Where things are in a big Asian supermarket

How it’s laid out

• Fresh food wraps the walls. Live seafood tanks, the butcher and the hot deli with roast duck usually sit along the back, so the smell of the deli greets you halfway in.
• Instant noodles get a whole aisle, often two. Sauces get their own aisle too: soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili crisp, fish sauce and hot pot base all live together.
• Fresh noodles, tofu and rice cakes need the fridge, so they sit in a cooler near produce, not in the noodle aisle.
• Look for a food court or bubble tea stand near the doors, and a housewares aisle with rice cookers, bowls and red envelopes.