The Chinese Lunar New Year starts this week, bringing in the Year of the Monkey. For the best place in Temecula to shop for the bright red decorations, lanterns for lantern festivals or ingredients for a traditional Chinese home-cooked meal look no further than Temecula’s Best Wei Chinese Health Food store.
Owned by the Li family of Temecula, Best Wei has become more than just another Asian market. Inside, shoppers can find an array of authentic Chinese foods, sauces, vegetables, and fruits as well as an “over the counter” Chinese herbal remedies for various ailments, including beverages to drink when one has a cold, digestive aids and “slim tea” to name a few.
“We are not a typical Chinese clinic,” Li said in interview. “Our medicines are what you would find like at a drug store.” Most of what can be found on the shelves include remedies made from plant extracts or essential oils. Snacks and treats, such as goji berries, dates, and Logan berries, are also available right off of the shelf.
Li, who grew up in Beijing, China, loves living in Temecula and sharing her culture with both Chinese, Japanese, and Korean families—to whom her store caters—and to those who wish to learn more about Chinese recipes, cooking, and way of life.
According to customers on Yelp, Best Wei Chinese Grocery’s prices are reasonable, and hard to find ingredients are on hand for purchase.
“There is a large Chinese and Asian population in the area, and Best Wei has become a place for people to gather, to share experiences, and to spend time with each other,” Li said.
In the Chinese culture, according to Li, family believes in staying together. After completing her business degree at San Diego State, Li returned to Beijing, where her father was a developer and met her husband. But, wanting her family to enjoy clean air and sunshine, returning to California was a high priority for Li.
“Asian food is what we know,” she said. “Starting a small Chinese grocery, to carry the types of foods and produce for Korean and Japanese families, as well as focus on the health side.”
Providing well-known brands of ginseng tea, herbs, and organic products is of utmost importance to the Li family, as is educating their customers on the importance of the health cycle.
Walking through the store with Li is the best way to learn about foods and health, as taught to her by her relatives. Li described certain foods she stocks are used in recipes for Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine. Li believes that clients should pay attention to the season and the natural foods that are grown in each time of year.
“Our produce comes from local farms, such as our mushrooms that are grown in Hemet and Fallbrook,” she said.
In the back of the shop, a fresh produce area showcases vegetables and fruits from area farms, brought in fresh throughout the week. Here, shoppers can discover unique-looking items, including jute, nagaimo (a root vegetable), leafy bok choy, winter melon—a gourd called Tong Qwa that is a healthy dish for those who wish to lose weight and Chinese cabbage.
In the frozen section, shoppers hit the gold mine with traditional Chinese snack—sticky rice balls. Each, with different types of fillings inside, make for a distinctive dinner table treat. Other favorites, such as sweet fragranced dumplings and frozen chestnuts and bamboo, can also be found here.
On the shelves, recognizable brand names of hard to find sauces, vinegars and spices abound. She also supplies a plethora of cooking implements, all traditional Chinese in manufacture.
When asked what her favorite recipe to cook, Li laughed.
“In Chinese culture, we believe that family should stay together. At home, my mother cooks,” she said with a smile. “I eat.”
In the frozen section of her grocery, Li offers hard to find Chinese bacon and sausage and other traditional cuts of meat from the United States,” she said. Also in the refrigerated section, Li sells Maitake, a Japanese medicinal mushroom thought by many in Asian culture to stimulate the immune system.
“Several customers purchase Maitake as a preventative for cancer,” she said.
As for her clients, Li often makes special orders and enjoys the sense of community the shop has given the Chinese and Asian community of Southwest Riverside County.
“People meet here, they stay, they have conversation,” she said. “Best Wei has become a true part of our community.”
Visit Best Wei Chinese Grocery in Temecula at 27452 Jefferson Ave., Suites 7A-7B in Temecula, CA. Call ahead to (951) 699-7788, or browse their website at www.best-wei.com.
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