It always surprises me about what catches me by surprise - whether living in Japan, or the US. Today it was the woman checker at the grocery shop that got me!
First, I wasn't even going to go grocery shopping. I went twice this week already and didn't find what I wanted or didn't remember to look for all that I wanted. And, on some days, going grocery shopping is too much of a mental stress, while on others it is fun. This was a mental stress day.
But, I went anyway. Why? Because after my stop at the bank and the drug store, my car was parked on a one-way road that pretty much leads to the grocery store. So...I took the road of least resistance.
When I got to the store I decided against the huge grocery cart, as I had no Jun to haul along. And, with no Jun, I would have felt a little silly bent over pushing the kiddie grocery carts. So, I got a basket. Thinking - as I often foolishly thought in Japan, that if I get this little basket, I won't buy OTHER things. I think I'm getting ready to hibernate for winter. My freezer is literally nearly full (it's a small freezer, but...) My cupboards are bulging with...food. Well, anyway, I filled my basket with various things - the last 5 pounds of whole wheat flour didn't fit, so I just lugged that in the other hand up to the check stand.
As the clerk was ringing me up, she looked around for my cart to put the bags into. She looked surprised and asked me, "Did you carry all this up here?" I felt surprised. "Yep!" Wow! Yep - an "in Japan" story. (I may be telling lots of these lately, now that I mention it.) We lived in "shita machi." This means that most folks get around on foot. The shops are not far away, there are few parking lots and...we do a lot of lugging.
BJ (Before Jun), but I should really say, "Before I broke down and took Jun out of the sling and began to use the stroller (baby car)" shopping involved a lot of lugging. Being a ruralish American, we shop once a week or less. So, you buy lots at once and...in Japan, lug it all home. On top of the baby strapped to your chest. Then you lug the bagssss up to the 4th floor to your apartment! And you didn't gain the fall-five, nor the fyuyu-5 (winter) that year at all!!!
Then came the baby car. I could hook the plastic shopping basket on the handles of the baby car and push kiddo and food. Only once did this not work well...at all. If I remember correctly, I had the kiddo on the sling and...the baby car flipped over and, I'd had the basket resting on the top of the roof thingy, and things went flying everywhere. And everyone rushed to help me. Oh well!
Anyway, with the stroller, I could sling groceries exceeding Jun's current weight on the handles and in the holder places, as long as I didn't take my hands off the handle. Jun was great for helping Mama haul groceries!
So, as I carried out my three bags of...kind of heavy? groceries out to the car today, I reminisced about Grocery Lugging in Japan. What great exercise that was!!!
Thankful: For all the friendly faces I would see on my grocery trips in Japan. And thankful that I am still in touch with some of them!!!
6 comments:
Ha! That brought back memories of when I was a first time mom. My first little darling absolutely hated the stroller - from a very young age (which would come in handy later when brother was born just over a year later!). Once I got flustered with her screaming, so I bent to take her out, forgetting that there was a heavy bag hanging on the back hooks. Wham!!!
Unfortunately, the bag had a carton of eggs in it! I think I had a couple of unbroken eggs. Just a couple!
Living in the Japanese countryside, would you believe I've never been a grocery lugger. : ) I do my shopping here, same as how I did it in the US. I drive to the store and get my main stuff once a week in 1 fell swoop. And then get fresh bread throughout the week as needed or milk, etc.
I bet you got good exercise lugging groceries in the city in Japan. That's a positive.
PS, 3 bags with no cart. You rock Kim. I always do the cart. : )
Have a great weekend Kim.
How wonderful that you are still in touch with some of your grocery buddies. LOL I love your glimpses of reverse culture shock.
Love your blog,
If you are into sharing recipes,
daughter and myself would like to try your english muffins and ginger granola.
Many thanks,
jenny
Sue - yep! Kids don't realize how NECESSARY it is for them to sit in the strollers, do they? SMILE
Gina - THANKS! But, at our grocery shop - and others in the US - the plastic bags are about 1/2 the weight of Japanese ones. So they give you tons of bags with one or two things in them!
De Etta - Glad you made it home safely!!! Yep, one is a student now on Skype!
Jenny - thanks for reading and stopping by! If you cut and paste these links, you should get to the recipes. English Muffins - Bread Maker: http://www.food.com/recipe/english-muffins-bread-machine-method-63244?scaleto=8&mode=us&st=true
Gingersnap Granola: (This is on my Kim's Kantan Cooking blog. I gave you the link to the page that will take you to all my granola recipes - including the Gingersnap one! Let me know how it/they turn out! http://kimskantancooking.blogspot.com/search/label/Cereal
Ahh, memories blending together. I just finished a book about Kenya and it's in the forefront of my mind now - dreams, language, memories, pictures, everything. Fun!
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