Paterson (Патерсон) is our 24/7 supermarket of choice in Russia. Now that I’ve gone shopping too many times, here are five Paterson oddities, or perhaps just general Russian supermarket oddities.
- Eggs come in boxes of ten. I always feel like I’m getting ripped off.
- Red caviar flavored Lays potato chips. Also: шашлик (shashlik—sort of shiskabob/Russian BBQ) flavored Lays.
- There are no granola bars. No chewy bars. No Clif bars. No cereal bars. No breakfast bars. No fruit-filled bars. No low-fat diet bars.
- Lots of mayonnaise. But no tomato sauce, damn it.
- Plastic bags cost 6 rubles. This is perhaps the most environmentally friendly feature of St. Petersburg (awesome subway system aside) that I have seen thus far.
Zachary Tracer 
lots of mayo and they charge for bags here too. oh, and the eggs in packages of ten thing.
in conclusion, south africa and russia, pretty much the same place.
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