2013/12/15: Shopping experiences

There are not many things that I hate more about Toronto than the (food) prices; on the other hand, there are not many things that I love more about Toronto than the funny (food) stores. In a city with inhabitants from all over the world you also have shops from all over the world: Chinese stores that sell lively fish; "European" grocery stores where everybody else is speaking Russian; Brazilian, Korean, Greek, Italian, etc. stores. You can buy a lot of funny stuff in these stores.



This is how your refrigerator looks like after a visit at an Asian grocery store:



Having bought food from all over the world, you also have to cook it. This is the Sushi we did some weeks ago:

You don’t believe that it is possible to spend more than $100 in a grocery store? Look at the receipt:



It’s possible to spend even more money in a Walmart:



My final and favourite receipt: when we bought our bike, we got promised that we will get half the money back when we bring the bike back in December or April. This is the contract – and it really worked! Yesterday I got my money back :)



Of course, there are also familiar shopping experiences in Toronto. For example IKEA, where lunch is so much better and healthier and cheaper than it is at university. But although it is only a 15 minutes bike ride away, it is not healthy and partly dangerous to cycle to IKEA…



Once you arrived at the Swedish paradise, you find something you don’t find at most American markets and malls – a bicycle rack! Somewhat awkward to argue with environmental arguments in Stephen-Harper-oil-sand-plastic-waste-car-adapted-Canada, but still great that they don’t forget about their European ideals.



IKEA is a great place to have lunch, but there’s another store in Toronto that’s much more fun, that’s unique, but that's unfortunately going to be closed in the next months. Yes, Honest Ed’s. A funny, cheap bargain center where you can find almost everything.



Last, but not least: my favourite store in Toronto is “Open Air Books and Maps”, hidden in a basement at the corner Toronto Street/Adelaide Street East. You find a lot of interesting (guide)books and maps in here, but you shouldn’t be overweight… The location, the books, the shop assistant (who doesn't use a computer but writes down on a notepad which items you bought): everything in this shop is great!