Grocery Shopping in a Romanian Town

Last month a supermarket opened in my town. Not only has this changed what I buy and what I pay at site, but it got me thinking about how I shop for groceries here in Romania. I buy my produce from a small market near my apartment or at the weekly piata. Vegetables there are very cheap, especially in the summer, and locally grown. Specialty items, like bananas and lettuce, need to be bought at a grocery store, but produce staples are found at the piata.

I buy meat, mostly chicken, and eggs from the butcher shop around the corner. If I want to use a chicken breast for dinner or I need 3 eggs for baking, I can easily buy those from the shop at a much lower price than at a supermarket.

If I need a small loaf of bread, small because otherwise it will go stale before I can eat it all, I buy it from the bakery across the street. I know the shop ladies and we have short conversations about my day whenever I go in there.

I now go to the Kaufland if I need standards like milk or rice, or if I’m craving something a little more like home. They have soy sauce and salsa, even if the “hot” flavor is more of a “mild.” When I leave to do some shopping, I make sure I have my Chico bag rolled up in my purse to carry things home in and my 50 bani piece in my pocket to use a cart in the store. If I’m lucky I won’t be accosted by a child begging at the entrance and can just swap someone my coin for their cart with a smile and an “O zi buna” (have a nice day.)

It has become a routine for me to giggle at the amazed looks on customers faces when they see how big and bright the store is inside and to assist struggling elderly shoppers with printing out the price tickets as they try to weigh their fruits and vegetables. I’ve had much more practice maneuvering carts through aisles and efficiently loading the belt with my purchases in the check-out line.

I limit each errand to no more than my one reusable bag so that the ten minute walk home over the train tracks isn’t too cumbersome. I think about loading up a car with a dozen bags or even an entire cart full of bulk goods at Costco and I both miss it and see how I really don’t need any more than what is in that one bag.

Easter 2011

My student, Flori’s, family was kind enough to invite me to their house in Apa Asau to celebrate a traditional Romanian Easter (Paste-Pah-shtay). They were extremely generous hosts as the four days I spent in the country with Flori and her family were filled with wonderful food and interesting experiences. On Friday evening I got to see where Flori’s family keeps their sheep in addition to watching the cows milked and chickens fed.
On Saturday, I chopped potatoes to make Salata de beuf and tried a piece of beef heart that was going to be added to the salad. Saturday at midnight is when the Romanian Orthodox church service is attended. Flori, her father and I went to the church and got candles to light for the service. The priest sang some hymns and said what I assume is a benediction while standing outside the church and then the entire congregation walks around the church. It was very interesting and I’m sure I looked a little concerned and very out of place.

Sunday morning, I was greeted with a hot cup of fresh milk and some cozonac (traditional Romanian sweet bread) made by Flori’s grandmother. When Flori and her brother woke up we washed our faces with water from a jug that had a traditional Romanian painted egg (red) and some change (bani) in it. It is for luck. Around 11, we had our big meal of the day, including beef stew, racituri (pieces of chicken in concealed pig jelly from the bones of the head of feet – sounds delicious I know), and grilled lamb.

Easter is a very important holiday in Romania and people also celebrate the two days after Easter Sunday, which led to more days off school! It was so wonderful to compare these traditions to my own and Flori’s family was also very interested in the differences between our two cultures.