An American Supermarket

One of the big differences between the United States and Austria is the CHOICE or SELECTION of things to buy. A good example is the local supermarket. This one is in my hometown of Iowa City, and is about 8 times bigger than Billa in Irdning! I have included photos of sections in this store that should blow your mind!

First up, the apple section! This is just part of the PRODUCE (fruits and vegetables) section -- the whole section is nearly half the size of Billa!

Then we have your MILK/DAIRY section. Notice that our milk comes in different fat contents (skim, 1/2%, 1%, 2%, whole, half & half, light cream, heavy cream, lactose free) and in different flavors (chocolate, strawberry, eggnog). Milk is also is sold in 1 gallon (4 liter) plastic jugs because American children grow up drinking at least three glasses of milk a day! There's also an ORGANIC (Bio) milk section, but it is much more expensive than the milk made with bovine growth hormone (BGH):

Then we've got your SNACK aisle with potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese dip and salsa. This entire aisle is chips, folks!
This is our SALAD DRESSING aisle, with at least 50 different flavors (French, ranch, Caesar, blue cheese, raspberry vinaigrette, honey mustard, green goddess, just to name a few)! Because Americans are often overweight (and who wouldn't be overweight with all the chips!?) one of the popular diet foods is salad. Of course, a bowl of lettuce (aka rabbit food) wouldn't be complete without SALAD DRESSING which is 100% fat! So much for your slim line!


This is the PHARMACEUTICAL aisle of the local supermarket. Here you can buy aspirin and other pain medications, cold medicines, antacids, and diet pills. In Austria, you would have to go to an Apotheke to obtain these things, but in the U.S. you can buy aspirin and cold medicine at every gas station!And that, my friends, is your tour of an American supermarket. I'll be interested to read your responses in the COMMENT section!