Food

The food issue.

This is beyond June Cleaver of me, and perhaps a little cliche, but I actually really liked going to the grocery store at home in the US.  Free samples, a place that housed everything I needed...choices.  I was a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods junkie, loving all the healthy choices, and more importantly, loving the fact that 70% of what I was buying was already at least semi-prepared (by Spanish standards).  Seemingly guilt-free kid food like turkey hot dogs, free-range chicken nuggets, yo baby, bunny crackers, frozen waffles, GALLONS of milk and OJ.  The Applegate company?  My savior.  My kids would eat it, it was quick, and, for the most part, was pretty healthy as long as I tossed some fruit and veggies on the plate too.  Yeah, of course, there were Happy Meals, lollipops, and cupcakes too -- but for me it was (and still is) about balance: mostly good, so I didn't feel guilty about the treats and junk that were inevitable.  And if I could quickly assemble a decent toddler meal for my kids in less than 10 minutes, that was paramount. 

It was kind of a rude awakening when we got here in Spain.

A couple things about the food.

OK, let me give my small print disclaimer here: you can likely find anything you are looking for somewhere in the city. Different grocery stores have different stuff, and there are a few huge departments stores with international grocery sections, along with American specialty shops, that have a lot of stuff like prepared soups, sauces, etc. However, on a day to day basis, when you don't want to travel across the city for salad dressing, this is my reality here in Poblenou.

The grocery stores, in general, do not sell a lot of prepared foods -- and if they do -- there is usually just one or two options for that kind of food.  One brand and style of hummus.  One sour cream.  One butter.  And by prepared foods, I don't mean those lovely salad bars and displays of ready-to-eat dinners.  I mean things like canned soup, pancake mix, spaghetti sauce, rice pilaf, dessert mixes -- they don't exist.  And if they do, they aren't what you expect them to be.  My grocery store is 80% whole foods (ironic play on words here).  Bread, meat, cheese, beans, pasta, veggies, fish, oils...yet, oddly enough, there IS  an entire aisle dedicated to potato chips.  This could explain my new found obsession with Pringles.  Regardless, most of the prepared stuff is cookies, crackers, pastries, and pickled stuff.  The frozen prepared foods usually require frying, and aren't terribly healthy or appetizing.   

This used to be kind of a big deal for me.  I can remember the first week we were here, I had absolutely no idea what to cook.  I was all turned around.  I didn't know what kind of meats were at the grocery store, I was scared of the produce section because you had to weigh and label your own fruits and veggies, and I couldn't find half of what I needed because things are never where you expect to find them.  The cream is shelf stable and located over by the pasta.  The eggs are room temperature at the end of the meat aisle.  The tuna is in the cheese aisle.  There was a stretch of time when our meals consisted of bread and cheese, because that was all I was capable of figuring out. 

As a result, we've had to make a few changes around here...

1.  If I want to eat something (and have it taste the way I want), I have to make it myself -- from scratch.  Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but this is a whole other level.  Because there are practically no places for take-out (aside from the rotisserie chicken joints, which are amazing and our Sunday afternoon ritual), and very few prepared foods in the supermarket, I am making everything we eat from scratch most days.  Feeling like salsa?  Better find me some tomatoes and cilantro.  In the mood for chicken soup?  Better get myself a whole chicken and start boiling.  So many foods I would have just bought ready made, I now cook from scratch-- chicken nuggets, rice pilaf, mac & cheese, pancakes, salsa, dip, spaghetti sauce, soup, muffins, salad dressing, etc.  All me.  And over the past year, this has gone from annoying...to kind of challenging...to no big deal...to my preferred way of doing things.  As long as I have a pantry stocked with 10 or so staples, all I need to do is swing by the butcher to grab a protein, and I'm set for dinner.

2.  Our children no longer eat "kid food" for dinner.  In fact, they rarely eat it at all.  They eat whatever we eat, because it takes enough effort just to make one dinner, there's no possible way I'm going to make two.  They get a smaller plate of whatever I made for Chris and I.  Do they always eat it?  Nope.  Mia has always been my rock star eater and will eat pretty much anything, but Evan is ultra picky so this has been a challenge for him.  There are days I definitely gear it more towards stuff I know they prefer -- making my version of chicken nuggets or spaghetti and meatballs, but gone are the days of a separate kiddie dinner 7 days a week.  Remarkably, as a result, not only are they now eating a much wider variety of foods, but Evan in particular has stopped whining for specific foods when he doesn't like what is in front of him.  They know dinner is dinner.

3.  Our grocery bill is about 1/3 of what it was in the US.  Produce is cheap, cheap, cheap here, in comparison to the US, and the whole foods like sacks of rice, flour, and eggs aren't racking up a big bill.  I love that you always know what is in season, because it is offered very cheaply in bulk.  I know my food is fresh and local, and I can get a whole cart full of fruit and veggies for less than $20.  Plus, since we have a small fridge, I can only buy for 2 or 3 days at a time, and we generally almost always eat all the food before it goes bad.  What a concept. 

4.  I dig Mom and Pop shops.  The traipsing around to 4 different stores for stuff used to drive me nuts.  But I'm loving it now...the shop keepers know their stuff, and it kind of makes you feel like everyday is a special occasion, because they treat the products with such pride and care.  Seriously, I know this sounds odd...but there is something to be said for a chicken specialty shop that starts with a whole chicken (head included), and expertly butchers it in front of you in order to get you your kilo of ground chicken breast.  For a while I used to avoid going to the same shops too often because I was afraid if they saw me too regularly, we would get beyond the "Hello, how are you?" phrases, and they would start asking more questions about myself (in Spanish) forcing me to stumble through and make an ass of myself.  Pathetic, I know.  I'm starting to get over this...maybe because my Spanish is improving, but mostly because I really like my Mom and Pops.  We pretty much live on Sesame Street -- everyone knows everyone, and it is very child focused -- so the fact that they wave at us across the street and give my children free fuet (tiny cured little sausage type things here --I have no idea what is in them, or what is used as the "casing", nor do I want to know, but my children love them) when we come in, makes me want to keep coming back.  It appears they are slowing chipping away at my shy little introverted exterior...

Anyway, I am sure when we get home to the US, I'm going to happily embrace Eggo waffles, Rao's Marinara Sauce, and Goldfish once more (my sister recently sent us a care package for XMAS that included Goldfish...they were gone in less than 10 minutes.  SO.  GOOD.) But I'm thankful for the eye opening experience here that has actually made me a better cook and helped me realize that not only is it easy to make things yourself, it often tastes better and is much better for you.   

Some of my "keeper" base recipes that will save you big $$$ in case anyone is interested:

Basic White Sauce

*  This sauce has been a life saver for me.  It can take the place of Cream of Chicken Soup for a lot of recipes (if you add some poultry seasoning to it), and is so easy to make.  I add Parmesan cheese to this for an Alfredo sauce, a cheddar blend for Mac & Cheese sauce, or curry powder for a Chicken Divan type of dish.  Good stuff, and always have the ingredients in the pantry.

3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup of milk
salt and pepper

Melt butter in medium pot.  Once melted, add flour and whisk together.  Cook for 1 minute over low/med heat.  Add stock and milk, and raise heat while whisking constantly.  Keep whisking while bringing to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 5-10 minute until it thickens. 

 Rice Pilaf

* I used to buy the Near East boxes religiously at home in the US for almost $2 a box.  Turns out -- no need.  If you buy a sack of rice and a sack of orzo, you can have pilaf for a month for $2.  It is easy.

1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons of orzo pasta
1 cup of rice
2 cups of chicken broth

Melt butter in sauce pan, add orzo.  Saute orzo over med heat until it starts to brown, then add rice and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done according to rice directions.

My favorite pancake recipe (easy and so good):   PANCAKES

My favorite chicken soup recipe (Ina is a genius): CHICKEN SOUP

Enjoy!