As an ex-pat, shopping for food can either be an adventure or a nightmare.  If you and your family like to try new tastes, and you enjoy cooking new dishes, half of the battle is already won.  But some people like to eat only certain food and others may find different spices or even aromas unappetizing or even upsetting to their stomachs.  Breakfast seems to be the most difficult meal to change.  I have found that men, especially, are firm in their breakfast requirements.  Children can be somewhat flexible in the morning, and women more open to change (more so if she doesn’t have to prepare it).  If, for example, your husband usually has eggs, bacon, toast and coffee for breakfast, he probably will not be very happy to wake up to rice, raw eggs, miso soup and tea just because he is in Tokyo.  Later in the day he may be ready to try something new, but not yet.  Fortunately, the American Breakfast has become popular, or at least available, in most of the places you are likely to find yourself.    In the West, most foods are at least recognizable.  In the East, that is not necessarily true.  Some may look recognizable only to be discovered later that it wasn’t even close to what you thought.  Be warned. Most large towns and cities throughout the world have supermarkets where you can buy pretty much what you want.  At least they will offer a selection of what is available.  For instance, in Cebu City in the Philippines there are many large supermarkets, where, I was told, I could buy everything I needed.  I found it to be true.  There was everything I needed, but not everything I wanted.

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I didn’t even realize you could buy canned curried corned beef.  Or how many flavors tuna came in.  Another two aisles consist of baby food, formula and so forth.  Dismissing the numerous aisles offering paper goods, personal hygiene products, candy, Korean noodles, Chinese whatever it was, pet food, alcoholic beverages, and local soup bases, there wasn’t actually much of what I was looking for.  The basics were covered - milk, eggs, flour, coffee and sugar.  The meat counter offered quite a variety of things from chicken feet to a complete pig’s head. 

After reshuffling my shopping list and thoughts, I was able to buy what I needed.  And, a couple of things I wanted. 

In Asian countries, as well as most countries outside the USA, you will find supermarkets, street vendors, specialty shops and large open markets to choose from.  It is wise to begin in supermarkets to buy the basics.  It will take a few weeks for your system to adjust to the new bacteria found in unprocessed foods.  If possible, buy an English language cookbook that explains the various dishes and local fruits, vegetables, and sauces.  Shop a few times with a local friend and ask her to show you how to prepare native dishes. 

Not knowing the local language can really make even basic grocery shopping difficult.  To ease the stress, and yes, grocery shopping is stressful in a strange country.  Start with a plan.  Schedule your trip to the supermarket when you feel relaxed and confident. Make a list.  Expect to spend two or three hours in the store.  Make it the sole out-of-the-house activity for the day, so you don’t feel rushed.  Take along a calculator and price each item to start learning the exchange rate and the cost of individual items.  Also take with you a dictionary if needed, it can be very handy if the language is roman letter based.  For example, Spanish to English is easy to interpret with a dictionary.  But Chinese characters are impossible without studying. 

Most supermarkets will now accept credit cards or debit cards.  Be aware that in some countries there will be a 3% charge added to your total to offset the cost of credit card fees. 

When shopping, whether it is in an open market or a sophisticated supermarket, never leave your purse untouched.  Keep physical contact with it.  Do not leave it in your cart, even for a few seconds to grab something off the shelf. In poor countries, this can be a temptation not to be ignored. 

Carry a small purse or bag, preferably not a shoulder bag.  Backpacks have been known to silently disappear, the straps slashed without notice. Ideally, a belly-bag or a small purse that fits in your pocket is best.  In reality, you will have to carry a wallet, dictionary, calculator, and maybe eyeglasses, so some type of purse or bag is necessary.  Also, make sure your purse can close entirely, one with a zipper or one that folds at the top and snaps is fine.  Never leave your purse or bag open, even when it is in your hand. 

Learn metric equivalents to the American weight system.  You will be buying in grams and kilos, not ounces and pounds.  Expect a few surprises. When I first started shopping in Japan my family was never too sure what would appear on the table.  I wasn’t always too sure myself.  To begin with, beef is very expensive and is sold by grams.  How many grams of ground beef does it take to make a hamburger?  How do you ask for it? First, I stepped up the meat counter and pointed to the ground beef.  The butcher asks “Nan kilo?”  I didn’t know what that meant at the time so I just shrugged.  So, obligingly he put a small amount on the scale.  I signal for more.  We exchanged glances and gestures until it looked to me like enough hamburger was on the scale. He smiled and handed me my package.

Well done, I congratulated myself.  I easily found the other necessary ingredients: ketchup, cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, and even hamburger buns.  I really felt good about the American dinner I was going to make – a real treat- cheeseburgers!  Why not go all the way?  I went to the frozen food section and put a bag of frozen onion rings into my cart.  My family loves onion rings and I was thrilled to have found them so readily available.  I guess the world is chasing America after all.

That evening I serve the cheeseburgers and onion rings, only to discover the onion rings where squid rings!  The package had a lovely picture of what looked like perfectly shaped, golden brown onion rings.  Of course, I hadn’t bothered to try to read the package; it was all in Japanese Kanji! Our special desert that night, chocolate chip vanilla ice cream, turned out to be black-bean vanilla ice-cream.  I couldn’t bring myself to admit I had gotten everything wrong, so in the face of some very odd looks from my family, I lectured them sternly on the importance of blending local dishes with our own favorites.  I don’t think they bought it.

It can take years to learn to read Japanese, but speaking a few basic terms are mandatory to be able to shop.  Everyone is always happy to help if you can ask even a one word question, like “sweet?” as you hold up an orange (Japanese sweet and sour oranges look the same!). 

Supermarkets, or supermarcados, seem to be everywhere, at least in cities.  I shopped at Carrefour, a French owned chain of supermarkets, in Buenos Aires and in Shanghai.  The stores were basically the same, but catered to the tastes of the respective countries. 

In Buenos Aires, there was beef, beef, and more beef and wine.  In Shanghai you could find cases if frozen dumplings with various fillings.  Both offered appliances, clothes, shoes, and just about anything needed to set up a house.  Similar to Wal-Mart, but brightly lit, clean, and perhaps offering a bit better quality.  Both had generous parking, a bus stop and taxi service.  It is a good place for one-stop shopping and to familiarize yourself with local goods.

Our Daily Bread – Where Art Thou?

One would think that with bread being one of the basic foods that there would be some commonality of breads around the world.  Nothing could be further from the truth. It is as if every country in the world deliberately set out to make the buying of one’s daily bread the single most trying task of the day.

Let’s look at some of the “breads” that are available.

USA: White bread (okay there are many others but who actually buys them?)

Japan: White bread....but:
White bread comes in packs of 4, 6 or 8 slices.  Each slice is as thick as a plank.  Japanese are not great sandwich eaters so their slice bread is nearly always used for toast or as casual table bread.  They shop daily so they don’t need many slices for their occasional American breakfast (mostly young people) or for an even less frequent peanut and jelly sandwich for their children.  Whereas my family eat sandwiches all day long. Even my husband’s midnight snack is a sandwich.  But when the slice of bread is an inch and a half thick and it takes four packs of bread a day the interest in making “Dagwoods” wanes.

If you want thinly sliced bread, it is sometimes available at a grocery store.  The best place to buy it is at your neighborhood bakery.  Ask for “sandwichi” or,  ju-ni (tweleve) slices.  Once you get your message across, the bakery will be happy to have it for you daily.
Pan or Caseteria: This is a specialty of Nagasaki, Japan and is actually one of the first western foods adopted by the Japanese.  It is very similar to Pound Cake.  Pan is also bread, as in Portuguese or Spanish.

Philippines: Almost White bread....but:
It is generally sweet in taste or carryings other after tastes depending on the conditions of the bakery the morning it was made.  Often it is not sliced so look inside the package carefully.  We finally gave up on finding bread that tasted good as sandwiches and resorted to buying French bread from a delicatessen operated by a German immigrant.

Wheat bread: Tastes better than the white bread but still not very good.

The fact is bread is one of the few things that Filipinos are not very good at making.  Filipinos are more Asian than Western despite English being wide spread and having been colonized first by the Spanish and then by the United States of America.  Since bread making (and bread eating) are basically Western in origin it is not surprising that finding “good” bread in the Philippines as well as the rest of Asia is such a challenge.  I imagine it is similar to how Japanese feel eating American rice.  Okay, but just not the real thing.

Street Vendors and Stalls

Shopping from street vendors or stalls can be economical and fun.  In Japan, it is often more expensive to shop in these places than at the supermarket.  But the fruits and vegetables are fresher and the folks friendlier.  In Japan the prices are not negotiable. 

In the Philippines, fresh fruit and vegetable can be bought in street stalls or from vendors roaming the streets.  You can get an especially good deal on bananas at stop lights from children vendors.  You can bargain for better prices.  Avoid fish and meat at open air markets as they are usually not chilled and chances of food poisoning are great.  Same goes for supermarkets, some are refrigerated, some not.  Nearly all cities and towns in the Philippines have a central open-air market.  They are fun to explore, but avoid eating the food unless it is thoroughly cooked or can be peeled.  Once I bought meat at an open air market.  By the time I got home it had “turned”.  We had to air out the house because of the stench.  Even our dog wouldn’t eat it.  But you can buy fruit, vegetables, and almost anything else from street vendors and markets.  Just be sure to wash and cook carefully.

China’s outdoor markets are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  They are being outlawed in the cities and being replaced by super shopping centers. That is unfortunate, in my opinion, as I found the huge outdoor market in Shanghai to be fun, friendly, and a great place to bargain. 

We often commented that in Buenos Aires, you could buy everything needed to get through the day without ever leaving your car.  At every stop vendors of all ages came alongside offering ice-water, drinks, ice-cream, lunches, fruit, toys, socks, games, flowers, and watches, and more!  The advice from locals is to keep your windows up and doors locked when driving.  These vendors have been known to take more than your money. Don’t worry, there is no shortage of places to shop and spend money in Argentina!  Credit cards accepted, usually.

I have found that it is usually a good idea to shop for groceries at a large supermarket a few times.  That way you can get a good sense of prices and quality.  You will be more prepared to bargain at stall or with a street vendor. 

Always wash your hands, all fruits and vegetables after shopping, whether from a modern store or a primitive stand.  Be sure to have your children wash their hands if they handle any food.  Do not allow them to eat the fruit until after you have washed it.  If the fruit can be peeled, they still need to wash their hands after peeling and before eating.  It is not fun to have a child suffering from dysentery.

Household Items

Shopping for household items is straight forward. Large department stores carry most everything you need. If you bring your own electrical appliances, lamps, stereos, TVs, VCRs, etc, check the voltage and bring adapters.  They are often cheaper and easier to find in the US. 

A couple I met said they sold all their furniture in the UK before moving to the Philippines.  They were able to purchase new furniture using only half the proceeds from their sale.  If your relocation package does not includes shipping household goods, then it might be wise to either buy your furniture overseas where it will probably be cheaper or consider a furnished house or apartment upon your arrival.

Shipping is expensive and can be problematic.  Check carefully the custom regulations of the country to which you are moving.  Most allow personal goods to come in with a minimum of fuss or charges.  But even personal household items can be charged a duty.  In other places, unfortunately like the Philippines, you may have to pay a special fee (sometimes affectionately called a bribe) to get your things out of Customs or removed from the loading docks. 

Motor vehicles of any type are usually a problem.  Few countries will allow you to bring you SUV or classic car without charging you an arm and a leg – if they will allow it at all.  Motorcycles sent along in the containers carrying your furniture and household possessions are usually also a problem.  You could easily wait weeks and endure a nightmare of paper works and charges just to get your hands on your furniture because it arrived with a motor vehicle.  My advice is to not try.  But if you must have your Harley-Davidson motorcycle with you check and double check all pertinent import regulations.  You freight forwarder or shipping company should be able to tell you what to expect.  Remember though that upon arrival only you – not the freight forwarder or shipper – will be held accountable for what you brought in.

Shopping for Clothes – One Size Does Not Fit All

Some women love to shop for clothes, some do not.  I do not.  Well, okay, occasionally I do.  European size markings differ from American labeling. But body sizes are similar.  In other words, even though the size may be different, the fit, once you discover your size, will be more or less the same.  This is not the case in Asia where all the women clothing tends to be very small by Western standards.  This can be depressing.

I left for Argentina after a brief stay in the USA, wearing a size 6, and when I arrived in Argentina I was a size 42!! (Airline food isn’t that fattening is it?)   My size 6 ½ feet grew to a size 36.  Even though I had not actually gotten any bigger I felt huge!  Keep it in perspective.

Even in the USA one must try on everything as the sizes differ considerably by brand.  Ironically, this is a product of most of the clothes available in the USA having been made overseas.

Shopping for clothes in Asian countries is not so simple, unless you are quite slender and not too tall.  Buying off the rack may not be possible or, if it is, you may have to develop a very different inner picture of how you look in clothes.

If you are large, there are specialty shops and sections in department stores for large sizes.  If you are slender, not too tall, and small boned, you will have no problem.  Unless, of course, you are of a certain age and prefer younger styles.  Then again, there are unstated economic factors which can influence what you should wear, and occasions, and customs.  But that is for another chapter.

To help avoid depression and frustration, remember that sizes are just numbers.  In the Philippines, I wear an XL (extra large) in normal sizes.  In the U.S., I wear a small in the same clothes.  But in the “large size” section of stores here I need an XS (extra small).  Then again, if it is an American brand manufactured here, my size can be an S, M or L.  The secret is to try everything on before buying.  This applies even to socks.

To make it more interesting, most shops carry a very small inventory.  They may have only one item in a certain size or color.  If you hesitate and come back the next day, it will be gone. 

Clothes in Japan were easy for me.  I am the exact height of Japanese women my age, 5’2”.  But my stepdaughter, who is almost 6 feet tall, and very slim, could only find an occasional sweater and then the sleeves were always too short.  She could not buy shoes.  Slacks revealed her ankles.  My husband, at 6-foot and 190lbs with only a 34 inch waist, could on occasion buy shirts – usually only golf shirts.  He had clothes made in Hong Kong when there on business trips or bought new clothes in the USA.  Shoes were impossible to buy locally, and he had to often add a day for shopping on his overseas business trips.  In larger cities, such as Tokyo and Osaka, it is possible to buy “western” size clothing.  But even in these places you will have to search for the right stores.

Children are children. They come in all shapes and sizes all over the world.  Buying clothes for them is easy: Easy meaning available.  You will have the same headaches and likes and dislikes as you have at your local mall.  Most places will have specialty shops for plus sizes.  Your child may or may not want to dress like the “locals”.  For younger children, you should bring enough clothes to last until your child has had time to adjust to the new environment.

Teenagers will want to adapt their style to whatever is popular as soon as possible.  Jeans are universal, also tennis shoes.  Actually, most teens want to dress like pop idols so their wardrobe will most likely only need tweaking for them to fit in.  Be assured they will be checking-out the clothes of every girl and boy near their age from the moment their feet hit the tarmac.  You should, too.  Some cultures embrace tight fitting jeans and tops on young teens, other do not.  Try to avoid clothes shopping for your teens until you have a good feel for what is acceptable and what is not. 

Shopping in a new culture is fun.  For many it is the highlight of a vacation.  But you are not on a vacation; you are an ex-pat.  It still can and should be fun, but it is not the same as choosing souvenirs in Jamaica.  You are responsible for your family, just as you were before arriving. Instead of driving to your local supermarket and buying familiar brands, you may have to take a bus or taxi, try to decipher labels, calculate exchange rates, learn the metric system, and pantomime for a loaf of sliced bread.  Then, hope you have enough local currency to pay, find your way home and figure out how to prepare it. 

Or, you can be a REAL ex-pat and take a shower, put on the new outfit you bought earlier in the day, pour some wine and order a pizza!
 

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