Recalling the time of Yore, when I couldn’t even find Metro, those far
distant days of 2010 when I first came here… I was sick, lonely, wondering if
I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. Small triumphs, like finally finding
Metro and buying an oven (See Oven Lust entry, dated October 2010) were turned
into occasions of savage glee. I still have that oven, too. Works like a champ!
I’ve definitely gotten my money out of it.
Since then, it has become routine for me to make the pilgrimage to
Metro. My freezer, though small, can accommodate several bags of chicken parts
– great on the grill; hamburger patties for that occasional indulgence, and a
few convenience foods: the heat and eat kind.
When I arrived here 3 years ago, it was all I could do to find
anything, food or otherwise that was familiar. First came the Oreos bought at a
local supermarket, which taste nothing like Oreos in America. Then there was
Chicony, an upscale store that caters to the superwealthy, or those who wish
they were. I’m not. But I did find some French cheeses there and yes, I
indulged.
One day, while rambling around an IGA store close to Aloha diner I
found Pledge furniture polish and a few Armor All products. If I had a car I
would have jumped on the tire gloss and turtle wax, as it was I made do with
lemon scented Pledge. I kid you not when I tell you that, once home I stared at
that can for close to thirty minutes, just for the comfort of holding a product
with a label written in English.
I was giddy with joy at discovering German linseed bread. Going even
further back in my past, into ancient history, I enjoyed a nice sandwich or two
in Germany made with that kind of bread. Chinese bread is always too sweet and
unsubstantial for my taste. However, the hearty, whole grain texture of this
bread definitely satisfies my palate.
My! The things that have changed since I’ve been here! The Chinese are
not fond of dairy products and they still believe cheese is the vilest of
substances… to an extent. Now I can go into any store, Chinese or ‘foreigner’,
and find entire selections of cheese, yogurt and even some milk. I tend to stay
away from the chocolate flavored cheeses marketed to kids, but the plain
Milkana sandwich slices are not bad at all.
I have to be careful not to eat too much cheese, but every once in a
while, a nice pizza just hits the spot. Used to be the only place to get a
decent pizza in Wuhan was Pizza Hut. Their personal pan pizza tastes exactly
like Pizza Hut in the states. Now I no longer need to plunk down more than
50Yuan for a meal at Pizza Hut. Metro has several varieties of frozen pizza,
one of which tastes exactly like California Pizza Kitchen pizza.
That’s a little over five hundred words to talk about food. Let’s move on
now.
Till just recently the only hope I had of buying any clothes to fit me
over here was to have them custom made. It is relatively cheap to have clothes
made, but it is still a rather large expenditure to anyone watching their
pennies. The one time I had clothes tailored specifically for me was, you
guessed it: 3 years ago, when I first came here. A linen dress and a skirt cost
600Yuan – about $100. Truly not a bad price. I still wear them, too.
Now I can walk into nearly any store and find something to fit me. Not
just men’s clothes, either! Wuhan has several H+M stores, a British clothing
retail chain and C&A, a German outlet. The clothes there are fashionable
and, while not all styles come in my size I can find an adequate selection to
update my wardrobe. They do tend to be a bit pricey, but on the other hand… I
reasoned that I would be returning stateside each year and could then replenish
or replace whatever I need, clothing wise. While I am not likely to find
undergarments in my size over here, I can now shop for socks and clothing.
Binge shopping during those thirty days I’m stateside is no longer a
requirement.
I was ecstatic when relaying to my conspirators that I had bought a
gallon of Clorox bleach, some Clorox II for colors and even a bleach pen for
isolated spots. I actually held the bottle up to the camera for them to see!
That shopping trip is when I discovered pre-moistened cleaning wipes, something
I had been longing for pretty much since settling in over here. Of course that
yearning was not nearly as deep as my desire for paper towels, being as most
Chinese hold toilet paper to the same standard as paper towels.
Paper towels have been a kitchen standard of mine since I found them over
2 years ago at Metro, of course. All other stores seem to resist the idea of
stocking them. Metro is having a hard time keeping them in stock. I give it
another 2 years before every Chinese kitchen comes equipped with a paper towel
dispenser.
The find of the year has to be Pledge floor care. It is not as
convenient as a Swiffer but it works like a charm! Since treating my floors a
month ago, I’ve yet to see any accumulation of dust. Once every few days I will
run the dust mop, but nowadays my floors are looking really, REALLY good. A
vast improvement over my former trials of spraying a water-based cleaner and
mopping it up, and mopping it up, and mopping it up. Not that I’m repeating
myself, I’m just describing the action. Until about a month ago, my floors
looked terrible. Now they gleam, and I beam.
Doritos would be a good way to celebrate, right? It just so happens
that Metro has started stocking them, the Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese
varieties. My jaw literally dropped when I saw them, lingering on the shelf,
begging me to buy and buy. One bag costs 33Yuan, steep for sure! But, as an
indulgence, I don’t mind. Besides, now I have a lot of friends hooked on them
so I have to race them to Metro before they buy them all.
It seems I talk a lot about Metro, doesn’t it? And somehow, I got back
on the topic of food. Let’s walk away from that… again.
Looking back on all this I reflect: goodness! How time flies!!!
Today I had lunch with a former student, Summer and her mom. We’ve been
good friends pretty much since I got here. Summer was in one of my first
classes. Now she is graduated, her mother has retired and we had nothing more
to do today than go out and enjoy the sunshine. We chose to meet at Han Jie, a
premier shopping and cultural district.
I could have been in any shopping venue stateside. There is Gap, Baby
Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, as well as the aforementioned H+M and C&A
stores. There is Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, and of course
McDonalds. A few housewares stores, similar to Bed, Bath and Beyond.
We wandered into a shopping mall so new you could still smell raw
construction materials. Not many stores open yet, but those that were, are
upscale. In the basement of this megamall is a grocery store much like Chicony,
but with greater variety. When I say ‘variety’ I mean a substantial array of
foreigner goods.
There were several different types of German bread and an entire aisle
full of coffee products. The cold case was stocked with exotic meats and
cheeses. Along the wall, those shelves were reserved for baking goods. Here too
are Doritos, and several other types of chips/crisps. I even saw a bag of
Fritos! And then… Lo and Behold: they had a selection of decaffeinated coffee
AND flavored coffee mate! Yes, it was expensive, but… guess what I did? Come
winter time I enjoy a creamy beverage but need to steer clear of caffeine,
especially in the evening. I believe it was that hazelnut flavored coffee that
I drank just prior to sitting at the keyboard that prompted the thought:
Nowadays, shopping over here is comparable to shopping stateside. Any
size shopping center is sure to have at least a small section stocked with
foreigner goods, if not entire stores dedicated to such items. Clothing
retailers are now catering to larger sized people. There is a greater variety
of cleaning products. Most are comparable to what you would find in any store
in America. Even dishwashing liquid has been revolutionized.
How ironic: when I first came here I would have given my eyeteeth for
familiarity. Now that I’m comfortable among the Chinese and with their wares,
suddenly there is a bevy of American products to choose from!
Never mind. I’m going to go to Burger King, have a whopper and try to
forget all about foreigner goods.
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