Shopping List
Today I finished the last apple and cinnamon Greek yoghurt I bought the other day in Portugal. It was delicious and, unfortunately, only a Portuguese thing as far as I can find. I've never seen that flavor in Spain. It's funny how just across a border supermarkets and their contents change.
I assume most companies do research on likes, dislikes, and habits of customers by country. Sometimes they will probably research local dishes and ingredients used, so that, for example, you might not find salt pork in such abundance, say, in Catalunya, as you do in Galicia. I know they're looking to maximize income and minimize loss, but there are moments when you want to eat something not common to your area and would like to find the ingredients. Salt pork was not easy to find in Boston. My mother would buy certain pieces fresh and salt it down at home to make caldo galego on Sundays. And I assume someone from other parts of Spain would like to find ingredients here to make their own regional dishes from time to time.
But, while supermarkets change from region to region, from country to country the changes are much bigger. I like to visit supermarkets when I go somewhere new, because they tell me something about the people who live there. For example, in Portugal the spice brand Ducros changes its name to Margao. Apple cider is more common in the beverage section. Lipton ice tea and regular tea is also popular. You can find plum juice and grape flavored Fanta. (In Spain there's only orange or lemon Fanta.) For some strange reason you can find rabo de toro soup (bull's tail) in Portugal but not in Spain, where one would think it would be more popular. Rabo de toro is a popular dish in central and southern Spain. It seems that the Portuguese eat more beans than the Spanish, and definitely more salt cod. In Spanish supermarkets there's always salt cod to choose from, but in Portuguese stores there's an entire section with its own shop assistant expressly for the different cuts of salt cod. Oh, and olive oil and cat food are more expensive south of the border.
What I remember most from our trip to France was that olive oil, despite being widely used, has only a few shelves devoted to it, and is much more expensive than in Spain. The charcuterie is another thing I remember well. There was an enormous range of patés, cold cuts, smoked meats, and prepared salads on sale. It was a delight just to stare at the display, wishing my stomach were large enough (and my wallet) to be able to taste a bit of everything. In general, French supermarkets were expensive. When we crossed back over the border to Vielha in Val d'Arán, we stopped at the first supermarket to pick up picnic supplies, and were surprised to find it more popular with French from just over the border than with the Spanish. Perusing the aisles, I realized it was because the prices were lower, especially the liquor prices. People were stuffing bottles and bottles of alcohol into cars with French license plates. That's one of the advantages of living on the border with another country.
Another curious thing is the wine selection. Even if the other country is just a kilometer away, the only wines you will find are those of the country you are in. In a way, it is understandable to peddle your own before that of others. But it's a bit arbitrary, because even if a wonderful wine region is just a fifteen minute drive away, if it's over the border, only a few bottles from there just might be found in the imported section at over-inflated prices. But then, when you go to the produce section, you might find fruits and vegetables from all over the world and not from the country you're in, even if they're in season. For example, for some strange reason, in the late winter here you will find potatoes from France, sometimes even from Israel. I don't know about Israel, but I assume France has the same growing season for potatoes as Spain. So why can't you find Spanish potatoes at that time of year? The French ones on sale are just as old and wrinkled as the Spanish ones would be.
Prices, however, don't generally say much. Things in general are more expensive in Portuguese supermarkets than in Spanish stores. Yet salaries are lower across the border. It's like gas and diesel. The difference in taxes make them almost twenty centimes more expensive just across the border. Which is why in the south of Galicia you will find plenty of cars with Portuguese license plates filling their tanks at Spanish gas stations. In France it depended on whether a gas station was manned or not. At that time diesel was around €1.30 a liter in Spain. In France we found differences from €1.20 to over €1.40. My husband and I always headed for the unmanned stations adjacent to the supermarkets that ran them, such as E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Intermarché. These supermarkets also have cheaper adjacent gas stations in Portugal. In Spain that hasn't caught on yet. Only Eroski as far as I know has them, and not all Eroski supermarkets have received licenses to open one. The only E. Leclerc I've seen here is one just outside León. Yes, they are cheaper because they cut out a salary or two, but they still have to pay for at least one employee in charge of maintenance.
If you ever travel and really want to know how people live in another place, just visit a supermarket.
I assume most companies do research on likes, dislikes, and habits of customers by country. Sometimes they will probably research local dishes and ingredients used, so that, for example, you might not find salt pork in such abundance, say, in Catalunya, as you do in Galicia. I know they're looking to maximize income and minimize loss, but there are moments when you want to eat something not common to your area and would like to find the ingredients. Salt pork was not easy to find in Boston. My mother would buy certain pieces fresh and salt it down at home to make caldo galego on Sundays. And I assume someone from other parts of Spain would like to find ingredients here to make their own regional dishes from time to time.
But, while supermarkets change from region to region, from country to country the changes are much bigger. I like to visit supermarkets when I go somewhere new, because they tell me something about the people who live there. For example, in Portugal the spice brand Ducros changes its name to Margao. Apple cider is more common in the beverage section. Lipton ice tea and regular tea is also popular. You can find plum juice and grape flavored Fanta. (In Spain there's only orange or lemon Fanta.) For some strange reason you can find rabo de toro soup (bull's tail) in Portugal but not in Spain, where one would think it would be more popular. Rabo de toro is a popular dish in central and southern Spain. It seems that the Portuguese eat more beans than the Spanish, and definitely more salt cod. In Spanish supermarkets there's always salt cod to choose from, but in Portuguese stores there's an entire section with its own shop assistant expressly for the different cuts of salt cod. Oh, and olive oil and cat food are more expensive south of the border.
What I remember most from our trip to France was that olive oil, despite being widely used, has only a few shelves devoted to it, and is much more expensive than in Spain. The charcuterie is another thing I remember well. There was an enormous range of patés, cold cuts, smoked meats, and prepared salads on sale. It was a delight just to stare at the display, wishing my stomach were large enough (and my wallet) to be able to taste a bit of everything. In general, French supermarkets were expensive. When we crossed back over the border to Vielha in Val d'Arán, we stopped at the first supermarket to pick up picnic supplies, and were surprised to find it more popular with French from just over the border than with the Spanish. Perusing the aisles, I realized it was because the prices were lower, especially the liquor prices. People were stuffing bottles and bottles of alcohol into cars with French license plates. That's one of the advantages of living on the border with another country.
Another curious thing is the wine selection. Even if the other country is just a kilometer away, the only wines you will find are those of the country you are in. In a way, it is understandable to peddle your own before that of others. But it's a bit arbitrary, because even if a wonderful wine region is just a fifteen minute drive away, if it's over the border, only a few bottles from there just might be found in the imported section at over-inflated prices. But then, when you go to the produce section, you might find fruits and vegetables from all over the world and not from the country you're in, even if they're in season. For example, for some strange reason, in the late winter here you will find potatoes from France, sometimes even from Israel. I don't know about Israel, but I assume France has the same growing season for potatoes as Spain. So why can't you find Spanish potatoes at that time of year? The French ones on sale are just as old and wrinkled as the Spanish ones would be.
Prices, however, don't generally say much. Things in general are more expensive in Portuguese supermarkets than in Spanish stores. Yet salaries are lower across the border. It's like gas and diesel. The difference in taxes make them almost twenty centimes more expensive just across the border. Which is why in the south of Galicia you will find plenty of cars with Portuguese license plates filling their tanks at Spanish gas stations. In France it depended on whether a gas station was manned or not. At that time diesel was around €1.30 a liter in Spain. In France we found differences from €1.20 to over €1.40. My husband and I always headed for the unmanned stations adjacent to the supermarkets that ran them, such as E. Leclerc, Carrefour and Intermarché. These supermarkets also have cheaper adjacent gas stations in Portugal. In Spain that hasn't caught on yet. Only Eroski as far as I know has them, and not all Eroski supermarkets have received licenses to open one. The only E. Leclerc I've seen here is one just outside León. Yes, they are cheaper because they cut out a salary or two, but they still have to pay for at least one employee in charge of maintenance.
If you ever travel and really want to know how people live in another place, just visit a supermarket.
I always check out a supermarket and cemetery in a new country. However, add cinnamon and tiny apple chunks to your yogurt.
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