Job Discussion Forums

[Just a guy]

I'm in China, granted a small town but I don't think the somewhat larger city's have some of the stuffs I find myself wanting,
Mostly little things....like;

A can opener, I've been in about every store & looked through the roadside stands in my town & one is not to be found, an actual can for that matter seems to be missing from the shelves here. `I will have to find another way to open my Tuna to make a sandwich...

Scotch tape Dispensers, they git plenty tape but No holder/cutters for it.

Deodorant the roll on kind, I finally found some very musty smellin stuff in the pharmacy....


Real Chocolate....the Chinese kind is.... `different.

Coffee maker or even filters are impossible to find, I finally found a coffee press & a grinder & some pretty good beans, `Much better than the freeze dried kine.

Mouth Wash.... haven't seen any here.

Fitted Sheets for my king sized bed.....

What little things do YOU wish were easier to get..

[denise]

Just a guy,

I'm assuming you won't have any need of these, but I do miss having a nice, wide selection of certain feminine products. There are loads of specific foods that I miss, but I have a wacky diet, so I knew from the beginning I'd have to do without (that is, until dear Mom and darling ex-boyfriend started sending me stuff!).

Are there any companies in China that you can order stuff from? There are a few in Japan that carry all sorts of things that foreigners tend to miss, and they ship all over the country. You just visit their website, place your order, and within a few days you can be enjoying many of your favorite items from back home.

And what about the folks/friends back home? Anyone willing to send a care package including can openers and the rest of your requests?

d

[Wolf]

Just a guy: The Chinese "Dove" brand chocolate bars contain actual chocolate. They're a bit on the pricy side (about $0.80 US), but they're closer than 10 000 kilometers (7000miles or so?) from your current position. Another hint: JAPANESE import chocolate is also chocolate, and I've managed to find that even in Nanchang. Also not cheap. But like Mt. Everest, it's there.

I learned to do without a lot of the little things.

[JDYoung]

Salt and pepper shakers. Salt is here. Pepper is here. No shakers.

[FGT]

Here in Turkey most gadgets, products etc are widely available but I do wish Turkish washers would last more than a week before springing a leak and that putty could do its job and not flake off within a season - I dread my windows following it into the street!

[Steiner]

Root beer for me, marshmallows for my wife. And ovens--I guess we could get one, they're just not easy to get. And turkeys. Okay, so they're not things mostly. We don't miss family and friends so much, but sometimes we do miss some foods. My desktop wallpaper right now is pumkin pie, the picture I posted on the Western foods thread.

Just a Guy--where is Baojing? Down south? We can get scotch tape (sellotape) dispensers in Changsha and Dove chocolate even in our little town.

[Sandgropers]

Alright NOT a little thing, but a nice soft, comfortable mattress and pillow would be nice !!!!!

[MELEE]

If your heading for Latin America, I'd bring a nice cozzy quality towel. The towels here are made out of polyester or something--they don't soak up water, just move it around.

[Roger]

CAN OPENERS in CHINA:
- You can find Swiss army knives that normally feature a can opener, in many department stores. Watch out for the VICTORINOX sign.
SOme CHinese imitators have jumped on the bandwagon, but their products often don't work.
Anyway, a good bet is the local FRIENDSHIP STORE, which used to offer imported goods.
In Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Peking, Shanghai, Swiss army knives are no problem.
If you want one, PM me - I might be able to help you.

- COFFEE MAKERS: No problem here in GUangdong! Swiss, Italian and German makes are now available from a select few department stores, especially FRIENDSHIP STORES.
The ITALIAN espresso machines that are pots you can place on electric or gas stoves, are readily available although at a stiff price. I could locate some at a price of around RMB 100.
Coffee too comes from overseas: LAVAZZA, MELITTA, and now STARBUCKS.
If there is a CARREFOUR, PARK'N SHOP or a METRO in your area, you might locate good coffee there!
LAVAZZA comes at a price of around RMB 50 per 250 grammes (lasts for about 50 cups).

[shmooj]

Blu Tac

[Gordon]

Deodorant with anti-perspirant.
Decaf coffee

[ilunga]

Tin Openers, couldn't agree more. I had one sent over from England
I miss real bread but i've solved that problem now, swiss friend of mine is gonna start selling it.
Can't find Tuna in this city either and the cheese is so expensive, I feel guilty shelling out 35 kuai for emmantal but it's so good
Dove chocolate is good but I do get the occasional cravings for dairy milk
Luckily i've got a very kind mother who's put together a land package to arrive in time for xmas
No complaints, I could survive without all this stuff but it's nice to have those little luxuries to cheer you up when the little brats have been playing up

[Just a guy]

As usual, Roger's input saved some frustration.
`Thanks
I never even thought about a Swiss army knife, although it took a few days & much looking, I found one
& it even works.

I got the cans of tuna in a care package, I just never thought about opening them.
I also got some Real mayo to go with it.

My wife is coming next month for a few weeks so I'll have more of the things I might want, things that aren't worth shipping.

& Steiner, Baojing is just up the mountains from Jishou, in the northwestern part of the province,
it's called; The Tujia Maio Autonomous Minority Prefecture.

There are many web sites outside of China that will ship "things" here, even Amazon.com will.
In China, I hate to say that I'm not sure I'd trust any.

[Celeste]

For those who are in places where they can't get cheese:

When I lived in Korea, I used to have my mom mail it to me in the winter. Postal warehouses and cargo planes are not heated. (Natural refrigeration.)

Chocolate also does well in winter.

Right now I am trying to find a greengrocer in Japan that carries fresh artichokes. (yes I am a princess- I admit it freely)

[shmooj]

Hey Celeste, if it's cheese you want bin Japan, check out the Foreign Buyers Club. We order 10kgs of Australian Cheddar a go from them

www.fbcusa.com

you wouldn't believe how much cheese my wife and I eat!

Maybe you already know about FBC but they solved our cheese crisis anyway.