There is no Target in China

I'm sure I've mentioned my grocery shopping woes before, so here's an update on how it's going:

I expected as a newly arrived expat to have to spend some time checking out different stores in a quest to find all our usual staples, and although that quest never truly ends, I'm now at a point where I've pretty much figured out what I can get, and resigned myself to what I can't. It's not too bad - it is possible to get a pretty big variety of western products here. The problem is that you can't always get what you want, when you want it. So you can't get too attached to a particular item, because it can disappear without any warning and you never know when (or if) it will be back.

It can be frustrating sometimes, especially since I am so health conscious and do a lot of home cooking. In fact, at times I feel downright discriminated against since I've noticed that there are always Pop-Tarts on the shelves, yet sometimes I search in vain for weeks to find a can of plain diced tomatoes. So I've learned that when I do find a good product that I like, buy lots and lots of it and hoard it away like a paranoid doomsayer stocking the bomb shelter.

And this applies not just to western imports, but to stuff you can find in with the regular Chinese groceries as well. Of course, there is always tons of rice and noodles and good produce. But there are some items which I would consider a necessity but I guess they are more "luxury" items to the Chinese. For example, I am currently out of dishwasher detergent because it has not been on the shelf in Carrefour for the past month or so. Apparently, not many Chinese homes have dishwashers. I probably shouldn't be surprised in a country that still sells a lot of bar laundry soap (the kind you use to hand scrub your clothes in a wash basin - or a river). Paper towels is another good example, but I'm thinking they must be imported also since anything disposable here is generally not very sturdy. Their table napkins are basically like large segments of toilet paper.

In the beginning I did try several Chinese products because I didn't like the idea of being so dependent on imports. They are so expensive, especially when you have to get them at a specialty store. But with a few exceptions, I pretty much gave up, at least with food. With health and beauty products you really have to shop local. This is a challenge first and foremost because of the labeling. In a lot of cases the only English word on the bottle is the brand name. The only way I could tell which hair product was conditioner instead of shampoo was the opening on the bottom of the bottle (like in the States). At least I hope it's conditioner - never mind whether it's for dry or oily or permed or colored hair. The bottles of skin lotion have a little more of an English description, but then I have the problem of finding a brand without a "whitening" formula (kind of ironic after all those years of trying to get a decent tan). But so far, we've managed.

So when people ask me what I miss from home, it's really hard to say because there are very few things that you NEVER see. I just keep prowling the stores to see what new shipments may have arrived each week. I still get a little buzz of anticipation every time I walk into the American shops, wondering what I might find - even the boys like to shop there. You should have seen how excited we got the day we found Triscuts and Thomas's English Muffins! I've learned you have to try and contain yourself or else you can really get carried away. More than once I've had a box of something in my hand and had to say to myself "I wouldn't buy Cheez-Its at home, why am I buying them here?" Something about the familiarity of the product, that tangible connection to home, the nostalgia even, overrides any sense of moderation.

What's getting me through right now is the fact that it's less than two months til we'll be back in the States for our home visit and, believe me, I will be stocking up again - I'm just not sure on what. To all of you back home: put in your requests now if anyone who would like some Chinese products - dried duck tongues, jellyfish, maybe some whitening skin cream?