Palina Louangketh shops at Idaho Capital Asian Market in Boise, Idaho, on June 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Boone)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-08-29T05:46:03Z<\/p>\n
BOISE, Idaho (AP) \u2014 When kitchen burnout hits, figuring out what to make for dinner every day can feel like an impossible task. <\/p>\n
Eating out or relying on convenience foods<\/a><\/span> are increasingly difficult solutions for many American families, who are facing the biggest jump in grocery prices<\/a><\/span> in a half century. It can also be healthier to cook at home, where it is easier to control things like how much salt or sugar is added to a meal.<\/p>\n But in many cities, there\u2019s another way to break the \u201cwhat\u2019s for dinner\u201d rut without breaking the bank: shopping at international food markets.<\/p>\n It can be surprisingly simple to incorporate new flavors into home meals by pairing unfamiliar ingredients with pantry staples, says Palina Louangketh, a self-described foodie and the director of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora. She also teaches cooking classes, partnering with Boise-area refugees who demonstrate dishes and techniques from their home countries.<\/p>\n This article is part of AP\u2019s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cComing here to an international market, you get both a dose of cultural experience but also healthy, fresh exotic ingredients,\u201d Louangketh said on a recent trip to the Idaho Capital Asian Market in Boise, pointing to products from China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea and elsewhere. <\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be so scary or unique. If you pair your protein with vegetables and with a starch and add savoriness to it \u2014 soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce \u2014 you\u2019re covered,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Yes, navigating a grocery store full of new-to-you products with foreign-language labels might feel daunting at first, said Beryl Shereshewsky, a New York video producer whose YouTube channel is dedicated to exploring dishes and cultural connections<\/a><\/span> from around the world. <\/p>\n But there are ways to incorporate international supermarkets into your home cooking<\/a><\/span> routine, she said.<\/p>\n Here are some tips:<\/p>\n