During a Skype conversation with my mother yesterday, I got the distinct impression that she wanted to rend her garments in agony after hearing what I’ve been eating lately. However, she operates under the belief that it’s not possible to get protein unless you’re eating meat multiple times per week, so I’m tempted to take her critique of my eating habits with a grain of salt. But here’s a bit of an update on food in England:
- Supermarkets are a mess. The concept of a Genuardi’s or Publix or Food Lion doesn’t really exist here. Instead, there are a series of smaller supermarkets (such as the Co-operative or Mark and Spencer’s) that sell some food, but inevitably not what you’re actually looking for.
- Prices of food can fluctuate wildly with no apparent explanation, either between stores or within particular stores on different days. Also, food frequently goes on sale here for no particular reason (expiration date sales have their own special stickers), which at first raised questions as to its quality, until I realized that cheap food is still food and should be bought without question.
- Certain foodstuffs that are extremely common in the United States (for instance, lunch meats that aren’t pig-based or ground turkey) seem not to exist at all in England. This put a huge wrench in my plans to make sandwiches to take with me to college every day and save money on buying lunch. Also, it means that easy and quick protein-rich dishes, like turkey-based meat sauce, are out of the question.
- Moreover, certain staple items (like popcorn, corn in general, or broccoli) that are available are prohibitively expensive. On the other hand, less functional foods like arugula, watercress, and Nutella are basically free.
- While I expected that cooking would come to be a relaxation activity for me, it turns out that my attitudes haven’t changed very much since arriving in England. Making a meal does not, under any circumstance, become an opportunity for me to spend time with my thoughts in the kitchen while leisurely stirring a pot; time is of the essence, and sacrifices can and will be made as a result.
- Easy and cheap meals quickly enter heavy rotation. For instance, rice and lentils, a meal that requires about £1 in ingredients and 20 minutes of time to prepare, has become my primary foodstuff.
- Sautéing vegetables and eating that as a main course has become and will remain totally acceptable.
- British bagels, as my attempt at a “nice Jewish breakfast” this morning demonstrates, are weird and borderline disgusting. The lox, on the other hand, is just fine.
- Kitchen supplies, at least in my apartment complex, are hard to come by. The disjointed series of pots and pans my flat came equipped with features a number of defective members with problems including: no lids, caked on dirt that no amount of cleaning can fix, no handles, and useless sizing. Also, we have two complete sets of silverware and one good knife — that’s it. I don’t know whether this is because our flat for five came woefully under-equipped or if, as I suspect is the case, people from other apartments have been stopping by to “borrow” silverware, plates, and bowls with no intention of returning them.
But in the big scheme of things, I’m not starving. And I’ve found a series of good, fairly inexpensive lunch restaurants near Wadham where I can have a decent meal in the middle of the day. That, at least, compensates for the sauteed vegetable/lentil/PB&J sandwich dinners that have been going on for the last few weeks.