Comments | niki_chan: Karucha Shokku

niki_chan

Karucha Shokku

Jun 04, 2003 21:59

You know how at some stage in their life everyone discovers the joys of 'ethnic' food stores? Of little grimy catch-all 'asian groceries', of mysterious Indian supermarkets, of unhealthy looking family run eastern-european delicatessens ( Read more... )

Comments 11

Right there with you. roofshadow June 4 2003, 09:03:55 UTC

When I went back to the states for vacation, I felt like a mouse poking my nose out into the great wide open when I stepped in to my local mega-mart. I couldn't help thinking things like the following. "What a waste of so much valuable space!" "Why is that big blank area there with nothing in it?" "The cereal aisle is big enough to get lost in and all those cartoon faces looking down at me make me want to hide." I really felt like an... OUTSIDER! ^_^

You are right pollyanna_n June 4 2003, 09:23:35 UTC

Welcome to consumerism
You are right, we don't need so much choice between different brands of the same product.
But.. you wouldn't want to have no choice would you?
Just one type of cornflake? Where would it end..
What if you are trying to boycott one - then you need choice.

Like Milo - if you boycott Nestle then you can't eat Milo, but there is no alternative that tastes the same.

It's just an example of our selfish western consumer driven culture. And yes it is wrong, but I can't see how it could be stopped, nor, do most people want it stopped.

Grow your own.

Re: You are right niki_chan June 4 2003, 18:53:34 UTC

I like the choice. There's chewy goodness in the variety. Actually I think the horror was more that the sixteen boxes of cornflakes assailing me were *all* Kellogg's.

minga June 4 2003, 12:48:37 UTC

Trowbridge is this little town in England about 20 mins on the train out of Bath, and it's got this fucking HUGE tesco, i was so scared by it when i went in that i was almost cowering in a corner saying 'i want an australian supermarket'. we discovered that you can't buy clothes pegs in it though. clothes, books, cds, dvds, cafe, and you can even buy televisions and probably video players as well, but no fricking clothes pegs ( ... )

tomble June 5 2003, 18:58:51 UTC

I read an article once by a person who had been living in Russia for some time. When you wanted, say, some soap, you would go to the shop and buy soap. Utilitarian, plainly wrapped, unscented soap. There was no choice

When she returned to western society and went to a supermarket, she became paralyzed by choice, and took forever to make up her mind on what she wanted. Scented soap? With oatmeal? Or skin moisturisers? Or...

Safeway Kew??? tarechick June 6 2003, 09:45:05 UTC

OMG i 4got if u said u were from Melb... But then again plenty of places have a suburb called Kew (i assume) so... Where r u from again? U came back from Japan??? Wow!? How was it...? I really wanna join up with Nova or Jet or something, but I dunno if i'm good enuff for them...
I know what u mean... Supermarkets down here are rather daunting... and really sterile... (some)... When I go to the asian groceries, there are so many little surprises... I mean who really eats mince meat in a can? N fermented tofu (beancurd).

I tried to find things that were authentically Aussie to send my Canadian bf... turns out the tin of MILO i sent was wasted, cos he found milo in an asian grocery in BC. Oh well, at least he loved the Tim Tams! Arnotts rock! Nothing wrong with a whole aisle of it! Oh but I dunno if he'd like Vegemite though...Now THAT would be a BIG HUGE culture shock! But just like NATTO it can be an acquired taste I suppose...

There's this shop I really wonder about though... Its next to that bus stop outside Melb Central on ( ... )

There Can Be Only One Safeway Kew niki_chan June 10 2003, 21:02:51 UTC

Yeah, I'm from Melbourne, and am now back at my dad's place in Kew. I ditched Japan about two weeks ago, but I spent the last week or so in Canberra (of all the weird places...)

You should have no problems getting into Nova, their only requirement is that all your education be in English. If you want to work full time you need some kind of tertiary degree as well, but that's it.

Milo though... it's really weird in Japan. It even has happy Japanese sportspeople on the wrapper, and it's really sweet and powdery and not very nice, so maybe it's good you sent it over to you bf :)

Re: There Can Be Only One Safeway Kew astralbeats July 6 2003, 02:15:38 UTC

I dropped into your LJ since I was doing random surfing on Harujuku Goths. I'm gonna be travelling to Tokyo next week, (it's gonna be the first holiday alone!] and dropping in here, saw that you were from Melbourne [haha! what do u know I spent two years there!]
so how was Japan? is it hard to get around if i speak only english?

by odd chances i'm also an LJ-user hence maybe i should add you since i find all the little crossings very amusing. :)

p/s: i like the coles in oakleigh [is that the spelling?] because at 3am at night, i get to zoom around on trolleys.

Re: There Can Be Only One Safeway Kew niki_chan July 6 2003, 05:31:53 UTC

What were you doing in melbourne? I've never personally been to oakleigh coles, but I imagine it's much like Richmond coles, in which I also get to zoom around on trolleys ( ... )