Food/Pain

Between all the delicious breads and knedliky (dumplings) available in this country and gorging on everything that could possibly fit in my mouth on a recent road trip to Italy, I've become a lard ass.  I decided to do something about it so I started walking.  To motivate me,  at the start of each walk I select a destination that would land me in a gourmet food store at the end of my walk.  I might be missing the point of weight loss but a girl needs motivation, right?  I'd choose a Greek market with delicious olives and hummus over a Saks 5th any day.

Living here has made me fine tune my sourcing skills.  The stores available are mostly "one trick ponies", making it impossible to get all my shopping done at once. Tesco is a department store which would be the equivalent of a Walmart, minus the pharmaceutical department, photo processing, arts and craft supplies, party stuff, and sewing supplies.  You can get most goods there but not all. There are these little shops all over the city called "Potraviny" which is the local grocer.  There seems a formula to these because all of them carry the same produce, cheap booze, basic cooking ingredients, candy and cigs.  But some are better than others. Then there's Marks and Spencer, which is a U.K. chain that has expensive imported food and clothing. I find myself running around the city for just one meal's worth of ingredients.  The small gourmet shops that have sprung up all over the city provide most ingredients you need. When you score a rare product it's the buzz in the expat community.  The news spreads like fire and you become the hero of the day.  I find myself photographing special produce to prove I've seen it.  For me, Whole Foods has become a wet dream of artfully arranged organic produce and gourmet items and I'll shed a tear when I enter one again.

The "American" section at Tesco

When I returned to the States a few months back I went to a Star Market in Nashua, NH.  My cart was filled with delicacies including Skippy, Campbell's tomato soup, Good Season's salad dressing, Ritz crackers, Magic Eraser, Mac-n-Cheese, etc... Items waiting for their journey back to C.R. to become the envy of my expat friends.

Let me preface... Having been in check out boot camp here, I start to sweat when I enter the line.  You have to arrange all of your things on the belt from heaviest/hardest to most delicate last because you bag your own items--fast.  OJ, milk and cleaning supplies first, eggs last.  If you forget to bring your bag you have to ask to buy some because the small plastic ones they give you are really thin and small. When the check out process begins, you transform into a wide receiver catching all the groceries a clerk is throwing down the line.  The faster you go, the faster she hucks your stuff at you.  You bag fast, put them in the cart even faster and have your card ready to pay.  You can't fumble because that check out clerk is one cranky lady. If you forget to scan a piece of produce prior to check out it's confiscated. There's no room for errors.

Back at Star Market in Nashua I head to the check out.  I pile all of my items in their proper order on the belt, got my card ready, and ran to the end with my cart only to stop dead in my tracks by the voice of a very nice lady.  She asked me how I was and smiled at me.  I froze.  I looked to my right and there was another lovely lady bagging my items carefully.  When the clerk was done checking she asked if I had a savings card, which I didn't.  She whispered, "No problem, I can scan mine for you, ok?"  That did it--I burst into tears.  Months of pent up frustration and anxiety over grocery shopping finally broke free.  I stood there like an idiot sobbing and laughing at the same time.

Holding a bottle of wine I had purchased the clerk said to me, "You'll be needing this tonight, my dear."  Ano.