Jail Break
Posted by Megan Roney on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
After a long day of work, we were released from quarantine to eat at the restaurants a few blocks from our hotel and to explore the several levels of Carrefour, the local supermarket. Once the wall of humidity hit us as the sliding doors to our hotel opened, we were like kids in a candy store. It's amazing what a few hours held up in a hotel can do to the spirit of a bunch of twenty-somethings. We took photos, danced, even cried a little. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but to say the least we were excited.
The real excitement began when we descended into Carrefour via the moving platforms (I felt like a Jetson!), and our jaws dropped in joyful surprise at the sight of a Subway restaurant. That would definitely have to be our meeting spot for dinner after grocery shopping.
Subway certainly wasn't the only jaw-dropping sight of the day. A stroll down one of the isles was akin to a visit to the zoo, as I passed live turtles, frogs and eels. Only these animals faced a far worse fate than any caged animal...chopped on a cutting board and scooped up into someone's basket for dinner. Hmmmm...pass, next isle please.
Maybe something from the meat section. Carcass skin on a hook, anyone?
Perhaps I'll take a listen to one of the many sample ladies announcing in deafening volume todays blue item specials. Or maybe I'll just try one of each of the samples...I hope this isn't raw frog I'm chewing.
Aha! Fruit! The grocery gods are smiling upon me today. Juicy plums, bananas by the bunch, and grapes the size of walnuts. This is the isle for me!
Now a simple breeze through the check out (not really so breezy as I fumble through my wallet for the correct amount of Yuan) and I'm out the door and one step closer to enjoying my "5, 5 dollar foot long!"
Unfortunately, my appetite dwindles after witnessing a mother holding her half naked child over the Carrefour trash can, as he does his business for all the happy shoppers to see. Delightful! Bring on the dinner! As Sinead O'Connor wails "Nothing Compares to You" over the speakers at Subway, I think to my self, "nothing compares to you 5 dollar foot long turkey sub. That Jared knows his stuff!"
The real excitement began when we descended into Carrefour via the moving platforms (I felt like a Jetson!), and our jaws dropped in joyful surprise at the sight of a Subway restaurant. That would definitely have to be our meeting spot for dinner after grocery shopping.
Subway certainly wasn't the only jaw-dropping sight of the day. A stroll down one of the isles was akin to a visit to the zoo, as I passed live turtles, frogs and eels. Only these animals faced a far worse fate than any caged animal...chopped on a cutting board and scooped up into someone's basket for dinner. Hmmmm...pass, next isle please.
Maybe something from the meat section. Carcass skin on a hook, anyone?
Perhaps I'll take a listen to one of the many sample ladies announcing in deafening volume todays blue item specials. Or maybe I'll just try one of each of the samples...I hope this isn't raw frog I'm chewing.
Aha! Fruit! The grocery gods are smiling upon me today. Juicy plums, bananas by the bunch, and grapes the size of walnuts. This is the isle for me!
Now a simple breeze through the check out (not really so breezy as I fumble through my wallet for the correct amount of Yuan) and I'm out the door and one step closer to enjoying my "5, 5 dollar foot long!"
Unfortunately, my appetite dwindles after witnessing a mother holding her half naked child over the Carrefour trash can, as he does his business for all the happy shoppers to see. Delightful! Bring on the dinner! As Sinead O'Connor wails "Nothing Compares to You" over the speakers at Subway, I think to my self, "nothing compares to you 5 dollar foot long turkey sub. That Jared knows his stuff!"
Tags: food "grocery shopping"
After a while of traveling in foreign countries, you begin to realize that it's not just your luggage that can get lost. When you don't speak the language, you loose your ability to speak. If you can't decipher the written word, you loose your ability to read. And if you can't read the signs to know where you're going, you yourself can get lost. It can be a bit overwhelming, and at times humiliating, but I'm sure even Odysseus experienced frustration on his adventurous travels. This blog is my account of my travels. Hopefully, my blunders will assure others that they are not the only ones lost in translation.
