Consumer Trends

As I was walking through the alley at back gate last week, I looked through a doorway I’d never noticed before and saw a big indoor food market. I have slightly more faith in my powers of observation than to think I could miss such a large and useful thing, and sure enough it turns out the market is newly-opened after being under renovation since I got here. A stroll through revealed vegetables of all kind (including a cucumber-type squash that was as big around as a salad plate) and a whole row of fish tanks, plus almost anything you could want to make a Chinese meal. Maybe I’ll have to give this cooking thing another shot, and just make Chinese food.

Last night for dinner six of us went to a Korean restaurant. I’d never had Korean food before, and I really liked it. Afterward we bought some ice cream from a convenience store and strolled down to a nearby street that is a main drag of bars near the other big university in town. We parked at “Black and White Bar” and I ordered a screwdriver, which was a mistake. I somehow forgot that there isn’t real orange juice in China. The stuff they sell everywhere labeled as OJ is watery, sweet and somewhat citrus tasting, and in small cups you can see straight through it. So my screwdriver was sweet, citrus tasting water with some vodka at the bottom. Still decent, but I should have just gotten a beer.

Today I dragged myself way across town to wander a bit, and I ended up going into a big shopping mall, only the second like it I’ve found in Hangzhou. The problem with shopping in China, however, is that I can’t actually do it. Chinese fashion is always interesting, and while there’s plenty of tacky silver-painted T-shirts and halter vests that I would never wear, there’s also a lot of pretty designs of dresses, blazers and shirts that I really like looking at. Of course, one gets self conscious walking into a store knowing nothing on the racks will actually fit, leafing through a few sweaters, noticing a shopclerk standing grinning over your shoulder, and then muttering something about nothing being the right size and leaving quickly before she tries to show you something large and hideous with an elastic waist that’s sitting in a box on the floor. The problem is not weight. I could lose 50 pounds and still not be able to buy clothing here. The problem is that my shoulders, ribcage, hips and thighs are just built significantly wider than those of most people here. Surprisingly, I do not feel fat here. I think I’m on such an entirely different level of body-type that my unconscious has just stopped making comparisons altogether. The thing is that there are fat people in China, and there are people with slightly wider frames, and they must buy clothing somewhere. I have no idea where it is, and I can’t exactly stop someone on the street and say “Excuse me, you’re a bit on the large side, where did you get those jeans?”. Anyway, the inability to actually try anything on takes some of the fun out of shopping, so I made a quick tour through the mall and headed back out.

Before getting on the bus I found yet another, larger indoor food market. This one had a whole row of butcher stands, spices, rice, vegetables and an aisle of poultry. They had chicken and duck, sitting in their cages, looking unalarmed and rather unlike the six-piece family tray at Shoprite. This reminded me of one time I saw a woman carrying her morning groceries in a shopping bag. Sticking out of the bag was a head of bok choy or some vegetable, and, after I did a double-take, a duck’s head bobbing along down the street.