Yesterday evening I went to the grocery store to pick up some milk.
The grocery store is huge.
It’s a super-sized Bi-lo and it took me a long time to even get to the milk. I really should have had my walking shoes on instead of flip-flops. And I got all distracted on the long walk to the dairy section and ended up buying all sorts of things. But I’d only intended to get milk, so I hadn’t gotten a shopping buggy or a basket at the front of the store.
So here I am, juggling a bunch of impulse buys, and hoofing it all the long way back to the cashier.
When I was a kid, we had a tiny A&P grocery store in my hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. When I lived in London for a while in college, there was a Safeway near where I lived (close to the British Museum) that was a nice, small store. Birmingham, Alabama had the cozy-feeling Piggly Wiggly.
But now…it’s mostly just gigantic stores.
My husband’s sister and her husband live in Kenya. They came to North Carolina for a visit and I took them to the Costco warehouse (pictured) the day after they got off the plane. I figured they needed to stock up on some stuff.
It was complete culture shock for them, which clearly I should have realized. Any place that has 2 gallon containers of green peas takes time to adjust to.
Many times I really want to just pick up some milk.
Since books are escapes for me, I’m happiest reading about places that introduce me to a simpler, quieter place. British villages, small Southern towns, anyplace set in the past are my favorite escape settings.
In Pretty is as Pretty Dies, I wrote about a small town with a strong sense of community. There wasn’t a super center in the whole book.
Because sometimes it’s nice to just downsize my world.
Lovely, Elizabeth.I grew up in NYC, but my neighborhood in Queens had small grocery stores. Even in Manhattan, there are small, local markets. In New Mexico, Wal-marts are sprouting up everywhere you look. It’s very sad.
Karen
I grew up in a small town too. Little corner Mom & Pop shops where everybody knew your name and what your favorite foods and treats were.
Those days’re loooooooong gone. Now we got Home (find it yourself and good luck) Depot and Sprawl-Mart.
The Old Silly
Ha! I remember even the regular grocery store being culture shock for me when I got home from Africa!
I live in a downsize village, one donkey and a few shops. The larger stores are coming but they are small compared to yours!
Sprawl-mart! Too funny. That’s a great name for it, Marvin.
Karen, it really is sad. I remember all these little stores and my kids don’t have the same experience that I did, growing up.
Alexis–Wasn’t it awful what I did to them? They looked so shell shocked…
Glynis–Your village sounds WONDERFUL! That would be such a refreshing change. Hope the stores don’t get too big.
I’ve lived in India all my life, and never even saw a supermarket, much less a mall till four years back. And now, I am suddenly confronted with 16 varieties of olives (where earlier you could only get them when someone from abroad brought them for you) and cheeses who’s names I cannot even pronouce, when all I want is something standard to grate into my macaroni cheese.
The cultural shock sometimes seems almost overwhelming.
I can only imagine, Carnimire. Sometimes I just stare at the shelves and wonder what type of ingredient I’m supposed to be getting….hard when there’s 35 choices.
Elizabeth