Shopping Adventures
I went to the Media Markt today to get a headset so that I could talk on Skype without feedback. This is a store that advertises that its prices are "pig cheap" (Sau billig) and uses a pig in its advertising. Somehow I don't think that would be as effective in the US. This is not just a store for "media". I discovered that they sell everything from computers to stoves, including a large selection of espresso machines, which I never though of as media.
I also went to the Fliesenmarkt (tile market) and picked out a gray tile that looked absolutely neutral and had a very high non-slip rating. This whole process of getting the floor replaced is complicated because of the number of people involved: 1) the former owner, who very kindly is managing most of the work, 2) the insurance people, 3) the building management (who have also been exceptionally helpful), 4) the company doing the clean-up (who have not been either helpful or efficient), and 5) three other firms who are making bids on what it would cost to replace the parquet (for the insurance) and what it would cost to install the tile (for us).
I also went to the supermarket, which is considerably bigger than the one in the Friedrichstrasse railroad station. I looked at the meat counter, which has a very different mix than the usual US meat selection. Sausage in great variety was much in evidence: bratwurst, weisswurst, cold cuts, Nürnberger sausages, and more cold cuts. Beef appeared in only a few varieties. No big roasts. Even pork was limited to a few chops. Fresh chicken breasts for making Puten (chicken) schnitzel. The fish was all either marinated (herring, for example) or frozen, but the cheese selection was large and various. There are of course specialty stores for all of these things.
I also went to the Fliesenmarkt (tile market) and picked out a gray tile that looked absolutely neutral and had a very high non-slip rating. This whole process of getting the floor replaced is complicated because of the number of people involved: 1) the former owner, who very kindly is managing most of the work, 2) the insurance people, 3) the building management (who have also been exceptionally helpful), 4) the company doing the clean-up (who have not been either helpful or efficient), and 5) three other firms who are making bids on what it would cost to replace the parquet (for the insurance) and what it would cost to install the tile (for us).
I also went to the supermarket, which is considerably bigger than the one in the Friedrichstrasse railroad station. I looked at the meat counter, which has a very different mix than the usual US meat selection. Sausage in great variety was much in evidence: bratwurst, weisswurst, cold cuts, Nürnberger sausages, and more cold cuts. Beef appeared in only a few varieties. No big roasts. Even pork was limited to a few chops. Fresh chicken breasts for making Puten (chicken) schnitzel. The fish was all either marinated (herring, for example) or frozen, but the cheese selection was large and various. There are of course specialty stores for all of these things.
posted by Michael Seadle at 9:33 PM
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