where we shop part 2 - chinese Sam's club

Fruits and vegetables are bought in the markets nearby the house, but for imported goods and dairy we have to go elsewhere.

There are a few options in our city for where to buy things like olive oil, pasta, cheese, bacon, cereals, hot chocolate, canned goods, tortilla chips, whipping cream, cream cheese....I could keep going on. Luckily we live close to one of the best options in the city.

It's called Metro, and it is the Chinese version (although I think it's actually German) of a Sam's club. You have to have a membership card to get in, and they sell everything in bulk.

imported pasta

Speaking of, my membership card is from the last Chinese city I lived in 4 years ago and on my card where it states my job description, it simply says that I am an "out of country native" or a "foreign nationality person." That sounds like the best job ever. I wish I could paid just for being a foreigner.


When isolated the last word means scholar, but could also mean warrior or a knight. So maybe my card is really trying to say that my job is to be a foreign knight, foreign scholar, or foreign warrior. I'll take any of those. The picture on the front of my card would indicate something other than a warrior though, since I am cheesin'. I was probably just really happy that I could even get a card at all that day, since I could hardly speak Chinese.

temptations lurking in the dairy section

At the register they scan your card, then scan your receipt to link your purchases with your card. The receipt always has your name printed on it. When they scan my card, even though on my card is my correct name, my receipt always says my name is Hamilton, Jr. and I work for the PetraEnergy Corporation. They never question it. I sometimes wonder if I should start introducing myself as "your friendly neighbor, Hamilton Jr., the foreign petroleum warrior. There were some pretty creative people working the day I filled out my Metro card application.

Metro is in between our house and our school, so pretty much everyday I walk by it, making it a constant temptation to go in and buy some imported product that I never or rarely bought in America, but sounds so good now - like millions of gummi bears or 15 pounds of Mozzarella cheese (I don't even really like cheese that much).

The budget definitely takes a hit when you make a unplanned purchase of a blender and $14 strawberry sorbet because all you want is a smoothie. This is the absolute worst place to go if you are hungry. If you're hungry, go to the meat section of the market. That'll cure your hunger, then go to Metro.