No Puedo Creer Que Esto No Sea Mantequilla

“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.” Erma Bombeck

That sentiment is so true, no matter where do your grocery shopping, even with a shopping list.
Let’s just say that grocery shopping has never been my most favorite activity and it still isn’t.

The Automercado on Lindora is where we do the majority of our grocery shopping (this is the Byerly’s of Costa Rica). You know you’re in a different country when you pull into the parking lot and see two or three guards standing around, complete with guns. When you walk in the front door it looks just like a typical store in the states but there are subtle differences. The main difference we have noticed is the lack of variety. Let’s look at salad dressings. At Rainbow (in MN) there is at least 15 linear feet of multiple shelving filled with all different kinds of salad dressing. At the Automercado, I have a dozen different bottles to choose from. Completely lacking any type of French dressing; including Jim’s favorite, Western dressing. There are several aisles where one side is dedicated to only one type of item. There is the chip and snack side that is opposite the beer and hard liquor side. Wine has a side of its own, as well as rice and dried beans. There is very little frozen food, just one side of an aisle.

Packaging is also different. Eggs are stacked on shelves at the end of an aisle, no refrigeration. Milk and juice is packaged in a brick-pack. You can find it both in the refrigerated section or just on a shelf. Mayonnaise and jelly come in a collapsible container. Sour cream in a plastic bag. You can also buy individual items, like one stick of butter, one package of microwave popcorn or one can of beer or pop. In fact, when I bought a 12 pack of beer (in a long chipboard box where you are supposed to rip off the corner and pull out one at a time) I discovered two 6-packs, complete with plastic rings, in the box. Any product that is imported usually has an extra label in Spanish just slapped on the package.

The fresh produce section is not particularly large. There is a long meat counter in the back of the store. It has taken me a while to figure out the pricing on meat. The weight is in kilograms (one kg equals 2.2 pounds) and the price is in colones (remember 500 colones to a dollar). So, on a package of “carne molida, 10% grasa” you’d see peso 0,510 kg; precio unitario 3430/kg; and precio total 1749. Basically, I paid $3.50 for a pound of hamburger (90% lean). They do have a bakery where you grab a bag and a set of tongs and you grab yourself a loaf of bread.

You check out and hand over your credit card and pay 40.000 to 80.000 colones.

The picture of the weird vegetable is Romanesco Broccoli. It is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.