Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Guide
Review: I love interesting ingredients and am fortunate to live near an ethnic grocery. This book helps me figure out what new and interesting dishes I can make with what is available to me. The set up is easy to understand, divided into foods most people should be familiar with, saving the "exotic" ingredients for last. I recommend this book, and if the other ethnic grocer books are anything like this one, I recommend them too.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guide
Review: I love interesting ingredients and am fortunate to live near an ethnic grocery. This book helps me figure out what new and interesting dishes I can make with what is available to me. The set up is easy to understand, divided into foods most people should be familiar with, saving the "exotic" ingredients for last. I recommend this book, and if the other ethnic grocer books are anything like this one, I recommend them too.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Useful
Review: I loved the book. Written and layed out in a manner which is easy and pleasant to read and very useful. I look forward to more books by this author. I also recommend another book, Kanasawa, by this author. It is a beautiful compilation of photographs of Kanasawa, Japan which I regrettingly gave to Japanese friends who were extremely impressed and attached to it!
Rating: 
Summary: Most interesting for its seeming authenticity and variety.
Review: I was quite taken with what was for me a refreshing type of cuisine, that long appreciated from afar, was presented to myself as a novice in very approachable terms. I would be most interested to see what is in store for this author in her next supplement.
Rating:
Summary: You're in luck with this book about Asian foods.
Review: LOS ANGELES TIMES Cookbook Watch by Russ Parsons. It's happened to all of us: Inspired by a particularly good cookbook or restaurant meal, we head for an ethnic market, vowing that we will learn just what it is that makes this food so wonderful. Then when we get there, we can only stand there, transfixed by a bewildering variety of ingredients we've never seen. If it's Asian cooking you want to explore, you're in luck, though. "The Asian Grocery Store Demystified," by Linda Bladholm (Renaissance Books, $14.95), walks you through the market - both fresh ingredients and prepared- and explains what each item is, and then tells you what to look for or recommends the best brands. Bladholm, a well-traveled frequent contributor to Singapore and Asia Pacific magazines, covers a broad territory-everywhere from Japan and the Philippines to Southeast Asia. It's all packaged in a convenient paperback that will neatly fit in a hip pocket or purse. Just where you want it the next time good intentions strike.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! I've needed this book for years!
Review: Many thanks to the author & the publisher for this excellent guide to the mysteries of the Asian grocery store. What a great idea! It's well organized, with wonderful illustrations, and is also packed with heartwarming & personal stories. A pleasure to read, as well as an indispensible tool for serious foodies. You've made this Asian food fanatic *very* happy!
Rating:
Summary: Nice compendium explaining some of the more esoteric foods
Review: The author does a great job of shedding some light on some of the lesser known cuisines of Asia--such as Korea and Cambodia. That is not to say that the more familiar cuisines of China and Japan are not covered. She explains many of the more esoteric ingredients and herbs of those countries as well. A really useful book for both the beginner, interested in expanding their culinary horizons, and the more advanced who don't have the ability to read asian languages--I've cooked Asian foods for many years, and still find myself stumped with trying to figure out what the heck to do with an ingredient. I usually ask someone, but I now have a resource to turn to, to supplement my information. Also, a plus is the size of the book--it will neatly fit into one's back pocket or purse. Well done!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This is an interesting book that is packed with information. Using an actual store as an example, the author describes where to locate grocery items and what they look like. Recommendations are given for specific brands and suggestions for storage and cooking are provided. The book is well-organized and comprehensive - I could only think of a couple of items not included - and is written with considerable care and attention to detail.
Rating:
Summary: Alternative Title: Asian Food Demystified
Review: This small paperback not only demystifies the Asian grocery, but also the Asian recipe and menu. I was able to quickly look up items that I couldn't spell but had long been curious about because the book is organized by the sections in the grocery. After quenching my initial curiosities, I had to sit down and read the interesting book cover to cover. Each ingredient is discussed as to appearance, taste, texture, uses, history and quality with references to preferred brands or possible substitutes. There are a few basic recipes included to try right away, but this book best serves as a supplement to other Asian and vegetarian cookbooks and in preparation for shopping or dining. My only disappointment was not finding the recipe for Sweet Thai Tea listed in the index but omitted from the content.
Rating:
Summary: Alternative Title: Asian Food Demystified
Review: This small paperback not only demystifies the Asian grocery, but also the Asian recipe and menu. I was able to quickly look up items that I couldn't spell but had long been curious about because the book is organized by the sections in the grocery. After quenching my initial curiosities, I had to sit down and read the interesting book cover to cover. Each ingredient is discussed as to appearance, taste, texture, uses, history and quality with references to preferred brands or possible substitutes. There are a few basic recipes included to try right away, but this book best serves as a supplement to other Asian and vegetarian cookbooks and in preparation for shopping or dining. My only disappointment was not finding the recipe for Sweet Thai Tea listed in the index but omitted from the content.
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