When on the road, I make it my mission to go to as many international grocery stores as possible. Not to source out cheap food like we discuss in our book, The Long-Term Traveler's Guide, but more just to see what is there. You see, Angie and I believe that one of the best ways to get to know a culture is through its food, and going to the source of this food is the best way to see how people like us shop, cook, and eat. While we prefer going to farmers markets as much as possible, in many big cities we do not have this luxury. Instead we turn to the common grocery store to see where the food comes from, and in Japan and China I did just that.The following are a selection of some of the most unique items I found while exploring two grocery stores.
Wu Mart - The Chinese Grocery Store: Before I can talk about the food inside this Beijing grocery store, I have to talk about its name. Wu Mart. Yes, a play on words of the American Wal-Mart chain. Funny, because most everything in Wal-Mart is probably made in China. My first question was, naturally, if everything in Wu Mart was made in America. Sadly, it is not. But at three floors with moving conveyor belt escalators for your carts, you can tell just from the facade that this one will be interesting.
Lion Dor - The Japanese Grocery Store: From the looks of it, this Lion Dor in Nikko, Japan doesn't seem much different than the grocery stores we have at home. Open parking, a wall of windows, and a welcoming name. This one just feels like home. Unfortunately the grocery stores at home do not have nearly as many interesting treats that this amazing store has.
Raw Fish: Starting off tame, but still rather unique. Japan's grocery store was full of raw fish containers with the whole creatures stored in ice buckets. Grab a few bags, pick the ones you want, and its off to make dinner! Not bad for a grocery store that doesn't look like it would house an in-depth fish market on the inside.
Fish Eggs Too (Roe): I learned early on in my time in Japan that I love eating fish roe sushi. Finding a whole package of it on sale in the Japanese grocery store made my heart skip a beat even though I couldn't bring myself to eat that much roe in one sitting. Although, for only 229 Yen (~$2.75), I would be lying if I didn't say I was tempted.
Octopus: As if you were not preparing your dream sushi menu in your mind already, I stumbled upon a huge piece of Octopus packaged and ready to be cut up for meals. At $9.75 for the piece, the price is quite comparable to what I would expect at home, so this one is not as unique as so much of its place in fitting with the previous finds we showed above. Takoyaki anyone?
Amazing Sushi: Finally, the winner of the Japanese grocery store: packaged sushi! I've often said that the worst quality sushi in Japan is far beyond the quality of anything I've ever had at home, and the Japanese grocery store is a great spot for finding cheap sushi ready to go. It may be a bit of a stretch for most budgets to spend $7 for a meal, but in Japan this is a steal, and something I found myself buying all the time.
Raw Meat: The first thing that caught me about the Chinese grocery store Wu Mart was that many of the ingredients were stored in bulk containers open to the environment. It would be incredibly rare to see a sight like this at home, and it is a but stomach churning to see meat not refrigerated to the standards I am used to. It was only several weeks later in Vietnam that I learned the turnover on all open air meat stands is incredibly high, such that the time between slaughter to table is far shorter than at home. Yes, this meat is incredibly fresh, and was probably eaten within 2 hours of this photo being taken. Still unsettling even with that fact, however.
Cooking Staples: One bulk ingredient I can get behind are the staples that have a longer shelf life when sitting in open air. Things like flour, spices, and other mainstays that are used in every meal. Want some dried shrimp? There is a one ton crate sitting out for you to scoop out as much as you want. Save money on packaging by getting rid of it wherever possible. Genius
Rice, Rice, and More Rice: Not everything is sold without prepackaging in China, and rice is the one bulk ingredient you'll see packaged up on pallets everywhere. There is no point in the self serve policy on rice when the most common sale is in a 50 pound bag. At about $10 per bag, or roughly 20 cents per pound, I can see why so much of it is consumed in this country.
Snack Walls: As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I didn't go to these grocery stores to shop. This is true, but my mind was changed when I reached the impressive wall of snacks that are present in most every Chinese grocery store I went to. Sure, I have no idea what any of these treats are, but when they are only $1 or so per bag it is kind of hard to not sample them.
..and Amazing Pringles Flavors: Although I had many misses with the above snack wall, there was one treat that was a home run in China: potato chips. Not just any potato chips, but the same exact brands we have at home. From blueberry to shrimp to hot and sour fish head soup, every type of potato chip from the big named companies was amazing. So amazing that the flavors I am used to at home pale in comparison to the greatness that is sold in East Asia. Why are we getting shorted at home?
Whether or not you rush out to the nearest grocery store near you next time you travel is up to you. But if you do, go with an open mind. Try things. See something unusual you have never seen at home? Find out what it is. If it is cheap, buy it! You may miss out on a new favorite just by passing on the chance to try something new. Remember, many of these unusual staples are only found while abroad so once you're gone, so is your chance to try something amazing.
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