The Czech out Line

Third in the Series

Yesterday I went to Prague to hang out with Petr Hadrava, but this story is about the way back. There was a demonstration held by the Czech Academy (more on that later) and Viktor was in Prague for that, so he was able to drive me home. On our way out, he told me we would be stopping at the Hypermarket. I assumed this was the TESCO, which I had already been to, but Viktor informed that this one was even bigger than TESCO. Perhaps it was the way in which is was laid out, but I was amazed at just how much stuff there was.

Background:
The Hypermarket is certainly an experience to be had. Even though it is very in tune with American-style consumerism, it feels strangely foreign. For some reason which I haven't been able to determine, we don't really have anything like it in the States. It might be best described as a Sam's Club or Costco that was operated on a retail rather than wholesale basis, containing about the same ratio of food to non-food items. It's not like a super Target or Wal-Mart, because the hypermarket is more grocery store than anything else, but you can buy clothes, electronics, office supplies, etc if you so desire. I suppose the "hyper" part can also be due to the smaller stores that invariably share the same building but different cash registers. A florist and tobacconist are usually good bets, as is a deli or small restuarant.

This hypermarket literally has almost everything you could want to buy (except for Balsamic vinegar glaze, which TESCO does have and I've been trying for a week to get my hands on). This particular one, Albert, had like four different meat/deli counters: one for beef, one for sausage, one for fish and one for cheese. They had more different kinds of salami than my grocery store back home has of different kinds of any deli meat; their beer section alone was bigger than the market in Ondrejov; their yogurt aisle was more like a museum, showcasing all the different styles, flavors and brands one could buy (who knew there were so many kinds of Activia?).

I picked up some vegetables, some cheese and a type or roll with cheese and ham baked into, as well as some Becherovka, a Czech liquer.

That's about it, gonna end this post abrubptly. Guess that's what happens when you have a good title for your post, but nothing to back it up.