I never had a chance to try this awesome vegetable, Shansu, until I moved to Taiwan. I think I first tried this light and crispy vegetable at one of the many ‘quick stir-fry’ places here. Most dishes in these places go for about 100NTD (3USD) a piece. Shansu is generally slightly more expensive. It usually maxes out at 150NTD per order.

Browsing a Wellcome supermarket one day, I found a package of Shansu for about a third of the price. On another day, I found it at Jason’s for a little bit more than Wellcome. Recently, I’ve been shopping at wet markets and noticed Shansu is cheaper there than at supermarkets. Surprisingly, I also found it at Costco. It was a decent deal since it was cheaper than the supermarkets and wet markets but not quite as fresh.

Even though the price was right, I didn’t buy it owing to the lack of freshness and the bulk quantity was just too much for me. However, just standing there, I wanted to know how many people were buying that pack of Shansu and who these people were. Many Taiwanese restaurants owners have started shopping at Costco since the prices of things like cooking oil and cleaning products are attractive. But are any stir-fry restaurant owners buying Shansu from Costco now instead of straight from the farms or wet markets out of convenience? How far do these owners travel to get to Costco? How much impact has Costco had on wet markets, supermarkets, and the neighboring RT Mart hypermarket?

I had to stop myself. Not enough information and just too little time to be thinking about this kind of stuff on a Sunday night. I would need geocoded demographic data and wealth intensities, Costco’s point of sales data, and third party purchasing data to answer all those questions. Then again, if a Tostitos Asia brand manager also had all this information, he or she would know that I was going to Costco to buy tortilla chips instead of Shansu for my homemade salsa. Things would be much easier if the Wellcome by my house sold tortilla chips. Oh well.

Also interested in learning about restaurants and supermarkets in Shanghai or Chengde? Local demand for tortilla chips, salsa, and sweet potato? Let me know. Thanks. -Eddie