Adjusting, and Thoughts about Food

I certainly didn't win Mother of the Year yesterday. Dismal weather, a building migraine, and the usual adjustment period when school ends and all of us are home together 24/7 made me extremely cranky. Generally, kids need structure (as do most of us, I think), and the skidding halt of school and related activities can be overwhelming. Lots of hours to fill, especially if parents don't want kids (boys especially) playing constant video games.

This morning I clipped several Sundays' worth of accumulated coupons in anticipation of more food shopping and a Target run. I've always been a coupon clipper, but since I started analyzing and changing our food habits, I've noticed there are very few useful coupons out there. Really, most of them are for processed foods. I still go through them, however, because there are some for soaps or detergent or toothpaste.

I spend a lot of time thinking about food and the choices we make. (Sometimes I think I should've named this blog "Adventures in Food Shopping"). I think we have too many choices in the United States, and that so adds to the confusion of what to eat. Last summer we spent two weeks in Italy, mostly in small towns, and saw the difference in how Europeans approach food.
There aren't many big supermarkets in smaller towns. There may be several different types of smaller markets, one for fish and another for bread, for example. The stores generally close around midday until about 4:00 p.m., so the day's meals have to be planned carefully. You can't really run out for last minute items. These smaller markets generally run out of fresh bread, for example, early in the day. No preservatives means these foods don't sit on the shelves for days on end, so you buy more often. You can't stock up on bread, like I do (I have a big freezer in my basement).

I witnessed a more personal relationship with food. You might go down the street to the man who raises chickens and ask for some fresh eggs for the day. If the market selling handmade pasta runs out, you may change your menu, rather than resort to dried (boxed) pasta like most of us do (I have about a dozen boxes in my pantry at any time). Or you make it yourself (I don't).

Meals are such an integral part of the day, and the meal itself is a topic of conversation. We ate at one home where much discussion focused on the quality of the balsamic vinegar sitting on the table. We were urged to dip into the bowl and savor the distinctive flavor. Here, I don't even think of the generic bottle sitting in my pantry until I use it to make a salad dressing, and I'm sure it is nothing special.

The disparity between American food culture and European food culture is so fascinating to me, especially as it relates to healthy, mindful eating. Michael Pollan's books explore this in great depth, but it truly doesn't become evident until you can visit another country where on a day to day basis the meal is front and center, not just an afterthought as it frequently is here.