What's similar about Germany and the USA? A lot of things, to be honest- basically everything apart from the language is similar. I mean, they're both modern countries of the western world.
What's exactly the same between Germany and the USA? Asian supermarkets. Well, minus the language. Perhaps you're thinking, 'Why is this so surprising?', which is a good question. Aren't immigrants going to sort of be the same wherever they end up? I guess they could be.
However, I've gotten used to seeing the kind-of-the-same, but still just a bit different. (Like how grocery stores don't have pharmacies attached, and you're expected (most of the time) to seat yourself at restaurants) It's close enough that you think you know what to do, but different enough that you stick out like a foreigner if you operate on auto-pilot like at home.
However, there really wasn't that sort of 'just-a-bit' different feeling at the Asian grocery stores we went to today. There was still stuff packed in really close together. There was still an air of bargain prices (irrelevant if the prices were actually bargains), the onslaught of languages you didn't speak, and a wide selection of food you probably wouldn't eat. (like grass jelly... sorry if that's something you hold dear)
If I had to pick out one thing that was maaaybe a bit different, it would be the shopkeepers' mastery of the native language. Their German was easily better than mine. (I guess that would be me, sticking out as a foreigner again.)
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