Shanghai

Todd is working later than usual (for anyone who knows him well, surprise, surprise!) so I'm fending for myself tonight in respect to dinner.  We have pretty much no groceries because we leave in the morning for vacation, but I did have macaroni and cheese... American version... Kraft 3 Cheese!

I brought this from the US, along with about 5 other boxes of Mac & Cheese because in Shanghai, one box of Kraft Mac & Cheese costs about 3 dollars, while in the states, about 75 cents, maybe $1.  Plus, from what I've seen, you can't even get the 3 Cheese option over here.

That is how any imported food in Shanghai is priced... about 2 - 3 times the US price.  For example, Todd bought some strawberry jelly for $9... a very small jar of Jelly.  I brought him 2 jars of Smucker's that cost me $2 a piece.  We also pay for imported chips over here. A regular size bag of Lay's Plain Potato Chips costs 36 RMB, or $5.71, while Nacho Cheese Doritos cost $9.84.

Cheex-Its cost $12!!!!!!

The prices can be ridiculous.  One day Todd and I were at the grocery and he threw a box of 12 Special K bars in our basket.  When it came time to ring them up, they cost $12!!!!!  They cost $2.50 in the states, and less than that if you buy them at Sam's Club!

For this reason, when we came to Shanghai, I packed much more than clothes, and had already sent Todd with much more than clothes.  My husband thought I was crazy, but every single thing I packed we have been happy to have, or to not have to purchase over here.

Food we packed:

- Olive Oil

- Balsamic Vinegar

- 3 large jars of Peanut Butter

- 2 jars of Jelly

- 2 XL Boxes of Special K Bars (After realizing the price over here)

- Dijon Mustard

- Mayo

- 5 boxes of Kraft 3 Cheese

- 2 boxes of Easy Mac

- 2 boxes Kashi granola bars

Random, I know...

The other items that are difficult to find in Shanghai or are incredibly high priced due to being an import, are anti-bacterial cleaners.  I had read somewhere before coming to Shanghai these items were difficult to find, so I stocked up on these items, too.  I can be a major "germaphobe" so I wanted to be prepared.  I'm very thankful I was.  China does not have NEAR the standards/expectations the US does when it comes to cleanliness.  When you move into an apartment, it either isn't cleaned after the leaser before you moves out, or if it is cleaned, it's not what you would expect in the US.  I was still in the states when Todd moved in, but he said it was covered in dust and grime.  It wasn't completely disgusting or we never would have agreed to live here, but it just hadn't been maintained at all.

Luckily, OCD wife to the rescue.  I sent Todd with 2 giant containers of Clorox Wipes, 2 bottles of Antibacterial Windex, and TONS of antibacterial soap (his mom gets credit for the soap!).  I basically told him to wipe down every single possible surface and item with a Clorox wipe.


I also brought about 100 Germ-X Antibacterial wipes that are individually packaged so I can carry them in my purse.  I know it sounds crazy, but think about how in the US, people wipe down shopping carts and their desks because of how many people touch them.  Now imagine being in a city of 24 million people, where cleanliness is NOT a top priority... where people regularly spit in the street, don't cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, and then touch everything they can get their hands on. SO DISGUSTING!  Germ-X wipes are my BFF over here.


Another "dirty" thing is the water.  To make my macaroni, I had to remember I can't use the water from the sink, but rather bottled water.  It's a very strange situation because you're not supposed to use the sink water, but you pretty much have to rinse your food in it, you wash your hands in it, do your dishes with it, etc.  You also wonder what the restaurants do.  You know not all of them have a purification system, and even if they do, you don't know that it's kept up well enough to make a difference, so what and how much are you getting exposed to?  They also say the chlorine level of the water is what's so dangerous sometimes, because of how much they use to purify the water.  Todd now has to deal with me telling him to take a luke warm shower (more chlorine steam with more heat) and open the shower door occasionally to let the chlorine steam out so he doesn't die.  I know I'm overly paranoid, but the steam honestly does make me choke a bit when I'm in there too long or my water is extra hot.  I can also tell there's tons of chlorine in the water because of how dry my hair and skin feel... much more than in the US.


The air quality is a whole other story.  It's horrible, but at least it's better than Beijing.  Lots of people wear masks, but I honestly don't know that it helps, and I would be annoyed and feel stupid.  I told Todd we should have gotten a "before" x-ray of our lungs, and then take one when we move back home.  I never thought I would live somewhere where smoggy LA or any city in the US would be fresh air.  I'm so thankful to have a washing machine that also dries our clothes 90%, because everyone else has to dry their clothes on a drying rack.  If that drying rack is outside, I feel like your clothes would be incredibly dirty because of the air quality.  There will be more on the washer/dryer issue later...