When I lived in New Jersey, I would often stop at Wal Mart or the local grocery on the way home from school for anything I might need for dinner or in my classroom that week. It would be part of a longer trip to another destination and quite often not really ever thought of as a monumental event. Not so in Mexico! A large shopping excursion here means planning for at least an hour or two spent traveling back and forth on foot and shopping. The most popular destination for a shopping excursion is the local supermarket, Soriana. It is about a mile and a little more up the main road Lopez Mateos. The neighborhood I live in is beautiful, with cobblestone streets, fountains in the gloriettas and beautiful homes. It is peaceful, quiet and relatively tranquil. We walk through our neighborhood on the way to Sorianna, but then about half way turn on to Lopez. It is a huge transistion, from quiet and shady to hot, dusty, loud, dirty and sometimes surprising!
Lopez is a two lane highway, with 'salida' roads on either side which you can exit easily off of into neighborhoods or businesses. There is a small sidewalk along this salida, often broken, or covered in dirty liquid, or equipped with waving electric wires or uncovered manholes. We walk up this sidewalk as cars, busses and pickup trucks with Mexicans sitting in the back (Yup! That stereotype is totally, totally true) whiz by. As we walk, we are often greeted with kissing noises, whistles or strings of incoherent references to our beauty and white skin. This is something I have gotten very used to, so much so that I was shocked and alarmed when it didn't happen while I was in the States! I have never felt threatened by these comments and take it as part of me being different in a different culture. I am thankful for the chance to be the minority in another country, and have always felt embraced by Mexico rather than repelled. I also am fully aware that this is not normal for most minorities in the United States or other countries.
On our walk, we must cross another major road at a glorietta, a large circle in the middle of the road, often where two roads intersect. There are traffic lights at this glorietta but they are often ignored for the sake of crossing the street with the flow of traffic. As pedestrians trying to navigate this, we have coined the phrase 'Follow the Mexicans'. We noticed that natives would cross the street at times that seemed incomprehensible, but would make it safety across without any near misses. So when in doubt, we simply follow the Mexican pedestrians' lead!
Directly across this street is our destination, Sorianna. It is a supermarket that compares in size the supermarkets in the United States, but after the comparison to size little else is the same. As you enter the door, you are greeted with roasting chickens on a open rotisserie. To the left are hot meals sold by the kilo, such as enchiladas rojas, tacos and arroz, and others. Even though I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food, this food has never tempted me! The openness to germs, insects and the lack of refrigeration has repelled me. Little is kept in a refrigerator here that I am used to seeing kept cold. Eggs are left out in the open and if you buy eggs in a corner mercado you are given them in a plastic bag! I am learning to recognize that the need to refrigerate is a very North American thing, and that most other countries agree with Mexico's habits. Even so, I am still amazed!
If you continue to the left you find a bakery of delicious pan dulce, donuts, muffins and pastels. This as well is completely out in the open, without plastic wrap or covers of any kind. If you want to buy any of these tempting treats you simply grab a well worn metal dish and a pair of tongs and select what you want. Within the bakery section is the dairy section, with one of my weekly purchases, boxed milk. As a dairy purist, I was appalled to think about buying milk from a box when I first arrived. Growing up near Lancaster, with fresh milk and ice cream being of prime importance, the idea of keeping milk on a shelf until you needed it was mind boggling. Since moving here I have adapted to the idea of keeping this staple handy and consuming milk that has been pasteurized and pressurized. It is amazingly convenient to keep a few boxes handy and stick one in the fridge when you need it. Though nothing in Mexico will ever replace the taste of fresh milk or Turkey Hill ice cream!
Fruits and veggies are always in abundance in Mexico, but not the ones you are used to finding. Mangos, tuna (a fruit, not a fish!), avocados, naranja, and limon are fresh and local. The apples, grapes, pears, packaged spinach, strawberries, blueberries that I was used to buying are imported and often much more expensive. Any of this produce needs to be soaked in a solution of water and iodine before you can eat it. Making a salad is an event!
Things that you would usually find in abundance in the United States are few and far between. CoffeeMate liquid creamer? I've seen it now for a few weeks...but only Hazelnut, in small bottles, that cost about 6 U.S. dollars and that all have the looming expiration date of October 12th. Swiss Miss hot chocolate? Nope. Tea bags? Imported and costly. Shaving cream? One brand, that costs between 7 and 10 U.S. dollars. Sunscreen? You're joking. Tampons? Nope. But cooking oil? There is an ENTIRE supermarket aisle devoted to cooking oil. Rice? Again, an entire aisle.
When you're ready to pay, you are greeted by a friendly checker and bagger as is the norm in the States. The only difference is that this bagger is expecting a tip from you, and usually you hand him your large brightly colored, plaid, mesh, plastic handled shopping bags to fill instead of the cheap plastic variety offered by the store. Because he is working for the tip, he will often compliment you on your purchases, your American accent or your eyes. My favorite bagger at Soriana is an older gentleman who told me upon meeting him that I ' tenía los ojos más bellos que jamás haya visto' (had the most gorgeous eyes he's ever seen). Every time I've been in his lane since then, he's put his hand over his heart and put his fingers to his lips like he's saluting a beautiful piece of artwork. I must say, this is something quite easy to get used to!
As we leave the store laden with purchases, it often takes a few adjustments to get all the groceries evenly piled in bags and on our arms. I'm convinced that I have affected my back and shoulders so much with carrying these things that I will be a hunchback when I grow older. The fact that I have to carry all of my purchases home really makes me think twice or even three times about what I'm buying. I have cut soda out of my life, purely because it's so heavy to carry!
The next time you whip into Wal Mart, or take a jaunt to ShopRite, enjoy the privilege you have of shopping where you do and how you do. I know I will!
