SHOPPING FOR THE DAILY GROCERIES

Whenever we have been travelling to a new country, one visit is always included in the itinerary: a   trip to the  local supermarket. Nothing reveals more about the daily life than what is stocked on  the shelves. This is true of Italy, too. Naturally, I can only talk about Genoa, where we have lived no longer than for a few weeks. In other words, what I am saying below is not based on a carefully conducted survey of consumer behaviour including interviews with statistically relevant groups of Italians. It is totally based on experiences of one keen consumer and master shopper: me.    
   Prices aside - something being "cheap" or "expensive" depends so much on what you are comparing it with - it is also interesting to note where people shop and what is included in their shopping baskets.  If you think that approximately 1000 euro a month is a fairly normal salary here  (after taxes), it is no wonder that the average consumer has to be careful where and what they shop. My initial impression is that the price of food is definitely lower in Italy compared to the UK and Finland. More about prices later, when I get a chance to investigate this properly.
   For foreigners like us, it is a blessing that there is a big supermarket chain, COOP, quite close to us. This is the equivalent of Tesco in the UK or Kesko Supermarkets in Finland. Your usual "go once a week-usually-on-a-Saturday-and-stock up-on-everything-possible" kind of shop.  But what they stock is definitely very, very Italian and reflects the nation's diet in general.

   Supermarkets have a critical audience to please since Italians expect food to be absolutely fresh and a very high quality.  Take olive oil, for example. There is not just one type of extra virgin olive oil from a nameless factory. No, no. Olive oil is given almost the same respect as fine wine: they come from all regions with pretty labels and a description of the flavor. In the supermarket you can see several shelves of olive oils. Italians love good quality olive oil and they are ready to go to some lengths to get what they want. This includes growing your own olive trees and pressing oil from them - one olive tree produces approx. 2 litres of oil. However, this is expensive and time consuming. Alternatively, if you live in a city, you may get a good supply of olive oil from a relative, who knows somebody making exceptionally good olive oil somewhere in a rural area with plenty of olive trees and you can buy litres and litres of the stuff in one go, which will last for a long time.  In which case, you don't need it from a supermarket.
    The same goes with pasta. The variety on offer is staggering. There really is a difference between good pasta and an average product. How do you recognise the best quality, is still a bit of a mystery to me. But the Italians will not make a mistake in these matters. Then there is cheese and wine - the list goes on and on. A decent bottle of red/white wine is approximately 5 to 8 euro. Lesser quality wine is also sold in the same way as milk, in cartons.

    But the supermarkets have not yet killed all the corner shops here.  On the contrary, customers are very loyal to their local butcher, fishmonger, bakery, cheese shop, pastry shop or fruit & veg stall.  It is common to shop for fresh ingredients daily and walking to your local shop quickly becomes a daily ritual. This often gives a chance to catch up with friends too, who are doing the same thing. Afterwards, it may be nice to pop into a cafe for an espresso and a cornetto (a type of croissant). On top of the local food shops, there are also street markets, especially for fruit and veg. Personal service, a chance to sample the produce or buying a small quantity are some of the plusses.
  The only slightly annoying thing is that usually all the small shops have a day during the week when they are closed. This can be any day of the week. Also, closing a shop for the afternoon, especially during the holiday season (August/September), is taken for granted.

     The small, local shops have their own rules. Depending on the type of shop,  it is not always acceptable to touch any products on display yourself. You have to ask and wait to be served by the shop assistant. Another interesting difference is that, for example, bread is sold priced per kilo. In a bakery, you have to tell the shop assistant how much bread you need - let's say - half a loaf. In our local bakery, this would be  500 gr and the price  2 euro 25 cents.  This bread is best eaten on the same day, as it will be hard as stone the next morning. However, left over bread is often used in salads and soups.
  The supermarket bread is cheaper and sliced, but suspiciously soft even after several days, which makes you wonder how much preservatives have been put into it. I also collapsed with laughter, when I noticed a small sign in the plastic cover of the supermarket bread: "100g of bread equals 30 minutes of exercise". Oh dear.
  It is refreshing to see that the supermarkets have not totally bulldozed small shops aside here.  This is totally thanks to consumers who choose to shop differently and by doing so, they believe that they are getting a much better deal. So do I.