Mei You

It was a Saturday morning, I should have known better.  I should have planned better.  But no.  Not me.

Saturday morning, I went shopping for peanut butter.  I was originally looking for a chocolate/peanut butter combo... but I soon realized I was not in the right place.  Regular peanut butter will have to do.  The peanut butter was a welcome back present for a friend who recently returned to Qingdao after her summer vacation.

An important lesson I learned today, if I’m going to the store for a specific item, I should learn the Chinese word for that item before I go.  This small task could save me hours of time. 

So, this past Saturday morning, I went to Jusco.  If you know anything about Jusco, you probably just gasped or moaned, or had some kind of noise that was a combination of the two.

Jusco is a massive grocery store that holds a massive amount of people, especially on the weekends.  It’s loud.  It’s large. It’s inconvenient.  It’s… not my favorite place to be.  

After a few minutes of roaming the aisles, I found the desired Ritz crackers. No problem there.  However, going through each aisle multiple times, I still could not locate the coveted Skippy Peanut Butter.  So, after 20 minutes of looking for it...I decided to resort to my broken Chinese and charades.

In Jusco, there are at least 2 or 3 workers in each aisle to help out with the crowds.  I stopped in the aisle with nuts, and thought, “This may be a good conversation starter.”

I pointed at nuts and asked the smiling lady in uniform, "Wo yao zheige, danshi...." (I want this, but...) and made a spreading motion with my hands.  And I pointed to my hands and said, "Mian bao" (bread).  She said a few sentences, to which I just said yes, because I didn’t know what else to say.  Then, she took me on a mission a few aisles away.  There was hope; I think she understands!  She proudly took me to …the jams.  

I was getting closer.

I can work with this.

I laughed, keeping a light attitude, knowing that this was not going to be easy.  I politely said "Dui, zheiga he..."  (Yes, this with) making the spreading motion again.

The lady stared at me with big confused eyes, and a smile that made me really like her.

And that’s when I heard it.  Music to my ears, warmness to my soul… it had to be an angel…

“I speak English. What do you need?”

I turned around, and a lovely Chinese lady stood there, ready and willing to help a helpless foreigner. 

I gave her the biggest smile, and almost a hug, and I said proudly (probably too loudly), “Peanut butter!!!  I’m looking for peanut butter!”

“Oh, I know peanut butter.”  She turns to the store lady, and says something about “Hua Sheng Jiang,” which now I know is the Chinese word for peanut butter.

By this time, there is a gathering of Jusco ladies, waiting to hear what exactly I was looking for.   Once they heard, “Hua Sheng Jiang,” they all smiled and laughed and pointed to the neighboring aisle.  The lady took me to the oil aisle, and gave me a jar of Chinese peanut butter.  I was very grateful that she understood what I wanted, however, Chinese peanut butter is nothing like Skippy. I asked, “Ni you meiyou, Meiguo De?”  (Do you have American?)   She was unsure, and said a few other things I didn’t understand.  So, we went back to the crowd of Jusco ladies and asked if there was American peanut butter.  The response was quick …and painful.  

“Meiyou.”  

I know that word very well.

After 30 minutes of searching, confusion, and laughter… they did not have any American peanut butter.

I should have known. I should have planned better.  But no. Not me. 

This is the life I lead.  What an adventurous Saturday morning!!!

But....I hope my friend still enjoys her Ritz crackers, “meiyou” “hua sheng jian.”