I noticed a big difference in US/Australian and Indian shopping cultures, apart from the obvious mall culture and quality, specially when it comes to grocery/veg shopping. Of course, here they don't have muddy fruits-vegetable markets (which let me tell you, I loved when I was in India because of the quality and freshness of the products sold there), or the convenient corner grocery shop but what they have is pride in what they have. With the mall culture creeping now in India and people buying their everyday necessities from a mall (in big cities i.e.), it is only fair to compare the trends.
Here, like in India, they have two sections, "Home grown vegetables (or Product or Australia)" and "XYZ grown (Product of XYZ country)". Now when I was in Delhi/Hyd, I saw a big rush in people to buy those imported, foreign grown products (for whatever reasons). But here when I see people preferring Home produces and only turning to imported ones when they can't get that in home produce section, I feel a sense of delight (or may be I don't have the right word). Doesn't it make sense? It is not only about vegetables, its about the products and services in general. I wonder how much difference it would make to the country's economy if we consider such little things.
What could be the reason, we (Indians) don't have a sense for pride for our own things? Why is it that we are more satisfied buying imported products than our own? At the end of the day, wouldn't a Titan (which is world's fifth largest wrist watch manufacturer, FYI) show the same time as a Rolex? and a Lakme product make a girl as confident (and beautiful) as a L'Oreal?
