Tigard gets some Seoul as Asian market opens

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As you gaze at dozens of jars of kimchi, the Korean national dishof spicy fermented cabbage, you may suspect that you're not inKansas anymore. Or Tigard.
But you are still in Tigard, standing in front of the wall o'kimchi in the new H Mart on Oregon 99W. The only Oregon branch ofthe Asian-food megamart opened a month ago in the space formerlyoccupied by a Haggen Food & Pharmacy store.
People jammed the store the first day; a week later, checkers stillhad a slightly haunted look when asked about opening day.
"Before we opened," said store accounting manager Yong Kim, "peopleregularly drove to shop at the Federal Way store near Seattle,sometimes from Eugene or farther away."
H Mart, it seems, is more phenomenon than supermarket, and such athing deserves a FAQ, so here are Frequently Asked Questions aboutH Mart.
What's the big deal?: Like Uwajimaya in Beaverton or Fubonn inSoutheast Portland, the store is bigger, brighter and -- to thoseof us not of Asian ancestry -- more bewildering than what we areused to.
Crowds clump around sampling stations. Tanks bubble with live crabsand clams. A housewares area has an acre or so of rice cookers andhigh-tech dishwashers. At least three places offer a sit-downlunch, including a Korean deli, a Chinese restaurant and a sushicounter. A bakery puts out green tea doughnuts and red bean buns.
What's the company background?: Founded in 1982, H Mart is based inNew Jersey. It is one of the nation's largest Asian fooddistributors, with nearly 30 stores and warehouses around thecountry. At about 60,000 square feet, the Tigard store is among thesmallest H Marts, Kim said.
Why Tigard?: Tigard isn't a hotbed of Korean culture, but it wasthe closest place in the Portland metro area with a suitably large,vacant retail space. According to the 2000 Census, 310 people inTigard said they were Korean, compared with almost 1,300 inBeaverton, where H Mart also looked. About 9,000 people in themetropolitan area claimed Korean ancestry in that census.
Does it carry only Korean specialties?: A cursory inspection of theshelves shows American products along with Japanese, Chinese,Vietnamese and Thai. The store has a small section for Mexicanfood, a display of Spam and a shelf stocked with Franz white bread,peanut butter and jelly.
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