I always love to stop into Thai Binh when I'm in Wichita--one of my favorite Asian markets. They've remodeled since I left the city and you never know what you are going to find! I was hoping to stock up on to-go soup containers they usually stock, which I use for ice cream when I'm taking it to a friend. Alas, there were none to be had. Oh well, we had lots of fun looking at all of the wonderful things and I did come away with a treasure.
What are these? Some sort of dock from another planet? Strange, beautiful and magnificent.
The decor items at Thai Binh are all about more, as in 'more is more, less is a bore.' It's certainly an aesthetic I appreciate.
I had been researching a substitute for fish sauce to use in Asian recipes, and several sources noted that it is possible to find a vegetarian fish sauce at some Vietnamese markets. Lo and behold, after careful look there it was on the shelf. So, now I have enough fish sauce to last me for....a decade? Who knows. It's still so high in sodium you only need a little. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll report back after I use it in a recipe.