Shopping Archives - Working 2 Live, Living 2 Travel

Know convenience: Moving in Switzerland

OBI, a DIY home improvement store, is comparable to Lowe's or Home Depot in the States - just lots more expensive.

The incredibly-difficult-to-put-together sofas with a couple of our purchased-and-installed light fixtures in our living room. Since we can't paint the walls here, we've gone with a classic black-and-white theme. — The incredibly-difficult-to-put-together sofas with a couple of our purchased-and-installed light fixtures in our living room. Since we can’t paint the walls here, we’ve gone with a classic black-and-white theme.

If you’ve wondered why things here on the blog have been quiet for the last several months, we’ve recently just finished a big move and furnishing a new place. Already difficult, moving in Switzerland seems to be the ultimate challenge. Every convenience we take for granted in the U.S. is a luxury here.

Don’t take the small things for granted while moving in Switzerland

Until Feb. 1, we were in short-term or sub-leased flats. Moving every six months just didn’t allow for anything overseas to be too permanent. Since we both have jobs now and we’re settling down a bit, we decided to take the plunge and sign a year lease on a nice two-bedroom flat.

We signed the lease in mid-December, but we couldn’t pick up the keys until mid-January. That’s where we hit our first roadblock. As we were out of the country at the time, the leasing agent was very strict about when and who could pick up the keys. We couldn’t send a friend but had to be there in person to receive the extensive checklist that is given to you for minor nicks and scratches around the apartment that will be even more thoroughly inspected upon move-out.

In Switzerland, it seems it never ends with new findings and negotiations for payment of damages. When we left our temporary residence, the checklist process took hours. Like a military boot camp inspection, the landlord moves around the apartment checking for dust and exclaiming each time they find something that offends the Swiss idea of perfect cleanliness. Each minor infraction is documented and you’re reminded that if the person has to clean themselves, of course, their labor rate is higher than that of a professional cleaner. Many acquaintances have told us that they keep between 1,000 and 2,000 Swiss Francs set aside to pay for the summation of all these minor damages upon move-out.

For moving in, the biggest obstacle was the furnishings. In Switzerland, light fixtures and closets do not come built in. Light fixtures are the property of the renter, and when you move, you take chandeliers, candelabras or whatever else with you. Luckily, the last tenant left a couple of lights in place so we weren’t completely in the dark upon entry. Flats are not built with closets, so you have to purchase and assemble them (known as schranken in German speaking Europe, we’re told that these were also popular in the United States back in the 1920s) – again, taking them with you when you move out.

Furniture shopping in Switzerland

As a couple, this was a first for us. When we got married, we each brought our own furniture and just combined everything – there was very little we needed. In fact, the only piece of furniture we bought together was a dining room table and chairs.

When we took over a completely empty 108-square-meters flat and with all of our housing possessions back in the States, it was time to enter the grownup world of furniture shopping. Of course, we went straight to IKEA.

At this fail-safe store, we were able to secure a filing cabinet for our office area and a bed for our guest bedroom, but we also wanted to check out some of the other local furniture stores.

At the German discount furniture retailer, Lipo, we purchased most of our big items, like the sofas, closets, office desk and chairs, and our bed. The prices were very reasonable for what we got, but we did run into some issues. First, we were told that most of the items that had to be ordered would be in the store for pickup in about three weeks. It took double that time. Unlike our native United States, warehouses are small and each item has to be custom ordered.

When the pieces finally did arrive, since we no longer live in an environment where F150s are common, we also had to arrange a reservation for the furniture store’s truck. These are usually already booked for all convenient time slots over a two-week period. Then, when we did receive our sofas, they were incredibly difficult to put together. Legs weren’t attached yet, nails had already been driven fully into the wood where those legs should be installed, and there were no directions on what to do. Finally, the closets had several missing screws. In the end, however, we were able to improvise and get the pieces set up.

Our dining room table and two chairs (huge shout out to our friend, Christian, for giving us a set of dining room chairs to round out the table), and most of our lights and electronics came from the Swiss home furnishing store Conforama. Though the prices here were a bit higher, we were pleased with the quality of the furnishings.

In an equivalent to Lowe’s or Home Depot, to get all the tools to put together these items, we shopped at the Swiss home improvement store OBI. Set up in almost the same fashion of the DIY stores in the States, OBI had the same offerings at a much higher price. For instance, a standard drill that costs about $45 USD was 100 CHF here.

What is moving like for you?

Now that we’ve finally finished moving in Switzerland, we’re looking forward even more to enjoying our new home here. Have you ever made a move in a foreign location? What was your experience?

Lighting up: The history of Amsterdam coffee shops

Amsterdam, known as Venice of the North throughout Europe, is more famous worldwide for its leniency toward drugs and prostitution. After taking a recent coffee shop tour of the city, we explore the history of Amsterdam’s drug culture.

How did Amsterdam coffee shops start?

The locals say that Amsterdam’s ideas of decriminalization first appeared when Catholicism was outlawed in the 17th Century. Houses like the Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord of the Attic) were converted into churches and didn’t necessarily hide their congregations of around 200 people. These churches and worshipers paid taxes just as legal churches and worshippers paid so the Dutch decided it was beneficial to both sides to look the other way.

Other religious refugees also descended upon Amsterdam including Huguenots from France and Puritans from England. Gedogen is a Dutch word with no direct English translation that refers to this habit of looking the other way via plausible denial. Tax forms today still include a section of “other” income where citizens can legally pay taxes on income that isn’t necessarily specified as legit.

Fast forward to the 1980s and Amsterdam was a dangerous city overrun by heroin. According to those who live in the area, some of the most beautiful blocks surrounding the canals were entirely infested with filth and people of malicious intent. In an effort to rid the area of hard drugs that caused huge problems and to allow police officers to focus on these important tasks, marijuana and other soft drugs were decriminalized. Soft drugs are those that authorities deem unable to kill a person who overdoses by using too much. Amsterdam natives quickly point out that one of the world’s most deadly hard drugs, alcohol, is legal in almost every country worldwide.

Would the Dutch be willing to completely legalize marijuana today rather than simply decriminalizing it? Probably, if it weren’t for the European Union. As the EU as a whole bars the drugs, The Netherlands would forfeit its membership. Policies of plausible denial, therefore, will continue.

Uruguay is currently the only nation in the world with legalized marijuana at the federal level. Meanwhile, only 5 percent of Dutch people smoke marijuana on a regular basis and only 20 percent have ever tried it, leaving it far below the percentages of Europe’s leaders.

What’s so bad about marijuana?

Public Enemy #1 in Amsterdam is William Randolph Hearst, the late American newspaper publisher. Smoking scholars quickly recall the yellow journalism of Hearst, published in the USA and spread around the world, demonizing the cannabis plant. They point to him as coining the term marijuana as the major word used for the plant because it derived from Spanish, which he could use to further play off the fears of conservatives dreading an invasion of any foreign people or substance. Hearst, they say, with large investments in paper and nylon, had financial incentives to drive away potential competition from cannabis created by harvesting the hemp plant.

Signs in Amsterdam coffee shops say that smoking marijuana is allowed but warn that tobacco users should stay away. Whether warranted or not, Amsterdammers are convinced that marijuana is healthier than tobacco.

For the science behind it and statistics on why the war on drugs kills people rather than saving them, such as figures that show whites use drugs much more often than blacks but are six times less likely to be arrested by the police, visit a professor of the subject at the Cannabis College. Here, avid volunteers declare their support and avidly defend marijuana. You can also pay to enter their marijuana garden (maintained for research) or try a vaporizer in a private room while being instructed by a professional.

Running the business of Amsterdam coffee shops

You will not find many cannabis gardens around Holland. While selling and smoking marijuana in small amounts are both decriminalized, growing mass amounts of it generally is not. Therefore, plantations may still be controlled by organized drug rings. Ask a coffee shop owner where he gets his product and he pleads ignorance. It’s said that the front door remains open, police wander in and look around, but the backdoor remains locked. Outside that backdoor, the deals take place and the officer inside can continue to claim plausible denial.

Tour guides warn first timers not to start with space brownies. Holding an indeterminate amount of weed inside, they could be duds as regular brownies disguised to take tourists’ money, or they could be loaded with an amount that overpowers a beginner one hour later while the brownie is being digested once he assumes that nothing is going to happen and he possibly has eaten two or three more. They also warn that THC levels are much higher than you find in other countries, hovering around 15-20 rather than the normal 5 percent.

If you are in search of a 420 holiday and want to know where near the city center you can find good stuff, we can’t offer much assistance ourselves, but the locals suggest De Dampkring, now also famous for its inclusion in the movie Oceans 12. Here, in the back of the coffee shop, you can choose from several different types of high quality weed and roll a joint for less than 5 euros or sit up front and grab a drink and a brownie.

Another type of shop in Amsterdam is known as a smart shop. Smart shops do not sell marijuana and once profited mostly from the sell of magic mushrooms. In 2008, magic mushrooms were banned by the Dutch government after a French girl was said to jump from a bridge to her death and another tourist was said to be found naked eating his own dog. Both events were blamed on mushrooms and the resulting press created enough of a firestorm for a ban. In a bit of a legal loophole, however, that has never since been filled, mushrooms grown above ground were simply replaced with truffles grown below ground and smart shops continue to exist.

Are you up for visiting Amsterdam coffee shops?

Amsterdam is known for its tolerance on a wide array of issues. How do you feel? Do you feel that decriminalization of others’ practices affords you more freedom or less freedom in your daily life?

-Chris

Jumping frogs and squirming eels: Shopping in a Chinese wet market

Before coming to China, I knew there would be some different items on the menu. I knew that the Chinese food I had in the States was a bastardized version of the real stuff. As I wasn’t a huge fan of that version anyways, I wasn’t expecting to find myself in a cultural cuisine heaven here in China. Further admitting to my lack of the palate needed for Asian cuisine, I foolishly also believed that a fortune cookie was authentically Chinese until I recently attended a dinner at a restaurant here specializing in American-bastardized Chinese food, appropriately named “Fortune Cookie.”

What I wasn’t prepared for was the exoticism that would be a typical trip to the market here. I have come to love open-air markets since we made our first international move a year ago. The brightness of fresh produce, the mouthwatering aromas from the grills, and the lively calls from the vendors urging you to stop and look at their selections, it’s always an incredible experience. From the feiras of Brazil to the orderly market day in a European town to the nostalgia of an American farmer’s market, these open-air grocers are a healthy and vibrant shopping experience.

What you’ll see, smell, hear and (possibly) taste in a Chinese wet market

A wet market is the open-air market where you can buy produce, meats, spices, eggs and other groceries. It is so called a wet market because the vendors are consistently washing down the vegetables or pouring fish out of containers and the water flows down the street. There are air-conditioned super markets here, such as the French CarreFour, and I have even found Kate & Kimi, an online community supplying deliverable groceries. The wet market, though, is the authentic Chinese grocery shopping experience.

Upon arriving here in Shanghai, I immediately sought out expatriate organizations that had proven to be lifesavers in our other destinations. With some research, I joined the Shanghai Expatriate Association. Like the São
Paulo International Newcomers Club, the organization offers social and cultural outings to teach foreigners about the Chinese and Shanghai culture. I recently booked a tour of a Chinese wet market through SEA. Our tour was led by Janny Chyn of Shanghai Pathways, a tour agency that specializes in tours of unique and hidden areas of Shanghai. Janny provided a very informational tour of Penglai Lu Market, one of the first and currently the largest wet market in the city.

Breads and noodles

We started by venturing out onto the first long street of vendors. The first thing you notice is the crowd. The street is narrow, and there are hundreds of people dodging motor bikes and men with carts ringing a bell to signify they are collecting plastic containers as the recycling system isn’t that advanced here.

At the top of the street, a vendor was making Chinese pancakes on a griddle. This flat bread is spread with honey and rolled up for easy take-away. Our next stop was at a vendor selling heaps of different noodles. According to Janny, the Chinese, not the Italians, actually are to be credited with the founding of pasta. Marco Polo took noodles home to Italy after one of his expeditions to China, and the Italians created pasta based upon these noodles. It seems, though, that there is quite a bit of debate on this topic.

Dairy and eggs

As we moved further down the hustling street, we stopped at a great display of eggs. There were white ones, brown ones, speckled ones and oddly blue ones. Known as Century Eggs, these blue ones are placed in the ground to ferment for months instead of years. The whites and yolks become a black jelly inside and are eaten as one would eat a hard-boiled egg. If you can get past the look, texture and smell, I’m told that are quite good. As a rather picky eater, I wasn’t able to get past the first three senses.

Though it is largely believed milk is not popular in China, Janny said this is not the case. Chinese rather enjoy their milk if not the cheese. Tofu is actually a replacement for most things cheese here. Janny told the story of how milk came to the country in the 1800s. An American businessman noticed there was a lack of good milk in China. Not part of the traditional diet, there wasn’t a need for such a source. He set out on a Public Relations campaign to introduce and develop a strong market for milk in the country, and it has been booming ever since. Most of the milk is imported, but there has been some recent scares in production.

Vegetables, beans, spices and nuts

We moved on to the first stall of nuts, beans and spices. Janny proceeded to explain that in Chinese culture, it is believed that the food matches the body parts it resembles. For example, red beans are believed to be beneficial for the blood, walnuts are good for for the brain, and kidney beans support the kidneys. I found it very interesting that the Chinese believe purple food, like eggplant, is a good preventative for cancer. Maybe it is no surprise, then, that the American Cancer Society uses a purple ribbon to raise awareness about cancer.

Next door was a vegetable stand with a variety of produce. Especially interesting were the mushrooms, which came from all over the country. One in particular is called the hidden mushroom. It’s as if you can get a two-for-one. Inside the first mushroom a second mushroom grows.

As most homes don’t have the space and food is not doused in preservatives here, most Chinese go to the wet market daily as they only buy a one-day supply at a time. Some haggling does take place at the wet markets, but the price is plainly posted on many items. At the low costs (I bought two bunches of asparagus for the equivalent of less than $1), it seems a bit stingy to even attempt to get a lower price.

Meat

As we made the turn onto the next street, I saw them and my heart sank. Inside cramped cages were ducks, chickens and pigeons. Beside them were about 20 frogs in a large bowl. Every now and then, a frog would try to jump out only to be thwarted by the mesh covering over the bowl. A tank of slithering eels came next with the bodies squirming up through the mesh. Known as a delicacy in Shanghai, the eels were pushed back down into the tank by the vendor or snatched out to be skinned. A specialty for the city, hairy crabs pinched out of from their steel cages hoping to catch a vendor’s finger as he snatched them out to beat them with a hammer. All sorts of fish floundered in tubs of shallow water.

The exoticism of seeing your meat alive and jumping was a bit much to take. If I eat meat, it’s mainly chicken, and I have no desire to see what it looked like before it was slaughtered or for it to resemble itself in anyway once it’s on my plate. Here in China, however, that is opposite of what is normal. The Chinese believe that it is best to buy meat alive and butchered in full view. This way, you can see if the animal is healthy and ensure you are receiving the freshest cut. It’s also very typical to serve meat in its original form. Plenty of restaurants here serve the chicken with its head and feet (it’s a popular belief that chicken feet are good for a woman’s complexion) still attached or a fish with its eyes still staring at you. Bones are also left in many animals as the Chinese believe the best meat is located nearest the bone.

Holiday foods

There are many festivals on the Chinese calendar, and each comes with a special food. There is sticky sweet rice for the Dragon Festival, and, most recently, moon cakes for the Moon Festival. These special treats are a big hit in the wet market.

With eight distinct food regions in China, the country has a well-versed menu for any palate. To make these unique dishes, wet markets are the traditional means to buy the freshest ingredients. Though a bit of an attack on the Western senses, I would certainly recommend a stroll through these open-air smorgasbords of sights, sounds and smells.

What has been your strangest grocery shopping experience?

-Monica

Learning to haggle: A needed travel skill

“We are here to help you spend your money. Let it go. God will provide you with more.” -Turkish salesman

It was our first day in Turkey, and we had decided to visit a smaller shopping area as a warm-up before hitting the big time at the Grand Bazaar the next day. Strolling down the shop-lined street, we were offered, cajoled and heckled by merchants selling silk scarfs, spices, nuts, candy, ceramics, rugs, paintings and more. Monica’s eye was caught at a particular stand by a painting she liked. As she stopped to admire the work, we were swarmed by three young Turkish men urging us into their shops to browse their selections of goods. We went along with one of the merchants to look at some beautiful ceramics in a blue glaze. Once we made our purchases at a bargained cost, the young salesman insisted we must visit his uncle’s fine rug shop. We followed him down the street where we watched a woman sitting at a loom handcraft the beginnings of a new rug. We were taken to a show room where we were showered with black tea, Turkish beer and candies. The uncle had two other nephews, as retail is a family affair in Turkey (and they want to make it seem even more so, often adding supposed “brothers” to the mix), roll out rug after rug, ensuring they flipped the handcrafted piece of art this way and that to show us the high quality of the material. We were left alone at least three times to discuss our buying decision. Each time the uncle returned, the deal got better or more was added to the deal, and we were consistently reminded how this may be the only time we would ever be to Istanbul. As I had experienced these aggressive sells techniques before in India, I wanted Monica to experience this tradition. By the time we left, without a rug, Monica was all too ready to turn over all negotiations to me as she found the entire process uncomfortable. This usually places us in the sometimes effective roles of “good cop / bad cop” in the merchants’ eyes.

How to haggle: A needed travel skill — Monica watched as a member of the family hand spun the beginnings of a Turkish rug. It is a common practice to sit in a showroom sipping tea as the merchant unveils rug after rug as part of the shopping experience.

How do you haggle?

Participating in haggling is as much a part of the culture in many countries as anything else, and it can be deemed rude if you refuse. Learning this, sometimes uncomfortable, skill can be a valuable addition to your traveler’s tool box. Here are my top tips to becoming an expert bargainer.

1. Set a budget and do not go over

When bargaining, some people tend to continue to escalate as many do with Ebay auctions. Set a shopping budget that you do not surpass. Do not reveal this limit when the salesman asks. He will set this as the floor, not the ceiling.

2. Split money into different pockets

I sometimes wear cargo khakis with several pockets to accomplish this. Put different amounts of money in different pockets and then remember what you put where. You can then tell the seller that all you have is $10 and reach into the pocket that holds only this $10 bill. If you pull from the wrong pocket, however, your bargaining efforts are wasted.

3. Watch a local

If someone else is bargaining for a similar item, hang around and watch the other person negotiate. If the price they settle upon is acceptable to you, move in and say “I’ll take one for that price, too.” Most vendors will give it to you for the same price with no effort at all.

4. Blend in

If you are identified as a tourist, the opening price can easily immediately increase by 10 times. Try to blend as much as possible, but this can definitely be difficult if you do not know the local language. Again, pay attention to the locals and ensure your prices are reasonable.

5. Watch your cash

Deal in small bills when possible and be careful with your change. Especially if they know you are out of place, vendors in many places will attempt to cheat you. Whenever possible, give the exact amount you negotiated on. When this is not possible, ensure that you repeat the price of the item and the amount that you are giving loudly before money exchanges hands. We have seen many tourists cheated through a variety of schemes.

6. Be willing to walk away

Once you reach the price you are willing to pay, walk away. Many sellers will chase after you and quickly reduce the price. At worst, if you decide that you’re willing to pay the price that the seller offered, you can always return later with a bit less pride.

7. Ask for help

If you are wanting to make a large purchase, continue waiting a couple of days until you have met a local who may offer help. If you cannot take a local, ask one or more that you encounter how much they would pay for the item. Realize that the taxi driver is not helping; he is only taking you to his friend’s store where he can receive a percentage of your purchase price. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be spending so much time during his day to escort you around town.

8. Reverse roles with the sellers

If multiple sellers are competing to sell you the same item, use this to your advantage and bring them to you. I have used this tactic several times to purchase baseball tickets from scalpers behind home plate for a fourth of the marked price. Just don’t act too quickly as they surround you with their offerings. First, identify the scammers and send them away. For example, at MLB games, it is common for a scalper to try to sell you a ticket to yesterday’s game. Calling one out loudly will usually disperse them all. Next, name your price. Those who are not willing to negotiate to this price will see that you have several choices and will also disperse. Then, choose the best remaining seat. This tactic also works with cheap trinkets and other mass produced items.

9. Learn your numbers

When looking at a foreign language, learn the numbers first. They are just as important as “Thank you” and “I am sorry.”

10. Embrace the experience

Though the negotiations can be uncomfortable for some, just remember this is part of the culture. When traveling, you’ll find there a many aspects of a culture you don’t enjoy as much as others, but embrace the experience for its overall part of the culture. Smile, participate, and know you’re learning a valuable skill.

“Everyone says I will be back tomorrow but no one ever returns. If you see a piece of art, you either buy it or you don’t. Do not walk away, sir. Look at her eyes. She wants this piece. Is there really any price too high to make her happy?” -Turkish salesman

-Chris

This isn’t your Piggly-Wiggly

One of the hardest things to do here is grocery shopping. I read a blog post once about how living abroad was like going through adolescents again because you have to re-learn everything. The author must have been thinking about grocery shopping.

Where’s the creme de azedo?

There are three grocery stores within just a few blocks of where we live. Dia is a discount grocery store like Bottom Dollar. The Extra Supermercado is a basic grocery story comparable to Food Lion. Pão de Açúcar is higher-end and more like a Publix. And I don’t go to any of them without my Portuguese dictionary. A usual 15-minute run to the store in the U.S. takes me on average at least an hour here. It helps, though, in learning Portuguese when you have to look up how to say the most basic food items, like cheese (queijo pronounced k-joe), butter (manteiga pronounced mon-te-ga ), milk (leitche pronounced lay-chay) and eggs (ovos pronounced ohh-voos).

You won’t find everything here that is just basic in the U.S., like peanut butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese (though Brazil does have a lot of other high-quality cheese to choose from). However, you improvise. There is a ton of hazelnut spread like Nutella. And, if you get a real craving, there are Wal-Marts and Sam’s Club that typically carry all the U.S. goodies. Just beware, our products are considered imports. So, a can of Campbell’s soup is going to run you about $5.

I also don’t advise you go to the grocery store here when you’re in a hurry. Check out takes forever. There is no rush and even the express lines don’t move that fast. There are also lines reserved for the disabled, elderly, pregnant women, and people with small children. You are expected to bag your own groceries, and it’s highly encouraged to bring your own bags.

My favorite activity in Brazil

There’s a scence in one of my favorite movies, “Under the Tuscan Sun” where Diane Lane’s character is writing about an outdoor market in Italy. “I eat a hot grape from the market, and the violet sweetness breaks open in my mouth. It even smells purple,” she writes. This is feira for me.

The weekdays here end in feira (Monday is segunda-feira, Tuesday is terça-feira, etc.), and each day in a different neighborhood there is an outdoor market set up in a blocked-off street. Everything you could possibly want is available in the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, spices, sweets and cheeses. There are also vendors selling clothes, jewelry and kitchen products. Prices are also usually cheaper than the grocery stores.

The feira in our neighborhood is every Wednesday, and I try to go each week even if I don’t need to buy anything just for a lunch of pastels (something like a Hot Pocket) and sugarcane juice (Brazil has the freshest juices you can find). The feira is so colorful with strawberries, melons, oranges, corn, tomatoes, and so much more. The women are bargaining over the cost of a kilo of beans, old men are sampling the ripest peaches, the vendors are calling out to each shopper walking by about their freshest produce, kids are laughing and tugging at your clothes to buy them candy or pastels, and it’s the most wonderful experience.

A Brazil kitchen

In the U.S. we’re spoiled with convenience. You want apple sauce? Buy a jar. You want a spice? McCormick’s has got it for you. Here? You’re going to work for it. Nutmeg comes in its whole form, shredded cheese is mainly a luxury, and you’ll be making your own apple sauce and other cut-up/mashed-up forms of fruit. You are expected to shred, chop, mash and grind yourself.

Whereas the preservatives we have in food back home keeps stuff in the fridge for days to weeks, there are no preservatives here. That means that if you want to have cucumbers in your salad Friday and it’s Monday, wait to buy them.

What product would you miss the most while living abroad? We’ve really missed peanut butter and sour cream.