28 February 2009 - Foraging for food

[Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf." Need I say more?]

I consider myself a reasonably good cook, by which I mean that I can follow recipes pretty well and the result is rarely an, um, "burnt offering." But I don't have the ability to look at the random items in my refrigerator and cupboards and make something totally new. I liken it to jazz. I may enjoy jazz and may play the clarinet well, but that does not a jazz musician make. And let's be honest -- I'm an accountant and accountants are not generally known for their creativity and ability to riff (unless you're talking SAS 99, and then I am a maniac!).

So, back to cooking. My cookbooks arrived last Friday along with my other sea shipment items and I have done a fair amount of cooking. (I should note that there are neither Taco Bells nor Chipotle restaurants here, hence the need to forage for my own food.) I figured that, aside from conversions to metric when buying items, it shouldn't be a big deal. I was, of course, wrong. (I am so used to being wrong here that it almost feels right.)

First, there is the layout of the grocery store. I consider myself particularly fortunate to be so close to a large (by German standards) grocery store. But the layout of the store is confusing to me. When you enter the store, you go first through the beverage section (unfortunate, because it automatically increases the weight of your basket significantly -- I am too cheap to use a cart, plus I have to schlep everything back home, so I want to be sure I can carry everything). Then you pass through the frozen foods section (small by comparison to the US), then as you track against the refrigerated cases on the left (which turns into the cheese and meat counter), there are aisles containing (in rough order) personal hygiene products, cleaning products, pet supplies, sweet snacks/treats, salty snacks, canned foods, sauce and soup mixes, more mixes, the foreign foods aisle, olives and olive oil, baking ingredients, random stuff, and then health food across from coffee supplies which also includes the boxed milk. Then you round the bend and you're in an area with a salad bar, various packaged breads, cereal, and the produce area. In between the two areas is a narrow aisle with paper products and magazines. The general idea of sticking to the other edges for produce and fresh things still applies, I suppose, but I find it rather confusing, especially as I try to outfit my kitchen with the basics. I find myself going back and forth and staying for much longer than one would think necessary. Yeah, that's right, Rewe employees, I am stalking your food.

Spices are an interesting situation. They offer spice plants -- a live plant that you just clip off what you need. But they only offer such plants for a few spices. If you want (just for example, and based on my resumes) fresh rosemary, thyme, or basil, you are out of luck. So when your recipe calls for that? Uhhh....

Produce is equally puzzling. Most items are wrapped up in plastic wrap of some sort. There are a few items under the mister, but not many. Tomatoes, onions and potatoes, for example, come in a variety of "denominations" but there isn't a big bin where you choose your own individuals items. Even if you only need one potatoe, you will take this entire bag. And love it. I was, however, amazed at the variety of available types of mushrooms. I will have to investigate that. And the tomatoes are phenomenal. Bok choy? Non-existent. Stay tuned for whether regular cabbage can be used in place of this Chinese cabbage for a soup.

When it comes to meat and cheese, the Rewe is kind of like a Whole Foods. There are a few pre-packaged items, but generally you have to request what you want from a real person. Which, of course, generally requires German skills. Uhhhh.... So last week I had a recipe that called for Gruyere cheese, which I could not find in the regular refrigerated case, so I cautiously approached the woman at the counter and asked in my best German if she had Gruyere cheese. She said (in German), "Of course," and proceeded to ask how much I wanted. Doh! Metrics! I told her I only speak a bit of German, and indicated with the distance between my thumb and index finger about how much I wanted and she obliged. Little steps forward. I haven't ventured into buying protein products yet.

Things that I consider "staples" are also tricky to pin down. Bread crumbs? Nope. (I crushed some whole weat Wasa crackers tonight, which seemed to do the trick for the bread crumbs required for the very tasty Wild Mushroom Barley & Mini Meatball Soup.) Corn starch? Not so much. (Do I just use flour as a thickener? Anyone?) While I was looking for corn starch, I was also looking, for future reference purposes, for baking powder and baking soda. Um, not seeing it. However, I am delighted to report that I DID find some Tabasco sauce! Just the regular flavor, unfortunately, though the packaging insert describes the green and chipotle varieties, so hope springs eternal. It also provided a recipe for a chili-burger, which may be worth checking out. I do so miss my Cholula sauce, though.

The photo for this blog is the roses I bought today (yes, for myself). They are as brilliantly colored as the photo indicates. Price for these 18 pieces of beautiful goodness? Only €5. Deal!! And yes, of course I'm worth it!! There are three floral shops within about as many blocks from my place, so I have started frequenting them. Alas, the tulips I have bought the last two weeks have immediately begun to open, despite my adherence to the instructions of the clerk to cut off about an inch and put them in cold water.