Comments on: Bad News From Maryland: Health Code Violations Close Lotte Plaza

By: C

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:26:23 +0000

Wow. I’m really shocked by the news of Lotte as I was just recently there this past Tuesday shopping for banchan and snacks. The place looked and felt dilapidated, but I always figured that I have to take what I could in terms of Asian supermarkets since Baltimore doesn’t have as many Asian stores compared to California.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:56:05 +0000

What a shame. We’ve got a gigantic Asian market called Mitsuwa out here and I’d be quite sad to see them go this way.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:48:44 +0000

Korean Krogers is closed?

Oi.

Well, hopefully they will get things cleaned up and re-opened before you head back out to the area.

-Thomas

By: De in D.C.

De in D.C. — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:09:41 +0000

Thank you for the tip and the link to the Post article. I semi-frequently shop at the Lotte in Fairfax. It sounds like the unresponsive president handles the entire chain, so I’m dubious about visiting my store. I was there two weekends ago and everything seemed about the same (though admittedly I was in a rush since it was 15mins till closing), so maybe the individual store managers have more responsibility over health code standards? Either way, I’m a bit concerned now. I might be frequenting H-Mart more, despite the fact it’s farther away.

By: Diane

Diane — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:41:30 +0000

I tend to shop with my nose as it were. Sometimes when a favorite store has been sold or come under new ownership I have noted a marked decrease in quality and cleanliness. I try to separate that out from the basic crowded/dusty/dried-fish-smelling ambience that tends to be part of my favorite Asian markets. But I think you need to be able to trust your gut too. If it seems dirty, it probably is.

Too bad, as I’m a big fan of Asian supermarkets in gneral, and like to promote them as a fun and cost-effective alternative to ordinary supermarkets. I still shop a lot in them. But I must admit to looking twice these days.