Sunday, April 20, 2008

Buying groceries and other shopping in Strasbourg

Since we came to France almost eight months ago, we haven't really "shopped", and it's been a liberating experience. We have never really bought things just for the sake of having them, and we are not collecting things here for the simple reason that we either have to leave them here or take/ship them back to Canada with us when we go. Both options are expensive. So when the kids ask, "Can we get this?" or when I wonder if we should buy something, the easy answer is, "No", and the reasoning is always the same. Like I said, liberating!

Nevertheless, the temptation to spend money is everywhere, and the possibilities for parting with your money are endless: from the petite Mom and Pop épicerie (grocery store) or shoe store to the huge mall of the type that you see in North America; and from the strange mechanized Casino grocery to the typically European marchés (open street markets).

You can buy eggs, bread and milk on your way home from the train at this automated épicerie (grocery store).


Daily market at the cathedral square in Freiburg, Germany.

One day of the week that you can hold on to your money (if you stay out of the tourist areas) is Sunday. Most stores in Strasbourg are closed on this day, and families use the opportunity to visit the parks or aller lèche-vitrine (an odd-sounding phrase for going window shopping). During the week many businesses still hold on to the custom of closing between 12 and 2 p.m. each day, something that has frustrated us on many occasions when we have forgotten. Conversely, when you're really hungry and want to spend your money you find that many restaurants are only open for déjeuner (lunch) from 12 to 2 p.m., making a late-afternoon meal very hard to find, especially in the smaller communities.

While we can avoid buying "things", we still have to eat, and thus we can't avoid grocery shopping, a chore that we do every one to three days. We can't really buy a week's worth of anything here, partly because we have a tiny fridge in the apartment, and partly because we either have to use the tram or good old foot power to get the groceries home. Luckily we live only a 300 m walk from Place des Halles, a mall in the centre of Strasbourg, and located there is Galleries Gourmandes, a full-service grocery store.


The kids avoid grocery shopping with us whenever possible.

Although the major grocery stores look much like their North American counterparts, there are some obvious differences. For example, in Galleries Gourmandes, the cheese, chocolate and wine sections are huge.


And not only is wine plentiful, it can also be cheap. It's possible to buy a bottle for 0,92 € (about $1.50). Now, I'm not saying it's good wine... just very affordable. : )

About 1/3 of the cheese section at Galleries Gourmandes -- the self-serve part.


More cheese counter -- cheese cut to your specifications and service with a smile.

In contrast, chewing gum is horribly expensive, as is anything North American. You can get Old El Paso salsa, for example, but you pay about 4 € (over $6) for a small jar. For a while we paid almost 4 € for a block of four instant Asian-style noodles, before discovering that a block of six cost about 0,50 € at the Asian foods store right across from our apartment.

While baking (and the supplies to bake with) are easy to find in North America, it's almost impossible here. I have begun to suspect that most French people don't make their own desserts. And why would they, with the choice available in thousands of patisseries and grocery stores in the city? I think that's why flour is only available in 1 kg bags, and rolled oats in 500 g boxes, and why it's impossible to locate baking powder! We have solved this problem by simply not baking anymore... sigh... and getting our dessert-fix at the patisserie like everyone else does.


Being unable to bake North American style has been a ... ahem... very sad experience for us.

Let us know what you're cooking tonight! christinateskey @ yahoo . ca or mvieweg @ gmail . com

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Read the kids' blog

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks! It sounds like grocery shopping there is a little like visiting a Whole Foods market here in the States: good quality, and expensive. Should I assume that organic food is readily available since Europeans are even more concerned about these issues than Americans? I'll be living in Strasbourg for a month next year as a grad. student in human rights law and have dietary restrictions both self and medically imposed. Is vegetarianism possible when eating out? How expensive is it to eat healthfuly when out? Also, are there ways to get grocerieshome?

ChristinaT said...

Hi -- Congratulations on going to Strasbourg -- I think you'll really like it there! To answer your questions: Organic food is available in small quantities at the major grocery stores. You may be able to find vegetables grown without pesticides at the street markets, but you would have to ask the vendors because they don't really advertise it. It is possible but not really easy to eat vegetarian while there: my niece is a vegetarian and she had limited choices on the menu in the restaurants. Being so close to Germany, they really love their meat! There is a little vegetarian restaurant with good prices somewhere in or near Petite France, but I was never able to locate it again after spotting it once (my son doesn't really like meat). Any restaurant meals will be expensive -- we didn't eat out very much. It's best to cook for yourself at home if you can. To get groceries home, get yourself a couple of good, sturdy reusable bags when you first go grocery shopping, and make sure you live near the tram line. It's an incredible system! We lived about 300 m from a tram stop and never once needed a car. The only drawback is that you have to shop often. Good luck with it!