What I buy

 

My sister recently asked me: “If Dela fixes all your meals, why do you need to go to the grocery store?” I can say, just as did Sir Edmund Hilary: “because it is there.” My Tuesday trips with Karen to Lomé provide me with a welcome break from Vogan and time to visit with a colleague and friend. Now, they also include the Ewe lesson (which they always have; I just didn’t always go to them). They also include visiting stores, usually a grocery store among them. I don’t always buy a lot, and the food purchases are few, but I always have something that I need, mostly in terms of toiletries and cleaning supplies. I thought you might be interested in what I buy and in the brands of goods that I have encountered here.

Food and drink:

I don’t buy a lot of food, of course, but it is nice to have something that I can quickly fix and eat at home. Being out after dark causes me anxiety, so I don’t take dinner at Dela’s. I have some canned ravioli, a bag of rice and some beans, spaghetti, a jar of Ragu, and some jam. To be honest, all of that is unopened and unused (although I did heat and eat one can of ravioli), but its presence reassures me. Foodstuffs that I buy and actually consume include cookies and sodas. I find a bit of sugar at the end of the day a great substitute for an actual meal! 

The soda I buy is Chap brand. Coke products are available here, both in bottles and cans. However, they are more expensive than the local Chap brand, which is around 300 CFA per can. I buy three different flavors: cola, limonade (Sprite-like) and cocktail de fruits (an orange-pineapple flavor). A can will usually last me two days.

I also buy water. The water here is treated, but inconsistently. Hammer and Dela and Karen all have water filters. Hammer's filters all the water in the house, but Karen's sits on her counter like a big Brita pitcher. I just haven't got around to looking for one, so I continue to buy water.

I mentioned that I have a jar of Ragu. Other American brands that I have seen include Quaker Oats, Pringles, and Doritos. For other things, I often buy Belle France brand. It is reasonably priced and, so far I have found them to be tasty.

Toiletries

Of course, I use body wash, hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and dental floss. I try to be open to experimenting with other brands, but it doesn't really pay to get hooked on a particular one, because the inventory may vary from one store to the next, or even one visit to the next at the same store. For example, during my first shopping trip, I purchased some body wash. I really liked it a lot, but was not able to find it the next two times I needed it. So I fell back on the familiar brand name of Dove. I am not sure if the scents are the same here as they are in the States--I don't buy Dove brand there--but I'm not really fond of the ones they have here.

 

As for hand soap, I could not find any foaming liquid, such as I buy at home, so I opted for a familiar brand of bar soap: Palmolive. I had never seen this variety before, but decided on it anyway. Once I got home I found that, once again, I don't like the scent.

When it comes to oral hygiene, I am kind of a brand-follower: Crest for toothpaste and Oral-B Glide dental floss. I was delighted to find both of those items here. Dental floss is on the list for the next shopping trip, and I hope I am able to find the Glide again. I also found Crest--not my usual variety, but that's okay. I show you both sides of the tube so that you can see something rather common here--Arabic on labels. 

Other toothpaste brands I have seen include Colgate, Close-Up, and AquaFresh. Hammer and Dela have a local (?) brand in their bathroom: Charlie. I thought it an interesting name for a toothpaste, but never tried it.

Paper products

Whereas at home, a roll of Bounty or Brawny serves for both paper towels and napkins, here, napkins are easier to find than paper towels. I have no particular brand loyalty, but one brand that I bought came with a free sample of laundry detergent, which was cool.

My allergies have finally forced me to begin purchasing tissues. Again, I am rather picky about those. I absolutely hate the ones that include lotion. I was glad to see Kleenex brand here. Since the first time I saw them it was a package of purse-sized packs, I purchase them this way, rather than in a big box. Karen picked these up for me, because I couldn't go to Lomé the week that I needed them. I probably would not have chosen the balsam variety, but they are okay.

Not really a paper product, but related to Kleenex: allergy medicine. I brought some with me, but, once I ran out, I had to consult nurse Karen as to what to get. I don't even know what I use at home--the generic version of either Allegra or Claritin. She looked them both up and, when we went to the pharmacy (this kind of thing is not sold in grocery stores here), asked which one they had. My sister recently sent me a package that included a few bottles of the same thing that I get here. The pharmacy people probably would be shocked at the size of the bottle--60 pills.

Papier hygiénique: the first time I needed this staple, I let myself be guided by Karen, who also needed it. I find that I like her choice. Notice:  it's 3-ply! It comes not in squares, but in rectangles and lasts a long time. I heartily recommend it, if you're ever here.

Bug Spray I am somewhat paranoid about bugs, so I have three different cans of bug spray, plus two different brands of insect repellent. One of the repellents comes from Spain. I therefore can't read the label very well. It claims to provide three-way protection, but I am not sure how. For the room spray, I have one for flying bugs (mainly mosquitoes) and one for crawling bugs (spiders) Note the brands:

Yes, I found Raid, which is comforting. I can't decide if the can on the right, RAD, is trying to capitalize on the Raid name or not. If it is, the company disguises it well with the subtitle:  Read A Dream. Don't ask me what that has to do with mosquitos, but someone sees a connection! It is a local brand, and, Karen says, is quite good at killing mosquitos and not leaving a chemical odor or side effects.

Laundry items: The final thing on my list of items I purchase. I buy fabric softener and detergent. I think the fabric softener is the Belle France brand. I just noticed today that I have run out. I have purchased three different brands of detergent: Mouss or Majix, and Oxo. The latest is pictured below. As with the toothpaste, the writing on the box is also in Arabic.

The interesting thing is the picture in the corner: it is detergent targeted to washing by machine and not by hand. Viviane is still doing my laundry by hand. Again, Karen picked this up for me. There was no detergent geared for hand-washing. But that's okay. The machine detergent works fine for hand-washing. However, the hand-washing version can harm a washing machine. 

So, there you have it. Things that I consider essential and that I purchase as I need them.