We haven't really figured out a routine for grocery shopping here. In Seattle we would go to the farmer's market and grocery store on Saturday or Sunday and stock up for the whole week, but when there are markets within walking distance multiple times a week that seems silly. It's also impossible given the size of our fridge.
It almost feels like camping because the kitchen and everything in it is small - the sink, the stove, the oven. I was thinking about baking a cake that called for being baked in a sheet pan, when I realized that not only did I not have a sheet pan, one wouldn't fit in my oven anyway. The biggest pot we have now is one we brought from Seattle and it barely fits in our sink.
The end result is that we're eating less, not really by design but because everything is smaller. (I'm sure that we're making up for it in Kuchen consumption though, don't you worry.)
Everything is sized for small kitchens and refrigerators, so the milk comes in 1 l containers, the butter in 250 g (1/2 lb) packages and the flour and sugar in 1 kg (2.2 lb) bags. In Seattle we would buy cartons of 18 eggs at a time - here we get 6 or 10. It feels like we're constantly running out of something. On the up side, we're not wasting any food. I've been forced to use what food we have since I'm home most days for lunch - today I had the dregs of Gruyere melted on the next-to-last apple on the next-to-last piece of super-grainy pumpernickel bread.
In our fridge right now we have about a tablespoon of yogurt, a little butter, some ginger, a few carrots, parsley, leftover chicken (and stock made from said chicken), one piece of bread, six eggs and a hunk of Parmesan.
It meant no milk in my coffee this morning, but the fun thing is that if I didn't feel like going shopping (or if it were Sunday when shopping is not an option) I would be able to figure out something to make with those ingredients. (Scrambled eggs with Parmesan and a grated carrot salad with parsley, in case you're curious.) I'm sure we'll get into a routine eventually, but for the moment it keeps things interesting.
3 comments:
That fridge looks about the size of the one I had in my college dorm room hehe.
Glad to hear things are going well. :-)
Clearly you two are obese Americans who have to get used to the European ways. ;) How has the weather been treating you guys there? Early on it sounded as if it would be similar to Seattle. Is it chilly yet?
I know, the fridge is totally a dorm fridge, but with a vegetable drawer and a better freezer. I feel like I can't buy any condiments because there's nowhere to put them!
The weather is quite similar to Seattle, though I think it's a bit colder than Seattle and not quite as rainy (though still rainy). It sounds like there's a lot of sleet here in the winter, so that's something to look forward to! Today was beautiful though, sunny and even a little warm if you stood in the sun.
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