Hey Thanks, InterAsian Market & Deli,
My partner has very strong opinions about Asian cuisine. Her father, who was born in Thailand, knew a few restaurateurs in Boston’s Chinatown and brought the family to some of the best spots in the city when she was growing up. She later studied and worked abroad in China, and also waited tables at a well-regarded pho restaurant back in Massachusetts, where we’re from. So when we were looking for an apartment in Nashville, it’s little surprise we chose the place that was walking distance to InterAsian Market & Deli, an unassuming spot off Nolensville Pike.
InterAsian isn’t a big store, but its shelves are packed with everything we need. There’s house-made fish sauce and pickled vegetables and batches of Thai basil, scallions and cilantro. (The vegetables are often available in packages that are the perfect size for just two people, rather than those big family bags that always seem to spoil before we ever use them all.) They have a wide variety of curry pastes and gochujang and carry the best brands of fried tofu, jasmine tea and Vietnamese coffee. And if you’re not much of a chef, they have a great selection of frozen dumplings and ramen, plus plenty of imported snacks. Hell, if you need plates, a rice cooker or a straw broom, they carry that stuff, too!
And then, of course, there’s the banh mi — a baguette stuffed with pork and cool, crisp vegetables, plus a hefty jalapeño slice. (The Scene gave the sandwich, which costs $5, a Writer’s Choice Best of Nashville award in 2018.) Whether you’re looking for ingredients, an easy meal or just an inexpensive lunch, InterAsian has you covered. And for that, I’m thankful.
—Alejandro Ramirez
Associate editor, Nashville Scene
