Variety

I managed to spend some time by myself in a supermarket yesterday. I decided I needed to do this a few days ago when I was in the same supermarket with my daughter and realized at the last moment I needed to get some soy milk. I asked where it was and then rushed off to get some. I found it but was confronted with about 7 different varieties (not just flavours). I found the whole thing too hard and gave up. So this time, I slowly wound my way around trying to take in the variety on display.

I found something that I think illustrates the dilemma I face. In Australia and the UK Special K is a pretty distinctive cereal. It is promoted as being for the weight conscious and has a recognisable brand of its own. In Oz not long before I left a second variety was introduced, making a choice of two. Here I found no fewer than 7 varieties of Special K. I use this merely to illustrate the incredible range that is available here. Imagine this type of thing for almost every type of cereal you know. Then expand that to most things you find in a supermarket and you start to get some idea.

To further illustrate the point, I love pretzels. However I was blown away by the different types. I lost count at 30 when trying to work out how many varieties there were. Then I found more in the freezer section and still more in the bakery area!

I love peanut butter, but peanut butter ice cream? My son in law tells me it is really tasty, nearly as good as peanut butter and strawberry flavour!!!!!! Needless to say, there seemed to be an endless variety of ice creams available.

I did not even attempt to count how many different types of pizza there were in the freezer section, suffice to say, lots, and lots, and lots. Then there were the fresh pizzas you could buy. Plus of course you could select hot pizza slices to eat. Need I go on?

The delicatessen looked pretty similar it just had more, much more. Then my daughter showed me the computer screen by the stand. It was a touch screen display that showed the different types of produce available, (meat, cheese etc). She chose meat, then the type, then how much she wanted, then the thickness of slices (from a menu of six of seven choices). Then she selected her next item and went through the same type of thing. She eventually finished and stated she would collect it in a while and printed out a ticket. Twenty minutes later she came back and her selections were packaged up and ready to take away. No waiting around in a queue, just order, go and do something else come back and it’s ready. Talk about hi-tech shopping!

One thing I found is NOT available which could cause me some issues. I often used to use sources to cook with. The type of sources you use with beef or chicken to make up a meal. In both Oz and the UK there is normally a wide range available and I used to regularly use them to make meals, adding various vegetables and meat. However, I will need to change my habits as I have not been able to find any such sources anywhere! There are loads of pasta sources (and I mean loads), just nothing like the type of sources I am used to.

Finally, probably the most common pain killer in Australia and I suspect the UK is paracetamol. Not here. Paracetamol is no where to be found. Instead you can get a vast range of Tylenol medications (for kids, tablets, capsules, liquid form, etc.), and a whole load of others, including Acetaminophen. I was puzzled as to why a very common and very popular type of pain killer was not available here. I eventually found out that Acetaminophen is in fact another name for paracetamol. Now I know why my daughter smiled when I asked if we could get some paracetamol when I first got here.

See what I mean when I say it is all similar, but different.