At the Grocery Store

One of the things I really enjoy about being in another country is going into the grocery stores to see the different items for sale, or the same American items repackaged for local tastes.

So, I was in the Siam Paragon grocery store this evening and snapped a few photos. I’m sure the staff was wondering what this nutty foreigner was doing taking photos, but whatever. In return, I was wondering what many of the staff were doing. You see, one of the “jobs” that people have in Thailand includes “managing” or “supervising” or “overseeing” an aisle, or more often a part of an aisle, in a grocery store. I see these kids – and they almost always are kids, maybe 18 at most – stationed at various spots in each aisle. I’m not really sure what they are supposed to be doing – restocking the shelves? assisting customers? making sure the customers aren’t shoplifting? Mostly they seem to be just standing there bored to tears, or talking to one another, or texting. I don’t really think they’re there to prevent shoplifting because Thais don’t seem like the sort to shoplift, but I’ve never seen one of these kids actually do anything. Well, I take that back. Once, I was looking at cans of soup and I noticed that, as I walked away, one of these “workers” rushed over and started to “correct” the cans of soup I had disturbed. I watched him and he very meticulously re-arranged the cans of soup so that their labels all lined up and were facing forward. Glad I was able to give him something to do.

Anyway, here are quite a few photos from the grocery store. We’ll start with some unusual fruits – dragon fruit, mangosteens, custard apples, and individually wrapped ripe mangos.

And I have no idea what kind of fruit a “monthong” is – but that’s what the label said these were.

And rice – lots of different types of rice. Not too surprising, since we’re in Asia, but I did like all the different colors that it comes in.

Thais are big fans of vitamin and herbal drinks. Most of these are meant to promote health and to give you energy. (Most mornings at work, Tewtip drinks a glass of clear, but very blue, liquid. It is almost exactly the color of Tidy Bowl.) The woman in the ad is not doing the “Batgirl” dance – those hand gestures are meant to show how wide-open her eyes are and how alert she is. The two guys in the ad are, I think, either current pop stars or the two final contestants in Thailand’s version of “American Idol.”

One thing that I find interesting is what they decide to translate into a local language and what they feel is such a strong brand that it should stand on its own. Here are two cereals – not sure why “Milo” continues to be “Milo” in Thailand, but “Koko-Krunch” get a Thai translation.

Or why “Latino” stays “Latino.” And I know no idea if “Jam-Bi” is Thai or Korean or Malaysian or …?

And who could pass up various kinds of fish paste?

Or, for that matter, seaweed – either actual seaweed chips, or seaweed-flavored chips?

And if it all becomes too much, nearby is Krispy Kreme. Yes, Krispy Kreme has arrived in Bangkok. The store opened just a few weeks ago to very strong business. Guess even the Thais can only eat so many mooncakes or red-bean buns before they just gotta have a glazed donut.