Guest guest Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 I'm planning a trip to NYC in about a week from now and I was interested in looking at some of the herb shops and other things related to oriental medicine just to be more familiar with it and see how it works in maybe more of a traditional setting. I am curious if anyone has any experience or any advice related to it that they could share with me. Any thing would help =). Thanks! Also I have never traveled in a big city before, so if anyone has any advice about that (especially about the oriental part) I would appreciate that also (of course if this topic is alright with the board) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 I have understood from a good source that most store owners in NYC Chinatown speak Cantonese and can be quite rude to those who do not. This includes Chinese speakers of Mandarin. If possible, find yourself a guide who speaks Cantonese. If your experience is different, please do tell, but that is what I have heard. Having lived in Guangzhou, there is little in my experience to counter that impression. Kind regards, Jack --- mrasmm <mrasmm wrote: > I'm planning a trip to NYC in about a week from now > and I was > interested in looking at some of the herb shops and > other things > related to oriental medicine just to be more > familiar with it and see > how it works in maybe more of a traditional setting. > I am curious if > anyone has any experience or any advice related to > it that they could > share with me. Any thing would help =). Thanks! > > Also I have never traveled in a big city before, so > if anyone has any > advice about that (especially about the oriental > part) I would > appreciate that also (of course if this topic is > alright with the > board) > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 Chinese Traditional Medicine , Jack Sweeney <mojavecowboy wrote: > > I have understood from a good source that most store > owners in NYC Chinatown speak Cantonese and can be > quite rude to those who do not. > > This includes Chinese speakers of Mandarin. > > If possible, find yourself a guide who speaks > Cantonese. If your experience is different, please do > tell, but that is what I have heard. > > Having lived in Guangzhou, there is little in my > experience to counter that impression. > > Kind regards, Jack I just got back from my trip to NYC, so I thought I would share what happened because of interest. I found my experience very different from what you had heard from someone. I went to a total of 3 herb shops, and everyone was very friendly with me. Before I went I found out that the Lin Sisters herb shop was one of the good places I wanted to visit, but other than that I didn't know. I got to the pagoda in NYC China Town (btw the biggest China town in the world outside of actual China) and they gave me the name of a few more herb shops. I wouldn't really recommend going to the pagoda information kiosk just because they didn't really know very much about Chinese medicine or where to find it in china town, although it couldn't hurt. That is located between Walker and Baxter streets on Canal Street in NYC China Town. I went to the Lin Sister herb shop (located on Bowery on the west side of the street between Doyers Street and Pell Street close to Columbus Park). I can't remember the name of the gentleman that I talked to, but I just explained to him that I was a student interested in going in to and I had never seen it in a traditional setting, or seen a traditional pharmacy. He was very friendly and just said take your time and look around, and said that he would answer any questions that I might have, but just take my time and look around. After a while he took the time to show me several herbs and explain what they did, which was very nice. I of course talked to him in English. I ended up buying some medicine from him and also some acupuncture reference books and charts. I would recommend his shop to anyone. The website for their shop is www.linsisterherb.com <http://www.linsisterherb.com/> . The other main place I went was Kamwo (www.kamwo.com <http://www.kamwo.com/> ) located on Grand street about 2 blocks west of Bowery on the south side of the road. Pacific college runs a clinic at this shop one a week, and this shop claims to be the biggest Chinese Pharmacy on the East Coast. I was helped by a young man probably in his twenties or early thirties that was Caucasian. He was also very friendly and I got the same sort of response from him as well. Both gentlemen were very friendly and helpful and took time to answer my questions and said I was free to look around or as questions as needed. Overall I was very pleased with the experience, and it was quite refreshing. I think it just might be the attitude one goes in with when they go in a shop like this how they are treated, or maybe someone just caught one of the guys there on a bad day or something. Anyways, over all it was a positive experience for me, and I would recommend it to anyone traveling in the area. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 That's great to hear, I'll tell my source. Jack --- mrasmm <mrasmm wrote: > > > Chinese Traditional Medicine , Jack Sweeney > <mojavecowboy > wrote: > > > > I have understood from a good source that most > store > > owners in NYC Chinatown speak Cantonese and can be > > quite rude to those who do not. > > > > This includes Chinese speakers of Mandarin. > > > > If possible, find yourself a guide who speaks > > Cantonese. If your experience is different, please > do > > tell, but that is what I have heard. > > > > Having lived in Guangzhou, there is little in my > > experience to counter that impression. > > > > Kind regards, Jack > > > I just got back from my trip to NYC, so I thought I > would share what > happened because of interest. > > > > I found my experience very different from what you > had heard from > someone. I went to a total of 3 herb shops, and > everyone was very > friendly with me. Before I went I found out that > the Lin Sisters herb > shop was one of the good places I wanted to visit, > but other than that I > didn't know. I got to the pagoda in NYC China Town > (btw the biggest > China town in the world outside of actual China) and > they gave me the > name of a few more herb shops. I wouldn't really > recommend going to > the pagoda information kiosk just because they > didn't really know > very much about Chinese medicine or where to find it > in china town, > although it couldn't hurt. That is located between > Walker and > Baxter streets on Canal Street in NYC China Town. I > went to the Lin > Sister herb shop (located on Bowery on the west side > of the street > between Doyers Street and Pell Street close to > Columbus Park). I > can't remember the name of the gentleman that I > talked to, but I > just explained to him that I was a student > interested in going in to > and I had never seen it in a > traditional setting, or > seen a traditional pharmacy. He was very friendly > and just said take > your time and look around, and said that he would > answer any questions > that I might have, but just take my time and look > around. After a while > he took the time to show me several herbs and > explain what they did, > which was very nice. I of course talked to him in > English. I ended up > buying some medicine from him and also some > acupuncture reference books > and charts. I would recommend his shop to anyone. > The website for > their shop is www.linsisterherb.com > <http://www.linsisterherb.com/> . > > > > The other main place I went was Kamwo (www.kamwo.com > <http://www.kamwo.com/> ) located on Grand street > about 2 blocks west > of Bowery on the south side of the road. Pacific > college runs a clinic > at this shop one a week, and this shop claims to be > the biggest Chinese > Pharmacy on the East Coast. I was helped by a young > man probably in his > twenties or early thirties that was Caucasian. He > was also very > friendly and I got the same sort of response from > him as well. Both > gentlemen were very friendly and helpful and took > time to answer my > questions and said I was free to look around or as > questions as needed. > Overall I was very pleased with the experience, and > it was quite > refreshing. I think it just might be the attitude > one goes in with when > they go in a shop like this how they are treated, or > maybe someone just > caught one of the guys there on a bad day or > something. Anyways, over > all it was a positive experience for me, and I would > recommend it to > anyone traveling in the area. If you have any > questions feel free to > ask! > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 I just want to make a comment about helpful and friendly TCM healers who take the time to answer questions. This list exists because of one of those healers, a herbalist named Christopher Gussa. Not to mention my health being very much improved as a result of not just seeing him but learning a lot from him. Very often good things that individuals do ripple out far beyond one person being helped to help many. Sort of like in that classic Christmas movie It's A Wonderful Life in which the Jimmy Stewart character gets a chance to see how much worse off a lot of people's lives would have been if he never had been born. I'm glad you had a good experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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