Musings About Food in Saipan

8-14-2010
Today I thought of a few more things to add. First, pray that my sore throat goes away . After the first week of school I have already picked up a bug of some sort, the only place I can think of that I may have contracted this plague would be the water unit in my classroom. In each classroom we have the big water jug dispensers just like the one my dad used to have at his old studio on Superior Street in Duluth. I suppose some student put their grimy paws where they didn’t belong… Oh well, such is the life of a teacher, I hope that this is the one time I get sick over here during this school year.
Second, I thought I would mention some of the interesting things about the food in Saipan and the experience of grocery shopping. Like anywhere you can get better deals at different markets. To give you an idea of some of the prices of food and kitchen appliances let me give you a short lists: Yoplait Yogurt $1.50 per cup, a large bottle of Sprite $2.30, 1 gal. milk $12, coffee maker size 5 cups $35.00+, microwave $140. I think I will stop there, heaven forbid we get to smart phones or something truly important. In this economy and how much money we make over here food is extremely expensive. There is more to say about food that may be interesting. Many of the grocery stores and markets here sell food that has expired. The food is priced so high that even expired food is too good to throw out. I walked down the row of fridges and found hot dogs %50 off because they had expired already. It is interesting that they have no worry of being sued, buyer beware I guess. Beyond expired food I have also had to adapt to food that keeps itself from expiring too quickly. What I mean to say is that 2% milk at $12 a gal. is too expensive and expires too quickly to want to use it frequently. Since my wife is really picky I buy regular milk for her, but in order to save us money, I buy what many islanders drink. This amazing drink is 2% milk in a box, yes, a box. It sits on the shelf with other dry goods. You would imagine this product to taste terrible, but I find it to be quite good. It is made by a company in New Zealand called, “Foremost.” Some of the teachers do not like it but I do not mind it and was referred to it by the PE teacher, Darin. It comes in a small box and will last me about a week. What I normally do is open it and let it cool in the fridge so that it tastes more like milk. The cereal covers up the difference in taste really well. Honestly, the only difference I can really taste/feel is in the lack of creamy texture it is more akin to skim milk.
That is all until I think of more interesting musings, which will probably be related to my students and how class is going. We are thinking of you all. Grant Out.