From Grits to Chopsticks

We often find it interesting to compare prices between what we pay here in China and what we remember from America.  Some things are more expensive, but we’ve found some foods quite a bit cheaper.  Our market has some pretty good prices on fruits and vegetables during the right season, like these strawberries and oranges, both at 72 cents per pound:

And these fresh brocolli heads at 40 cents for two:

We often eat with students at “home cooking” restaurants where we can get a decent meal for a good price, like two plates of gaifan and bowls of soup for three dollars total:

But not everything is cheap.  Some things will surprise you, like this fresh milk which we buy at our local store.  It is only sold in 1 liter cartons and spoils quickly:

When our kids were young, we used to buy 3 gallons of milk at a time.  If we did that here, it would cost us $18.00!  Also, some “modern” convenience items are pretty expensive, like these 12 cup coffee makers which sell for $125USD:

When it comes to “Western” food, we are grateful that some items are available in a few small local shops or in the “impurted” section of the large German owned chain called “Metro” (sadly, Wal-Mart’s imported section is too small to count):

One of the local shops, “Auntie’s,” is located about a half hour away.  All I can say is that Auntie must be a rich woman because everthing she sells is on the high side.

Here is an assortment of pricey goods that we picked up recently:

After our typical morning breakfast of oatmeal, we occasionally splurge and have a small bowl of “Frosted Mini Spooners,” the knock-off version of Frosted Mini Wheats.  Cereals are 2x to 3x the price you would normally pay in the States.  The next time you eat a bowl of “Blueberry Morning,” remember that the small box sells for almost $8 in China:

The price for beef steak is also very high since it must be imported from far away places (like Australia).  We bypassed the frozen ribeyes in the photo below ($24.50 per pound):

Pork prices have also skyrocketed in China (by as much as 65% in the past year), putting the squeeze on local consumers.  You might be able to get a decent deal if you wake up this butcher in a local market:

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that all meat in China is expensive.  But it takes some guts to eat the cheap stuff…