One of the most important parts of settling in to a new place is figuring out how to eat at home – where to find groceries, how to shop for them, how to get them home – especially without a car. One of the things I miss whenever I have been abroad is the ability to load all my purchases in a car and drive them home. You start thinking really seriously about what you really need (and when you need it) when you have to carry everything back to the apartment. In London, I had the stroller – with Luke as a counterbalance, I’d sling bags on the handles of the stroller, load up the basket (and sometimes balance things on the hood) then trudge back home, fingers crossed that we wouldn’t lose a wheel on the way.

So, top on my list here? Grocery delivery. Although the kids would happily eat peanut butter and bagels for three meals a day, I needed dishwasher soap, lunch fixings and fresh veggies. There are lots of grocery shops here, some even catering to Americans. http://www.hongkonghustle.com/shopping/230/hong-kong-supermarket-grocery-store/  I find there are more american products available here than there were in London (Partridges, I still love you). Of course, you pay a premium, so I wanted to find a grocery shop more local than gourmet. I had relative success at Park N Shop’s online store.

When the delivery arrived, I was surprised to find the groceries I had ordered that morning packed up in boxes. I was impressed by the re-use of the boxes, but found it incredibly odd that everything was taped up. Even the plastic bag was secured with a zip tie.

I was happy with what I got. We enjoyed comparing the bag of rice with the tiny loaves of bread, marveled at the ubiquitous presence of Pepperidge Farm, and delighted in the Mr. Muscle cleaning spray.  We did get a couple of squishy packages of “japanese style” ramen (not what I expected) and some s’more flavored goldfish (blech), but most everything else was as expected.

All in all, not bad. And I didn’t have to carry anything.