Gongmao (工贸大厦), the state-owned department store in the city centre recently re-opened its basement “boutique supermarket” after an extensive makeover. It still sells the same overpriced stuff as before. It is however good on breakfast cereals and there is the occasional surprise. Their import beer selection is worth a look, but they are in extreme […]
I’ve muttered about this before, but it’s getting worse. Here I give you but two examples from a local supermarket. It could have been from any Liuzhou supermarket. Exhibit A 270 g of Granulated Chicken Bouillon at ¥21.30. Seems reasonable. ¥0.08 per gram. Exhibit B Right next to the above, on the same shelf, […]
Despite sitting on Vietnam’s shoulder, we are strangely unable to source many of the key ingredients for their wonderful cuisine. I’ve never encountered lemongrass or basil, for example in Liuzhou. I grow my own mint, so that’s no problem. I did, about three or four years ago find limes in Bubugao and had a few […]
I have been given a rather nice Christmas gift. A 1.5 kg box of cherries. Clearly marked “Product of California”. So, expensive. Available in a number of Liuzhou supermarkets and shops. Nice! I mentioned this to a couple of online contacts, who were Californian and confused. “Californian cherries in December?” they queried. Sure enough, close […]
Bubugao Plaza celebrated Children’s Day by building this large pit and filling it with thousands of plastic balls. Rather idiotically, they sited it right beside the main entrance to the shopping mall, effectively blocking entrance to their over-priced, under-populated stores. It took them about a week to work out why the place was even more […]
I have recently developed a liking for these snack things. Perfect with a beer or six. They come in all sorts of weird flavours. – spicy shrimp flavour, tomato flavour, pizza flavour, salad flavour, butter flavour and matcha flavour. They even have strawberry flavour and blueberry flavour. The company website also claims to have spicy […]
BuBuGao, the Hunanese* supermarket chain which has the customer-less shopping mall on the north side of Liuzhou’s People’s Square, is apparently marking the 50th anniversary of the start of Mao’s cultural revolution in which millions were tortured, murdered or driven to suicide, by selling commemorative mugs. The enamel mugs (as would have been available in […]
For just over a week, Bubugao Hypermarket has been doling out these eight page leaflets promoting what they term a 全球美食节 or “Whole Earth Food Delicacies Festival”. Of course, it’s no such thing. They are just flogging off the stuff they always have anyway. Overpriced crap wine, milk from Germany, overpriced Spanish olive oil, nasty […]
At this time of year, many Liuzhou residents take up smoking. They smoke home cured bacon, mostly, but also sausages etc. However, not everyone is happy about it. When an elderly couple decided to take advantage of the recent warm weather and smoke themselves some bacon for the winter, neighbours took great exception to the […]
It seems that this weekend has been designated to be Luosifen promotion weekend. Promotional activities were held on the walkway over 广场路 Guangchang Lu outside the Bubugao building and in front of the nearby Lianhua Century Mart. Maybe other parts of the city, too. I don’t get everywhere. Strangely, the Bubugao Hypermarket in the basement […]