That'll teach me
I think I said yesterday that I'd seen most types of shop that Shanghai has to offer. But that was before today's experience.
The driver wasn't due to get back to me until 11.45 am today, so I knew I didn't have time for any full-day excursions. I thumbed through his copy of Yellow Pages (not Yellow Pages as we know it - but a little pocket sized directory of shops, markets, restaurants, estate agents, schools etc, all appealing to westerners, and all in English with Chinese addresses for the bemused taxi drivers), and wondered where to go. With the sixth-sense that both he and the Ayi have started displaying recently (a story for another day) he took the book off me and turned to an advert near the back. "OK", he said. I read the advert. Another supermarket. But the advert did mention Australian Beef, which these days is enough to tempt me anywhere. We worked out between us that it was near Hongqiao (of course, where else would it be, the Westerner's Paradise), so about 25 minutes away, not too far.
I was expecting another Carrefour. Bear in mind that Carrefour is over two floors, and is at least the size of the biggest Asda I have ever seen, and although it stocks a lot of western products, the overwhelming majority of its produce is Chinese. It therefore smells like a Chinese supermarket, such as you might find in any Chinatown (I'm not sure what the smell is, I think it's a combination of fish, duck and five spice) - it's not an unpleasant smell, and I think I hardly notice it anymore, but it certainly makes sure you don't ever get confused and think you're in Sainsburys. Carrefour also has a slightly tatty feel about it somehow, I'm not sure why - but it always reminds me slightly of KwikSave, or Fine Fare, or a very old Tesco. Anyway, I was a bit surprised when the driver stopped suddenly on a main road and waved towards a Papa John's Pizza restaurant. I got out the car. Next door, almost unnoticable in comparison to the brightly-lit Papa John's, was a very small, dark-fronted shop, with a subtle dark-green sign over the door saying "City Supermarket". I took a basket from the front and went in.
It was as if I'd been transported back in time 100 years. If Selfridges or Harrods had ever had a separate food store in those days, this would have been it. The smell was heaven - I think it was mainly English tea somehow, but it was that old-fashioned Grocery store smell. It was dark wood floors and dark wood shelves, and dimly-lit and cool and unhurried and peaceful - so different to the Carrefour atmosphere. It reminded me a little of those food-gift shops that are always somewhere in the grounds of stately homes - except it sold real food instead of rows of 'home-made' jam and pickles. The food was of course from all over the world, American, Australian, German, French and even English. The food that was familiar to me would be commonplace on any English Supermarket shelves, but even a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup looked more exciting in that setting.
I have only been away from England for 4 weeks, and I certainly haven't started to miss any food yet - except maybe those sausage rolls that Morrisons sell freshly-baked on a Saturday morning, and Hampsons sell every lunch time - so today's visit was more entertaining than a chance to desperately search for some impossible-to-get item. I wandered round, making lots of mental notes for future reference, and comparing prices. We have got quite used to restaurant bills being between 10 and 15 pounds for an excellent meal for 4 of us, so it's probably only right that we should expect some Ying and Yang. But...here are some examples so you can shake your head and be thankful next time you're filling your trolley at Tesco.
Cadbury's Chocolate Spread - 3.50 per jar.
Fruit Shoot (small, snack-size bottle) 1.20 each.
Lucozade - 1.50 for a 300ml bottle.
Ambrosia Snack Pots of Rice Pudding and Custard (yes, those little fiddling ones) 1.10 each.
80 Tetley Tea Bags (that actually had 1.29 printed on the box) 4.50.
A packet of Krackawheat biscuits - 1.50.
A 100g jar of Alta Rica coffee - 6.50. (I don't know why this is so expensive - I thought it was made by Nescafe, which is available everywhere and is cheaper and nicer than in England. I think the Alta Rica coffee in England is the Nescafe coffee that's here!)
A jar of Patak's Curry Sauce - 4.00.
And finally, a packet of Bird's Trifle (I have no idea how much this costs in England) is 3.00.
I don't think City Supermarket will really replace Carrefour (I wouldn't have bought Bird's Trifle Mix in England, so I see no reason why I would buy it here), but if I ever want a shot of old-fashioned England, I know where to go.
The driver wasn't due to get back to me until 11.45 am today, so I knew I didn't have time for any full-day excursions. I thumbed through his copy of Yellow Pages (not Yellow Pages as we know it - but a little pocket sized directory of shops, markets, restaurants, estate agents, schools etc, all appealing to westerners, and all in English with Chinese addresses for the bemused taxi drivers), and wondered where to go. With the sixth-sense that both he and the Ayi have started displaying recently (a story for another day) he took the book off me and turned to an advert near the back. "OK", he said. I read the advert. Another supermarket. But the advert did mention Australian Beef, which these days is enough to tempt me anywhere. We worked out between us that it was near Hongqiao (of course, where else would it be, the Westerner's Paradise), so about 25 minutes away, not too far.
I was expecting another Carrefour. Bear in mind that Carrefour is over two floors, and is at least the size of the biggest Asda I have ever seen, and although it stocks a lot of western products, the overwhelming majority of its produce is Chinese. It therefore smells like a Chinese supermarket, such as you might find in any Chinatown (I'm not sure what the smell is, I think it's a combination of fish, duck and five spice) - it's not an unpleasant smell, and I think I hardly notice it anymore, but it certainly makes sure you don't ever get confused and think you're in Sainsburys. Carrefour also has a slightly tatty feel about it somehow, I'm not sure why - but it always reminds me slightly of KwikSave, or Fine Fare, or a very old Tesco. Anyway, I was a bit surprised when the driver stopped suddenly on a main road and waved towards a Papa John's Pizza restaurant. I got out the car. Next door, almost unnoticable in comparison to the brightly-lit Papa John's, was a very small, dark-fronted shop, with a subtle dark-green sign over the door saying "City Supermarket". I took a basket from the front and went in.
It was as if I'd been transported back in time 100 years. If Selfridges or Harrods had ever had a separate food store in those days, this would have been it. The smell was heaven - I think it was mainly English tea somehow, but it was that old-fashioned Grocery store smell. It was dark wood floors and dark wood shelves, and dimly-lit and cool and unhurried and peaceful - so different to the Carrefour atmosphere. It reminded me a little of those food-gift shops that are always somewhere in the grounds of stately homes - except it sold real food instead of rows of 'home-made' jam and pickles. The food was of course from all over the world, American, Australian, German, French and even English. The food that was familiar to me would be commonplace on any English Supermarket shelves, but even a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup looked more exciting in that setting.
I have only been away from England for 4 weeks, and I certainly haven't started to miss any food yet - except maybe those sausage rolls that Morrisons sell freshly-baked on a Saturday morning, and Hampsons sell every lunch time - so today's visit was more entertaining than a chance to desperately search for some impossible-to-get item. I wandered round, making lots of mental notes for future reference, and comparing prices. We have got quite used to restaurant bills being between 10 and 15 pounds for an excellent meal for 4 of us, so it's probably only right that we should expect some Ying and Yang. But...here are some examples so you can shake your head and be thankful next time you're filling your trolley at Tesco.
Cadbury's Chocolate Spread - 3.50 per jar.
Fruit Shoot (small, snack-size bottle) 1.20 each.
Lucozade - 1.50 for a 300ml bottle.
Ambrosia Snack Pots of Rice Pudding and Custard (yes, those little fiddling ones) 1.10 each.
80 Tetley Tea Bags (that actually had 1.29 printed on the box) 4.50.
A packet of Krackawheat biscuits - 1.50.
A 100g jar of Alta Rica coffee - 6.50. (I don't know why this is so expensive - I thought it was made by Nescafe, which is available everywhere and is cheaper and nicer than in England. I think the Alta Rica coffee in England is the Nescafe coffee that's here!)
A jar of Patak's Curry Sauce - 4.00.
And finally, a packet of Bird's Trifle (I have no idea how much this costs in England) is 3.00.
I don't think City Supermarket will really replace Carrefour (I wouldn't have bought Bird's Trifle Mix in England, so I see no reason why I would buy it here), but if I ever want a shot of old-fashioned England, I know where to go.
posted by Linda at 3:21 PM
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