Food Shopping

P went back to France at the beginning of December. At one point, he had to go to the local supermarket to forage for food. He went round the supermarket with his mouth hanging open, so many products were there. So many products, and so many varieties of each product. The supermarket was a third of the size of the local Jumbo Score in Majicavo-Lamir, but there were easily three times as many products. Then, he went to pay for his shopping. Second shock. A basket of shopping came to 13€. One Camembert cheese was 1.20€. Here, the same cheese is about 5.00€ and a basket of shopping is never under 35€. Usually closer to 50€. Food is expensive stuff.

I complain about Mahorese supermarkets, shortages and prices, but at least shopping is simple. You want it? It's not there. You don't want it? Well, that's all there is. Seven euros please. Whereas in Dorchester's Tesco's or Poitiers' Auchan, you want it, it's there, now you have to find it. There's not just one, or even two, of anything. There is an overwhelming amount of choice. I felt thrown into an unending array of colourful boxes and jars, nothing I instantly recognized. You have to be so careful, too. I had planned to bring back absolutely-essential-can't-live-without products such as Cadbury's chocolate or Angel Delight, naively thinking I actually knew these products and could easily recognize them. Little did I know they'd multiplied two- or threefold since last year. There's not just one type of plain purple-wrapped Cadbury's chocolate in different sizes. Now, it has bits of this, that or the other. It has bubbles. It's all singing and dancing. And all these different types are still purple. Very confusing. I used to love having all this choice at my fingertips, and could home in effortlessly on exactly what I wanted, or alternatively happily spend ages comparing the relative merits of two shampoo bottles. Now, it's just bewilderingly befuddling. I can see how people can get lost in supermarkets... or endlessly frustrated, trying to work out which aisle sign looks as though it could contain OXO cubes.