Two Shopping Adventures
My first Chinese grocery store experience was quite an adventure. I found the store one day just wandering around; I have class every day from 8 a.m. to 12, so in the afternoons I've been exploring the area surrounding the campus. I had passed the 6th cell phone shop of the day when I saw the grocery store and decided it looked promising. I think maybe 'grocery store'is not the best term for this building; the Chinese word translates most
closely to supermarket, but there is another word that translates to supermarket as well, I'll get to that type of store in a minute. This store was probably about the size of a Brunos or Winn Dixie. I walked in, and was told (in gestures) to give my backpack to the service desk. O.K. Wallet and ticket from the service desk in hand, I began my exploration.
Unlike a Brunos, this grocery store had several aisles of clothing, shoes, and backpacks/suitcases. In the next section over were small appliances, then a fairly extensive candy section. Then came the grocery store proper. Other than an entire aisle dedicated to raman noodles, the grocery section didn't differ all that much from its American counterpart. Well, at least that was my impression from looking at the packages; I couldn't read that
many of the characters to know exactly what was inside each. I found it interesting just to wander the aisles, trying not to bump into other shoppers or one of the many shop assistants. (Because labor is so cheap in China, most stores have many shop assistants to help customers with purchases. In a clothing store, for instance, when you decide on an item you give it to
the shop assistant to hold while you continue shopping. A small store, maybe 15 feet square, might have as many as 8 shop assistants.) It seemed like the grocery store had at least two shop assistants for each aisle, further crowding the busy store. I took my selections--a DVD ($4 U.S.) a small custard dumpling-thingy (~$0.16) and two pens (~$0.60)to the counter
and paid, pleased with my adventure.
The next day I had a very different grocery shopping experience. When I arrived at the apartment from school, Host Dad was walking out the door to run some errands. He asked if I wanted to go with him, and I agreed, always eager to explore life here in China. We went first to the bank, then briefly to an office building where I waited for him in the car, and then we arrived at a parking lot. A little confused, I confirmed that we were
indeed going to a grocery store, then followed Host Dad to an entryway and an escalator that went down underground. Under the parking lot and surrounding construction zone was a huge shopping center/mall. I followed Host Dad through the crowded (imagine that) corridors lined with restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, glasses stores; not unlike a
mall in America, just laid out differently. We grabbed a cart as we made our way through to the 'grocery store.' When we got there, I began to grasp the difference between the two Chinese words for 'shopping center.' This store was massive. Imagine a Super-Wal-Mart/Sears/Bed-Bath-and-Beyond.
Apparently it is an international chain---French, maybe--but I wasn't familiar with the name. The whole time we'd been making our way over and around and up to the food section, Host Dad had been asking me what I wanted to buy. I finally just told him to just do his shopping and I'd follow him around; this seemed to suit both of us. Host Dad continues to worry that I
don't like Chinese food and don't eat enough, and he asked a few times what I liked, but I think I'm finally starting to convey the meaning of "Bu tiao-ti," or "Not picky."
I followed as Host Dad selected a few items from the bakery and some milk (here I have to explain that the milk that the Host parents serve each morning at breakfast comes in non-refrigerated pouches; they pour it in bowls and heat it in the microwave before serving it. It actually tastes pretty good, and we made our way to the meat department. This was quite a
display. Whole ducks, sausages, cow parts that I couldn't name and won't try to describe, lamb pieces, and then the seafood. The seafood section of the meat department contained large tanks full of fish, smaller tanks of eels, crabs, and turtles, bins full of dried eel-wormy things, more bins of small dried fish, still more bins of seaweed and other things I can't name, and all kinds of fish, sting-rays, and large fish parts (I thought they
might be shark fins, but Host Dad said not) on ice. Host Dad picked out a couple of fish and some lamb, and we went on. Some fruit and a few more miscellaneous items and we were ready to go. Total purchase, U.S. dollars: $24.30.
After the check-out line, but still inside of the grocery store, we came to a tea shop. A shop assistant outside gave us small cups of green tea and bid us enter to try some more. Host Dad asked if I wanted to look, and of course I'm always up for more exploration, so in we went. We sampled some jasmine and red tea, then one of the shop assistants seated us in chairs in front of a small table and began to make us some more green tea. host Dad
prefers green tea, and that is what we drink all the time at the apartment.The dried tea leaves are packaged in a can; to serve, you spoon or shake some leaves into a cup and pour hot water on top. The tea leaves settle to the bottom, and you're ready to enjoy this Chinese tradition. The shop assistant poured the leaves into a very small glass pitcher, then strained the tea into another small pitcher, from which she poured into little
porcelain cups for us to enjoy. Another shop assistant (they really are everywhere) brought us samples of tea candy and tea cracker-cake thingies, all made with some kind of tea. After about half an hour in the shop, Host Dad selected some green tea, and also an assortment of candy/cracker thingies for me to take to class each day, because he says I should be
hungry before lunch since we eat breakfast before 7. We made our way back through the mall with the cart, which was thankfully more agile than shopping carts in the US. This adventure had been a fun (and tasty)exploration.
closely to supermarket, but there is another word that translates to supermarket as well, I'll get to that type of store in a minute. This store was probably about the size of a Brunos or Winn Dixie. I walked in, and was told (in gestures) to give my backpack to the service desk. O.K. Wallet and ticket from the service desk in hand, I began my exploration.
Unlike a Brunos, this grocery store had several aisles of clothing, shoes, and backpacks/suitcases. In the next section over were small appliances, then a fairly extensive candy section. Then came the grocery store proper. Other than an entire aisle dedicated to raman noodles, the grocery section didn't differ all that much from its American counterpart. Well, at least that was my impression from looking at the packages; I couldn't read that
many of the characters to know exactly what was inside each. I found it interesting just to wander the aisles, trying not to bump into other shoppers or one of the many shop assistants. (Because labor is so cheap in China, most stores have many shop assistants to help customers with purchases. In a clothing store, for instance, when you decide on an item you give it to
the shop assistant to hold while you continue shopping. A small store, maybe 15 feet square, might have as many as 8 shop assistants.) It seemed like the grocery store had at least two shop assistants for each aisle, further crowding the busy store. I took my selections--a DVD ($4 U.S.) a small custard dumpling-thingy (~$0.16) and two pens (~$0.60)to the counter
and paid, pleased with my adventure.
The next day I had a very different grocery shopping experience. When I arrived at the apartment from school, Host Dad was walking out the door to run some errands. He asked if I wanted to go with him, and I agreed, always eager to explore life here in China. We went first to the bank, then briefly to an office building where I waited for him in the car, and then we arrived at a parking lot. A little confused, I confirmed that we were
indeed going to a grocery store, then followed Host Dad to an entryway and an escalator that went down underground. Under the parking lot and surrounding construction zone was a huge shopping center/mall. I followed Host Dad through the crowded (imagine that) corridors lined with restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry stores, glasses stores; not unlike a
mall in America, just laid out differently. We grabbed a cart as we made our way through to the 'grocery store.' When we got there, I began to grasp the difference between the two Chinese words for 'shopping center.' This store was massive. Imagine a Super-Wal-Mart/Sears/Bed-Bath-and-Beyond.
Apparently it is an international chain---French, maybe--but I wasn't familiar with the name. The whole time we'd been making our way over and around and up to the food section, Host Dad had been asking me what I wanted to buy. I finally just told him to just do his shopping and I'd follow him around; this seemed to suit both of us. Host Dad continues to worry that I
don't like Chinese food and don't eat enough, and he asked a few times what I liked, but I think I'm finally starting to convey the meaning of "Bu tiao-ti," or "Not picky."
I followed as Host Dad selected a few items from the bakery and some milk (here I have to explain that the milk that the Host parents serve each morning at breakfast comes in non-refrigerated pouches; they pour it in bowls and heat it in the microwave before serving it. It actually tastes pretty good, and we made our way to the meat department. This was quite a
display. Whole ducks, sausages, cow parts that I couldn't name and won't try to describe, lamb pieces, and then the seafood. The seafood section of the meat department contained large tanks full of fish, smaller tanks of eels, crabs, and turtles, bins full of dried eel-wormy things, more bins of small dried fish, still more bins of seaweed and other things I can't name, and all kinds of fish, sting-rays, and large fish parts (I thought they
might be shark fins, but Host Dad said not) on ice. Host Dad picked out a couple of fish and some lamb, and we went on. Some fruit and a few more miscellaneous items and we were ready to go. Total purchase, U.S. dollars: $24.30.
After the check-out line, but still inside of the grocery store, we came to a tea shop. A shop assistant outside gave us small cups of green tea and bid us enter to try some more. Host Dad asked if I wanted to look, and of course I'm always up for more exploration, so in we went. We sampled some jasmine and red tea, then one of the shop assistants seated us in chairs in front of a small table and began to make us some more green tea. host Dad
prefers green tea, and that is what we drink all the time at the apartment.The dried tea leaves are packaged in a can; to serve, you spoon or shake some leaves into a cup and pour hot water on top. The tea leaves settle to the bottom, and you're ready to enjoy this Chinese tradition. The shop assistant poured the leaves into a very small glass pitcher, then strained the tea into another small pitcher, from which she poured into little
porcelain cups for us to enjoy. Another shop assistant (they really are everywhere) brought us samples of tea candy and tea cracker-cake thingies, all made with some kind of tea. After about half an hour in the shop, Host Dad selected some green tea, and also an assortment of candy/cracker thingies for me to take to class each day, because he says I should be
hungry before lunch since we eat breakfast before 7. We made our way back through the mall with the cart, which was thankfully more agile than shopping carts in the US. This adventure had been a fun (and tasty)exploration.
posted by Mike and Jean Anne at 6:58 AM
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