Suggestion #2 - grocery store

One of the suggestions I received for things to blog about was the grocery store.  I think it is a great idea because I try and visit grocery stores in most cities.  I like to see what things are the same and what things are completely different...you can find some crazy stuff in grocery stores.  Obviously I'm quite used to the grocery stores here since I've been shopping in them for the past couple of years.  With that being said, there are still some things that I just cannot stomach spending the crazy amount of money on...remember the dish rack incident of 2009?

**photo disclaimer**
I take pride in the photos that I take and add to the blog.  Unfortunately, there is a big fat sign outside of the grocery store that says 'no photos' so I had to take all of these with the camera on my blackberry.  Apologies in advance that the quality isn't that great and that some of them are a bit blurry.

I'm lucky that I live quite close to four different grocery stores.  This gives me some options but it also means that I will pass one on my way home regardless of where I am coming from.  Since I live in the city none of these are stand-alone stores like back home.  Instead they are in shopping malls and on the first floor of office buildings.

The one that I shop at most often is Cold Storage.  It is the most expensive one in my area but it also has the largest number of US goods.  If I want produce I will shop at the Fair Price because they have a much better selection and are significantly cheaper so it makes it worth it to split the shopping list.

The stores themselves have similar floor plans to the US grocery stores.  The produce and deli are as you enter...

One noticeable difference in the picture above is the sushi counter at the back.  There are 3-4 lovely ladies behind that counter making fresh sushi all day long.  It is amazingly cheap and very tasty.

Most of the fruits and veggies are the same but there are some things that you would never see back home.  A lot of greens for Chinese cooking...there are always fresh mangoes...and always dragonfruit...

There is a decent seafood selection at this grocery store.  I've actually never purchased any seafood from there but it always looks fresh and I see lots of other people buying it.  There are different varieties of fish than back home but nothing too out of the ordinary.  I think the most random thing are these...

Yep, that is a package of two fish heads for sale.  A lot of people here use them for cooking and one of the local delicacies (which I have not and likely will not try) is fish head curry.  We Americans tend to be somewhat wasteful compared to Asia.  Most places that I have been here use every bit of every creature that they eat...not sure how tasty it is but makes sense.

Something a bit odd (and this is not just Asia, have seen this in Europe too) about grocery stores here is that they do not keep eggs refrigerated.  They just have them on the shelves across from the bread...

There are also about 10 million different varieties of eggs...not sure what the difference is...I tend to just buy the cheapest ones.

Most of the rest of the store is about the same as back home.  There is an aisle that has bread...one with cereal...one for pasta...dairy items...frozen foods...cleaning supplies...you get the idea.  However, there are a few aisles that you won't find back home...

That is just a small portion of the options for chili sauce.  And let me tell you...this is one of the things that I will really miss about living here...so good on so many things!  In case you were wondering, chili sauce is to Singaporeans and ketchup is to Americans.

There is also a huge selection of bottled teas.  Remember, this is much more of a tea drinking region than coffee so you can get loads of varieties.

There is also almost an entire aisle dedicated to rice.  Who knew there were so many varieties of rice???  I go through phases where I'll cook a lot of rice at home and I typically just grab a bag and test it out.  So far I have yet to come across some that I don't like.  And yes, they are far better than the rice back home...not sure why.

So...over the past few years you have heard me numerous times complain about the cost of certain things here in Singers.  Just in case you thought I was making things up or being overly dramatic I thought I'd share some of them with you...

chocolate chips for the low, low price of $10.65/bag...

sliced cheese for $7.95 per bag...what a deal...

ice cream for $14.35 per container (that is the normal sized Ben & Jerry's container)...can I just say that this is both awesome and horrible at the same time.  I am an ice cream lover...ask Alan...I cannot have mint chocolate chip ice cream in the house...I eat it all...so having ice cream be this expensive keeps me from buying it which is good for the figure...

and a 6-pack of Budweiser for $17.75...mmm...that better be some good beer!

There you have it...a mini tour of my grocery store here in Singers.  Hope that you enjoyed it and thanks for the great suggestion.  Feel free to keep the suggestions coming...I'm having fun with these...

And I'll leave you with one last photo...

Would you like some seaweed Pringles to go with your beer?