Euro Food, Part I

Those of you who have been to Europe are usually in two camps: the “OMG the food is SPECTACULAR” one or the “Why is all the food here so WEIRD?!” one. Well, I happen to have one foot firmly in each camp. Every once in a while you’ll encounter a meal that is fantastic – one for which you’d have to search endlessly in the United States. Most of us LOVE Nutella, which you can now get in the U.S. I’m always particularly interested in the ever-increasing size and creative packaging that Nutella employs to sell its product. There’s mini Nutellas, HUGE Nutellas, etc. It’s crazy….

My personal favorite dish (which I realize is a bit odd) is from when I was in Stuttgart, Germany. My buddies and I would pop by the SI Zentrum to the little restaurant for some “Maultaschen” – sort of a German version of ravioli. Summertime in Stuttgart is Spargel (asparagus) season, so you would be able to get Spargel Maultaschen. Absolutely fantastic. I’m hoping to find an equally desirable dish here in Italy…

But now, for the WEIRD food… I’m sure I’ll come up with more as time goes on...

(1) I’m searching for Activia yogurt, one of my particular favorites. I go to a shop to find the available flavors of prune, plain, fig, and kiwi with cereal/fiber. Really. No strawberry, no berry, no peach… So, I’m up for a challenge, and I decide on the kiwi. Well, I get home and pop open that bad boy and what does it taste like? Hmm? COLE SLAW. Yes. Creamy KFC COLE SLAW goodness. Good thing to know that I can slap some on some shredded cabbage and have a home-away-from-home treat.

(2) ENTRAILS! Well, yes, I do realize that there are many cultures that enjoy the tasty delicacies of tripe, etc. But rarely does one see them displayed so openly on a city street! One day, while driving through a small town near base, I happened to glance to my left… I said, “Mom, I think I just saw a display case of entrails.” She said, “Stop the car – you HAVE to get a picture of this!” So, I pulled over, walked back, and took a picture. The entrails were marinating in a display case that seemed to freshly shower them in a lemon marinade of some sort, making them even MORE tasty looking! Haha. Just as I was snapping the photo the lady who owned the store walked by and said, “Ciao!” – translation “Why is this idiot American taking a picture of this totally normal display of delicious lungs, livers and intestines! She must be crazy!”

(3) Ok, this isn’t particularly weird but my mother and I both thought it was a bit egregious to charge 3.40 Euros (approximately $4.35) for the Filet-o-Fish sandwich below. Really, I know everything in Europe is more expensive, but how can McDonalds justify a mini slice of cheese, some bread and a small filet for that much money??

(4) It’s always interesting to see what weird names different countries give their products. Now, if I were to introduce a new type of flaky chocolate tube with chocolate inside, I probably wouldn’t go with “Tronky” as my top choice…. Makes you wonder what the names were that DIDN’T make the cut…