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Around Town

Let them eat canned goulash ... and frozen pizza!

January 30th, 2008 issue

By Mark Baker

For the Post

Eating well

Farah Oriental Market
Myslíkova 5, Prague 1
Memories of Africa
Templová 7, Prague 1
Olympia Delikatesy a Vína
Radhošťská 1, Prague 2

If I were wealthy enough, I’d consider hiring a food shopper here in Prague. Someone whose sole job it is to hit the trams early, glide from neighborhood to neighborhood, and buy the food staples that — aggravatingly — are still impossible to find under one roof, at least in my neighborhood in Letná.

On a typical week, my food shopper might swing by the Lebanese market in Nové Město for some spicy sausages, tahini, cumin and chickpeas, then dart over to one of the Italian delis around town for fresh Parmesan, canned tomatoes, anchovies and decent olive oil. He or she might head over to the Greek shop in Vinohrady for fresh yogurt and feta cheese and then stop by Memories of Africa in Old Town for coffee beans. Before heading home, my shopper would hit a good fruit and vegetable stand, a bakery and a meat or fish store.
Grocery shopping in Prague has always been something of a boutique affair. It’s true now that you can pretty much find anything you want. The trouble is it’s a full-time job. It’s great if you have plenty of time on your hands and a real hassle if you don’t.
I wrote a year ago about the vanishing virtues of the Delvita supermarket chain (“Life after Delvita?” Opinion, Dec. 13, 2006). Sure, Delvita had its problems, but it was the first supermarket in the Czech Republic where I felt I could walk away from the checkout stand with a full, healthy meal in my cart. At the time, Delvita had just announced it was pulling out of the country and it wasn’t clear if we’d be getting a Billa or an Albert. Either way, I wasn’t optimistic.
Billa won, and the reality has been worse than I feared. I was mentally prepared to lose a few staples. I knew Skippy peanut butter was doomed. I knew the “international foods” section was going to take a major hit.
But what we’ve got now is a glorified “nonstop” (I actually think the real nonstop across the street from the Letná Delvita at Čechova and Milady Horákové might be better).
Just a small list of items that have been pulled from the shelves or are only sporadically available these days include fresh spinach, canned chickpeas, canned tomatoes, fresh basil, Parmesan, flour tortillas and pita bread.
The meat selection is a joke. The cheeses were never great, but the pickings are slimmer than ever. And you now have to pay for the bags.
This is not necessarily an indictment of Billa. I lived in Vienna for several years, and I know Billa outlets there can be good, dependable everyday grocery stores.
This is more of a general complaint about the mindset that the international chains adopt once they come to the Czech Republic (Albert stores are just as bad or worse. Tesco gave up trying to be good at least five years ago).
I see it as a kind of modern-day Marie-Antoinette attitude: “Let them eat canned goulash — and frozen pizza!”
I try to avoid my new Billa as much as I can. If I suddenly need a rohlík or a bag of Bohemia chips, there’s always the nonstop. For everything else, I’m back on the tram.
Mark Baker can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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