Remembrance of things bought. Week 1

A history of travelling through shopping

1. Cheers Washing Powder. Location - Harlem Corner shop. One of the myriad 24 hour New York stores that animate the streetscape. Many completely bilingual to reflect the massive dominance of Latinos - customers wander in and ask for their coffee and buns in Spanish

2. Advil. Location - drug store in Williamstown. Requests for paracetemol drew a blank. Turns out that they call it Tylenol here, which is the name of the original patented version of the drug, produced only as recently as the 1950s. Wikipedia tells me that Panadol was the original UK brand name, the generic name that has stuck for us is a derivation of chemical compound name - para-acetylaminophenol- phew couldn't say that with a fever.

3. Not Wine. Location - Super Save New Rochelle. We got here by car of course, it must have been a 15 minute walk from Camille's house but if God had meant the Americans to walk, he wouldn't have created Henry Ford. The instinct here is just simply to jump into the car - to get the paper, a coffee, to go to the corner store. It must mean that the US has the most highly developed take-out packaging in the world and one of the highest rates of heart disease. Anyway that's a digression. Alcohol limitations are a hang over from the prohibition which itself arose from the Temperance Craze which was hot in Chicago - speakeasy city - of all places. It depends on the State apparently but in New York you can't have anything over 7% in a supermarket. The legislation around alcohol is incredible and the attempts to duck it equally unexpected. The NY legislation forbids Wine Ice Cream for example. There is legislation on how to have a 'teen party' no doubt parties for the under 21s. No felon can work in a liquor store. The State Court is currently ruling on internet sales of booze and there are campaigning organisations dedicated to combating the scourge. The Marin Institute is just one.

4. Hat. Location- Hat Store, Greenwich Village. Am attempting to rival the indestructible Tilley Hat owned by my father but with an extra twist of style. (Sadly the internet cannot furnish the tale of his Hat's victory over the juggernaut but perhaps he can post it as a comment on the blog). It is a ribbon hat made of a sewn together coil of ribbon which means it can be sat on, packed or stamped on and then just shaken out. Served by a very cool boho New York chick. Red lipstick, trilby. And she measured my head ready for the next panama hat I order in St James'. 22 3/4 inches just so you know. And having looked for it on the internet I find that I paid an extra $24 for the privilege of the cool shop lady. That's New York. They fleece you but with such style!

5. 5 foot rocket. Location - Cardboard Cupboard Store, Greenwich Village. In the tiniest of stores, the greatest of ideas. Furniture and design made out of cardboard. I bought the rocket for Beth's kids knowing what fun they could have. Not thinking about the fun I would have of carrying the 1 metre by 1 metre box around New York and then across the border into Canada. They love it and we have already been to Jupiter to collect rock samples.

6. Spacing magazine. Location - seen at Urban Affairs Library Toronto, bought at Indigo book store. One of the reasons I'm impressed by Toronto. A serious magazine on "Understanding Toronto's Urban Landscape and Public Spaces" and a whole publicly maintained library on my discipline all just for one city. They have also just launched a bike magazine Dandyhorse. Ok 2.5m inhabitants but that's a smallish pool to dip into to keep a fringeish publication going. More on why Toronto is great later.

7. Goosedown puffer jacket. Location - Mountain Equipment Co, Toronto. A Canadian Institution, a co-operative where customers buy $5 membership and then can vote on how the business conducts its affairs. The result is a great range of products and a focus on sustainability. Can't wait to wear my bargain. Not expensive here because everyone has them. It's beautiful warm and light. Only problem - it's allergic to rain. Good for frozen glistening winter Canada not so good for the drizzle drenched UK.

8. Frog shoes. Location - Europe Bound, Toronto. Another Toronto institution from pre MEC days. The place where teenagers stocked up with the essentials for their trips back to the motherlands of Europe. Rough guides, backpacks, every conceivable kind of waterbottles. Wonder whether a re-naming is in order now that there are around 90 languages spoken in Toronto, nearly 50% of of the population was born outside Canada and there is a big Asian- Chinese-Filipino population. The Frog Shoes - my name - are green water resistant sandals. I've bought them so I can go walking in creeks and on beaches in San Francisco and Texas. Envisaged story to customs about why duty is not payable on last two items. No honest gov - do need puffer jacket in heat of US summer. Woz paddling in frog shoes in creek and had to put it on to keep off the mosquitoes.

9. Maple Syrup and fruits. Location - St Lawrence Market Toronto. Fabulous food emporium full of fruit, cheese, meats and fish. The Ontario province is blessed with fertile land and a good summer growing climate. Hot with plentiful water from the Great Lakes. The result are beautiful sweet and juicy fruits. All sold ripe and in the form nature (rather than the EU grading system) chose. Peaches, plums, apricots, tomatoes, blueberries and wildberries (the smaller sweeter fruits closer to the original native species) and apples. We stopped at the fish bar for lunch and had fresh squid rings, grilled talipia curly fries - from proper skin on potatoes none of this powdered rubbish - all cooked in front of us. Then downstairs to the maple syrup counters where I learn the gradings. Grade 1 - is the equivalent of the first pressing of olives - the first extraction of the year. It's light and delicate and regarded as the best, but Beth prefers the thicker, more amber and punchy Grade 2. I've bought some of each for a tasting comparison. Hugh tongue at the ready.

10. Bubble tea: Location - Chinatown, Toronto. The Chinese population is huge in Toronto. So much so that Chinese is an option on ATM machines. Chinatown is much bigger than in London and very Chinese although there are overtures to cultural inclusion. Lucky Moose was the name of one Chinese shop I saw. Bubble tea is a la mode throughout. It's a strange concoction of black or jasmine tea flavoured with anything from apple to hibiscus. Then in the bottom they put globules of black chewy tapioca. The tea is served in a cup with a large straw so that you suck up tea and chew all at the same time. It's got to be something to appeal to the dummy generation. Mastication = delectation. Not something I'll be buying again although not altogether unpleasant

So one week in, my rucksack is getting ever heavier. I have 11 kilos spare capacity and am working on it strenuously.