The rain was coming down strong and steady this morning, and showed so signs of slowing, so instead of going rug shopping today as planned, my friend and neighbor Kim took me grocery shopping.
Sounds boring, doesn't it? It wasn't.
I really enjoyed getting out of the flat and getting better acquainted with my new home town and its people. As we were driving around, we saw a couple of security guards get into it with each other. And just around the corner, I had the friendliest woman help me buy produce. She apologized for the condition of the lettuce, even though it was the best lookin' stuff I'd seen yet!
So, here is what I learned from my grocery tour today (I'm such a geek I took notes):
For dry goods and chicken, go to Goodies Market on Victoria Island (or V.I.).
For vegetables and fruit, try several different spots, including the corner stand near our flat on Ikoyi Island, another stand near the Park N' Shop store on V.I. and then Park N' Shop itself, Goodies Supermarket, and finally Deli's Supermarket, which specializes in imported produce. Today, I bought three pears and two lemons from Goodies; a pineapple from the corner stand; carrots, grapes, a radish, cucumber and local lettuce from another stand; two imported potatoes from Park N' Shop; and imported mushrooms and lettuce from Deli's. I bought some cherry tomatoes somewhere along the way, too, but darned if I can remember where.
For fresh bread, try Frenchies Bakery.
For fresh ground hamburger meat (that doesn't taste too much like blood), go to Nars Market.
And if you have a hankering for an American brand, go to Deli's where you can find everything from Fruit Loops to Bush's Baked Beans. Just be prepared to pay double or triple (or more) than what you pay at home.
We made the rounds of all these shops in about three hours, and got home just as the lunchtime traffic was going into full swing. Now, I have a kitchen full of fresh food, an empty wallet (don't worry, honey, I only spent a few thousand of the rug budget), and a crock pot brewing with a Moroccan chicken recipe I found online for dinner. It's been a good day! Is it cocktail hour yet?
Here are a few photos and a video clip from our Grand Lagos Grocery Tour!
$45 worth of cream cheese, anyone?
The butcher is hand-packing my chicken legs and thighs.
Local lettuce from the produce stand.
Produce stand down the street from Park N' Shop
(er... at least I think that's where it is. Good thing Big Ade knows the way.)
Weighing my grapes.
These ladies made me promise to bring back a copy of this picture next time I shop.
Michael better hook up our printer soon!
Nars Supermarket.
My friend and invaluable tour guide Kim enters Deli's Market.
Wine! My favorite!
Why aren't these eggs refrigerated?
Some questions are better left unanswered.
Americans refrigerate all kinds of stuff the rest if the world does not because we think it's better and because we have huge refrigerators. In Germany the butter, milk, eggs were all out. Any leftover milk was pitched, but the rest just got used as we went along.
Americans refrigerate all kinds of stuff the rest if the world does not because we think it's better and because we have huge refrigerators. In Germany the butter, milk, eggs were all out. Any leftover milk was pitched, but the rest just got used as we went along.
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