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Post by lagatta on Mar 14, 2010 22:04:51 GMT
Where exactly is that Carrefour branch?
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Post by bjd on Mar 15, 2010 7:50:12 GMT
Guessing from one of the pictures, it's Carrefour Bercy in Charenton-le-Pont. There is also a smaller one in Montreuil, just after you cross the Periph from the 20th at Porte de Montreuil.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 15, 2010 22:07:21 GMT
I've been to the one in Montreuil. There is another hypermarché just outside the Périph out from Porte de St-Ouen (not a Carrefour, another chain).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2010 7:01:06 GMT
Where exactly is that Carrefour branch? Yes, that is Carrefour Bercy. There is actually a Carrefour inside the Paris city limits at Porte d'Auteuil, but that is on totally the opposite side of the city from me.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 18, 2010 0:22:12 GMT
Do you remember what the hypermarché at Porte de St-Ouen is? It isn't very far from you.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2010 10:45:02 GMT
There is no hypermarket at Porte de Saint Ouen that I know of. There might be a bigger-than-normal supermarket. I know there is a Match supermarket next to the Accor hotels. Around the edges of Paris, there is Carrefour at Porte d'Auteuil, Basilique de Saint Denis, Porte de Montreuil and Porte de Bercy. There is an Auchan at Porte de Bagnolet and there is a Géant Casino at Porte d'Ivry.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 24, 2010 15:58:14 GMT
Perhaps it was a large supermarket - we didn't go there - just saw it crossing to the Accor hotels.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2010 21:23:18 GMT
I had to go to a computer store today but it was closed until 14:30 which forced me to suddenly go shopping at the Lidl next door for the second time in my life. I now possess a multitude of strange German products which I was obliged to purchase because they were so incredibly cheap.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 27, 2010 21:59:26 GMT
Oh, you'll have to either show them to us or at least explain what they were. There seem to be more Lidls than before - I don't remember many in Paris neighbourhoods a few years ago. Any fishy treats?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2010 22:20:19 GMT
There are still not many Lidls inside Paris. They don't want to pay Parisian rent. I was actually in Sèvres this afternoon. But there are 1400 Lidl supermarkets in France and it is #1 in the country for "maxi-discount".
I did buy a large package of smoked salmon for 2.75€ (the same one that costs 3.80€ at Franprix/Leader Price).
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Post by lagatta on Mar 27, 2010 23:10:35 GMT
Are there any Lidls in eastern Paris or "la proche banlieue" close by? Oh well, I guess I could google it. I've bought those packages of smoked salmon. Made a "leniently kosher" friend very happy at a picnic at Parc de la Villette, in lieu of the charcuterie the others brought. It evaporated, though it is not of course the finest smoked salmon (I guess). It is scarcely worth it for me to make a trip to Sèvres to pick up the tiny grocery shoppings I do when in Paris.
I bought some odds and ends at a Lidl in Forest (Vorst), a faubourg of Brussels. Most were quite fine, and cheap.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2010 5:49:58 GMT
I think there is a Lidl at Porte d'Aubervilliers.
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 28, 2010 9:01:16 GMT
Here in the UK, Lidl and Aldi stock better "air-dried" (haha) ham than the british supermarkets, at a fraction of the price.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2010 10:37:03 GMT
Ham is one of the things I bought there yesterday.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 21:03:10 GMT
One thing that I like about the hypermarkets of Luxembourg is that there is no bias in favor of French wine. Even though French wine still has the biggest section, there is no lack of wine from other countries.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 21:27:38 GMT
World Cup = football = beer, although it is always beer time in this part of Europe.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 16, 2010 0:00:37 GMT
All the signage seems to be in French. Is French used more than Luxembourgish or German?
How are the prices compared with the neighbouring countries? I know Luxemburg has a very high standard of living, but that doesn't necessarily mean higher prices for everyday consumer goods. I have friends who have moved there as one member of the couple has found a good job with a financial institution; I wouldn't mind visiting there next time I'm nearby in Europe, though I know it is a town and duchy that has a rep for turning in early.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2010 7:56:40 GMT
Belgians, French and Germans all do their shopping in Luxembourg. At the Auchan store that I visited, I saw that all of the signs were in French, sometimes also in Portuguese. The official languages of Luxembourg were French and German until 1984 when Luxembourgish was finally added as an official language! French is used in the legislature and for judicial matters, German is used for fiscal and property affairs. The euro coins for Luxembourg say Lëtzebuerg on them, but I think the stamps still say Luxembourg.
17% of the population of Luxembourg is from Portugal, so every product that one can find in Portugal can also be found in the supermarkets of Luxembourg.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 16, 2010 21:53:58 GMT
If Belgians, French and Germans do their shopping in Luxembourg, that means the prices must be competitive, n'est-ce pas?
German friends of mine live in Lower Bavaria, in a town halfway between Marktl am Inn, where the Panzer Pope was born, and Braunau am Inn in Austria, where a far nastier fellow hailed from. (No, they are nothing like either of those people). They always shop in Braunau, cheaper for both groceries and petrol.
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Post by hwinpp on Jun 17, 2010 7:22:55 GMT
Here's some of the fresh stuff we get here. All the ingredients you need, packed for certain dishes. We hardly ever buy anything from this area because we do everything from scratch. Fish and pork soups, the ones with pineapple are Vietnamese: Clear soups with 'farcied'/ stuffed bitter gourd: Nuts, all from Thailand (no idea why I took this pic):
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jun 17, 2010 11:21:16 GMT
We went to Corrado's Supermarket in Clifton, NJ yesterday. It's known for its low prices and multi-ethnic foods. Bread, for one. (This was bread from the shelves; some was still warm. They also have their own bakery, where a dozen good bagels cost us only $5.00.) I manged to sneak a few pics of the pickles aisle... and of the Jam-a-Rama Outside, they have a produce specials market, but the really good stuff is inside. I ended up buying only $30 of seasonings and spices, but I'll bet that my Mom bought almost that much in breads alone.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 17, 2010 14:22:50 GMT
What absolutely slays me in looking at Kerouac's photos of the hypermarket in Luxembourg and Don Cuevas's of the supermarket in New Jersey is the sheer amount of choice. Not only is there variety of type, but in size and presentation of the products. All the ingredients you need, packed for certain dishes. We get a version of that here, but only with the vegetables -- no meat or fish included. I love the idea of all the fresh ingredients for a dish in one neat package. Nuts, all from Thailand (no idea why I took this pic) I suspect you took the photo for the same reason I'm wondering about it -- the US flag motif on some of the bags, and the writing in English on others.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2010 14:49:42 GMT
In France, they sell packages of "pot au feu" vegetables pre-packed: carrots, leeks, onion, turnips, potatoes, etc., with a bouquet garni.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 18, 2010 12:02:23 GMT
Well, the pot-au-feu is very useful as if not you'd have to buy too much of each thing - a problem especially with small Parisian kitchens.
I've seen the US flag thing here too, after the WTC attacks, and oddly often on products of other origins.
Mmm, Turkish pide! Always find good pide in Amsterdam, hwinpp, would no doubt be the same in German cities - though German bread is so much better than Dutch bread in any event. (Dutch bread was a MAJOR disappointment). Don C, how much bread can one elderly lady eat?
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Post by dahuffy on Jul 12, 2010 22:36:56 GMT
Nice to see you have real Heinz ketchup. I noticed that too. But no "Frenches Mustard"
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Post by dahuffy on Jul 12, 2010 22:39:17 GMT
The local sidewalk rotisserie machines in my neighborhood often have goat and sheep heads roasting along with the chickens. I have not been tempted yet. Nor would I.
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Post by lagatta on Jul 18, 2010 14:37:00 GMT
If you were from the relevant culture, you'd probably love them. The chickens are very good - and cheap - and those rôtisserie machines also have other morcels of lamb, goat or veal that are very tasty. This can come in very handy as a cheap "picnic" meal in Paris, whether a real outdoor picnic or a room picnic...
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 4, 2010 5:12:36 GMT
Agree with Lagatta.
One thing about the tetes de mouton though, knock them on the table a couple of times before tucking in. Sometimes little grubs come out of the noses. They're cooked too, of course, so quite safe ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2010 5:28:49 GMT
I'm afraid that our sheep heads are almost certainly grubless.
However, they were saying on the news the other day that everybody in France eats a half kilo of insects every year without knowing it -- but that it is good for you. Apparently there are insect fragments in just about everything.
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Post by Kimby on Aug 4, 2010 19:45:06 GMT
What is the difference, if any, between a "supermarket" and a "hypermarket"?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the little shopping carts that allow you to push two hand baskets around the market, instead of having to choose between wheeling around a giant cart or stretching your arms trying to carry two baskets. We don't have them in the US, but whenever I get back from a trip, I waste my breath enthusing to store managers about them.
About pre-assembled fresh ingredients. My mother who is losing her memory (and her recipes) stumbled upon a package of chicken fajitas ingredients at her supermarket, which she brought home and fried up and liked so much that for awhile that seemed to be all she cooked.
Only she pronounced it "Fuhdjitta" as in "You want some more Fuhdjitta Stirfry?"
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