Wal-Mart!

November 1, 2007, a red-letter day in the history of Zhanjiang!

On this day the doors of a brand new Wal-Mart opened to the hordes of Chinese shoppers in the XiaShan district (southern half of Zhanjiang). Since that fateful day, Janet and I have so far made two visits. It is quite an adventure. The Wal-Mart is fairly different than those back home, most notably in the lack of a clothing section and also in the grocery area.

After our visit on the opening weekend, I asked some of my students if anyone else in the class had been to the new Wal-Mart. I think two people had. The class proudly informed me that this was the 92nd Wal-Mart in all of China (I have not verified that fact) and the very first in Zhanjiang. A second Wal-Mart will be opening on my side of town sometime around Christmas.

Wal-Mart brings a few additional items to the western menu in Zhanjiang with its inclusion of real (Heinz and DelMonte) ketchup, BBQ sauce, Snickers Bars, a bakery, canned tuna, Barilla Pasta and sauce, Kahlua and the first tequila I have seen in the city, Pepe Lopez.

Top 2 highlights -

2) - An eel tank with live eels, much like the lobster tank you may see in a store back home. This time, you get the fun of picking out your eel with a pair of tongs.

1) - Alligator on ice. A 4-5 foot alligator laying on the ice in the seafood department. The meat was actually quite expensive, about $10-15 per half kilogram depending on the cut. That didn't stop a crowd of Chinese from gathering around to look and shake its tail.

I will be sure to take my camera next time and get some pictures to post!