Settling Down

Food & Groceries

It is difficult to make a comprehensive list of what products are and are not available at the grocery stores in Bangkok. This list would change frequently as would the prices of the items. However, you may be interested to know some of the western items available in Bangkok include Prego spaghetti sauce, Oreo cookies, taco seasoning mix, nacho chips and salsa sauce, Betty Crocker packaged cookies, cake and brownie mix, Jiffy peanut butter, Ritz crackers, Campbells soups, microwave popcorn, and a wide selection of familiar breakfast cereals like Fruit Loops. Most of these can be bought - at a higher price naturally - at Villa Market and the Gourmet Market at the Emporium mall.

if you hunger or thirst after a certain item, or want to try new foods, you probably already know about villa market & the emporium gourmet market [@ emporium, 5th floor]. just recently, villa has had thai anchovies packed in olive oil [far cheaper than italian & quite good], mallomar & nilla wafer & fig or apple newton cookies, cap'n crunch cereals of several types, pop tarts, jelly beans, kraft mac'n cheese dinners of all sorts, thaifrench beef shortribs, marshmallows big & small, marshmallow cream [for peanut butter sandwiches afficionadoes], and much more. there's even a huge array of healthful foods, including fresh & dried fruits & veggies of all kinds.

emporium has some foods sold in bulk, like olive oil-marinated roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, & olives. cheeses that many people have never even heard of are at both these shops as well.

if you've got the money, you can probably satisfy your craving for a certain food at these or other shops in thailand. prices @ both these places are usually 10 - 25 % lower than @ top's grocery for most things.

-- Eric

The most convenient supermarts in the area around school and Thana City are Tops (free delivery service) and Tesco and Big C which are Thailand's answer to Wal-Mart and Keymart. For cheap and fresh produce the best place to visit is the Bangplee market. There are also fruit and vegetable stalls right outside the school where many teachers regularly shop fresh ingredients for dinner on the way home.

Fruits & Vegetables

There is a good variety of fruits and vegetables available. You will find familiar produce such as potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, beans, watermelons, pineapples, apples, oranges, bananas, and more. Some familiar vegetables and fruit may be more or less expensive depending upon if you purchase Thai-grown or imported produce. These include tomatoes, lettuce, grapes and melons. Thailand itself produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, many of which are not familiar to Americans. You can find brief information about the durian, mangosteen, and lychee at the links below.