Shopping in Shanghai

I've never really understood why in some developed parts of the world it is popular to food shop one day at a time.  While I was living in Songjiang I shopped at the local supermarket/department store, and I could shop for several days at a time.  The refrigerator was large enough to hold several days supply of food, but it was not cold enough to keep it fresh.  So food didn't keep more than 3 days.

Cumquats from the fruit market and flowers from a street vender.

I bought a rolling shopping bag.  They are common here, and you can get them in the supermarkets.  They are sort of like a rolling carry on suitcase, but much simpler.  So I could shop at stores a little farther away and buy more than two bags of groceries.  To tell you the truth, I didn't use it much because I lived right next to Tesco.

So when I moved into Shanghai I thought I would use my little rolling shopping bag.  The nearest "supermarket" is about 5 blocks away, and I thought I would just go down there and buy food for the week.  Which I did,  only I didn't really think about how to get the rolling shopping bag up the two flights of winding stairs.  I just pulled it up behind me with one hand.  I didn't realize until afterward that it was not a good idea.  I had pulled my back out and I was in pain, and finding a western style chiropractor here is not so easy.

So I haven't done that again.  But I am glad to report that the appliances in this apartment are new and the refrigerator can keep food for a week or more.  But...it only holds a few days of food, because it is very small.  So it's all a trade off.  And I am beginning to understand why people shop everyday.

My miniature refrigerator, and the table I usually eat at in front of it (its on wheels, so I roll it out to open the refriterator door).

So morning and night on my way to and from work I pick up some food item.  Sometimes soy milk, sometimes fresh fruits and vegetables.  There are fresh fruit and vegetable shops along the street between my apartment and the subway stop.  I guess I don't really shop one day at a time yet.  I buy enough fruit for several days and carry it home.  Then the next day I buy enough vegetables for the week and carry them home.  Then the next day I go down to the supermarket and  buy soy milk, or paper goods, or anything packaged that I need.

The fruit market

Eating out here isn't expensive, but I want to eat fruits and vegetables and not noodles and rice, so I cook at home and take my lunch to work.  And I have learned not to buy anything more than I can easily carry up two flights of winding stairs.

Vegetable soup fixin's.

God Bless,
Ann