Tasha Does Tulsa.

Something cool about being editor here at TashaDoesTulsa.com is that my inbox is always full of mail from folks who want to know more about things to do in Tulsa, and about life in Oklahoma.

I answer as many of these emails as I possibly can, but they don’t usually see the light of day after I push the send button, except maybe on the screen of whoever sent the question in the first place. And I figure that if one person thinks it’s worth their time to write an email and ask a question, odds are that other people have wondered the same thing and they’d like to know the answer, too.

So here’s another edition of what I’m calling the Dear TDT series, a selection of reader emails posted along with my replies. Read more editions of Dear TDT here.

This one is from Carlos:

Hi, Tasha!…What’s with these Asian markets I’ve been hearing so much about? First of all, there’s more than one? In Tulsa, Oklahoma? And two, where are they?

A large Asian population isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Tulsa, especially not for someone who isn’t from here. But it’s true! One of the wonderful perks about this is a robust collection of Asian markets, many of them found on Tulsa’s east side.

One of my favorites of these is Nam Hai Oriental Food Market, at 1924 S. Garnett. When my husband and I got married, we’d plan those first-year date nights around trips to this place. There was always something new to discover.

Our favorite section of the store has always been gifts.

Other aisles are full of beautiful dishes and cookware, boxes upon boxes of tea and beautiful produce at prices that will have you doing your happy dance. Our son loves to pick out sweets in the candy and pastries aisle — not to say that we always know what we’re going to get, since much of the packaging is written in languages that we haven’t exactly mastered, but for us, that’s the best part of the fun. We also like to attempt to decipher the dozens of hand-written advertisements taped to the wall outside the store.

To help you get an even better sense of what Tulsa’s Asian markets have to offer, check out this video tour by local blogger (and raw food guru! check her out at rawfoodrehab.com) Penni Shelton. She takes us through two of Tulsa’s largest stores, Asian Market and Nam Hai.

Which of Tulsa’s Asian markets is your favorite? I’d love to hear about some of the finds you’ve discovered there. Get share-happy in the comments.