How many stores did you shop at to get stuff for dinner?

I really do love China. =-) I love the fact that I get to get out of the house every day and have an adventure. I love that just getting supplies for dinner counts as an adventure! I love that almost every store I go into is full of new, exciting, and fun things to look at.

Tonight the family and I had Tacos. Back home that would mean a trip to Bashas or Frys. Here that means so much more! This is what I had to do to make Tacos:

Go to butcher (AKA "Meat Shop" according to my driver).
Pick out piece of beef to have ground. Butcher either grinds chunk of meat once or twice depending on what you ask for.
Wait for butcher to find calculator so that he can show you how much the meat costs since I still do not know my Chinese numbers! I swear I am working on it. =-)
Go to indoor vegetable market (I really need to take my camera so I can show this place off) I also LOVE the outdoor veggie market but I was in a "rush".
Once inside the market pick from the dozen or so vendors to buy from.
Pick out what you want (lettuce and tomato), how much of it you want, and then barter price.
Go to Jin Ma (AKA Stinky Market by all the Expats...If you walked in you would know why!)
Once in Jin Ma Mall (Sp?) go to the basement where the food is sold. Hunt down import booth and find frozen tortillas (This was my first time trying them...they rocked and were only 15 RMB for 12 tortillas).
Go to Sunny's Imports (black olives and refried beans)
Now with all of that plus things I had on hand (Taco seasoning from the USA, Whipping Cream from a store called Metro, and white vinegar from a store called Tesco) I can finally make dinner!

All I had to do when I came home was cook and season the meat, soak the veggies in veggie wash and then cut it up, make sour cream, and warm up the beans and tortillas.

The whipping cream and vinegar are used to make sour cream which is impossible to get here. You take a cup of the cream and a tablespoon of vinegar and magically have sour cream. =-) Next I want to learn how to make ricotta cheese.

I am off to plan dinner for tomorrow now...I wonder how many stores I will have to go to.