After the sticker shock that everyone experiences when in Bermuda for the first time, there has been a lot of questions on how the prices are over here.  The answer is a good one…. it is no way near as bad over here on general items.  Equally I have only been here a short time and I am struggling to do the conversion in my head because math has never been my stong point!!

Each mall has a different grocery store attached to it.  The Dubai Mall (next to work) and the Marina Mall (closest to home) both have Waitrose.  Very cool!  I recognise the produce and can get some nice things from home which I would have been missing in Bermuda.  Still no gluten free range though. 

The Ibn Batutta Mall that I went to yesterday had a place called Geant,  Huge place, absolutely massive.  Probably about the same size as a monster Wal-Mart in the States.  It has as much in it too.  Random the things you could find!  Although the good news was that I found Cool Ranch Doritos.  Yummo!  I bought some humus and had myself an instant dinner!

Todays mall was Mall of the Emirates.  It has a grocery store called Carrefour.  Huge, again.  Not quite as big as Geant, but close for sure!  It was the first “real” shop that I had done, rather than just nipping in to get a couple of bits. 

What impressed me the most was how much fruit and vegetables everyone was buying.  I know it sounds daft, but was just insane after living in Bermuda where it was absolutely extortionately priced, then the UK where most people live of pre-made, frozen food.  People were filling half their trolleys with fresh produce.  It was fantastic!

It did lead to some serious people watching though.  I mean, what was the lady going to make with 2 cabbages that were roughly twice the side of my head.  What about the man who had about 40 onions.  And the family that bought about 15 cucumbers.  I was so tempted to ask, or to stalk them around the shop to find out what else was going into their trolley, but thought that really neither idea would be all that appropriate!!

It is a fantastic place to people watch though.  Waitrose is full of expats really buying stuff from home.  Carrefour was full of every nationality, and culture that you can find here.  Their trolleys are full of produce I don’t recognise, and wouldn’t have a hope in being able to cook!  I just really want to know what they are doing.  Maybe one day I will ask… probably not though!

The other cool part was looking around the produce section and not knowing what some of the things were.  I could take a rough guess as to whether it was a fruit or a vegetable by looking at what it was surrounded by, but more than that, I got nothing!  I haven’t seen them on any of the cookery shows or in a supermarket before.  I read the signs and was still in the dark.  I am going back with a camera next week and taking pics and then googling them!  My cooking could be a giant experiment for the next few weeks!!!!

I will be a bit boring now and tell you what I bought so you can be super impressed, well the Bermuda people can, about how much I got for a relatively small amount of money!  To those in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, just pretend do be excited for me!!

Potatoes, 1 courgette/zucchini, 2 red and 1yellow onion, broccoli, 2 garlic bulbs, strawberries, 2 oranges, 1 aubergine/eggplant, bag baby carrots, 2 bars of galaxy chocolate, 1 red,1  yellow and 1 orange pepper, 6 black plums, minute steak, turkey slices, 2 dark rye ryvita, small orange juice, glade candle and a small melon.

Want to take a guess at how much?!

AED140

which is…

UK£25

or…

US$39

(all approximate and based on todays exchange rate)

Not bad hey people!  I am super impressed!  I dread to think what that would have cost me in Bermuda.  I  actually think it wasn’t bad compared to the UK either.  I enjoyed that shop very much and think that Carrefour is going to be my grocery store of choice!

Yay to affordable fresh foods!!