What do Americans eat? Big tour of supermarkets

What is the United States of America? Glittering in the sun skyscrapers, endless highways along the corn fields? Silicon valley? The white hats of the Montana mountains? Black people from disadvantaged neighborhoods? America is very different. Having been in more than forty States, I still can not say about this country clearly.

When I visited dozens of cities from Chicago to San Francisco, looked at the stars in national parks, drove along the canadian and Mexican borders and all this has already been told, you can talk about things quite non-touristic. Though they wanted to write and in the first days of the very first trip here.

What do hypermarkets look like in America? What kind of food is there that feeds three hundred million people? To do this, go on a tour of the most popular store in America — walmart.

1) When I wrote about my food basket, which I buy in the States for a week, many Russian immigrants who settled in the country, tried to shame me: What do you say, go to Walmart? This is the shop for the homeless! Here would go to Whole foods!. It was funny reading those comments. Some stereotypes about walmart exist here, as we have about Auchan, but all Americans do it. Buy immediately for a week — it is convenient, besides the products are usually the same everywhere, and in hypermarkets cheaper. From the point of view of the experiment, this network was the best: you can go to the Alphabet of Taste in Moscow, but it will not be a typical Russian supermarket. So, on and repelled the Wal — Mart in America is how Auchan (or OK) in Russia.

2) The fruit and vegetable section starts Immediately from the entrance. I like that products here sometimes try to spread beautifully. Wherever possible. An important difference from our stores: fruit is not necessary to weigh, the cashier will do it yourself.

3) Prices today, paint will not, do the math, if you want. Fruits look beautiful, but not because unnatural, but just for you carefully laid out, and removed the Frank rot, which still no one will take, and it spoils the view. Watermelons in America all year round, and own: there are southern States where they can be grown all year round.

4) The same with the rest fruits, vegetables and berries. Cherry and raspberry in December in the climate of the middle lane — a dream! You can always buy a special set, where everything will be cleaned, cut: know only in the mouth throw! Why not? The man who first guessed to skin an orange, cut a watermelon and sell ready – made is probably a multi-billionaire.

5) Garlic dozen different species. Ordinary, Packed, pickled, cut into small pieces…

6) Greens and salads of all kinds.

7) Delicatessen shop. Here are selling Parmesan and ham, but there was such a place that can’t be touched. Christmas is coming, people are shopping for the holiday table!

8) And here are four different cases of meat products. A huge stand with bacon, some with ham for Breakfast, sausages and all sorts of semi-finished meat like cevapcici, hamburger and so on…

9) Evil tongues say that walmart is a shop that does not specialize in food. Well, here is one of such refrigerators ten rows. And each one sells one thing. Choice is huge. All these shelves, about twenty compartments — are ice cream. Yes there are hundreds of types, honestly!

10) Next comes the same long fridge, and it’s full of frozen pizzas of all kinds.

11) And on pizza range of not ends. Chicken wings, ready meals, all sorts of pies. Demand creates supply, and competition creates even more product options. Not especially a fan of such ready-made food: it is delicious, but certainly harmful. I only buy pizza and sometimes nuggets myself.

12) If we talk about the sauces, they are also a million options. Like Americans and all sorts of pickles, and even made a popular snack of pickles in the form of sauce. But squeezing yourself pickles on a piece of meat.

13) Meat. Pork chops, rib eye steaks and minced meat. From the unusual, it is sold here, including in the form of sausage.

14) Well, pork, hams and other delicacies. Somewhere in a queue for bulk and packaged you can take right away. Popular and whole ham, they just to the holiday table and buy. On thanksgiving, the Turkey, the Christmas pig.

15) A wide variety of spices. This is about one tenth, only two small shelves were. Seasonings are divided into two categories: for Amateurs in the kitchen and for the pros. In the first case, the writing on the package, for which a specific meals is a bag.

16) Canned Meat and vegetables. Separately with the Spam, in whose honour me once video was filmed somewhere in the abandoned town of Montana.

17) A Whole long rack of Breakfast cereals, cereals, pillows, and the like. From this fanateyut Americans of all ages.

18) Chips. I stopped eating them a long time ago, but packaging is tempting, of course. Chips are never eaten in dried meat, always with some sauce (dip), which is also a great many.

19) Now, this I can’t resist in any way….beef jerky. All the men of America love to eat these dried pieces of beef. But it’s a little expensive…ten bucks for a big pack that still goes in the stomach. 🙂

20) Cheese counters. A dozen different types of cheese are necessarily Packed. The wrappers, as you know, Americans are scrupulous. The manufacturer must be visually recognizable and visible from afar. Well, the four most basic types of cheese: ordinary, cut into pieces (there are cheese bars), grated, cheese sticks, Mexican fresh cheese, similar to our Adyghe…

21) Yogurts. Almost everyone says they’re low-fat.

22) Philadelphia Cheese. Next to them were bagels — round buns with a hole in the middle, but not bagels. And these bagels with soft cheese — that’s a real Breakfast pleasure, I tell you!

23) Of Bread too whole huge shelf, but as for me, it varied. In fact, here are laid out just loaves of different manufacturers: here it is mainly all white. There is rye, but until Russian black or Borodinsky not falls short. And Mexican scones are popular, too.

24) Milk is sold in huge bottles. Because another system of measures: not liters, and gallons. Thanks to falling oil prices, gasoline is now cheaper than milk in the US.

25) Eggs. There’s nothing to add.

26) All kinds of soda and other harmful drinks. Upstairs — portable refrigerators. In heat is very important.

27) Beer shelves. Beer — the only alcohol that can be bought in Walmart and in General in any store, except for a special alcohol. I can’t say for all the States, but in Virginia it is. Lots of beer. Americans are the second beer nation I respect. Including because they took the best from the main brewers of the planet — the Belgians. Probably nowhere else but these countries, you will not find such a variety of types of beer. And again, love Czech Pilsner? Here’s Czech. Like English Ales? You’re welcome! For special perverts and “Baltic” in Russian shops sell.

28) Along the food stalls you can walk forever, but I will stop there, otherwise this post will drag on forever. They sell a lot of things in walmart. Clothes, for example. Not very fashionable, but quite practical and cheap. Pants socks there and just buy it, and for three years, and in large quantities. Well, they have funny t-shirts. This year’s fashion collection is represented by t-shirts with fur seals. One even tried, but for some reason did not buy…

29) Before the winter holidays, many people come to walmart for gift cards. The fact that in Russia for some reason did not take root, in the States almost the main gift for friends, but not very close. Each chain of restaurants and shops has its own cards. You know what your buddy likes to go to Outback steakhouses? Give him a $ 25 card. That’s enough to take his wife to a restaurant, just in this amount usually costs dinner for two. There are also prepaid Bank cards. Do not know what to give, and cash in an envelope is indecent? Give a Visa or MasterCard, the person will decide what to buy.

30) At the Wal-Mart close. It’s a normal store, isn’t it? Gentlemen snobs, calm down and go at least once, there is not so scary 🙂

31) For comparison, I will show another large hypermarket. It is also quite “popular”, and is called Costco. This is an analogue of our Metro: Cash&Carry, small wholesale. Here too, the access system on the cards, but to obtain such by anyone, just need to pay a $ 55 membership fee per year. Or just pay with an American Express card, they have a joint agreement.

32) Oh, I forgot to tell while still in the Wal-Mart that here at the entrance to each store has a number of trucks that can take any man. They are intended for elderly and disabled people, but I repeat: anyone can take them. Help you do not require.

33) Kostko also sells everything in the world, from food to clothing. With clothes there is one trick: unlike Walmart, here you can find ” branded” things at very low prices. Clothes are sold individually.

34) But you’re going to want to COP a few pieces. Or just a big special package. This can of Philadelphia or ketchup is enough for a year!

35) Gift card here too profitable: for example, four 25 is not 100, and 80. And the cakes are delicious! Give the Council a good gift American: can give him on any occasion such fashionable shower heads. With a high probability, it will have a standard. And here do not understand normal souls: the lake is not even removed, and screwed to the wall! But it’s a different story, maybe I’ll write a post about a typical American housing.

36) And it may be more profitable to buy appliances here than anywhere else. It’s just that Costco has some secret agreements with suppliers, even special versions are made for them. Although Amazon is still cheaper. In principle, almost all today buy equipment online.

37) Large packages of chocolates and cookies.

38) Corner of the hungry ulcer. Just like in Auchan, only here this fast food at least delicious. And here’s a little detail about Costco: there are no plastic bags. Bring or take these boxes for free. Nothing to spoil nature. I remember how once in the Russian hypermarket yelled at me when I wanted to take an empty unattended box to put there products.

39) There’s a lot of different stores In America, except hypermarkets. All of them are grouped, as a rule, in such “plasas”, small one-storey shopping centers with large Parking and separate entrances. But about them, perhaps, next time. If you want.