Chinese shops???

[DoughnutANZ]

I worked for a couple of months in the city of Hangzhou, which is in the same general area. Hangzhou used to be the capital of China at one stage and is quite a famous city. Unfortunately it is very polluted now.

However, as noted, they make great hand-pulled noodles there and I used to entertain myself at night by going to eat at a local food court where in one of the booths the staff made the noodles fresh for customers as they ordered them. I would order then sit there eating and watching the main guy making the noodles in public. Such a great skill.

View attachment VID_20171202_192722.mp4

 

[Lindsay53]

When looking for a charging cable for my Garmin watch the bloke in the Chino was very helpful, going through all his stock even though he did not have one to suit. The bloke in El Corte Ingles on the other hand waved me off with a 'no' and did not even bother to look even though they sold Garmin products.

 

[t2andreo]

Don't forget El Corte Inglés, but I think that's only in Madrid. I go there to pick up saffron and other things before I head home.

El Corte Ingles has branches in most large cities in Spain. There is one in Santiago, Pamplona, Burgos and Leon that I have been in. There may be others as well. Check their web site:

https://www.elcorteingles.es/centroscomerciales/es/eci

I selected the page that lists the locations of their stores - by province - then by city.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[mattythedog]

Electric adapters for chargers are little more than electric cords.



Chargers on the other hand are electronic and better meet certain standards. Apple's very expensive cords have a lot of electronics hidden within them. Within two minutes this video shows you what the cables look like inside. Then it explains why it needs everything. Then it shows progressively cheaper cables. Nerds may want to watch the whole thing (I did a few months ago). Non-nerds don't have to go beyond the two minutes I mentioned (or maybe even them saying the cord has more electronics than the Apollo moon landing navigational computers).

Oh, remember, these cables transmit data in addition to power.

Thank you for providing this fascinating and enlightening video!!!

 

[annemaried]

What is this Chinese shop I keep reading about?

Also called Euro store or shop. Searchable in Google maps. Bought diaper pins, small lock and large cheap bag to ship everything home w poles.

 

[WGroleau]

They do have almost everything, and I’ve gotten things like cheap sunglasses, pillow cases, bubble wrap, bandanas, etc etc. One thing I would never get there is anything having to do with charging equipment for a phone.

Second that! Bought an iPad charger, and though it looked the same, the pins were just barely far enough apart that I could not plug it in!! If they’re that sloppy on physical measurements, not a chance I would trust the electronics inside.

 

[WGroleau]

Just wondering, does Spain not have super big box stores like Wal-mart, which tend to kill off smaller discount stores like Chino stores?

Alcampo. The one in Burgos wasn’t as big as a typical Walmart but had all kinds of things and I shopped there often. But I bought most of my groceries at Mercadona, Día, Aldi, Simply.
I’m not aware of a Walmart in Spain, but I doubt even they could undercut the chinos.

 

[WGroleau]

The difference is the attitude about the stores. There's little question that there's a certain amount of derision in referring to these stores as "chinos". It is not a term of respect, nor are the proprietors always treated respectfully.

The attitude of some people may be a problem, and the owners should not be treated disrespectfuly, but there’s nothing wrong with the adjective or noun chino.

 

[williamlittig]

I, too, think the pool noodles (cut to size") is a great idea, but who wants to make room in their back pack to carry four of them...not me.

Leave them, it is a dollar well spent + the weigh nothing!

 

[WGroleau]

Lighting cables were for Apple products only (Apple gets more cash but also better quality control from suppliers). The EU was getting concerned about waste products so enforced an older regulation standardizing chargers and cables (i.e., why buy two sets of cables if your desktop used USB and your phone used Lighting). USB-C was their pick over Lighting.

Let me add, I'm not the guy for the best Apple or Microsoft information. The last Apple product I used (other than taking portraits with the poser's phone) was around 1990. I don't have a problem with Apple, I just haven't used it. And I've avoided Microsoft as much as I can. Microsoft business practices ... well, that's the best I can say. I'm a UNIX and Linux user by inclination and career and both have led into tech topics I'm better at.

I was also a Linux guy but switched to Apple (for the family’s sake) when they ditched their dinosaur O.S. for a BSD variant. Although the quality is generally better, ever major update irritates me with the gratuitous changes in how-to-do-things for the sake of eye candy. AND, in my experience, their charging cables need a lot more strain relief on the ends!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Leave them, it is a dollar well spent + the weigh nothing!

I hear you, but there are plenty of albergues on the less traveled routes that are not located anywhere near a China store, so you'd have to buy and carry the cut up noodle to use for a ladder from "somewhere" else. They weigh "nothing", but do not squish down, so the size is a problem.

 

[abien]

I worked for a couple of months in the city of Hangzhou, which is in the same general area. Hangzhou used to be the capital of China at one stage and is quite a famous city. Unfortunately it is very polluted now.

However, as noted, they make great hand-pulled noodles there and I used to entertain myself at night by going to eat at a local food court where in one of the booths the staff made the noodles fresh for customers as they ordered them. I would order then sit there eating and watching the main guy making the noodles in public. Such a great skill.

View attachment 165841

 

[abien]

This Mainland Chinese hotpot place by my house 海底撈 calls it Dancing Noodles and charges US$5 for one small serving. I'll bet it wasn't that much in Hangzhou!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

This Mainland Chinese hotpot place by my house 海底撈 calls it Dancing Noodles and charges US$5 for one small serving. I'll bet it wasn't that much in Hangzhou!

Sorry I can't remember the price but it was a decent sized serving and it certainly wasn't expensive but it was great tasting and without MSG.

 

[Canche]

Just ask anyone for "donde los chinos"