As for the potato cakes, they are at: http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=8280

The bacon brussel sprouts one is:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=8372

The swiss chard is at:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=607
(that last one is one that Pam found, and think she’s confused the source as it’s from another show, and not one of Laura Calder’s, as far as I can tell)

Bob, I know what you mean about H-Mart, and I have to say that the lack of instructions for foreigners (which is what we are when we go to places like these) is fairly universal. I find that a lot of store employees are more than happy to tell you what to get/eat, but it is usually up to you to ask them. It takes a fair amount of bravery, and nothing will be handed to you. Sometimes I get a little frustrated, and wish that I had a personal guide to come with me because I know I’m missing out on some of the more exotic fare. Last year I tried my first bit of jellyfish and was surprised to find it a lot like the seaweed salad that I often will get along with sushi. No one told me, and there is always the assumption that Westerners won’t like any of it, which is a shame.

I’m beginning to think that the answer is to take an Asian cooking class (or perhaps even a class for each of the main Asian cuisines, since Thai cooking is as different from Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese as German is from French and Italian!)

Also, as time goes by and these establishments become less insular, I suspect that some of them will start to cater to more than the traditional shoppers/diners. When I lived in Rochester, NY, I discovered a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant, and used to go there regularly and turned on a lot of friends at school to it. By the time I left that city, the restaurant had gradually changed so that at least half of their clientèle was from outside the Vietnamese community, and all of the menus had careful translations, the tables had tablecloths under glass tops (instead of their original checkered oilcloths), etc. Sometimes I wonder how much I had to do with their success, as I was frustrated near the end of my stay that I couldn’t get a table any more on some busy nights…

When we get up there, we’ll have to have you come over and cater a gourmet meal for us!

As for the H-Mart on Robson: I went in there based on a review of their lunch counter/restaurant. Being so confused by the menu with no descriptions and no one particularly interested in assisting me, I left without ordering anything. The market does look like a cook’s delight, though.