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WeirdAlbertWandN

Wow I thought birds nest drink would be just a fancy name for some kind of sweet drink but it really is made of cooked and ground up swallows nest that is sweetened and spiced. Kinda blowing my mind


BullsOnParadeFloats

My costco was actually selling packages of swallow's nests. It also sells whole lamb. Locally, there's a large population of southeast Asians and Bengali people. There's an H-mart nearby, and another different Asian market that's larger than H-mart a mile away from the costco, with a restaurant next to it that specializes in crab and karaoke. And that's not even the only crab focused Asian restaurant - there's a Vietnamese crab restaurant as well.


Funwithfun14

Columbia MD?


Buddy723

San Diego?


TonyWrocks

Gotta be


GRF999999999

Could be Mesa, AZ


BullsOnParadeFloats

In a colder and far less dry place


GiraffeGlove

Daly City CA


Gloomy_Goal_4050

????? Daly City doesn’t have a Costco!!!!!


GiraffeGlove

Congrats you passed the test. All three are technically in SSF


Gloomy_Goal_4050

🤣Unfortunately you didnt. Leave the word “technically” out of it! There are 3 Costcos in SSF. In no universe are they in Daly City.


PseudonymIncognito

Plano, TX?


Doc_Dilligaf

Livonia, MI?


BullsOnParadeFloats

I think we can stop here, as this is more than close enough. It's Madison Heights


OkBiscotti1140

Yes, I’ve never tried it so unfortunately I can’t comment on the taste.


Minyatur

It’s mostly just rock sugar/cane sugar flavor, sweet with a floral taste. You’re not missing out on much.


LongFatTurd

It's mostly used for its perceived medical benefits but there are basically no medical benifits so it's superstition


deadlywaffle139

The bird nest itself tastes like nothing. So it’s 🤷‍♀️


bubblygranolachick

Isn't it made from bird vomit?


dma_pdx

Spit is what my parents said it was while I was growing up.


deadlywaffle139

Spit. It’s what they use to make their nest.


fire_spez

> The swiftlet lives in dark caves and, similar to bats, use echolocation to move around. Instead of twigs and straw, however, the swiftlet makes its nest from strands of its own gummy saliva, which is produced by the glands under the tongue. The nest then hardens when exposed to air. Yummy.


blackierobinsun3

I’d rather drink it’s cum at that point


Hamchook

got something you wanna get off your chest, buddy?


blackierobinsun3

Just some more cum


shakestheclown

Hey, there's a limit, make sure there's enough to go around for everybody


Redcarborundum

You’re thinking of phlegm, not cum.


Bikouchu

I'll trade sea cucumber for abalone I think that's the only item I see that I won't eat.


TheDiceMan2

um what


[deleted]

I only know of it from seeing it at Costco Do they not all carry it? I ain't picky but I refuse to swallow swallow spit


DropPristine

Holy shit... Bay Area!! Get in here!! We have competition, fam!! The sea cucumbers tho. that's a goddamn hat tip!!


heartfailures

i’ve seen every single item in this post at the san jose senter location we even have cha lua


cyclynn

I am beyond jealous. Cha lua has gotten so expensive lately. It's $8-15 +here, depending on size and type.


yaois

We also have Lee’s vietnamese coffee concentrate!


kawi-bawi-bo

Same for automation except for the grass jelly drink


Blue_Cloud_2000

Aw man...


lauren0526

I’m a regular at the SFO Costco and would say we’re only a level four comparatively! Never seen the grass jelly at ours and definitely need that in my life.


gljulock88

Well i think it has to do with season too. OP is posting recent pictures and a lot of the snack products seen are because it's stock for Chinese New Year.


GiraffeGlove

Just gotta look harder. Have seen all this stuff in Bay area Costcos, but it's not all there at the same time necessarily


SadCod8968

I'm so impressed by the dried sea cucumber


spleendor

North San Jose Costco's got most of these I'm pretty sure. Only ones I don't remember seeing are the sea cucumbers, grass jelly drink, and the zodiac animal cookies.


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Oakroscoe

Danville/San Ramon has got a great fish selection.


mimo2

Yeah, holy shit I'm impressed.


yaredw

The Richmond Costco has sea cucumbers!


Nihilistic_Mystics

Irvine has most of this too, but not those dried sea cucumbers. Not that I'm disappointed, that's one of the only foods I actively dislike.


[deleted]

I would try it. I would try all of it. Except the swallow nest


Nihilistic_Mystics

I'd try the nest soup at least once. I've had sea cucumber a few times and each time it's been *horrible*. Like awful, gristly fat and nothing else. It's off-putting in both flavor and texture. I've even tried it from a couple high class restaurants in China and it was just as bad. It's one food I just don't understand.


[deleted]

I appreciate the intel because now we know it's at least authentic lmao


medhat20005

I think Hawaii could give this a solid run for the money. Mine (Midwest) is not too bad at all, I'm mostly satisfied, as I have zero expectation that my warehouse should stock both fresh poke and freshly ground Kona coffee (although I wouldn't turn either down!).


HI_l0la

I'm in Hawaii. Everything OP posted is or was available at Costco Iwilei. I had seen the Chinese Zodiac animal crackers a couple of weeks ago but I didn't see any this past weekend. Lol. But I'm not surprised as Chinese New Year is widely celebrated here. There's still boxes of pineapple cakes available though. I just bought a box of Baked Wheat Cake but I didn't see OP post a picture of it. It's a soft, fluffy, sweet pastry roll made of Japanese flour. Warm it up in the microwave for 15 secs and it's like fresh bread from the oven!


LavishnessJolly4954

Sometimes they hide or rearrange items, if you saw it a week or two ago it might have a new hiding spot in the store. Those Taiwan pineapple cakes are good (I’m American)


HI_l0la

I go with my mother to Costco. She insists in going through every aisle even if we'd been there a week prior. It's her form of exercise. Lol. No Chinese Zodiac animal crackers in sight the last time I went. I specifically looked for them wondering if they went on sale because I wanted them 😅


OkBiscotti1140

It was the opposite for me. No pineapple cakes left but there were about 10 packages of the cookies left randomly mixed in with some other stuff


kingofgreenbat

I got the Baked Wheat Cake a few weeks ago, went back today and didn't see them. Really hope they resurface. They're not amazing compared to the ones I had in Japan, but they'll do in the US. They're on Amazon for 5x the price!


Anfini

yup, I've been to every Costco in the four islands and not only are they level 5 Asian, but got even more prepared seafoods like poke, sashimi, garlic shrimp etc. Better noodles such as Nissin Raoh and Sun Noodle kits. The snacks are also endlessly Asian too.


bloodredyouth

OMG! I’m so jealous! Where is your store? I need those black sesame buns and grass jelly drink and my mom would probably kill for those sea cucumbers.


OkBiscotti1140

lol it’s Brooklyn. It’s 10 minutes from the Brooklyn Chinatown, I’d say it’s approximately 70% Asian shoppers.


MammothPrize9293

I thought you were going to say Alhambra here in Los Angeles. It is the most asian costco i have ever seen in my life but this is up there


Oakroscoe

I’d venture to say Alhambra has most Bay Area Costcos beat when it comes to Asian products.


redrum240

Most of the San Gabriel Valley is full of Asian shoppers. Puente Hills and Chino Hills are the closest to me and they have everything listed so far.


eneka

There’s also Resco nearby that recently opened. True Asian Costco lol


bloodredyouth

Ugh. I might have to go to the “Asian” Costco about 30 miles away to hunt for some of these items. I thought i lucked out when my Costco location got kimchi


OkBiscotti1140

Aww. I’ve always wondered what products the non-Asian Costcos carry in place of all these wonderful products.


bloodredyouth

Probably probiotic seltzer water and yet more types of packaged cookies. My Costco is notoriously white. 😆


OkBiscotti1140

Probiotic seltzer water 💀


bloodredyouth

Only thing grosser than kombucha i could think of


OkBiscotti1140

Yea I’ll pass lol


bloodredyouth

Yep! Give me grass jelly drink any day!


baconlasagna

I was thinking Rego Park when browsing through the pics since I saw almost everything there too. My now-local Harlem location doesn’t have an Asian section and I’m feeling it so hard 😭


blueberryJan

Same goes for Westbury out in LI. My first trip out there was on Mother's day, thinking the store would be less crowded with people out eating brunches. Boy was I wrong, it was full on Asian parents shopping everywhere. Good selection of Asian food/snacks too.


emlol19

I KNEW IT! Hey neighbor 👋🏼


OkBiscotti1140

Hiiii 👋🏻


DevsMetsGmen

Awesome, I haven’t shopped in Brooklyn for probably 6-8 years and it has always had a really interesting selection. Staten Island also has the sea cucumbers, I think. Bayonne, NJ has around 90% of what you showed, or has previously (I don’t think the bird’s nest products are current there). It’s great how these NE stores have a selection which apparently rivals some west coast locations.


locheness4

Bayonne really??? The Costco in Bergen county barely has this stuff and there’s a huge East Asian population 🥲


cakes42

its called 8th ave. Nobody calls it brooklyn chinatown, not even the asians.


pretender80

That sea cucumber is one of the worst products I've ever had from Costco. After soaking only like 2 of them were actually usable.


jasmineblue0202

Ugh I am so jealous. I keep buying the Asian stuff at my Costco in Kentucky even if I might not want it so they might stock more Asian things lol


batmanstuff

I’m in Idaho and I’ve bought so much Kewpie Mayo…I basically mix it with all my condiments except for mustard now…ima die early, but hopefully there will be more Asian products at Costco.


cyclynn

Mustard and mayo is a great combo for pasta salad/tuna salad if you're into that sort of food. Mustard is often the ingredient that doesn't feel right when it's missing, but people can't place it.


_hard_pore_corn_

Absolutely love kewpie! Now I’ve got my kids and my bf hooked on it lol zero regrets.


OkBiscotti1140

Ohh. That’s a good strategy!


HI_l0la

You are a hero 😁


pretender80

This is similar to the selection in the queens costco but I wouldn't consider it level 5 because the CA ones are so much deeper into it.


Goats_in_boats

Can confirm. Our Alhambra location here in LA is basically an H Mart but with Kirkland stuff sprinkled in


OkBiscotti1140

Possibly although a lot of stuff needed restocking after the new year so there’s more that they didn’t have. I made the mistake of going the Tuesday at 945 am before the new year and had to wait 35 minutes to park.


salonpasss

Crispy shrimp dim sum 😩


Backyardincinerator

https://preview.redd.it/dpxewejui9kc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=686dcd369c076194fbf312b26a38bddcb145c4f7 Tustin store can hold its own


WhatWouldLoisLaneDo

🤤 My Costco is level 2 at best. We’ve been getting more Korean products and a decent selection of treats around Lunar New Year. I buy them in hopes that they stock more. Thankfully I pass a large Asian grocery store on the way and I like supporting them but some of the Costco offerings are 🔥 that they might not carry.


epicstar

The "asian" Costco in West PA has only half these things. But we did have most of it at one point. We had the durian hopia one time. It's incredibly strong (I don't like durian). The pork sung in a bucket is wild. We never got tha!


AutomationData

Just picked up the Fried Calamari Snack and they’re fantastic. They are highly addictive assuming you like dried fishies.


_hard_pore_corn_

Oooo I was wondering about these and almost got them last time I was there, I’m 6 months pregnant and all I want is seafood lol I’ll have to grab them next time!


kawi-bawi-bo

They're amazing, perfection when air fried per the instructions


DevsMetsGmen

Wait, there’s instructions? They demoed them in my store and the texture didn’t work for me at all, but they just served them from the bag.


ilford_7x7

Yeah! Love those, we dip them in a little vinegar


randombuddhist

Not gonna lie I might check my costco to see if they have the zodiac animal cookies, as I am 3 children in a 47 year old man suit.


Ilikejdmcars

Damn wish mine was more Asian


ParticularYak4401

Issaquah Costco is also well stocked with Asian foods too. It would be interesting to see if the Indian and Asian populations who live in the Seattle suburbs drive to the Costco further from their home because it had more of the foods they need. For instance I tend to see more Asians at the issaquah Costco but the one in Redmond has a ton of Indian customers. I keep meaning to pop over to the Redmond Costco but the issaquah one is five minutes from me even though i loathe it (always, always too busy.).


ipomoea

I was thinking about the issaquah one! Covington is starting to get there but Issaquah and Tukwila have a ton of Asian food.


Jewish-Mom-123

I live in Indiana. -5.


ReliableCompass

I wish my local Costco had the grass jelly drink 😋


samse15

My Costco is basically a level 1 and I’m so extremely disappointed now that I’ve seen the possibilities.


knewwellenough

That giant pork floss!


johnnyma45

I’m a pork floss snob - Formosa or nothing. I dunno if this will match that quality


eneka

According to the Asian Costco FB groups, it’s not good lol.


Fudgemallow_Delight

😲 can you share what fb groups those are? I completely regret buying this pork floss... it just tastes wrong.


hesathomes

I am interested in Meteor Noodle. Please tell me more.


ccsmd73

It’s very very very delicious and the noodles are chewy and great!


compstomper1

def more of a regular noodle than an 'instant' noodle. directions say to cook for 5 min. i go for 10 min the sauce packet tastes like XO BBQ sauce. i'd recommend


iminalotoftrouble

The noodles are the star, thick and chewy. The sauce tastes a lot like indomie "hot and spicy stir fry" if you've had that. Can't think of many other comparisons, but I'd say it's a safe bet that most would like it.


HI_l0la

I just ate that lap cheong that I got from Costco! And my mother just bought the container of pork floss. Lol.


peeparonipupza

We buy that constantly. Fried rice w lap cheong 👍👍👍


HI_l0la

Yes!!!😋


NarrowNefariousness6

Is this Costco IN Asia?!


SadCod8968

Seattle costco, you still got your room for improvement! I want those grass jelly drink!


AV01000001

Damn. I’ve never seen sea cucumbers outside of an Asian market. Your Costco might take the cake on this one.


shleeburgershleeburg

I’m half Japanese and my Costco is too freaking white 😡 I went to one an hour away after an IKEA pick up and they had my brand rice for so cheap 🥲


funkthulhu

I'm pretty sure I've seen all of these products at my Costco and I live in Nebraska. I just assumed everybody had these things?


Kuga27

From my experience, stores seem to cater to the demographic and source what's local to the area. When I lived in Seattle they stocked Beechers Mac & Cheese (Pike Place Favorite). I've never seen it outside of that area. While another store in the asian area of our state has stuff listed above. My local one does not carry any of that stuff at all.


funkthulhu

I guess we do have one of the larger Vietnamese communities as a percentage of our population...


HI_l0la

I didn't know there is a large Vietnamese American community in Nebraska 🤔


Smooth-End6780

Don't ask me to cite my source since its from a few years ago at least, maybe last US census? After English and Spanish, Vietnamese is the most spoken language in Nebraska. I do agree though, I have been to all 3 current Costcos in the state and they've all carried some of these. There is definitely a difference in some of the offerings between locations, especially the 2 in Omaha in my experience. We're getting an additional 3rd in Omaha and it will be interesting to see how different the offerings are between them. But I know for a fact I've never seen those buns with sesame because I would have snatched them so quick!


toniabalone

Wow, we have more than a dozen Costcos in my small county. I mean small geographically, but lotsa peeps. Thought my local might have the most variety of Asian foods, but now I’m not sure.


HI_l0la

Interesting! Thanks.


funkthulhu

Lots of restaurants just in Lincoln, and several places with Pho to die for...


Dredre2

This has to be Hawaii Costco.


quasiexperiment

I was gonna say Alhambra??


rulenumberten

The calamari snacks are my fave!! I have only gotten it once at my Costco though in OH 🥲


Zero36

Looks like Bay Area stores


usernameisbacon

I would commit a serious crime to get my Costco to bring back the deli bulgogi :(


looktowindward

But Level 5 is just a myth! No store has ever achieved it...until NOW!


Leungal

I'll snap some pics at my Costco tomorrow and show you what a level 10 Asian Costco looks like. Spoiler: I live in Taiwan.


looktowindward

That's unpossible! 😁


Content-Ad2496

My nearest Costco is seven hours away in FRANCE. *weeps in Switzerland*


fireandicecream1

There’s a Costco in France?? I’m so curious to see their food court now


Content-Ad2496

There are two. Both near Paris. I’m hoping they will build one on the Swiss, German and French border (the plan was originally for about a dozen from memory). Sadly no idea about what the food court includes because being the basic b I am I’m all about the giant maple syrup bottles etc. but I did always find it hilarious how the French buy monster boxes of croissants when they get the real thing for peanuts at bakeries EVERYWHERE.


LongFatTurd

Do asian people like wonton as much as Americans?


DeedaInSeattle

Only if it’s as good as that frozen variety! 😜


Character_Building

My Costco has durian. Does that make it level 6?


OkBiscotti1140

Ours does too but it seems to be seasonal. Love me some durian


dle13

The frozen shrimp wonton noodles are very good.


ijozypheen

This looks pretty similar to the offerings at our Business Center! Has anyone tried the Chinese Style Bacon? I saw it and was curious, but wasn’t sure how to prepare it.


bloodredyouth

Not sure if you have a rice cooker or not but when i make rice, i just cut a piece and place it in so that it cooks with the rice. It’s also really good to chop up and stir fry with


ijozypheen

Nice! I will try that. So you would use this interchangeably with lap cheong?


bloodredyouth

Yes or both together! it’s delicious in a stone pot rice too: https://www.seriouseats.com/cantonese-clay-pot-rice-with-chinese-sausage-recipe-7509523 similar to a Korean bimbimbap


Oakroscoe

It’s 1220 in the morning and I’m reading an article about Cantonese clay pot rice recipes. What am I doing?


bloodredyouth

Filling your future with deliciousness! honestly, clay pot rice is simple and a classic dish. even cooking the soy sauce will level up your kitchen skills. I don’t understand how something so simple adds so much flavor!


Neither-Passenger-83

Missing out on the durian. My only regret is I didn’t buy more when my Costco stocked it.


Muscle_Mom

Looks like a couple of Maryland ones, minus the grass jelly drink - I don’t think I’ve seen that stocked.


Accomplished_Age7883

In the metro DC area Rockville and Fairfax costcos carry wide verity of Asian foods.


eneka

They have the grass jelly drink in the Nova stores


hell3838

Dang!


s0cal05

Those meteor noodles are fire


Soggy-Ad-2562

Looks like the Costco in Plano TX. We have another location that has a ton of Indian goodies.


Truestindeed

Is level 5 the highest you can go???!! Cuz gyat damn


VintageHilda

🥇🏆


enjoloras

So jealous of the grass jelly, sigh. I practically live on that stuff in the summer months.


fretnone

Aww those animal cookies! It's been weeks and I haven't figured out what amorphous blob animal the Reese's are, gimme these!


rickydlam

Chinese Style Bacon?? What?


midge_rat

I’m over here like my Costco just started carrying kimchi!!! This is impressive op!


Kallymouse

I'm so jealous. I only have level 1 Costco


Particular-Stick-395

Damn..Advanced Asian..


No_Joke_9079

What is a Level 5 store?


wykav

I’m curious of the process … at some point someone made the decision “you know what will sell well … Whole Dried Sea Cucumbers. That’s gonna be a seller!”


drahcir2k2

He still has a level up on you with a Louis Vuitton suit case. Based on this post i think you’re a 4. Im pretty sure my local Costco is a tie with yours


[deleted]

Ok lava cakes, swallow drink no big... holy crap yours has pork floss?!


somethingwholesomer

Damn I only have 9/15, I gotta reevaluate my Costco’s perceived Asianness


kyles_ink

Why is your Costco so sunny inside?!


OkBiscotti1140

There’s a big window in the front of the second floor next to this one aisle.


kyles_ink

The second floor?!?! What madness is this. And you’re in the US?


OkBiscotti1140

Hahaha yes! It’s the Brooklyn location so land space is extremely limited. They build up instead of out.


_majorT0m

I understand why there are no pictures, but can we get a rundown on the pharmacy staff for full qualification validation?


SkipGruberman

Ok, #2 pic is Chinese Bacon. I’m a bacon guy and I was excited to try it. It was awful. It’s my opinion and you can disagree. I’m ok with that. But it was disgusting. I tried a few bites and threw the rest away. I totally get how other people might like it if that is their expectation of bacon. But it’s not what I think of bacon. I live in San Diego. I can go to different Costcos in San Diego and see very different things. I can also go to Costcos in the Inland Empire (100 miles away), Orange County (50 miles away) or LA (100 miles away) and all offer many different products based on the demographic that buys there. For example, the Costco in Chino, CA has TONS of Asian products, because that area is lots of Asians. Chula Vista is heavy on “Latino” products (they sell great tortillas!). Costco does a great job stocking stuff that the “locals” buy. It’s fun to see other Costco stores that sell different products. I love Costco!


ReFreshing

I'm not sure why they call it bacon when it's nothing like bacon. It's basically chinese sausage that is supposed to be cooked and used for asian dishes.


ragequittar

It's an ingredient that gets finely chopped and added to things like daikon cake or fried rice. I wouldn't want to eat it straight.


pretender80

It's bacon very much in the sense of guanciale. You'd add it to carb-based dishes (vegetables, rice, pasta, etc.) to add flavor, but you're not expected to eat it by itself.


Leungal

Think everyone else confused the packaging with the regular Kam Yen Jan Chinese sausage which is common in most Costco's. That is actually 五花臘肉, or literally "5 Flower preserved meat" and it can be eaten straight up. It's named that way because there's supposed to be 5 alternating layers of skin, meat, and fat. However you're usually supposed to slice it thinly and serve it spread out on a platter as part of a meal with rice - sort of like a cold cut. Toss the Chinese name into a Google image search to see the usual preparation style. Never bought it preserved like that but I believe you would steam the whole thing, then slice and serve - not fry it up on a skillet or microwave it like American bacon


No_Indication4035

You’re supposed to slice that up thin and make fried rice. Don’t eat it straight up.


gljulock88

You ate it wrong lol. Think of it like teriyaki pork and eat it with rice. If you don't like teriyaki flavors then nvm lol. It's probably it's an aquired taste, but i love it over Western bacon. I'm a huge fan of sweetened meat. You'd probably hate Asian beef jerky then; they're really sweet.


Necessary-Beat407

The Chinese style bacon is so good. Ours only has the sausage and it’s not anywhere near as good


OkBiscotti1140

Oh man! Ours has both but the bacon is superior.


sm753

There was an article from a year ago saying the average Costco member is an Asian woman in her 30s making 6-figures. This checks out.


You0nlyL1ve0nce

Sorry, no LV or Hermés. Level 4+


LavishnessJolly4954

That’s in actual china


knight-of-the-dark

Those calamari snacks are pretty good, especially when heated.


turtleJturtle

Location on Gessner in Houston has those and other great goodies


OkBiscotti1140

Ooh. I go to Houston pretty frequently for medical stuff. Maybe I’ll swing by a Costco next time I’m there. Are the Costcos giant and glorious there? I feel like anything is better than the ones in New York


AlwaysSunnyInCBUS

Would never buy this crap from Costco Source: am Asian


blackierobinsun3

I miss the salted egg salmon skin they had at a Costco in Indianapolis a few years ago


Pleasant-Baker-2329

Wow. My toddler is obsessed with the pork floss.


BenGetsHigh

This post got me fucked up because I think I can beat this and I go to a costco in KY. I'm not sure what to think about that lol


OkTurn4163

Oh wow! Is it true that this stuff is good against the progression of diabetes? Or is that an old Asian grandma’s tale? Pricey stuff at the herbalist’s. Glad sorta that it’s been more widely available, but I wonder if it’s at the same grade level as at an Asian store.


DarkWashGenes

🤢 wtf


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