Grocery Shopping

First I should mention that we do not have a car.  And I’m glad.  Driving appears to be a complete free for all with every man for himself.  This seems to include pedestrians too.  Apparently the zebra stripes are just for decoration.  That being said, how do I lug groceries?  Well, I am still exploring, but for now there are a few options within walking distance.  I take a canvas bag and a small backpack.



105 steps from our little street to the main street.
I practice counting in French.

You might remember I mentioned the hills.  My first challenge is climbing up the hills.  Fortunately, the uphill parts of this adventure happen before I load up with purchases.  But sometimes I convince myself that, after huffing and puffing up the hills, I need an energy boost; and where better to find that than … no not the minimarket along the way where I could buy water and an energy  bar … the patisserie.  Just a quick little cookie or tart or … oh how can I pick just one!  And I need the energy!



Does this look like buttermilk to you?

I find my way to a small store that’s like a mini supermarket, where I can get dry goods, dairy products, sodas, cleaning products, and other things but not meats and produce.  This is not to say that I have a clue what any of the labels say.  All the labels are in Arabic and if I’m lucky some include French (although most of the food products are clearly labeled, even in English, that they are free of pork products or derivatives.)  The pictures help.  For instance, I know lait is milk, so I get the bottle that says lait with a picture of a cow.  No, I don’t want sheep’s milk or, yes they have it, camel’s milk.  And once I ended up with buttermilk.  (That was a big surprise in my morning coffee!)  Also, the fresh milk is often not homogenized having a thick layer of cream on top.  I do love cream, but would like to know before I pour a big blob of it on my cereal. 


The Market At Kennedy Square

On the way back home, I browse through the open-air market.  This looks like you would expect … packed with people buying and selling everything from used hub caps to Persian rugs, from plumbing fixtures to gold jewelry, from bras to shoes.  I am headed for the veggies.  There are lots of things to choose from and believe it or not, it looks mostly fresh.  But no touching is allowed.  I cannot pick out the specific pieces I want.  And I have decided that it’s best for me to go to one of the actual stalls rather than the guys with stuff on tables out in the open because the stall guys can show me on their little calculators what I owe.  When I buy from the open-air guys, I can never understand what they are saying to me and I just hold out a pile of money and let them pick out what they need.  Not a good strategy.

When I get home I need to wash all the produce.  First I rinse everything in a sink full of tap water (which we are not supposed to drink, by the way - we have a water-distilling machine in our kitchen).  Then I drain and refill the sink with water again this time adding a bit of bleach.  I let everything soak for about 15 minutes.  Then I rinse twice with tap water, and then soak everything one last time in a basin of distilled water.  After that I let everything drain and dry. 

I haven’t found a butcher (that I will buy from) close by yet; the one we like is far away – a good 45-minute walk, and did I mention the hills.  Nevertheless, I hope I will learn how to go there by myself before too long.  On the way to that shop, there are other grocery and sundry shops, so I am anxious to explore but still too nervous to try to find my way without Baboo.

This is a butcher's window.  It looks very scary to me and all is I know is that none of this is pig.