Grocery Shopping in Pécs

Pécs has modern grocery stores – where I buy coffee, sugar, etc.  These are not much different than stores in the states.  The ones I go to are smaller than supermarkets in the U.S. but that may be because I go to the stores around the city center – there are Tescos (the European equivalents of Wal-Marts) on the outskirts of the city.  The products might be different – and the packaging is sometimes different.  For example, you can buy mustard and catsup in tubes that look like toothpaste tubes.  You can buy milk in soft sided containers.  And laundry soap as well.   The check out counter is different.  There are no baggers.  You bag your own groceries and almost everyone carries in the bags that they are going to be using.  But the most significant difference to me is the quantity of items that people buy.  I am sure some people drive to the grocery stores – especially those stores on the outskirts of town – the Tescos.  But I have never seen anyone leave the grocery and get in a car.  People are walking home or getting on the bus with their groceries.  Which means that folks do not buy more than one or two bags of groceries at a time – only what they can carry.  I am the same way.  I buy only what I can put in a bag and stick in my backpack.  It is a different way of shopping and planning meals.  Of course, I am not stocking a big pantry here.  But I have found that I like the idea of thinking – oh, I’ll make cabbage sausage soup this weekend – what do I need to buy for my dinner?   I buy my ingredients, maybe a bottle of wine, (OK definitely a bottle of wine) and that is about it.  Consequently, I shop more frequently here than I do in the states.  And between the grocery and the market – the food is fresher and used up quicker.   A word about bread.  There are so many bakeries in this town.  I buy only fresh bread and in small amounts that I use in a day or two.  Fresh bread is so cheap and so good.  There are also wonderful pastries.  I have tried many.  My favorite is a nutella filled croissant with the tips dipped in chocolate.  Oh, my.  The strudels (retes) are also quite good – especially cherry and apple.