This weekend my wife and I went shopping for western*1* food at a store called Metro*2*. Armed with a shopping list that could choke a horse we went shopping for our supplies.
While my wife was rapidly filling up our cart with everything baby related, my goal was slightly more self-centered. The best question of the day from my wife: “Do you think it is worth buying 600(!) diapers so we can get 10 free rolls of toilet paper?”
Odd questions aside, the one of the things I really wanted to pick up was BBQ flavored Pringles. In the US I would rarely buy these but here they serve as a comfort food on the rare occasion that I can find them.
We went down the aisle after aisle and I found a vast array of Pringles and Lays potato chips. My taste buds went into overdrive at the mere sight of the familiar packaging. Seconds later my junk food junkie dreams were crushed as I started to read the labels.
Here are some photos*3* that I took of what they had to offer:
Black Pepper Rib Eye Steak Flavor
Braised Pork Ribs Flavor
Crispy Prawn Flavor
Crispy Roasted Chicken Flavor
Hot & Spicy Aromatic Grilled Corn Stick Flavor
Italian Red Meat Sauce Flavor
Mexican Tomato Chicken Flavor
Spicy Seafood Flavor
Tomato Flavor
No BBQ flavor Pringles to be found. I left the store chipless and disappointed in their selection of western flavors. But I did score a bunch of chocolate candy and a 2 kilo (4.4 pound) bag of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Some day, when I am feeling brave, I will show you some of the unique ice cream flavors I have to choose from here.
*1* ”Western” food is the very loose term they use here for anything that isn’t Chinese, or that they want you to think isn’t Chinese but actually is.
*2* Metro is like the US store chain Costco. Metro is huge, membership only and has everything from clothes to electronics to foreign food. They even have sides of beef hanging on hooks. Want a specific cut? Just point and the butcher will cut it off the frozen cow right in front of you.
*3* Sorry for the quality of the photos. They were taken by my iPhone which really is a poor excuse for a camera. Next time I will take a real camera.
#1 by Jeanette on September 16, 2008 - 11:10 am
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Yes, you will use 600 diapers. And more. Just don’t buy too small.
Ice cream flavors? I tried lavender flavored ice cream in France. Braised pork sounded close to bbq.
#2 by ChinaMatt on September 16, 2008 - 11:22 am
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Fantastic. But you left out the “tangy cheese on wheat based sticks” and the new blueberry flavored Lays.
#3 by TaiTai on September 16, 2008 - 2:03 pm
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600 diapers? So about a month’s worth considering you have twins! Plus, another money saving tip is you can shred the toilet paper and soak it in warm water to make a nutritious soup as a substitute for formula milk.
You heard it here first!
#4 by Joop on September 16, 2008 - 3:31 pm
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Here in Korea, JAPANESE food was listed as “western” on a menu this afternoon! hilarious!
Check my post about my shopping experience here in Seoul http://www.joopdorresteijn.com/Archive/comparing-korean-gas-wine-and-other-prices-with-europe/
#5 by Gwailo on September 19, 2008 - 9:21 am
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Jeanette,
I know that we can go through 600 diapers in about 2 months. The question was how to fit 600 diapers (plus the free toilet paper and other groceries) in our car.
ChinaMatt,
My next trip to a local Chinese store will result in some of the more “exotic” flavors coming to light. I hope I can find the blue cheese flavored ice cream again.
TaiTai,
Shredded newspaper would probably be safer for the babies with all of the poisoned dairy products running around these days.
Joop,
It is stuff like this that makes living in a foreign country so much fun. Great site by the way.
#6 by Jeanette on September 22, 2008 - 9:27 am
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No big truck or minivan? Actually, we could probably fit two of the 284 diaper boxes in the trunk of our car, plus other stuff. Minivan definitely makes Costco shopping easier, though.