I guess it's going to take some getting used to. For the time being, fresh bread and pasta seem to be twice the price and half as tasty...olive oil and vinegar, too. And it took a few tries to find parmesan that wasn't already grated into a plastic tub. Butter is salty, and there are so many types of milk available that I accidentally came home with the wrong kind (lactose free = thankfully, not necessary). H, my husband, did the same with the orange juice (neither of us are a big fans of the vitamin fortified stuff - isn't the normal dose of C enough?).
I sound like I'm complaining...there are plenty of good things, too! The fresh salsa at our local market is terrific...especially with jack cheese and corn tortillas (a quesadilla a day, keeps the blues at bay)...And I love it that the Nüsslisalat (aka, mâche or lamb's lettuce here in the States) comes attached to a bit of dirt to keep it fresh. We have a great wine and cheese shop just around the corner, which thrills H. They even carry wines from Switzerland and the Conero region of Marche, one our favourite little (relatively undiscovered) corners in Italy.
Talk about making H happy - he LOVES Costco and is now a proud card-toting member. It was always high on the list of things he wanted to do when visiting my parents. Now he can go as often as he likes.
I hate to end this post on a sad note, but I can't talk about grocery shopping without mentioning the bad news from the Bay Area. One of my all-time favourite grocery stores, Cosentinos, is closing next month. What a loss for the community! Cosentinos is a small, family owned business that really has it all: great food and friendly service, without the high-end pretentious feel you get with so many specialty grocers. It sounds silly, but I can't yet picture my mom’s cooking without the fresh products she got there. Certainly, the store will be sorely missed by more than just my family...
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