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October 30, 2006
Tesco, God's gift to eastern Europe
As promised... the grocery store story. So there is this amazing store here called Tesco, pretty much the super Wal-mart of Eastern Europe. The store is not quite as big, but really it has everything you could ever want. I am always very excited to go to Tesco because it is like a little adventure every time. We have a bus stop very close to our street where a free bus comes to take you away to the land of amzingness, and we can go to Tesco just about any time we want.
The first time Jen and I went to Tesco it was a bit nerve wracking. We had no idea if we were taking the right bus, but we got on the bus that said TESCO in big letters, and figured it was probably the one. Now, I don’t know if you have ever been to a grocery store in another country where everything is written in a different language, but it means that you have to do a lot of relying on pictures to get the kind of food you want. This can also pose a problem because no matter how good the picture is, you can never be quite certain what you are getting. Now, I could easily pick out things like spaghetti noodles and fruits and vegetables, but things from the frozen section got a bit tricky. There were certain things that looked good from the pictures, but uh, I had no idea how to cook them because the directions were in Czech, French, or Italian. Our first time there we saw a whole tank full of live fish. Jen thought this was pretty funny and pulled her camera out of her pocket to take a quick picture... the store owners didn’t like that very much and yelled at us in Czech...but again, we gave them a look like a deer in the headlights and ran away because we had no idea what they were saying.
Other comments on Tesco and grocery stores in the Czech Republic
1)Oh baby, it’s Europe, we are in the land of Nutella! And not only that, but there are like three different off brands of nutella here too. Man, why can't we have that in the states?? It’s so cheap too! I am bringing a butt load home with me and hoping that I don’t have to claim it or it doesn't break and spill all over my luggage.
2)Tesco has the biggest isle of cheeses and meats I have ever seen in my life. It is especially hard picking out meat because I can look at it, but I still really have no idea what is in it. Last time I got these hot dog looking things and found out that they were chicken dogs...mmmm, nummy. My favorite meat so far is something called Hercules...yeah, not quite sure what it is, but it tastes good and has a cool name none the less.
3)My search for milk continues. I am seriously having milk withdrawals and I think I will have to suffer through them until the end of my trip unfortunately. Try one I picked out this carton looking milk thing only to discover that it was like soupy sour yogurt. Try two I picked out something else that looked like milk and it was so thick I about gagged. So I have pretty much given up, and I will admit that I am very afraid to try the milk in boxes that they don't refrigerate. Elizabeth tells me the enzymes in the milk are different here anyway, so I think I might not try any more milk...strike three you’re out, right?
4)The best part about stores here, there are always at least two isles dedicated to cookies and chocolate! Which really surprises me that everyone here is not more fat then they are. However, I don’t have any problems reaping in the benefits of the amazing chocolate selection. And, you say, what do you do without your favorite candy bar Kit-Kats? No fear I say, they have Kit-Kat Chunky’s (Big Kats they are called in the States) all over here. And not only that, they have a peanut butter Kit Kat version here that I have not seen in the States. Wow, I came to the right place.
Ciao for now!
Posted by Amber Ruppert at October 30, 2006 09:48 AM
Comments
The 'no photos' thing is a slow response to capitalism. They don't want you stealing ideas or prices - my dad ran into the same thing when he was doing a business project in Lithuania. Just stop taking the photo and say "American Tourist," and apparently it makes things a lot better. In fact, I get the feeling that you can probably get away with about anything, including bank robbery, if you apologize profusely by saying that you are an American tourist.
Posted by: Pat at October 30, 2006 11:37 AM
peanut butter kit kats? now i KNOW you're going to bring me some of those...
Posted by: Autumn at October 30, 2006 12:40 PM
Have you found any Mint Kit Kats yet? They were very popular in Rome. Look forward to more blogs.
Posted by: Elizabeth at October 30, 2006 08:07 PM
You are way brave to eat meat that you have no idea what it is, I mean, how do you know it's not rodent or cat or maybe it's human!!!
Posted by: Sarah D at October 30, 2006 08:12 PM
I had the nonrefrigerated milk in the box when I was in Honduras. It wasn't that bad - just a little wierdness because it wasn't cold.
Posted by: wendy sue at October 31, 2006 08:18 AM