Food Stuff

Want a little drama while pushing your shopping cart? Head to the lively meat and seafood section at Vinh Phat Market, 6105 Stockton Blvd. Here, customers call out their orders as no-nonsense butchers hack, slash and saw. Patrons sniff and poke the selection of fresh fish that stare vacantly from a refrigeration case while live lobsters, catfish, frogs and turtles fidget for elbow room. A whole roasted pig fragrantly rumbles out the back door, ready to take its place of honor at some nearby banquet. The rest of this large Asian supermarket is no less attention-grabbing. The orderly, clean aisles feature double-digit selections of rice, oyster sauce, coconut milk, teas and soy sauce, as well as lots of exotic stuff you have probably never seen before. The low prices will also quicken your pulse. Vinh Phat is a must for anyone with an interest in Asian cuisine, or those merely hungry for a bit of excitement in the supermarket aisle. Call them at 424-8613.