Today, we went to Walmart: Visiting Walmart in China is somewhat different than in the USA. At first glance, walking into “Wa Er Ma” 沃尔玛 (pronounced waw - rhyming with raw- are ma -like your mom), which is the Chinese name, I can pretend I’m in the USA - if I don’t look at the fact that all the people around me are Chinese! But, as soon as I start shopping, that vision is usually shattered! There are a few more familiar items than in Chinese brand supermarkets, but, we are in China, and Walmart must sell what the Chinese people will buy! There are “Great Value” items, but, I don’t think you’ll find these same items in your local American Walmart: marinated duck gizzard, a huge bag of rice, watermelon seeds, chrysanthemum tea, plus a lot more! And that isn’t even taking into account everything else they sell! Like most supermarkets here, they are basically inside of shopping malls, and typically 2 floors. The towns on either side of us each have fairly new Walmart stores, but for us to get to them means 2 or 3 buses, and 45 minutes to an hour transport time. So, we usually go to closer stores.
