Sunday, March 8, 2009

Uptown Store Offers Taste Of Vietnam

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune Reporter

Walking along Argyle Street in Uptown, it's hard not to step into Viet Hoa Plaza along with everyone else walking in.

The grocery store, just steps from the red and green pagoda marking the North Side Asian business district's elevated train stop, was packed on a recent morning.

Inside, owner Joseph Trinh had just returned from his morning trip to the market to buy fresh produce. He was checking in with cashiers (most of whom are relatives), setting prices for the day and helping customers find everything from noodles to a pack of noni tea when one of them asked, "Do you have noni extract?"

The noni plant is well-known throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific for treating everything from asthma to arthritis and even constipation, but it's still difficult to find in Chicago stores. Continue Reading

4 comments:

  1. I'm too chicken to try something new from here. Does anyone have suggestions to ease me into something authentic while not upsetting my mid-western meat & potatoes background?

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  2. Thanks for nothing.

    Anyone else?

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  3. Try Sun Wah on Argyle, they have great BBQ duck & pork.

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