Cultural Visit: Grocery Store

The most popular grocery store here in China is called Wumei. Though Wal-mart has been here for a while now, it can’t seem to keep up with this chain of little stores. There is an Wumei just up the road from our apartment, and it is pretty much a hole in the wall, having a narrow entrance between two other stores. As you walk through the entrance, you still have to snake through a series of other small stands selling various items ranging from cell phones to jewelry. 

            As I walk into Wumei, the first thing to catch my eye are the shelves filled with various brands of Raman Noodles. There are row after row of the same product being produced by numerous brands, in a seemingly unnecessary amount. Though raman noodles are something you will find in the United States, you certainly won’t find it in the same degree. The way you cook the noodles are the same, but the flavor packages are very different. These come with several different seasonings, including liquid soy sauce, in addition to the regular powder packages you are accustomed too. Once you’ve had these noodles, your American raman noodles almost seem flavorless.

            Next you might notice a table covered in various traditionally Chinese pastries. Unlike the United States where most of the food is packaged, these just sit out in the open, occasionally being covered by clear plastic covering. You probably wouldn’t like these pastries your first time trying them. The Chinese don’t like sweets very much, and most of their pastries are comparatively very bland (and the ones that aren’t bland, you sometimes wish they were).  You might not be accustomed to the various flavors: Red Bean, Taro, Black Sesame Seed, etc…

            The meat and seafood section is almost entertaining. Raw meat sits out in the open on ice, and there are all kinds of fresh fish (None of which are cut-up or packaged).  The raw chicken feet were particularly interesting. That is certainly not something you would see every day in the United States.

            Visiting any Chinese grocery store, you will find their huge selection of various kinds of Chinese tea. Drinking tea is a very significant part of Chinese culture. As a missionary in Taiwan, I must have sat down in thousands of Chinese houses, and I can’t remember once not being offered tea (It surprises most people to learn that there are more teas that we are allowed to drink, than are actually prohibited by the Word of Wisdom).

            Last of all I want to point out the different fruits that are common here. In addition to all the fruits that are commonly found in the United States, China has several additional ones. You may not be very familiar with the following: durian fruit, guava, dragon fruit, papaya, passion fruit, winter mellow, mango, etc...