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| - I visited Lotte after reading MJJ's review of the market. I can recall having passed by this place several times and thinking it was no longer in commission. Like MJJ states, the place is easy to miss. The signs are old and obscured by tress and the lot is small and at best sparsely dotted with cars. There is an oriental rug store adjacent to the strip mall that is going out of business, so it is not the most happening part of town.
I cannot say that the market is especially inviting, considering it's layout and location (about 600 ft past South and Scaleybark) but as a Korean-American from out-of-state, it was a welcome sight! Upon entering, I received a friendly head-nod from the store owner behind the register- she was and often is on the phone.
I browsed for several minutes while munching on Korean snacks and ice cream (paid for later). I counted over 20 different kinds of frozen dumplings: Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, too. They have Asian kitchen utensils, like rice paddles, sushi mats, electric kettles, and tea strainers (I bought a much-nicer-than-dollar-store quality one for 1.99). And, they also carry every food item any East Asian would crave, including the staples: shrimp crackers, instant noodles, rice, of course, and dried seaweed- healthy and not as unpalatable as its name. Also, I noticed Lotte carries a lot of popular Korean/Japanese drinks: THE yogurt drink (pronounced as yog-eh-ruht) which is a probiotic, though not really yogurt, drink; it comes in packs of 5, 2.1oz. containers (that are recyclable!). And they have vitamin C drinks, milk drinks, and fruit drinks with real fruit chunks, or pulp.
There are small media enclaves throughout the store, magazines in a little corner in the front, Korean drama on dvd by the register, and the Japanese/Korean dramas on VHS by the in-house kitchen towards the back.
Things that may require some getting used to:
1- Less than full shelves- not everything is stocked full.
2- Lots of different kinds of customers, speaking different languages.
Don't worry no one is talking about you.. at least no one was talking
about me. While I was there, there were two Japanese women, an
older Korean women, and two young Latinos.
3- Fresh produce selection is minimal. There were Korean melons,
zuchini, sweet potatoes, green onions, SPROUTS, and lots of
green leafy veggies, all very competitively priced- but that's it.
4- Sometimes Asians come across as little chilly or they do things
that Americans may consider rude, such as speaking on the
phone, or munching on a snack while customers are present.
Open up to the owner a bit and you may be surprised at how
receptive she is. I have a half sleeve tattoo, which is more
disgraceful or scary than bad-ass in the Koran culture. In between
her glances to my art she recommended a hair salon, invited me to
her church, and also introduced me to one of her regular patrons.
Their traditional Korean side dishes, a variety of kimchis, spicy anchovies, and pickled seaweed/kelp are made fresh, and on the premises with love from someone's grandmother.
:. UPDATE- These traditional dishes, generally eaten with white rice,
and a side of soup, are all phenomenal, just like my
Mom would have made!
Saturdays they continue to have sushi and traditional Korean pancakes (containing veggies and sometimes a mix of seafood).
I really love that there is a place like this not too far from downtown Charlotte. I will definitely be a regular and encourage all interested to stop by and tell the owner I sent you!
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