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Half way around the world, actually :) In Bucharest, Romania. Where we live now the super-market is oftentimes closer to our building’s entrance compared to wh

Half way around the world, actually :) In Bucharest, Romania. Where we live now the super-market is oftentimes closer to our building’s entrance compared to where I park our car (the supermarket is obviously always in the same place, but the parking location is variable from day to day, depending on luck). Even at the place where we staid before this, the tram station was just across the street, so it was doable to get out of work, pass by the supermarket, get in the tram, home. As I now work from home (since even before the pandemic) I value the shopping and the interaction with the supermarket’s cashiers for itself, not quite like in a Shop Around the Corner way but, nevertheless, it kind of builds some “community”-like vibe. I also do the shopping for our two pets by walking to the pet-shop myself, it’s a 15-20 minute walk each way I’d say. It would be a little cheaper to buy their food online, in bulk, and would “save” that time that I spend walking to and back from the shop, but, like mentioned above, buying food for our pets while talking with the pet-food cashier about what new pet treats they have brought in or some other stuff like that is an experience that I value for itself.

csydas 4y ago
I want to second that I have the impression the parent is speaking from a strictly american perspective. I'm an American that emigrated to eastern europe, and even before I emigrated, I had already started to get _used_ to the way a lot of Europe has it. I lived in Russia and Armenia and Czech Republic for quite a few years now, and the difference in how the cities are laid out is quite apparent; having a small but well stocked market every couple hundred meters really makes planning _far_ easier, and frequent trips are not a problem. Before COVID hit, it used to be that I'd just stop at the market on the first floor of my building and grab the few perishable essentials I needed (meat, some vegetables) and had plenty to cook for myself and for friends/neighbors that would visit. This simply isn't the case in the US, even in the most modern cities. The corner markets/bodegas/whatever don't come close to what the common market in Europe has; you can get pretty alright quality _whatever_ at these markets, and leave the more exotic stuff (mostly asian ingredients/items or non-common spices) for when you go to a super market. That isn't to say that no one ever does the traditional hypermarket run outside of the US; seeing babushkas and their hand carts packed with a week's worth of food and drinks trudging down the lane is a normal sight, but just as frequently they're stopping by the meat market near their commie block or by the small shops at the base of their building to get a few quick essentials. It's honestly far more convenient; and at least prior to Ukraine situation, the home delivery options in Russia were fantastic, albeit a bit abusive of the work force when it came to wages.
msrenee 4y ago
I'm a 15 minute walk from the pet store, but I'd have to go a half mile out of my way to get there by sidewalk. Otherwise I'd have to hike up and down a steep, weedy hill. Either way, I have to get across a 4 busy lanes of traffic traveling at 45 mph. I'd kill for an overpass. Even then, I'm buying a 30 lb bag of dog food, because the savings vs multiple smaller bags is huge. It's doable, but I couldn't pick up much of anything else on that trip. I wonder if I could train one of these mutts to pull a cart.

csydas 4y ago

I want to second that I have the impression the parent is speaking from a strictly american perspective. I'm an American that emigrated to eastern europe, and even before I emigrated, I had already started to get _used_ to the way a lot of Europe has it. I lived in Russia and Armenia and Czech Republic for quite a few years now, and the difference in how the cities are laid out is quite apparent; having a small but well stocked market every couple hundred meters really makes planning _far_ easier, and frequent trips are not a problem. Before COVID hit, it used to be that I'd just stop at the market on the first floor of my building and grab the few perishable essentials I needed (meat, some vegetables) and had plenty to cook for myself and for friends/neighbors that would visit. This simply isn't the case in the US, even in the most modern cities. The corner markets/bodegas/whatever don't come close to what the common market in Europe has; you can get pretty alright quality _whatever_ at these markets, and leave the more exotic stuff (mostly asian ingredients/items or non-common spices) for when you go to a super market. That isn't to say that no one ever does the traditional hypermarket run outside of the US; seeing babushkas and their hand carts packed with a week's worth of food and drinks trudging down the lane is a normal sight, but just as frequently they're stopping by the meat market near their commie block or by the small shops at the base of their building to get a few quick essentials. It's honestly far more convenient; and at least prior to Ukraine situation, the home delivery options in Russia were fantastic, albeit a bit abusive of the work force when it came to wages.

msrenee 4y ago

I'm a 15 minute walk from the pet store, but I'd have to go a half mile out of my way to get there by sidewalk. Otherwise I'd have to hike up and down a steep, weedy hill. Either way, I have to get across a 4 busy lanes of traffic traveling at 45 mph. I'd kill for an overpass. Even then, I'm buying a 30 lb bag of dog food, because the savings vs multiple smaller bags is huge. It's doable, but I couldn't pick up much of anything else on that trip. I wonder if I could train one of these mutts to pull a cart.