing between those tw…

The local Lotte (a large Korean conglomerate) in northern VA has a huge variety of vegetables and far cheaper prices than the mainstream. Their target audience is asian/indian/hispanic and it shows. The place is totally packed and they also follow the Walmart model of renting out space inside the building for restaurants and shops (optical, barbershop, etc)

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#158

Post by gbog » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:36 AM UTC

throwaway_bob wrote: post #63

I lived on henry street for a while, and I can't say that I know anything about the back end of the distribution network, but I can say this article is missing a lot of things about the front end. The produce is cheaper than a standard western store, but the quality is much more varied. Moreover, the market (in the economic sense) seems really efficient. If you see something cheap in Manhattan chinatown in every stor…

Picking the good strawberries and repackaging not only should be allowed, it should be mandatory. How are we gone so far away from (agricultural) reality that such a simple and necessary task is /forbidden/ ?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#159

Post by fma » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:40 AM UTC

This is not just in NYC...but also Atlanta. I only buy from western grocery stories if I absolutely need something. Maybe some western vegetables like lettuce I will get from Publix. But fruits, vegetables and meat are cheaper at the Korean, Chinese and Mexican grocery stores. I'm not talking about the small mom and pop stores, but giant chains.

Not only are they cheaper but they have more variety. If you go to an American grocery store...the fresh fruits and vegetable and meat selection is utterly pathetic. The price can be double. And people wonder why Americans don't eat enough fruits and vegetables

In Atlanta there are major streets like Buford highway, Pleasant Hill that have several large grocery stores (size of Walmart) within a few blocks of each other ,and no western grocery stores nearby because they can't compete. You may find an Aldi, or Walmart...but not Publix or Kroger. The sale prices at American grocery stores don't even touch the regular daily prices of the ethnic markets.

You walk into an American grocery store and you have a whole aisle dedicated to cereal, a whole aisle for potato chips, a whole aisle of soda...the fresh fruits, vegetables and meat are barely 10% of the square footage. While the ethnic grocery stories it's more like 25%...and those stores are larger. Meats of any cut, filets of fish, whole fish, fish head, live fish, live crab and lobster, pigs feet, ox tail...fish of many types...American stores, you'll have your salmon filet and shrimp.

It's true the quality can be hit or miss. I never frequent the Korean stores (hmart, assi mart) anymore unless I know I will eat it within two days. I go there once every few months. I frequent the Chinese and Mexican ones. Too many bad experiences at the Korean ones. When I shop at the Korean ones I open up their meats in the store and smell it...there's been a few times when I get home and open the package, the meat is rotten.

This is not to say I don't have bad experiences at the American markets. I have...milk that expires the next day (I wasn't attentive to the date, just picked the one that was furthest out...which happened to be tomrrow), the good ol rotten strawberry in the middle...but it happens less.

American grocery stores don't offer the same price or quantity because Americans don't demand it. They would rather want their aisle of frozen dinners and breakfast cereals.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#160

Post by Spooky23 » Mon, Jun 27, 2016, 1:52 AM UTC

dogma1138 wrote: post #52

mikeryan wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of western restaurants (Admittedly usually on the higher end) who change their menus seasonally, if not daily to reflect whats available. Its part of what the whole farm-to-table phenomenon is about.

It's not about farm to table, it's about economics and about what people prefer to eat especially in places where there is a big difference between winter and summer. Gazpacho isn't a dish you really want to have when the temperatures drop below 0, but on a hot summer day is perfection. Pretty much most restaurants regardless of being high end or not, have fish of the day, soup of the day, dish of the day etc. that's…

IMO, it's all about getting food from speciality purveyors vs. just checking boxes from Sysco. The cost reflects that, as the chef has to go hunt around for stuff.