My stomach rumbles, which doesn’t feel right since I literally just had breakfast at Niall’s. But, when I look at my phone, it’s almost noon. I’m not sure how all that time went by. I should probably work on getting some food in the apartment, since eating out for every meal should not be the goal.
Daniel:So where do people get groceries around here?
One Direction:Ahh that’s right. Being American you’re used to giant markets that have 500 varieties of everything
Daniel:Rude
One Direction:For quick shops you have your Tescos and Dunnes. There’s a Tesco right near that pub we saw the morning drinkers at yesterday
One Direction:Dunnes is a bit further, a bit past Trinity
One Direction:We also have Lidl and Aldi close by. I think you have Aldi in the States
One Direction:I recommend getting some essentials at Tesco. Then I can take you to Aldi or Lidl and help you carry shit back
Daniel:What a gentleman
One Direction:?
18
My first observation of the Tesco Express is that it’s like a convenience store on steroids. Like, imagine a 7-Eleven that really got the chance to shine.
No. I don’t think that’s fair to Tesco Express.
What really strikes me is how cheap everything is, when comparing it to what a city grocery store or convenience store would be back home. Hell, compared to Stop & Shop this place is a steal.
I walk down the fresh meat and seafood aisle, noting that the beef and chicken are on sale three for ten euros. Doing some quick math, on jet lagged brain, I think that means the steak is less than four dollars a pound. Like a no brainer, I throw three packs in my basket.
I realize I’m going to run into space problems when I hit the cheese cooler. I have six different cheeses in my basket, so logically I’ll need things like crackers and tortillas to round out quick snacks and meals.
Something I’m pretty pumped about is the selection of curries and other Indian sauces. But that is nothing compared to when I hit the Cadbury aisle.
Holy shit.
There are so many things I’ve never heard of before. We just really have, other than Easter, Dairy Milk and Caramello at home. Well, also Fruit & Nut but who’s really reaching for that.Crunchie, Twirl, Wispa, Starbar, Flake, and the assortment of flavored Dairy Milk. Mint Crisp!
There’s an embarrassing amount of Cadbury in my basket, which I keep having to stop and pick up things that tumble out on the floor. And, as much as I know I can come back here whenever I want, I can’t bring myself to put any of it back on the shelf.
“Let me guess. American?” An older woman reaches over my shoulder, grabbing a standard Dairy Milk.
“That obvious, huh?”
She laughs. “I’ve loved Cadbury chocolate since I was a little girl. I spent some time in New York in my thirties, and one of the things I noticed was your chocolate is quite shit. So, I understand,” she motions to the basket, “that. Just make sure you get a Clubcard to get the sale prices.”
“Where…”
“There’s an app. I think you can only join if you live here.” The woman waves to a man across the store, leaving me searching for the app on my phone.
After a lengthy battle with the app, and adding a few more items of nutrition into my basket, I escape Tesco and pop back onto the street.
It’s still relatively quiet, but then again, it’s fairly early on a Saturday. I take my time walking the Temple Bar area, getting my bearings. I take note of the many, many pubs. The McDonald’s that I will likely frequent and always be slightly disappointed by the lack of real Diet Coke. The really awesome looking crepe and ice cream shop.
There was so much I missed yesterday when I was in a sleep deprived daze.
It’s not long before I find myself outside Niall’s shop, which is crazy busy. There’s a line snaked inside, almost to the door, of people waiting to buy items from his bakery case.
I dip in, skirting the line to go peruse the bookshop part of the building. What I find is, well, a few things. One is that Niall could use some constructive feedback on the layout and displays in his store. They are quite the mishmash of titles, with some overstocked in spots and some titles of opposite genres paired together.
