Let's go to the supermarket!

I have been to five supermarkets in Doha. Technically, it should be four because the other one seems more of a convenience store for me. And it the smallest in floor area.

FFC (or Family Food Corporation) is the one nearest the apartment. It was the smallest, but it had most of the things we need. They even offer free delivery. But there was one incident where I was dismayed by the attitude of the delivery boy. Maybe he didn't understand what we said, or maybe he doesn't want to do it. But if he were a kabayan or if we were in the Philippines, I know that we wouldn't be refused.

Al Meera is a bit further, where I also had to cross a busy highway. You could say that it was a challenge going there because I am not familiar with how the Qataris and other nationalities deal with pedestrians. The Al Meera branch near us is also a bit small. But there are other bigger branches located in malls. When I first went there, I looked at all the aisles, just to soak up on the experience.

Dairy products in Al Meera

Kabayan Supermarket is where we can buy tomato sauce. The lack of tomato sauce in other supermarkets highlights the fact that I was really in foreign soil . But I digress. At first, I thought that Kabayan Supermarket only carries Filipino products, including seafood. Thus, only the Filipinos shop there. So imagine my surprise when I saw Caucasians and Indians in the check out counter. 

Maybe it's a Filipino thing, where we buy fish in the market. And we can request the vendor to clean the fish for us. It wasn't like that in Qatar! We buy fish in Kabayan, we clean it at home. 

Carrefour has a large floor area. One corner carries electronics, another section for clothes, and so on. Since it was already evening the first time I (with other expats, of course) went there, I didn't have time to browse all the aisles. One important thing to remember about Carrefour is that you bag your own groceries. I didn't know that, so I was just looking at the cashier while she does her work. And then my companions started bagging my purchase.

Lulu Hypermarket is even bigger. When I went there the first time, one hour is not enough because I also went to the department store. And everyone knows that you do not browse for 30 minutes in a department store because you need to try on the clothes, too. I wasn't able to go through all the aisles in Lulu during my first time there. Good thing that there was a second time! Lulu always has something on sale. I especially like the 10QR items that are good for pasalubong. 

Also, if there is one thing to love about Lulu, it should be their blueberry muffin. The muffin is soft, and the blueberry has just the right amount of sweetness. Is there a similar tasting muffin here in the Philippines?

In Doha, there is no Spam

I know that by going to the Middle East, my pork consumption will be limited. But what do you know, when pork is not available in the menu, I kinda missed it. In my short stay in Doha, I longed to eat sisig and dinuguan. I missed sisig so much that when I got home, I mostly ate sisig at a buffet station. But that's a story for another post.

Since pork is not available, I discovered that some of the food choices in Doha were delicious too. I loved the shrimp siomai that we bought in Kabayan Supermarket. I forgot the brand name, of course. I just picked it up in the freezer section.

There was also this canned tuna that I liked. I also did not know the brand. But it was in the promotional section (where I can buy 3 cans for a lesser price) of Al Meera. The package looked good, but I wasn't sure whether it tasted good. There was a kabayan roaming the aisle nearby. So I asked him whether he thinks this brand of tuna is good.

I knew I should have paid more attention to the brand name I'm eating. But I guess, since I will not stay long, there was no need to get attached to all those culinary treats. Besides, when I get home, it will be back to Century Tuna and Hen Lin for me.

Did I mention that there were no canned pork in Doha? I realized that fact when I was in the arrival section of NAIA. I picked up one pack of Spam because I also missed it.