GOODBYE:
Costco, Top Foods, Bayview, Wagner’s Bakery, and Olympia Farmers Market!
HELLO:
CCC Supermercado (pronounced se se se), Mercado Municipal, The Bread Man, Organic Farmers Market. and Wal Mart!
Quantity of food has never been a focus in my life, nor has eating three healthy meals a day; choosing between pie for breakfast over yogurt and granola is a “no brainer” for me! I am definitely a picky eater, and texture and smell are big deals with me. Shopping for food and eating in La Paz has been an adventure! I expected it to be a bit of a struggle but I was up for the challenge!
The first time I went shopping I realized immediately I should have brought along a Spanish/English dictionary. Pictures on the containers help but don’t always reveal the truth of what’s inside! And so many things come in boxes, i.e., cream, sour cream, yogurt, milk, juice, olives, vegetables, sauces, etc. - all unrefrigerated. I bought a box of cream to mix with Kahlua only to discover it was sour cream!
Meats - vaca, cabra, cerdo and cordero (cow, goat, lamb, pork) - all look about the same in the package. All of the deli-type lunch meat comes in large plastic preformed packages waiting to be sliced for you. It is all about the same color and it all has the texture of baloney. I’m not that desperate for lunch meat yet! Actually, I have a whole new appreciation for PB&J.
I had hoped Walmart would have familiar brands, but other than a few U.S. items they pretty much were like the rest of the Supermercados. So much for my 250 peso taxi ride! ($21 U.S.)
Eggs are not refrigerated and occasionally have a few downy feathers stuck to them. The yolks are a gold to orange color, never yellow because they feed the chickens marigolds! I prefer to buy my eggs from vendors on the street because their eggs seem to be a lot fresher.
(Note: We left Olympia with 3 dozen fresh (unrefrigerated) eggs I bought from a local farm. I kept them in plastic egg cartons and would flip them every few days to keep the membrane inside moist and intact thus keeping air out. We ate the last of those eggs three week after leaving Olympia and they were still fresher than any I have ever bought in a store!)
The chickens in the meat case are very orange for the same reason (marigold fed). So far I have not been able to overlook the color and buy one. I still have Costco chicken in the freezer. Hooray!
I have not been able to find canned pumpkin (calabaza), and I have not figured out whipping cream yet - gotta do that before Christmas! I bought a can of this “Crema” - that looks like whipping cream on the strawberries, don’t you think?
Costco, Top Foods, Bayview, Wagner’s Bakery, and Olympia Farmers Market!
HELLO:
CCC Supermercado (pronounced se se se), Mercado Municipal, The Bread Man, Organic Farmers Market. and Wal Mart!
Quantity of food has never been a focus in my life, nor has eating three healthy meals a day; choosing between pie for breakfast over yogurt and granola is a “no brainer” for me! I am definitely a picky eater, and texture and smell are big deals with me. Shopping for food and eating in La Paz has been an adventure! I expected it to be a bit of a struggle but I was up for the challenge!
The first time I went shopping I realized immediately I should have brought along a Spanish/English dictionary. Pictures on the containers help but don’t always reveal the truth of what’s inside! And so many things come in boxes, i.e., cream, sour cream, yogurt, milk, juice, olives, vegetables, sauces, etc. - all unrefrigerated. I bought a box of cream to mix with Kahlua only to discover it was sour cream!
Meats - vaca, cabra, cerdo and cordero (cow, goat, lamb, pork) - all look about the same in the package. All of the deli-type lunch meat comes in large plastic preformed packages waiting to be sliced for you. It is all about the same color and it all has the texture of baloney. I’m not that desperate for lunch meat yet! Actually, I have a whole new appreciation for PB&J.
I had hoped Walmart would have familiar brands, but other than a few U.S. items they pretty much were like the rest of the Supermercados. So much for my 250 peso taxi ride! ($21 U.S.)
Eggs are not refrigerated and occasionally have a few downy feathers stuck to them. The yolks are a gold to orange color, never yellow because they feed the chickens marigolds! I prefer to buy my eggs from vendors on the street because their eggs seem to be a lot fresher.
(Note: We left Olympia with 3 dozen fresh (unrefrigerated) eggs I bought from a local farm. I kept them in plastic egg cartons and would flip them every few days to keep the membrane inside moist and intact thus keeping air out. We ate the last of those eggs three week after leaving Olympia and they were still fresher than any I have ever bought in a store!)
The chickens in the meat case are very orange for the same reason (marigold fed). So far I have not been able to overlook the color and buy one. I still have Costco chicken in the freezer. Hooray!
I have not been able to find canned pumpkin (calabaza), and I have not figured out whipping cream yet - gotta do that before Christmas! I bought a can of this “Crema” - that looks like whipping cream on the strawberries, don’t you think?
Frosted Flakes are called “Zucharitas,” but I recognized Tony the Tiger right away! Sugar Pops are “Maize Inflados,” but again the picture on the box gave them away. But so far, no Grape Nuts for Bob though!
No Sweet Pickles yet, either. I can’t even find a word or phrase for them in the Spanish dictionary.
There are no candy aisles, and no bulk candy in bins. Boy do I miss Top Foods! There are a few brands like Mars and Hershey, bbut no Peanut Butter Cups or Ghirardelli Chocolates. No shelves of candy bars - probably just as well!
An entire aisle, lined on both sides –a huge area - in all the supermercados is dedicated to fruit juices, mostly packaged in boxes. A lot of milk is also in boxes and needs no refrigeration until it is opened. Tang comes in about 10 flavors; I have never seen so much Tang!
No Sweet Pickles yet, either. I can’t even find a word or phrase for them in the Spanish dictionary.
There are no candy aisles, and no bulk candy in bins. Boy do I miss Top Foods! There are a few brands like Mars and Hershey, bbut no Peanut Butter Cups or Ghirardelli Chocolates. No shelves of candy bars - probably just as well!
An entire aisle, lined on both sides –a huge area - in all the supermercados is dedicated to fruit juices, mostly packaged in boxes. A lot of milk is also in boxes and needs no refrigeration until it is opened. Tang comes in about 10 flavors; I have never seen so much Tang!
Pastries are mostly bread that is somewhat sweet, but there are no gooey fillings or frosting, and definitely no Chocolate Eclairs … oh how I miss Wagner’s Bakery! There are no pies! Chocolate pastries look very chocolate-y, but have no richness or sweetness to them, and they are all very dry; if you closed your eyes you would probably not even know it was chocolate! And did you know it was Mexico that introduced chocolate to the world?
Donuts here look scary. I love donuts but I have not gotten up the courage to buy one yet. I bought a loaf of pineapple bread (like banana bread). It tasted like plain yellow cake but the texture was really weird -more like a cornbread texture?
Tres Leches (3 Milks) cake has frosting but the cake is very wet. The Bread Man (who comes to the marina on his bike) does make good loaves of bread, and there is a place to get fresh bagels, but it is a long walk.
Bakery Etiquette: You take a round silver tray and tongs, place all the breads and pastries you want on the tray. Then go stand in line to have the attendant put your items in a bag/carton and price it. Usually you pay for it with the rest of your groceries at check out, but not always; sometimes you pay the baker directly.
Good news, Oreo Cookies are the same!!
Most all of the cheeses are white and mild: Brie, Edam, Gouda, Mozzarella, Chihauhua (whatever that is). There are no sharp cheddars.
Name the chili pepper and there will be a huge bin of it in the produce department.
All the baggers are kids who work for tips only. Everyone tips them.
Hagen Daz Ice Cream is 120 pesos per quart ($10 U.S.) - ouch! I have not yet purchased any. I have one last single serving size in the freezer left from San Diego provisioning.
How could potato chips be different? Whatever it is they are fried in here in Mexico makes them different. There are no Ranch Ruffles, no Sour Cream, and no Tim’s Onion; but there is Limon (lime) or Queso (cheese)!
Montequilla (butter) is bright yellow and smells like the artificial butter in microwave popcorn and dominates the taste of anything you put it in/on. I did find good butter at Walmart. It comes two cubes to a box - so cute!
In the fresh fish department you can buy squid, octopus, manta ray, prawns and fish, fish, fish of every description, small and large (whatever ended up being caught by the local fishermen). Manta ray wings are punched with circle cutters to make fake scallops - So s n e a k y!!.
Fresh produce and fruit has been good. Oranges are really good.
Pie pans do not exist here. I’m hopeful Mazatlan will have them.
Food has definitely been part of the adventure. We have shopped at tiny corner tiendas and at large Supermercados. Each is different from the other. How very different the food is has been an interesting part of our visit so far. And just walking to the grocery store educates us on life here in La Paz. Around every corner is something that amazes, shocks, or humbles us. We are so fortunate to get o choose our lifestyle.
Grocery-wise I’m very excited about going to Mazatlan. They have a two story Farmers Market with fresh “everything.”
Tomorrow I am going to the Organic Farmers Market. I hope that means that all the produce is watered and washed with potable water and there are no concerns about bacteria ala Montezuma. (I’ve already been down that road!). It will be worth the 12 block walk to see!
The next time you go shopping give your grocer a big hug for all the wonderful food, produce and meat!
Donuts here look scary. I love donuts but I have not gotten up the courage to buy one yet. I bought a loaf of pineapple bread (like banana bread). It tasted like plain yellow cake but the texture was really weird -more like a cornbread texture?
Tres Leches (3 Milks) cake has frosting but the cake is very wet. The Bread Man (who comes to the marina on his bike) does make good loaves of bread, and there is a place to get fresh bagels, but it is a long walk.
Bakery Etiquette: You take a round silver tray and tongs, place all the breads and pastries you want on the tray. Then go stand in line to have the attendant put your items in a bag/carton and price it. Usually you pay for it with the rest of your groceries at check out, but not always; sometimes you pay the baker directly.
Good news, Oreo Cookies are the same!!
Most all of the cheeses are white and mild: Brie, Edam, Gouda, Mozzarella, Chihauhua (whatever that is). There are no sharp cheddars.
Name the chili pepper and there will be a huge bin of it in the produce department.
All the baggers are kids who work for tips only. Everyone tips them.
Hagen Daz Ice Cream is 120 pesos per quart ($10 U.S.) - ouch! I have not yet purchased any. I have one last single serving size in the freezer left from San Diego provisioning.
How could potato chips be different? Whatever it is they are fried in here in Mexico makes them different. There are no Ranch Ruffles, no Sour Cream, and no Tim’s Onion; but there is Limon (lime) or Queso (cheese)!
Montequilla (butter) is bright yellow and smells like the artificial butter in microwave popcorn and dominates the taste of anything you put it in/on. I did find good butter at Walmart. It comes two cubes to a box - so cute!
In the fresh fish department you can buy squid, octopus, manta ray, prawns and fish, fish, fish of every description, small and large (whatever ended up being caught by the local fishermen). Manta ray wings are punched with circle cutters to make fake scallops - So s n e a k y!!.
Fresh produce and fruit has been good. Oranges are really good.
Pie pans do not exist here. I’m hopeful Mazatlan will have them.
Food has definitely been part of the adventure. We have shopped at tiny corner tiendas and at large Supermercados. Each is different from the other. How very different the food is has been an interesting part of our visit so far. And just walking to the grocery store educates us on life here in La Paz. Around every corner is something that amazes, shocks, or humbles us. We are so fortunate to get o choose our lifestyle.
Grocery-wise I’m very excited about going to Mazatlan. They have a two story Farmers Market with fresh “everything.”
Tomorrow I am going to the Organic Farmers Market. I hope that means that all the produce is watered and washed with potable water and there are no concerns about bacteria ala Montezuma. (I’ve already been down that road!). It will be worth the 12 block walk to see!
The next time you go shopping give your grocer a big hug for all the wonderful food, produce and meat!