frauke at large

Left campus today to go and buy supplies for the coming week. Am starting to get nostalgic about pasta, tomato sauce, Dampfnudeln and diverse other ‘luxury’ items, and so decided to venture into the wild that is Metro.

Got to Metro on the bus which conveniently leaves from campus and brings you directly back – so in terms of ‘adventurous’ my trip was on the mild side.

Walking through the isles and searching for my shopping list items, was once again an experience in itself. There were plenty of dried mushrooms, beans, dried varieties of fish, vegetables and other unidentifiable products – largely pre-packed and ready to eat. Unfortunately being completely illiterate does not help when going shopping, but I managed. Got to the fish section, which is great in Metro as the fish are all still swimming around in tanks and therefore relatively fresh when you buy them. Yet, once again the cultural gap was highlighted by the additional animals sold there. One tank was full of big toads – big, dark creatures hopping around – needless to say I had to leave and cheer myself up with the ‘imported goods’ isles … it was like a trip down memory lane – all the usual suspects were there, like beaked beans, pasta, tomato sauce, chocolate, muesli, Nutella … obviously at ‘import-prices’ but I could not resist. I should point out though that despite the odd cultural difference in terms of the consumption of different animal species, the Chinese food which I have had on my trips to Shanghai, Yiwu and Hangzhou has been truly fantastic, particularly the vegetables and the dumplings (filled or plain).

Also bought myself a plant today to bring some life into my room – for the grand price of £3! It’s a beautifully planted asparagus fern (Asparagus plumosus), which is grown for its graceful feathery foliage and therefore often used in flower arrangements. Contrary to its name, this is not a Fern at all however, it’s actually part of the Asparagaceae family (i.e. the asparagus family). It is native to South Africa and is so invasive in open ground that it’s classified as an ‘aggressive, noxious weed’ in Australia. I actually think it looks like a cheats bonsai because of the way in which it is arranged in the pot (minimum effort in terms of cultivation yet maximum result in terms of charisma). It creates a really nice, tranquil scene and I have to say: the Chinese have a great way with plants and flower arrangements. In fact it reminds me of the many bamboo trees we passed on the way to Yiwu last weekend.

Might go for a walk later in the park opposite campus. Passed it on the way to Metro and it looked rather welcoming and relatively interesting, so if I have time later, I might go and explore. It is quite warm and pleasant outside today, so it could be a perfect opportunity.

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