WHO: Alex Chen, owner of Purple Rice Asian Food Market, 20 Elm St., Potsdam. The Chinese immigrant's small grocery has become a meeting place for the Asian community and an ever-changing source of unique ingredients for others.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO OPEN AN ASIAN FOOD MARKET? "I was a carpenter in Waddington, and I was bored. I wanted to do something different, and I thought I should try an Asian market. It's hard to get Asian stuff here — for myself too.

"We started (at 31 Maple St.) and it was so slow. We moved after a couple years (to the current location, in 2004) and the parking is better. Business is better."

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? "Lots of Asian people. We get our Asian produce on Saturday, and they all come, because when it's gone, it's gone.

"It's like an Asian meeting group. Everybody is coming here, getting veggies. They are all talking in different languages. People come here who are from China, India, the Philippines, Japan.

"We have regular American customers too. They become like my friends. They walk in and I know what they want."

WHAT ELSE DO PEOPLE COME FOR? "We have a lot of popular items. We offer lunches too. It's enough to help the business. Really, it's the food we eat at home."

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE NORTH COUNTRY? "Too long. No, 10 years. I like it, though. I don't miss home. Things change quite a lot. The people change. But the winter's not that cold anymore."

WHAT DO YOU TELL PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ASIAN CUISINE? "I've taught it to so many people. Asian cooking is very easy. It's not very hard at all, once you know what you're doing. It can be in a very healthy way. We don't use dairy, not much salt or pepper. A lot of veggies. And seafood.

"The food's not spicy in South China where I come from. Eat a little bit of spicy food every day if you're not used to it."

DO YOU HAVE FUN? "Yes, certainly. I enjoy to see new faces and introduce the materials they need for cooking. It's nice to meet people, too.

"What else? That's all."

If you know someone who would be a good subject for a Times Q&A, contact Alex Jacobs at ajacobs@wdt.net.