<BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR> Am I alone in that, when I travel, I like to paruse grocery stores? Yeah, it sounds pretty bizarre, I reckon, but I think it is such an interesting, low hassle, informative thing to do (though I don’t care much for it when at home). Recently in England I found “American-style” hotdogs, packed in a can of brine (gosh, that’s how mom made ours!), sandwich “filler” (spread) made of tuna and corn, ginger beer, lemon Fanta, and a lot of other strange concoctions. (My cats love the rabbit flavored cat food from Whiska’s). I mean, I wouldn’t plan a trip around grocery markets but the next time you’ve got a bit of time to kill, give it a shot. Fascinating! (Now I’ll sit back and wait for the nasty, “why don’t you get a life,” responses! Cheers!)<BR><BR> <BR> <BR><BR>

It's also one of the things I do abroad, look at supermarkets, markets, specialist shops, etc.<BR><BR>Doug

Nope, you're not alone! There's not much I hate more than grocery shopping at home, but I LOVE going overseas!<BR><BR>Years ago I brought home littlel tins of baby food for my grandson that were things he'd never get to try here. I have a friend in Scotland who just sent me a new stash of Ruskoline breading (I can't fry chicken decently without it) and McDougals's gravy thickener.<BR><BR>I also miss the round patties of goat cheese in fine breading and lots of other stuff. A British friend once told me that our (U.S.) stores had a huge variety of each item (like 100 kinds of cereal), but that they had a better variety of goods, probably because of their close proximity to all the European countries. I think she's right!

Not exactly the same thing, but years ago on my first trip to London we spent a Saturday in Portobello Road. I saw a vendor’s cart, the wares consisting only of olives! I’d seen green olives and black olives, but there were olives on this cart I’d never imagined, some purple, some the size of golf balls, olives from all over the Mediterranean area! I had a giant, purple olive stuffed with a jalapeno pepper, stuffed with a clove of garlic and an almond! Gawd it was good. I still brave the insanity of that market when I’m there just to sample a few exotic olives.<BR><BR>As to the grocery stores, yup, a much more diverse selection than anywhere I’ve seen in the States. Fruits and vegetables I’d never heard of, many of which I’ve sampled which is a mixed blessing. Like the olives, you try them, want more, and have to travel umpteen thousand miles to get them again!<BR><BR>(Once I tried little, white balls of ginger root preserved in heavy syrup. First the sweet of the syrup, then the punch from the ginger root. To die for. Made in China, but I've not found them here, though I've gone so far as to try and order them.)

Me too - I love hitting the grocery stores when traveling! So does my husband. Neither of us are crazy about grocery shopping at home. We don't plan trips around them but if we pass by a grocery store it's worth a look. Actually, we rent an apartment in London when we visit (just got back end of April again) and we need grocery stores, so I'm pretty up on what Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, & Safeway carry in the UK. We have relatives in Paris and have hit the grocery stores with them too!!<BR>Not a grocery story, but we looked at washer/dryers in Madrid one day..seriously, we were in a large store and found ourselves in appliances. (OK, we did not stay in appliances very long, but it's interesting to see what things cost, the models, etc.) I believe Harrod's sells appliances too if you ever get that far up in the store -- from the Food Court that is

I can relate. When it comes to shopping, I am not the one on the plane with three bags of shoes, but with two bags of cheese, oil and other goodies.<BR><BR>True, U.S. grocery stores have 100 different choices, and I get frustated in Itaoy with having to choose one of three brands of detergent.<BR><BR>But on the other hand, in the U.S. I was never been able to indulge in four different kinds of artichokes (little purple, big purple, big green, and little green or purple on stems), not to mention the varieties of aspargus, fresh mushrooms and truffles. <BR><BR>I recently discovered that I had the onset of osteoporosis, so I have been scarfing down a LOT of yoghurt, which I never particurly liked or ate when I lived in the U.S. You would not believe the kinds of yoghurt you can get here, and they are all wonderful (I now eat at least two servings a day). Imagine my dismay when I returned to the U.S. and was confronted with such a skimpy, tasteless selection, even at stores such as Whole Foods.

We sure have a lot more to choose from here in the U.S. but have you noticed how much more flavorful everything is Europe? European grocery stores are a lot smaller but everything sure tastes a lot better!!

After a few years of traveling to the same places (for work), I now do all my souvenir shopping in grocery stores. It's a blast.<BR><BR>And nolife, if you haven't tried the tuna and sweetcorn spread...don't miss it next time. MMMMMMMMM

Nolife: see?, you're not alone at all. We also like poking through grocery stores, and have brought back interesting things; my husband loves to cook, and really enjoys looking at the cuts of meat, even though we aren't buying. Truth be known, if one of the reasons to travel is to get a glimpse of another culture, what better way than through everyday activities like grocery shopping?

We all shop abroad, so why not for food? I like to try local food, have a short chat with a cashier, and along with the souveniers I usually bring home something I can't buy here - candy, spices - something non-perishable.

Santa Chiara, have you tried the Total yogurt from Whole Foods? It's from Greece, the real thing. The no-fat version, adding your own fruit, is delicious.

My bf and I love to check out the foreign supermarkets/groceries and household stores when we travel - it gives us a thrill to see the items for sale that we've never seen at home; checking out the cost of appliances and vacuums is a good indicator of the cost of living there. Nope, you're not alone.<BR>ja

Since we do self-catering when we take trips...grocery shopping is a must!!!!! I enjoy it!!!!

I don't peruse them for the sake of perusing, but I do love to check out the different items when I'm in one doing some shopping. <BR><BR>It's interesting to see the wide variety of some items -- like mustard in French grocery stores ("You're looking for mustard? It's on aisles 2, 3, and 4." -- and also the different packaging. <BR><BR>One thing that always puzzles me when returning to the U.S. is why our grocery store checkers all seem to stand up, whereas in the stores I've been in in Europe, they all seem to sit down, which seems a much more reasonable idea.

My husband found something called Pisto,in a can, while browsing through a grocery store in Spain.

My favorite shopping last time in London was at a grocery in So Kensington.Bought lots of chocolates,biscuits,teas,and I always like to get lotions and moisturizers in other countries.The only problem with that is, when you run out you have to schedule another trip<BR>I also found great sandalwood soaps that were very inexpensive and smelled wonderful.

Love to grocery-shop in Europe but if I had to stand in line this long, all the time, and had to bag my own groceries, it would drive me crazy. Not to mention trying to find a parking place or worse having to carry all this stuff home.

I almost forgot my very favorite thing from the U.K.--Milky Way candy bars! They're not at all like the ones in the U.S. They're kind of a cross between a Three Musketeer and a malted milk shake. Incredible! I bring bags of the minis back and leave them in the kitchen at work. They've gone over MUCH better than the Christmas puds I used to bring

Mel,what about Roses? the ones they only sell in London not in the US <BR>scarlett

I LOVE shopping at European grocery stores! Some of my fave items: yogurt, scones, juice, sweetener pellets that come in their own little dispenser, tea, Nescafe, shaving oil (perfect for my husband to use while shaving his goatee) produce, tubes of travel soap, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!