J & J Jang Tuh

If you need to find obscure Korean ingredients (and, ideally, can speak/​read Korean), you may want to try J & J. We were lured in today by the «grand opening» banners, and decided to check it out before going to the Koreatown Plaza across the street. Along with their own parking lot, they have lots of housewares and health items for sale under awnings in front of the store, but nothing really caught my eye. Inside the store, they have row after row of bins of kimchi and other, less-​identifiable condiments and ingredients. We saw minced oysters, dried shrimps, spicy red chili paste– and those were just our best guesses. The bulk items were largely unfamiliar to me, but you could figure out the prepackaged items by the Nutritional Info labels on the backs. The employees were smiling and eager to offer samples (although their hovering made me a tad nervous). The first lady who approached us greeted us in Korean, but after I shook my head and apologized in English, they were still just as pleasant. After trying a sample from a cheerful young lady, I ended up buying a generous package of seasoned, shredded seaweed rice topping, for only $ 2.50. The prices all seemed very reasonable, with the signs on most items proclaiming «Special Import Price!» They also have a small selection of Korean herbs and teas, I think. It’s a friendly and fun store, especially if you’re feeling adventurous with the bulk items…