Image: hmart.com

I love going to Whole Foods to shop for groceries, but when it comes to purchasing certain items, I feel they are overpriced. Even though most of their goods are organic, I believe the premium placed on organic fruits and vegetables is too high. I never buy fresh fruits and vegetables from there, but when I buy red meat and whole grain items, that’s where I go. I think the quality of meat at Whole Foods is top-notch.

There are three Korean H-Mart Supermarkets within a ten mile radius of where I live, and I drive by two of them on my way to work. When it comes to purchasing fruits and vegetables at the H-Marts, I end up about saving five or more dollars over the same items at higher-end supermarkets. When I was shopping for monkfish for my birthday party, I stopped by Whole Foods first and they were selling monkfish for $15.99/lb. I had purchased monkfish for my father’s restaurant back in the day and I recalled that monkfish was never that much. Feeling a little defeated and worrying on whether I should still serve monkfish at my party or not, I decided to take a trip to one of the nearby H-marts for monkfish. When I got to the seafood section, I couldn’t find monkfish and I was disappointed at the seafood section for the limited amount of seafood they offered. I walked around the corner and I saw all kinds of fish just laying there on the ice. The selection was greater and more affordable, and I had found the monkfish. At $4.99/lb, I knew this was the place to buy the fish. While I can’t attest to the fact that everything is cheaper at Asian supermarkets, it doesn’t hurt to check one out in your neck of the woods. Happy shopping!