In order to be the iron chef of your kitchen, you need to find your local Asian supermarket. Tampa has quite a few of them, usually Chinese- or Vietnamese-owned. Every foodie should have one of these on their shortlist. Oceanic Market is mine.
I was first introduced to Oceanic by a Vietnamese friend and have been going there every weekend since. Not strictly Chinese, the market is more a pan-Asian shopping spot, offering everything from ingredients for sushi to Szechuan peppercorns and wood ear mushrooms. The store has a produce department that offers a wide variety of hard to find yams, herbs and vegetables at very cheap prices, as well as a deli and a meat department.
Located in a transitional area just north of downtown Tampa,
