El Supermercado
I've successfully gone to the supermarket twice so far and learned a lot about buying groceries on the island. There is a supermarket not far from the apartment, and it's quite different from grocery stores you typically see in America.
The shopping carts are very small. It's like an American cart cut in half, so it's a lot shorter. But that's all you need because you're going to be carrying it home and up the stairs to the apartment anyhow.
The fruits, vegetables and cuts of meat are very fresh. There is a deli in this supermarket as well that will slice meat right off the bone for you. A lot of the options are much healthier than in the states, but there's junk food too of course.
The Spanish have potato chips of all sorts of flavors: fried egg, ketchup, you name it. They also sell sliced bread with the crusts cut off which I found comical. A big difference between American and Spanish grocery stores is that in Spain, they primarily sell shelf stable milk. It's not refrigerated.
At the checkout, you're asked if you want a bag. If so, you can choose between paper or plastic, and each bag is 10 cents. This encourages the use of reusable bags, and I saw that most people did bring their own. Also, you bag your own groceries in Spain. The cashier scans everything and takes your payment, but you're responsible for bagging up your stuff before you go.
Both times we've gone to the supermarket so far, I've checked out with the same woman who I'm sure thinks I'm very entertaining. Between my not speaking Spanish and fumbling around with my wallet as I realize I'm supposed to be bagging my stuff up, I'm a hoot. Soon enough I'll be able to have a conversation with her, but we're not there yet.
The shopping carts are very small. It's like an American cart cut in half, so it's a lot shorter. But that's all you need because you're going to be carrying it home and up the stairs to the apartment anyhow.
The fruits, vegetables and cuts of meat are very fresh. There is a deli in this supermarket as well that will slice meat right off the bone for you. A lot of the options are much healthier than in the states, but there's junk food too of course.
The Spanish have potato chips of all sorts of flavors: fried egg, ketchup, you name it. They also sell sliced bread with the crusts cut off which I found comical. A big difference between American and Spanish grocery stores is that in Spain, they primarily sell shelf stable milk. It's not refrigerated.
At the checkout, you're asked if you want a bag. If so, you can choose between paper or plastic, and each bag is 10 cents. This encourages the use of reusable bags, and I saw that most people did bring their own. Also, you bag your own groceries in Spain. The cashier scans everything and takes your payment, but you're responsible for bagging up your stuff before you go.
Both times we've gone to the supermarket so far, I've checked out with the same woman who I'm sure thinks I'm very entertaining. Between my not speaking Spanish and fumbling around with my wallet as I realize I'm supposed to be bagging my stuff up, I'm a hoot. Soon enough I'll be able to have a conversation with her, but we're not there yet.
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