One night last week, I needed to get food supplies, but was still unfamiliar with the area. Figuring there’s got to be something nearby, I drove down Gessner until seeing Hong Kong Food Market. It was a supermarket, so I stopped in.

This was one of the signs at the front door to greet customers:

NO SHIRT
NO SHOES
NO SKATE
NO CAMERA

These we do not allow in store

Naturally, I rushed right in to check it out, forgetting to take off my own shirt and shoes. Who wouldn’t want to shop at a place where everyone’s forced to go topless? Needless to say, I was bitterly disappointed to find out it was merely a case of Engrish and not official store policy.

Yesterday, my friend and I had a chat about supermarkets, contrasting the somewhat ritzy Randall’s vs other places:

A: at randalls there’s never too long a wait and the staff there will actualy help you. and there’s a starbucks and a fireplace and a living room.

Me: Sounds like luxury. Last night, I went to Hong Kong Food Market (ironically, run by Vietnamese). The cashier had a full-blown conversation with someone and did not speak or look at me except to say “Debit or Credit?” I’m kinda afraid to ask for help there, though. They’ll probably misunderstand my English, think I said their code word for “cocaine” or “prostitute”, and send me to the back to get the illicit goods.

A couple of the products:

Kung Fu Ramen! Recommended by your local Shaolin temple! By the way, anyone want some free incandescent light bulbs?

Awesome! A margin of error indicated on the contents! (Yes, this is why I bought this particular brand of tempura.)