Local shopping & yummy goods!

While in Tirana I do my groceries shopping in several places; some at the large supermarkets that have nothing to envy from the American ones, when I have the opportunity of riding in a car, and other locally, within a short walking distance from my apartment building.

Since my last trip here in the spring I found both places have improved in a variety of ways, from expansion of the area covered, to a more appealing display of items, to the quality of foods being sold. The only ones that remain the same are the street sellers that line up along some roads the vegetables and fruits produced daily by the local farmers. The men, usually middle aged, stand and prop up a variety of produce on temporary stands, while the women, usually older and dressed in long black clothing with white kerchiefs on their head, squat at the edge of the sidewalk, and display their fewer offerings by spreading them out on plastic sheets and/or newspapers directly on the pavement.

While the large markets that now are popping out all over the city within huge shopping malls offer an assortment of products from all over the world, the local store carry mostly local goods, but they certainly don't lack anything one may need on a daily basis, and, are obviously much cheaper.

One of the local vegetables that I love when I come to Tirana are the giant string beans that I've never seen in New York. They come in 2 varieties: yellow or green, about 20cm (or more) long (~ 3/4 foot), and almost one inch wide, thick and tender, and they can be cooked in less than 15 minutes. With a bit of tomato sauce they are really very tasty!


Today I decided to patronize a small, local, pretty store that sells only sweets and that I'd noticed before. It offers an array of candies, cookies, pastries, and cakes, and I was impressed by the use of plastic gloves on the part of the sales person, when she served me. What a variety... and only the problem of choice! I bought a small supply of a few items, and I wasn't disappointed in any! The Albanian almond cookies 'amareti" (in Italian "amaretti") are a delight. They are soft, light, and a bit chewy: but real yummy! This store has definitely gained a new customer in town.


BTW, did I ever mention that any seller here, whether a small shop owner, or a large market server, is always extremely courteous and goes out of his/her way to take care of a prospective customer, whomever he or she might be? No need for great advertising in these small enclaves: their greetings are also very enticing and a smart way to attract clientèle. Too bad that the typical European custom that pays individual attention to a shopper is a practice that can no longer be afforded in large cosmopolitan American cities.