Travel: What it’s like to visit China – Food in Grocery Stores

IN THE FRENCH GROCERY STORE CARREFOUR

These big supermarkets are a big thing in China along with Wal-Mart, and starting to take business from the local open air markets, and alleyways. Here’s a lineup (shocker!) and basically, a fight over eggs:

They were there, waiting at 7 a.m., lining up at the doors. We got shoved, pushed, poked and otherwise trampled over JUST SO they could line up (around the store) to buy eggs in the morning above.

Seniors were elbowing me in the face!

😛

We couldn’t figure out what the rush was, until we saw this, inside. This guy bought 2 massive bags of eggs because he was first in line.

The haul for the day.

Then of course you have traditional Chinese things like dried whole birds split in half, and Chinese (sweet) sausages (which I absolutely hate because I find it strange to eat sweetened meats):

And more dried food — eels I think?

The escalators are lined with ways to spend more money:

Rice can come in bags, or you can buy it in bulk.

Here were some expensive delicacies. At 5280 yuan, it is $844.80 (each?) or per pound. Anyway, a lot of fricking money for a normal Chinese citizen.

I got a kick out of seeing the pop cans all in Chinese!

They also have a real thing about tea, cold drinks, and have a FABULOUS selection which I loved!

Everyone rushes for the freshest vegetables:

All around the store, you can hear constant yelling by the people manning each section: seafood, meat, and so on, calling people to come by and buy their wares.

Whole animals out in the open, butchered in front of you as you want:

Fresh chicken without any sanitary wrapping or packaging, out in a refrigerator that is NOWHERE near sanitary levels of refrigeration. No cover, no gloves, no tongs.

Seafood on ice out in the open for everyone to poke and prod.

Or fresher (live) seafood if you want it:

There were also live snakes, frogs and eels.