Contents of This Post
What is PX Mart?; Why should tourists go there?; Caramel-flavored drinking yogurt; Label notes; Explanation of GR Tonal Spelling
What Does the Name Mean?
The somewhat oddly named PX Marts that one sees all over Taiwan are a supermarket chain with 975 stores (17 January, 2019). PX Mart’s Chinese name is 全聯福利中心 Quánlián Fúlì Zhōngxīn / Chyuanlian Fwulih Jongshin, which loosely translates as “National Employee Benefits Center.” When I first came to Taiwan, these stores only served soldiers and civil servants, but my wife was a public high school teacher, so we could get in with her government ID (people with military experience will guess that PX Mart stands for Post Exchange Supermarket).
[Pxmart Taipei Dongmen 20131015 (全聯福利中心東門店), CC--BY-SA Solomon203: this store, unknown to most visitors, is located in a quiet alley just off one of Taipei's busiest tourist destinations, Yongkang Street]
https://www.google.com/maps/dir//yongkang+street+PX+Mart
[No. 6, Lane 7, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 10651]
Although they were opened to the general public in 1998, they have gradually modernized while retaining some of their no-frills, low price approach. Many stores are located in basements only accessible via steep, narrow stairs (but some do have elevators for elderly or disabled passengers). Seen from the street, some stores have a smallish first floor that might make them seem like a crowded convenience store, but behind one of the tall shelves you will often find a steep staircase that opens up into a much larger basement with many well-stocked aisles.
Why would a tourist or short term visitor want to visit a supermarket? Two words: cheap choices.
(1) PX Mart has some of the lowest prices around. A single banana in a convenience store might cost NT$15, but a similar fruit at PX Mart would only cost you NT$10. If you’re on a budget, the expenses add up. I like to save my money for truly special things.
(2) A supermarket provides many more choices. Convenience stores generally only stock a few different brands with a higher markup. I like to explore and try new things, such as this caramel-flavored drinking yogurt: on the left is the sugar-free version: 焦香優酪乳 jiāoxiāng yōuluòrǔ / jiaushiang iouluohruu “caramel-scented yogurt”
[Food Label for Mannshwu Drinking Yogurt: 慢熟,加糖,原味,香料,色素,膠體 Mannshwu, jiatarng, hyuanwey, shiangliaw, sehsuh -- GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh)]
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GR Tonal Spelling Note
The cover art for this post shows how tones in GR Tonal Spelling are shown via mnemonic spellings. The second stroke of the y in Chyuanlian is a giant, unforgettable reminder that the 2nd tone is a rising tone. Similarly, the w in Fwu is also a 2nd tone. lian is unmarked, so it is automatically 2nd tone. Lih end in a pure vowel, so the -h is a 4th tone mnemonic (notice how the second half of the last stroke in -h is abruptly falling: a clever, unforgettable reminder).
