Adventures at the Grocery Store

I know that I have had several stories about the grocery store, but I am not sure that I have given the full impression of the store. First of all, most grocery stores are HUGE. Think Sam's Club or a really big Meijier. They carry anything and everything from appliances to live fish. And at both Tesco and Carrefour, there are multiple floors. The kids love taking the carts on the escalator ramps! I think that one of the hardest things about moving to another culture (other than language) is not understanding some of the norms you take for granted. For example, the first time I went to the grocery store I selected my produce, found bags, and brought it along with my other purchases to the register. I was totally clueless why the clerk was frustrated with me and what I had done wrong with the produce. I quickly figured it out that I needed to weigh it back in the produce section. Don't get me wrong... I really do enjoy shopping and my favorite is when I have time to just meander and discover new products! But sometimes finding what I would consider a basic is hard. Like flour. I wanted to make pancakes and wanted flour, not wheat flour, just basic flour. I found flour, but was still unsure if it was (what I consider normal) flour or was rice flour, dumpling flour, or something else? Ahh, the adventures of grocery shopping! Last time I was at Tesco, I found what I thought was cornmeal, but when I tried to make cornbread it turned out really weird - more like cornbread pudding with a strange texture. I think that it was another type of corn product. Today, I found something called "corn powder" that looks more promising. I will let you know if my cornbread turns out better. Some of the challenge is that things definitely do get lost in translation on the packages! The first package said on it "ground corn." :-) 

Here are some of the most interesting things at the grocery store:

No, this is NOT a pet section! Can you see the eels in the tank next to the frog tank?

All the kids are fascinated with the fish section

There is a saying that in parts of China people will eat anything with 4 legs except the kitchen table! Walking through the grocery store or produce market, you can see the truth in this!