International Markets...To buy or not to buy, that is the question

I say give it a try. Many international markets have deals with local farmers/fishetman/etc which may drive prices down some. And some stuff is not sold very often so it may not be the freshest that you'd find at a high volume turnover store. So, give it a shot.

We have a massive Asian/Latino/Indo/Pak market about 45 minutes drive from us. It's fantastic for variety and price and we make a sojourn there probably every other month to stock up. Overall my take is:

Seafood: much better selections and interesting stuff for a better price. Quality the same

Meats: be careful. Some cuts normally found in standard grocery stores are priced higher but the interesting cuts (as you mentioned) are much cheaper

Veggies: Almost always a better buy.

We stock up on the hard to find stuff and freeze etc until the next run.

ill buy lamb from the halal shop down the street, and whatever in a nearby korean shop, any thing canned, any of the pastas and dried peppers, dried mushrooms, pretty comfortable with a lebanese place nearby as ive been in the back and seen their operation with pitta breads, sesame seeds, mouse control etc, one asian place smells like fish that was turned away by the local canned catfish company, use your nose

There are several in my area. The one I go to most often is primarily Vietnamese, but they carry a broad spectrum of foods from all over Asia. They have a small section of Caribbean and, somewhat surprisingly, African.

When they started out, it was really down home. A couple of days a week, there would be bins full of squid and shrimp and other sea food. They have grown steadily. The fresh seafood now sits in a chiller. Really good prices on pork belly. A couple times a year, they get large quantities of frozen seafood, tho' they are a little slow in removing stuff that sits too long. A few frozen mackerel I bought were probably several months older than was good. Everything else I've had was fine.

The variety of items is really amazing. The proprietors are very friendly, and know that when a Midwesterner like me tries to buy duck balut, they discourage the purchase. But they are not cooks, and when I ask them how to prepare certain things, the best they can do is supply a name of what it is. They carry things their clientele asks them for, which often things they know little or nothing about.

They have a really good spice and seasoning aisle. The only place that beats them in spices is an Indian place. Not much fresh there, but the bulk spices, legumes, & grains have lots of variety, and the prices wipe out the "American" markets.

Having shopped frequently at the Vietnamese place, I would suppose that there are several reasons for the very affordable prices. They have a steady clientele, because there is not other place in town that offers most of the goods. But, while the customer base is reliable, it doesn't have a lot of money, and most of what they are buying are considered staples, not exotic specialties.  It is a family owned business, and they don't have the overhead of paying a portion of the profits to investors.

When we lived on the East Coast most of the ducks sold were from Long Island NY.   The White Peking ducks were sold as both fresh and frozen at the grocery store in Eldersburg.  I believe one of the farms does mail order.