Like I said earlier, living in apartments (and having a limited budget) means that I eat from grocery stores more often than at restaurants. In Rome the store closest to my apartment was Sma (which I initially thought was a very unappetizing sound but now I associate with deliciousness) and in Florence we shop at Billa. Grocery stores here are more different from those in the US than I thought they would be, so here are some observations.
Things I like about grocery stores in Greece and Italy
- You get to print out price stickers for fresh produce, which is really fun.
- They have rolling shopping baskets instead of carts. (Once again, very fun!)
- Lots of fresh products that you don’t always find in the US, like fish and cheese (and croissants!)
Things I do not like about grocery stores in Greece and Italy
- Most people shop every day or every other day instead of stocking up for the week, so the stores are tiny and crowded.
- I have yet to find a time of day when there is not a long line to check out.
- They charge for bags (which just means I cram as much in my purse as I can if I forget to bring bags.)
- Lots of cashiers act really grumpy if you don’t have exact change.
- You bag your own groceries (which is fine, except if you’re not fast enough they glare at you.)
Some of my favorite newly discovered products
- Tronky: This is a chocolate bar made by the same people who make Ferrero Rocher. It is hazelnut chocolate cream inside wafers and I think it is my favorite candy ever. It is so good that I am on the waiting list for when Amazon starts selling it.
- Fresh mozzarella: I have written three different pieces so far about how much I love this cheese. I know that you can find it at home, but I’m going to miss buying it from the old lady who makes it herself every day. I’ve eaten mozzarella and tomatoes for lots of lunches, and I just know what they sell in Safeway in Sahuarita won’t taste the same.
- ACE juice: A blend of carrot, orange and lime juice that I started drinking it when everyone was getting sick. (I don’t think I’ve talked about the illness yet! When we were in Greece a bunch of people got some terrible digestive bug that kept them on the toilet 24/7 for three or four days. The professors started calling it Agamemnon’s Revenge and bought the local pharmacy out of Imodium.) Apparently ACE is more common than plain orange juice here and it’s delicious.
- Schweppes Pompelmo in Rosa: This is something I just found in Florence. As far as I can tell it’s tonic mixed with grapefruit juice. It’s pretty low calorie and very refreshing. Soda is expensive here so if I want something other than water this is usually what I drink.
- Nutella: Yes, I know that you can buy Nutella in the States, but it is a staple/obsession here. They sell it in everything from single serving packages to huge tubs with hundreds of servings. They put it in pretzels, croissants and gelato, and I love it. Grishma (who shares my love of hazelnut) and I can happily eat half a loaf of bread with Nutella for dinner.
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