Thursday 3 February 2011

To see oursels as ithers see us...







Just how is your homeland perceived in other countries? If you had to write a shopping list of foodstuffs that would neatly encapsulate the beloved traditional meals and the nations favourite foods, what would be on it. Chances are you don't see the 'typical' foods of your own country the same way as foreigners do.

The photos above show the American food section of the Ka De We. The Ka De We is essentially the Harrods of Berlin. I love the food department, it's full of interesting stuff at 500 times the normal price. A box of Weetabix for example will cost you in the region of £5. Not that it's that much cheaper in the other supermarkets.

Anyway, one of my particular favourite sections is the American section. It's like they just eat crap! There's not a vegetable in sight. The only fruit that's being boasted about is 'artificial'. Do American's only eat cakes that come from a box or bottle? Do they really have AA meetings for Jim Beam sauce addicts? And what are they doing with all that 'Fluff'? I mentioned the Strawberry Fluff to my American classmate, cause I wasn't sure what you would use it for. Apparently it can be used in sandwiches in conjunction with ...did she honestly say, peanut butter??? Or was it jelly (jam)? Either way, I'm feeling a little nauseous.

Sadly, my photos just miss out the Cheese Zip. I like the name, but the idea of something cheese-based, unrefrigerated, in a plastic bottle slightly turns my stomach. Something tells me it aint 'Bio'!

And if you Brits are sniggering up the back, believe me the British products aren't much better. I'll keep those for another time. Hold on to your Kettle Chips!


12 comments:

  1. It actually makes me quite angry to see that crap. That must be what Germans who have visited the US want. Because those marshmallows are too sweet and the vanilla is off. The. Microwave popcorn is ok, but where is the no fat variety- because all Germans want is fat, fat, fat. The A1 sauce makes sense, but there's nothing else there that I would buy. Every flavor is too sweet and icky. There's no where in this country that I can buy coffee ice cream, no where that I can buy Catalina dressing. Do you know that I need to import brown sugar? Why do they think Americans want tins of tomato soup? That's disgusting. I can make a tomato soup in a minute. Why can't I buy a beef and barley without MSG in it. Arggh.

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  2. The British section in Edeka has a really massive range of something like 'House of Windsor' teas that I have never seen before in my life and I doubt if any Brit is buying.

    I always thought you'd be a Cheese Zip kinda girl as well.... so disappointed!

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  3. I haven't seen British sections in any of the supermarkets I go to :( I have to get my Tetley's Redbush shipped over by my mum.

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  4. Do you have a Karstadt near you? They tend to have a reasonably sized one in their food section, also Edeka have small sections for the U.S., UK, Mexico, China, Russia and a few other places. Galeria Kaufhof also have a good selection. The prices are enough to make you question your need for things from home - we're down to buying Robinson's Apple & Blackcurrant squash from Broken English (www.brokenenglish.de) at 2.60 Euros and anyone who visits is kindly requested to bring Cheerios and Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner (I know, you can get cleaning products here, but I just like it!)

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  5. Our Karstadt has a HUGE international section but it mostly looks like the pictures you posted; the British section just seems to consist of five bottles of Nando's marinade - not a teabag nor a jar of Colman's in sight. I don't think we have any food in our Kaufhof at all but occasionally make it to an Edeka miles out of town so will have a proper look next time I'm there, thanks for the tip. And I quite understand about the Mr Muscle... I get friends bringing over Knorr stock cubes even though there are a billion different sorts of stock in Rewe. Including Knorr.

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  6. ps I had no idea that I missed blackcurrant squash until you mentioned it.

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  7. Yes, I too am an importer of Knorr stock cubes, though I have started switching to German stock. I'm becoming such a native! pff!

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  8. Haha me too, I've been weaning myself off it and onto jars of Maggi. Although strictly speaking I don't think that's actually German. Which one do you use? Is it any good? Oh dear god I am trying to make you have a conversation about stock. I am so sorry.

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  9. As luck would have it I am also using Maggi - their Klare Huhner-Bouillon, so I imagine we could chat for hours on the subject! (incidentally, I'm whispering, so the others don't think we're too boring, it is German, but it's a Nestle brand). I have also tried Knorr Huhner Kraftbouillon. Frankly, I can't tell the difference once I've made something, and I'm drawing the line at making up half pints of both and doing a taste test with the children, though Hamish is keen to dip a finger in the jar and try it straight. I also have a jar of Bio stuff I picked up at a bio supermarket and haven't tried yet and I have another one that I'm scared to use again since I made a hideous risotto confusing TL's as tablespoons and not teaspoons. (Though Stevie declared it as delicious, ha, ha, ha!). I'd like to point out that I haven't actively sought to own the worlds largest stock collection, I just kept buying it in the hope that it would turn itself into Knorr stock cubes in the cupboard, and then I started getting the 'real thing' (Knorr Stock Cubes, that is) sent across in parcels.

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  10. Oh dear. I didn't realise Maggi was made by Nestle. Annoying, I am not a Nestle fan. (I am also whispering, I don't want to even hear MYSELF having this conversation.) I am going to have to look for another kind and am then just going to have to go round to the house of someone I met for the first time last week who said he was going to the UK this weekend and make him promise bring me some Knorr cubes back. And also get me some more tea, I've only got three redbush teabags left, it's making me nervous. ps (barely audible) I have also made the TL mistake.

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  11. As an American, I'm disgusted. Everything is so processed and bad for you. I've never even seen strawberry marshmallow fluff before finding it on the 'American' shelves here - or the marshmallow microwave popcorn, which I begrudgingly admit is actually disgustingly tasty. The only things here I would legitimately buy is JIF peanut butter ('German' pb is a joke) and the marshmallows to make Rice Krispies Treats and put in my hot chocolate (which is real Bio chocolate from Alnatura, not the powdered American crap - ick). I suppose some Americanisms are hard to break...

    I am rather surprised at the Stonewall Kitchen jams and Barefoot Contessa baking mix - those are even a bit swanky in the states. May have to pick some of those up when I visit Berlin.

    On a related note, I picked up all the things I thought I missed from the states on a visit to the American military base grocery soon after arriving here - mac'n'cheese, frozen foods, etc. - and felt immediately disgusting after eating it. It's eye-opening how much better we eat over here in Europe, and I'm so thankful!

    For more on American eating - and a possible explanation for what we see on these shelves - see: http://www.thisiswhyyourefat.com/

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  12. Hi Shoe Girl, I had a look at that website! Thanks for the link - Unbelievable, or rather it would be had I not seen the 200 metre queue waiting to buy large boxes of Crispy Creme donuts for breakfast in Las Vegas. But not normal!

    But Scottish people according to the KaDeWe survive only on boxes of Walkers shortbread...actually that does have a ring of truth about it!

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