Adventures in an Italian Grocery Store...

One of the things that really surprised me when we first moved here (and I meant to blog about a while ago) was the concept of the Italian grocery store. Now there are a few ''big'' grocery stores that would be similar to say 'discount store' like what we have in the states but no where near the same in size. Or in frequency. Where a town of 50,000 in the U.S. might have a Walmart or two, a Target and a K-Mart...you won't find that here. At all.

There are a handful of "discount'' stores in Vicenza that sell groceries and have a small home-goods section with pots and pans, an area with laundry room/bathroom items, a small electronics section and maybe even a small clothing section. An aisle or two for toys and maybe a corner dedicated to outdoor gardening. Emisfero, Iper Simply, Auchan and EuroSpar would be those stores. And keep in mind Vicenza is a ''large'' city (795,123 was the population of the province in 2004). But rather than getting a vacuum at Emisfero, you would go to MediaWorld for a selection of more than two models. If you needed Tylenol, you're better off going to a Farmacia. They just don't do the ''one stop shopping'' like we're used to, in fact I would almost go so far to say that is the biggest difference between living in the states and living in Italy (aside from culture/history): convenience. There isn't a 24 hour grocery store. There aren't drive thru's (and I mean drive-thru anything...banks, restaurants, quick coffee stops, pharmacy...nothing). There is no such thing as a "Convenience store"...it just doesn't exist.

So while we do shop ''on the economy'' at our local little grocery store, it's about once a week/every 2 weeks. There are certain things we get every time we go: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, breakfast pastries, hot food {lasagne} from the 'deli', Coca-Cola (made with real sugar, not HFCS), pasta and a few frozen foods/treats. But it isn't very convenient. First off, the parking lot is tiny and driving a minivan means parking a ways out. Secondly, in order to use a cart you have to have a .50cent piece or a €1 coin to get a cart (just like the quarter you need to shop at Aldi) which I seem to have €20 in change when I don't need it and only american change when I do. Third, their hours can be...wonky. They are closed on Tuesday, they are only open until 1:30 on Sunday, some days they aren't open at all and I don't know why. And it seems like every time I go, it's insanely crowded! Long checkout lines but skinny checkout lanes make it an ordeal.

But lastly some of it is just so different than everything we're used to. I went to the store on Saturday morning as I wanted produce but not huge quantities like what we get at the street market. I snapped quite a few photos while there so that years from now we can remember why we never bought eggs in Italy.

Okay, so for example...eggs. In every grocery store in the states, usually in a back corner is the dairy section: milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, cream, etc. Well Italians, they do it different. They don't really "do" fresh milk. Here in the Veneto region, we do have ''milk machines'' (check out my BFF Amy's post on those here) but most places in Italy and most stores, they sell mostly shelf stable milk. UHT milk. In tiny little cartons. Cartons far too tiny for our family of six. So there isn't so much a dairy section as a milk aisle...

And the milk, it isn't horrible. It is different, it leaves a film in your cup. I don't usually drink a glass of milk {unless it's with a sleeve of Oreos} so I can't comment on the direct taste but I use it in cooking/baking and on cereal. I try to keep a few boxes on hand just in case we run out of fresh milk (which we buy 3 or 4 at a time from the milk vending machine). Sissy drinks it straight and doesn't complain. To each their own I guess!

So if there isn't really a dairy section...where are the eggs you wonder? Oh, right here...on the end of aisle 3. Not refrigerated. Not cold. Not even sold in ''dozens'' but in packages of six. I'm all for experiencing Italy while we live here, but I cannot eat warm eggs. I can't.

So the 'dairy' section that there is, I didn't get a great photo of (I already stand out as an American, taking photos isn't earning me any street cred) but it's usually with the produce. 

That narrow picture of the cold milk above? That's the entire cold milk section. Next to it is yogurt and across is cheese. Lots of cheese. Stinky cheese, Philadelphia cream cheese, fresh mozzarella...more cheese than you can imagine.

And again, I couldn't get a photo without looking like a total creeper but when you get produce in Italy (if it's not prepackaged by weight in a bag/plastic carrier) you have to wear gloves. Plastic disposable gloves, as you don't touch the fruit with your hands. If the above photo there is a woman standing near her husband and shopping cart, you might be able to see the glove on her right hand.

So while those are the three biggies that shocked us (small dairy section, hot eggs and protective wear for produce) there are a few more that you just don't think about unless you're there. Like, pasta. Obviously this is Italy, there is going to be pasta. What you don't think of is the fact that there is an aisle and a half, JUST for dry pasta. The photo below, that's just the Barilla pasta section...nothing but pasta spans the entire aisle...

So if you can picture it, imagine that section times four...it's the entire aisle and I am not exaggerating. We always buy our pasta "on the economy'' and never at the commissary. Pasta at Ali is anywhere from €.38-€1 a box, usually with some sort of ''buy one get one free'' special. Way cheaper than the commissary! There is also 1/2 an aisle for sauces/canned tomatoes and another 1/2 aisle for olive oil. Both items we typically buy at Ali.

Okay, this next thing I saw literally over a year ago and never blogged about but I have to, as I never want to forget the opportunity I had but never gave my kids while we lived in Italy....Italian baby food.

 Look closely...there is Beef, Horse, Turkey, Rabbit and Salmon flavors to choose from...

 BLAH! Seriously. Can you imagine opening a jar of "Filet of Salmon'' and feeding it to your kiddo? How about cracking the lid on some Rabbit? I know it's a culture thing but geez does that skeeve me out!

Now that you've got that lovely smell on your mind, lets move on to....Vino!

Three aisles of Vino to be exact, at our tiny little corner grocery store. Go to Emisfero and there is a HUGE section of wines. They range in price from €1.80 (About $2.40 a bottle) and up. It's typically sorted by type "prosecco, frizzante, brut, etc" then by color or region.

But, it's cheaper if you just grab the wine ''to go'' in little self serve vino ''juice boxes''...

My fat thumb is covering up the writing but those little boxes average 11% alcohol by volume! I'll be honest, I've never tried it but at €1.20 for 3 boxes, I'm guessing it's a pretty average table wine. 

So that's this American's take on the Italian grocery store. Just like I have my opinions on Italy, they have their opinions on America. 

I leave you with this frozen pizza that is ''AMERICAN'' Style Supreme...

"Soft, crunchy with mozzarella'' crust topped with pepperoni, ham, peppers, mushrooms, CORN and tomatoes. Can we say 'Yum'?
Ugh,
I've been away from the states for 18 months now but can someone please reassure me that Pizza Hut hasn't added corn as a pizza topping? If that's so, I'll hit up the vino aisle and never leave...

"It's not bad, just different!''

My friend Amy (whom I met here in the hotel, doing laundry...she has four kids too!) was telling me how she catches herself saying this when referring to being here, in Italy.

"It's not bad, just different'' and I think that's the best way of describing it. I haven't been here for very long and in all honesty, I haven't seen very much in the grand scheme of things but so far we are enjoying ourselves. A lot of what we do on a day to day basis is similar to life in the States. We're on the military base so we go to the PX, the commissary, eat a mediocre lunch at Burger King...pretty much the same thing you can do on any military base. But off post, things are different. Not bad, just different.

When we first arrived here and ventured out, I was kinda shocked at how old and (for lack of better word) trashy parts of our new country looked. Dilapidated houses, dogs and cats roaming freely, abandoned buildings, laundry lines everywhere, billboards/advertisments in random places...but then it kinda hit me. It's not trashy....it's old. Italy is waaaaaaay older than the United States. Vicenza (the biggest city near us) was settled in the third and second centuries BC. In 49 BC Vicenza received Roman citzenship. We're talking about a place, a city that is over 2000 years older than the States. The area is very rich in history and these "dilapidated/abandoned'' houses are here because here, they don't always upgrade. They're passed down from generation to generation. Many of them look abandoned but in actuality, people live there just fine.

I was trying to explain this to Bubba, who on Saturday asked how old these buildings were downtown, near the Piazza dei Signori...

  

There was a plaque explaining that the Church (on the right side) was constructed in 1560-1565... So I explained to him that it was almost 500 years ago. I told him how when these buildings were constructed, America wasn't even the United States yet! He asked if these buildings were older than the Alamo and I told him, "yes! Much, much older...by over 200 years!" He was floored! We explained to them how the bricks and stone that made up the road were just as old. As were most of the bridges and lots of the buildings. It was really hard for him to grasp how Italy could be so much older. 

And it isn't just the buildings and construction. Everything is kinda stuck in the past (except fashion... definitely not in the past!) Italy isn't a country obsessed with having the latest and greatest in everything. Even technology is waaaaay behind the states. The Italians all use phones that I swear, T-Mobile was giving out as free phones five years ago! I'm talking phones that have one screen that is just the green backlight with the grey numerals/letters. It's not a bad thing, it's just different. The cars are all very small and I'd say about 1/2 are at least over 20 years old. Not restored as antiques, but just that old. They still work so why buy a new one? An attitude that could definitely be a lesson to many Americans!

Here are some other differences we've noticed or gotten used to:

-Grocery stores don't take debit cards or credit cards...everyone pays in cash. Everytime we plan on hopping on a bus and going somewhere you'll always hear Ron or I ask each other ''Did you take out Euro yet?". Gone are the days of just grabbing the debit card and heading out!

-Public toilets here have two buttons for flushing. One button is for number #1 and another for number #2, it's to conserve water. The boys have learned that they need to push the bigger button so they don't waste water.

-Trash is divided into 5 categories: glass, plastic/aluminum, paper, dry waste and then organic. In some parts, recycling is mandatory and punishable with a fine or jail time if you're caught not separating!

-When you go into a small grocery store, you DO NOT handle the produce. You tell the owner what you would like and how much. He will put on a pair of disposable gloves, then get the produce for you.

-Having four kiddos is rare here. Even more so than in the States. Italy is small, for the most part. Smaller houses, smaller cars, smaller families. While yes, there are the stereotypical ''big'' Italian families...it's usually made up of extended family members. I have quickly learned that anything that sounds like "Mama mia! Sono tutti e quattro i vostri bambini?" is responded with "Si, sono madre a quattro". Yes, I am the mother to all four. I get asked this on the bus, sightseeing downtown, in restaurants and usually the next question (though I'm not sure what they are saying, I can tell by the word 'femme') is something along the lines of 3 boys and just one girl.

-Not a lot of Italians know English. Luckily when shopping, several store owners know just enough. Gelato stands know enough to help you order (at least the time we did it!). Restaurants are hit or miss but usually pointing and displaying fingers of 'how many' works just fine. Most of the Italian food words, are the same words. Spaghetti, pizza, calzone, cappuccino. Ragu means a sauce with meat. Prosciutto is ham. Formaggio is cheese then obviously parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta....are all the same. When ordering water make sure to say naturale, otherwise you will get carbonated and while some people like it, I think it's gross!

Oh and word to the wise if you have kids, get ready to push their bedtime back. Italians eat late...like restaurants don't usually open until almost 7pm and service is slow. Not bad, just different. Italians take their time eating. You're not rushed to give up your table. They won't even bring you your check until you ask for it.

While eating late was fine for us over winter break, now we're back to cooking as much as we can during the week and then going out on the weekends. I just can't keep my littles up that late regularly.

-Drivers here are nuts. I'm used to the "Motorcycles are everywhere...LOOK twice'' mentality of the states. In Italy it seems to be the "oh look a motorcycle in my lane...i'll just stay here, drive 2 inches from their handlebars and then HONK because they are in my way''. It seems like the lines painted on the roads in Italy are merely suggestions. I've seen people make a one lane into two. They do not stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk unless there is a light telling them to. They will come within inches of pedestrians as well, so word to the wise...do not walk in the streets and when you have to, walk as close to the curb or the parked cars as possible.

I know that there are more differences that we encounter each day and I'll continue to share those as we go. Until then, I leave you with this sign to ponder...

Yes this on post, but being a joint post (meaning the Italians are sharing it with the United States...both Americans and Italians work here) we see quite a few new signs!