A little foreign food shopping.

We do almost all of our shopping at the local markets-fruits, vegetable, meat.  We buy our coffee at a fun little store that is fairly unusual in China.  The owner invites us in and calls us "Madam" and "Sir."  We sit at a little table, drink coffee and talk.  It's super-fun.

However, about once every two months, I take a taxi across the city to go to a store called Metro.  Metro is a German import that is the equivalent  of Sam's or Costco.  It's huge, has wide aisles and doesn't allow pets or children.

"Due to epidemic bureau regulations, pets are not allowed in the store."   Talk about your misplaced modifiers!  Are the bureau regulations epidemic or are there bureau regulations about epidemics?  Either way...no pets in the store.  Whew!

While I am at Metro, I feel like a Western stereotype.  I fill my cart with familiar or semi-familiar foods.  Most are boxed or canned. There is no cultural prohibition about staring into peoples carts.  I want to say to every Chinese person who looks in my cart "I do eat fruit and vegetables!  I just don't buy them here."

Here are some of the things that we can find at Metro.

Yoplait yogurt!  A rare treat!  

Cheese, glorious cheese!

Tortillas!  Refried beans!

Of course there are a few things that I can turn down with no problem.

Seaweed potato chips.  I like seaweed-just not in my chips!  The one next to it is beef flavored.  No thanks!
Below are cucumber or lime flavored chips.  Again, I like cucumber and lime...just not in my chips!

Tiger Skin Chicken Feet.  I think they were frozen.

No, no and really no.

I don't buy this in America either.

I also resisted buying live cat for dinner.  Too expensive.

Just kidding.  Put away your PETA signs!  This is our cat who was rescued from a glass cage right before Christmas.  

As I left Metro (after paying in cash and bagging my groceries with my own bags), I saw this sign.

Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about parking vehiclebr oken, since I came in a taxi.  I hailed one and he took me home.  He only drove on the sidewalk once, honking at pedestrians to get out of the way.

You are welcome!  See you again in a few months.