It’s been a while, I know.
I got back from the US a few weeks ago and on the plane ride back, I recalled that I had stuck to two of my odd travel habits. The first is to visit a typical supermarket (not a convenience store), and the second is to eat at a local McDonald’s.
I do this, because I like to see how ‘grocery shopping’ is done by the locals, and to see if there are any items worthy of stocking up. As for McDonald’s, I like to see how this (and other) multinational corporations change their offerings to suit the local market.
So in the States, I noticed that lots of groceries were cheaper than equivalents at home. Also when I was a bit younger, I used to enjoy Pop Tarts. Kellogg’s stopped selling them in Australia around 2005, and are now expensive sweets in import lolly shops. When I saw them on the supermarket shelves, I was all nostalgic, and then bought several boxes. As a bonus, they were quite cheap!
McDonald’s in the US aren’t too different from those in Australia, apart from some menu items. What is interesting is that meals in Australia have a greater focus on the sizes of drinks and fries. The McCafé concept isn’t as developed in the US as it is in Australia; the differences in café culture are evident (Although note McCafé started in Australia in the early 90s).
Sometimes the comparisons seem very odd to Australians, but nonetheless interesting to observe. For example, McDonald’s in Indonesia operate a home delivery service. McDonald’s in some Asian countries serve rice.
Is there something that you must do every time you are overseas?
