First trip to Lulu's

You know you’re not in Boston anymore when you see camel’s milk for sale at the food store—right in between the regular milk and the soy milk. Yes, Lulu’s hypermarket at the Al Wahda mall seems to have everything. Since Abu Dhabi’s population is comprised of over 80% ex-patriots, this market seems to try to meet every culture’s potential food need. A whole aisle is devoted to a variety of rice options, and another aisle is home to dozens of vegetable oils. The produce comes from all over the world: Kenyan green beans, Chinese Fuji apples, and a host of vegetables I can’t yet name because I’ve never seen them before. The array of foreign cheeses takes up multiple cases, some prepackaged and others to be cut according to the customer's specification.

Lulu’s must be on the right track, for their clientele appears just as diverse as their goods. The special Indian festival the store is hosting drew a large number of Indian families in their traditional dress. But Australians, Filipinos, and local Muslims crowd the store as well.

While I found shopping at Lulu’s completely overwhelming, there’s also something comforting about the experience: it’s nice to know that if I really crave the comfort of Tofutti cream cheese on a Lender’s bagel—with JELLO for dessert—that I’ll be able to get the supplies at Lulu’s.