Grocery stores are such good places to observe culture. You can see people as they are, in there everyday life. You can see how people interact with one another in the store: do they acknowledge, speak, or engage one another? You can see what they eat by the way aisles are arranged, the large or small selection of various items, and of course, by what gets put in the baskets!
As I found the differences between my San Antonio HEB and Hoover Publix amusing, I find the differences between the average American SUPERmarket and Romanian grocery store charming. Some of the differences I’ve observed:
-the stores are smaller
-you have to pay for carts (a small fee, but still a FEE)
-you enter by the cash registers, then go through a turn style before accessing the aisles
-less variety and less overall selection
-Romanian stores got it right: coffee is the first item as you enter
-Chocolate is the very next section-probably the section with most selection!
-the produce area is tooooo small (justification: these people all farm there own!)
-sliced cheese is expensive and comes in two colors and two sizes
-fresh feta, swiss and gouda abound
-milk is sold in cartons
The meat selection. It doesn’t look anything like that of an American grocery store-no beef, pork, chicken fillets, breast, roasts, etc. It is sausage and salami ONLY. The other meats can be purchased at a Bulangerie, or Butcher shop, somewhere nearby, but not at the main grocery. Here’s a view of the meat case…no bacon, no ground beef, no boneless-skineless chicken either!
Another noticable difference is the variety, of lack thereof, of liquids. There is juice, but not in a cooler. There is milk, but not in gallon jugs. There is water, but mostly sparkling. There is beer, but not much. There is tea, but its tea bags. There is redbull, but only one kind. What they do have is Aloe Juice! It looks just like the aloe vera you buy for sunburns, pulp and all. When you shake the bottle, the pulp doesn’t really float like that of orange juice, it more of less sways, as if congealed…eww. We’re trying it.
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One thing remains the same, Easter is near. The store has a small middle section with odds and ends that include the necessary holiday treats. For Easter, there is of course poor quality chocolate molded into hollow bunny rabbits and lots of shred for the traditional Easter Basket. It was sort of funny to see in this small store where minimalism seems the norm. This (see picture below) reminds me that the world is still turning-holidays are still happening, children are still eating chocolate eggs and biting off bunny ears for the holiday that celebrates the Lord’s resurrection! Thank you God for chocolate 🙂
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