Shop Until You Drop, Part 3

We are trying to buy groceries for dinner. Last week, in Part 2 of this series, we cruised through expensive Western-style supermarkets, and then braved live frogs and other oddities to shop in Chinese food stores. There is a saying I heard back in America, that the Chinese eat everything that flies except a B-52, and everything with four legs, except a table. This is only a slight exaggeration. There is an astonishingly wide variety of food in this country, if you only know where to find it.

It is time to venture out into the street markets of Beijing. You will find them scattered all about the city, often taking over entire streets and alleys -- the many thousands of small, street entrepreneurs who make up the new China. The Chinese "supermarkets" that we dealt with last week generally do not sell fresh produce, so you will need to visit the street vendors for your potatoes, carrots, broccoli, celery, cabbage, garlic, oranges, bananas, pineapples, etc. -- in fact, a wider selection of fruit and vegetables than you are likely to find back home, all set out on tables for your inspection. The streets are a wonderful confusion of sights and smells and sounds. There are vats of peanuts, huge bags of spices -- red chili peppers, cloves, ginger, and things you can only guess at. The fresh
mushrooms are a particular delight -- exotic varieties you would pay a fortune for in upscale markets in the West. There are also stalls that sell beef and pork, sheep heads, chicken claws, and
raw liver sitting out in the sun -- though most Westerners I know prefer to buy their meat from inside the various supermarkets, which seem more sanitary.

There is more: live chickens in cages, fresh bread, pastries, barbecued duck, salads, steamed dumplings in bamboo baskets, tofu, candy, and plenty of street snacks -- I particularly like the fried egg sandwiches made fresh on 55 gallon drums that have been converted into stoves. Usually the
food stalls are intermixed with vendors selling shoes, sunglasses, cassette tapes, slippers, electric shavers, and many other things as well. I have gotten to love the cacophony of the Beijing street markets -- but you have to hold on tightly to your wallet. Even some of my Chinese friends complain about being cheated in these places, and as a foreigner you are fair game. Part of the problem the foreigner faces is not having an accurate idea of what things are supposed to cost; there are rarely any prices displayed and the dishonest vendors will often ask a Westerner for twice what a Chinese person would pay.

When you finally spot that perfect tomato, and approach the old peasant woman who is its owner, you will generally gather a crowd around you. This is a spectator sport: seeing how the large, hairy foreigner will make out. A few phrases of Chinese are helpful. Duo shao qian yi jin? -- "How much is one jin?" -- a "jin" being the standard Chinese measure -- half a kilo, a bit over a pound. A knowledge of Chinese numbers is also helpful, though the chances are you won't understand the rural accent when the old lady tells you what her tomatoes cost. You need to be creative. Sign language is essential. A pocket calculator can be a godsend, so you can flash the number you are willing to pay in front of her.

If the price sounds reasonable, the next task is to make certain the old lady doesn't load you up with enough tomatoes to feed a village for the entire winter; she will keep adding vegetables to the scale until you gesture frantically to indicate somehow that no, you are not actually planning to open up a restaurant -- you are only trying to cook dinner for your wife and yourself.

At the end of the process, you wonder if you have been fleeced. Obviously you try to return to the merchants you feel have been honest, and avoid those where the transaction has seemed a little dubious. But without the language, and a real knowledge of how things work in China, the foreigner must rely upon the kindness of strangers. Like everywhere in the world, China has its petty crooks and hustlers -- but also, you may have an unexpected encounter that will leave you with a lingering
smile for the rest of the day.

And best of all, you will have a feast tonight, that most welcome of all things in a foreign land -- a home-cooked meal.Next Week: Scatology

Previous articles

From the Editor in Chief: If you have some travel or work experience in China to share with us, we will be very excited to hear from you! Send your feedback by e-mail or regular mail to ASM Overseas Corporation. Thank you!

And if you liked this column, please check Expats In China (International Community in China) for more interesting and useful information on life in China as a foreigner, including calendar of events, entertainment, housing, employment, classifieds, personal, etc.