[quote=“Dragonbones”]
You can get ground lamb, beef, chicken and turkey at the Tianmu butcher just north of Tianmu road on Zhongshan, on the east side near the big gym. .[/quote]
How would you say it compares to Costco DB?
Today was the grand opening in Nankan. I decided to check it out knowing full well there would be a million people, reminiscent of my worst Black Friday nightmare in the US.
Yep, there were tons of people. We were herded to a roped-off section of the parking structure, the line snaking around like a queue for a new roller coaster at Six Flags. After waiting a sweaty 30 minutes I finally made it inside the complex.
I have to say, though, there were plenty of experienced employees on loan helping out, so the experience was not as bad as I had anticipated. I had three things in mind to buy (bagels, muffins, and vitamin supplements) and grabbed those promptly; I’ll save the lingering stroll to check out other items for another day.
I am excited that there’s a Costco now just 5 minutes away from my house.
You queued for 30 mins to get into a sweaty crowded Costco. Oh any you have to pay for the privilege. :loco:
Ever been to Nankan? What he just experienced is a GOOD thing by local standards. 
Ever been to Nankan? What he just experienced is a GOOD thing by local standards. [/quote]
How about to Costco Neihu on a Sunday?! Now that’s a nightmare. And cueing for half an hour is nothing compared to circling the parking lots from basement to top looking for a spot, now that takes more than half an hour! Xiao case!
Hey guys, can someone be on the lookout for me at the neihu costco for a small deep freezer, 3x4 feet big. Can u let me know roughly the size, brand, price? I JUST went to costco on monday, so dontneed to go for another 3 weeks, but if this freezer is worth lookin at, i will go.
I need to freeze small 200 ml bags of liquid, but i can only spare a small corner in my house for the freezer
Piwackit in another thread said xizhi costco carries it, but i hope neihu does too.
Thanks to whoever can check for me!!
Ever been to Nankan? What he just experienced is a GOOD thing by local standards. [/quote]
How about to Costco Neihu on a Sunday?! Now that’s a nightmare. And cueing for half an hour is nothing compared to circling the parking lots from basement to top looking for a spot, now that takes more than half an hour! Xiao case! [/quote]
When I had a car I would go in the late evenings on a workday. Now I take the MRT to the Xinzhuang one (or wherever it is in Mordor land) and then a taxi back. No case.
You mean Zhonghe? Yeah, that’s what I did before. But now we have door to door bus service, from Xindian Dapinglin to Costco at Zhonghe and back. 
Of course, taxi is required if the stuff is too big/awkard for bus, but for cheese and foodstuff is OKish.
[quote=“914”]Hey guys, can someone be on the lookout for me at the neihu costco for a small deep freezer, 3x4 feet big. Can u let me know roughly the size, brand, price? I JUST went to costco on monday, so dontneed to go for another 3 weeks, but if this freezer is worth lookin at, i will go.
I need to freeze small 200 ml bags of liquid, but i can only spare a small corner in my house for the freezer
Piwackit in another thread said xizhi costco carries it, but i hope neihu does too.
Thanks to whoever can check for me!![/quote]
Yeah, I saw some at Neihu a while back, Haier brand, I think, somewhere in the $4k-7k range perhaps? Dunno if they’re still in.
We do? How often does the shuttle run and from where exactly?
We do? How often does the shuttle run and from where exactly?[/quote]
And would there also be a shuttle towards the Danshui (or at least Shilin) part of town?
We do? How often does the shuttle run and from where exactly?[/quote]
It is the bus that mocks the new circular line, so it follows the proyected path of the future MRT line. So it goes from Dapinglin -AFAIK- to Zhonghe and Banciao on to Xinzhuang. I’ve seen it running even every 10 to 15 minutes, mostly empty. It was free for a while. Stops at the bus depo across from Costco Zhonghe.
I saw three freezers in Neihu: two Haier chest freezers (379L/$9999 & 202L/$8299) and one glass sliding-top Leibherr (108L/$10399). 
[quote=“914”]Hey guys, can someone be on the lookout for me at the Neihu costco for a small deep freezer, 3x4 feet big. Can u let me know roughly the size, brand, price? I JUST went to costco on monday, so dontneed to go for another 3 weeks, but if this freezer is worth lookin at, i will go.
I need to freeze small 200 ml bags of liquid, but i can only spare a small corner in my house for the freezer
Piwackit in another thread said Xizhi costco carries it, but I hope Neihu does too.
Thanks to whoever can check for me!![/quote]
Today I had my first Costco experience. Awfully crowded, but similar to other wholesale places I’ve been (Makro in Barcelona is pretty crowded on saturdays, too).
The good: I found a nice bag of potatoes at a reasonable price (229NT$ for 4,5Kg, not bad at all, considering the prices on other places), a big bottle of olive oil (inferior quality than the one I’m used to, but it’s olive oil, and that’s the better for frying), ground garlic with spices, australian grounded beef, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce.
The bad: I didn’t find fresh parsley, or tomatoes (I hoped to pick a big bag at a reasonable price, like I did with the potatoes). I didn’t find decent, crusty, bread , or a bag with grounded bread. Guess I’ll have to try at Carrefour.
Fresh parsley is probably available at outrageous prices in high end supers. In a couple months you might start seeing it at wet markets, not sure about now.
For reasonable prices and constant availability, wait about a month, and try at the plant markets (it’s too hot now), and ask for yi4da4li4 qin2 for flat leaf (vs. ou1qin2, the curly type). Buy half a dozen, and repot them in slightly larger pots on your balcony. Water only when the soil is almost dry, and keep in a partially sunny spot.
Fresh parsley is probably available at outrageous prices in high end supers. In a couple months you might start seeing it at wet markets, not sure about now.
For reasonable prices and constant availability, wait about a month, and try at the plant markets (it’s too hot now), and ask for yi4da4li4 qin2 for flat leaf (vs. ou1qin2, the curly type). Buy half a dozen, and repot them in slightly larger pots on your balcony. Water only when the soil is almost dry, and keep in a partially sunny spot.[/quote]
Thanks for the tip. I’ll wait a little more, then. 
Blaquesmith found:
[quote]
…ground garlic with spices…[/quote]
This reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post about some good finds in the spice section for a long time now. A while back I found that my blood pressure was getting on the high side. I knew right away one of the culprits: salt/sodium. I used to devour the Costco nuts which are loaded with salt. And I used cooking spices high in sodium.
In the spice aisle (Zhonghe store) I have bought some salt-free spices and used them for grilling & stir frying. Two are outstanding:
[b]Organic No-Salt Seasoning /b - A very pungent, pleasant not overly powerful spice but still with a bit of a milk kick.
[b]Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning /b - This is definitely on the garlicky side (which I like) and has something of Mexican taste to it.
Salt-Free Garlic & Herb (McCormick Gourmet Collection Blends) This one is more herby than garlicky and hence not as interesting to me. I tend to toss it on grilled veggies but not meats.
Aside from that I often pick up the [b]Granulated California Garlic /b and [b]Granulated Onion /b both in large containers (the onion will last me forever)
Even if you think salt-free will be boring I recommend trying the Organic No-Salt Seasoning (especially) and the Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning. I’ve discovered that salt-free doesn’t have to mean bland.
If anybody finds any other good salt-free spices or rubs please post or PM me. Thanks
get the Soy Energy Blend nuts at Costco. They’re cheaper and salt free (and not bland).
I also like using the Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning. One of the herbs in it must smell a little like pot though because my start making comments whenever I start cooking with it and bringing leftovers to work.
I also put a lot of dried basil in my food and it’s really cheap at the warehouse type stores.
You’re setting yourself up for some serious disappointment.
Costco sells bags of unsalted almonds and walnuts that I think are meant for baking but I still eat them straight up. In the Zhonghe Costco, they’re in the back close to the freezers, away from all the salted nuts near the candy in the front.
One thing Costco has is English language magazines. I got Time for 169NT. At bookstores it is 200NT. I got GQ and Martha Stewart’s Living for 279NT each. Those are usually around 400NT at least.