Buscando comida americana

I'm always looking for American food that I really like.  My roommate asked me one time if I just couldn't live without it and the truth is that I can most definitely live without almost everything that I'm looking for.    The difference is that it's fun.  It's interesting to see what I have to do to get something that in the states would have been really simple to find.  I would probably have walked into the grocery store and bought it without even thinking about it.

So let's talk food:

Olive Oil - Is SOOOO much cheaper here!  I've seen 6 liter bottles for less than 3 euros.  Incredible.  I think I buy the cheapest one in the states and it's still $7!

Cereal - In Texas we have an entire aisle filled top to bottom with a ton of different cereals, but here you get to choose between 10 boxes if you're lucky.  I just found an off brand of what looks like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (My favorite!).  I haven't tried it yet. :)

Soda - Their selection of soda consists of 5 flavors and then they have those flavors in diet and that's it.  Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Fanta Limon, and Schwepps.  But.....if you go to Carrefour, a big international supermarket, you can find some things that are slightly more adventurous.  Like....

...the best soda ever!!!  I knew that this little Texan delicacy could be found because one time I saw someone walking with a can in his hand.  I almost went and asked him where he got it, but now I know.  

I think that picture is awesome by the way.  My very Texan Dr. Pepper with my very Spanish Empanadilla. You eat it cold.  It has tomato and boiled egg and who knows what else in it.  It's...it's....different.  lol.  I don't really like it, but I can eat it and the truth is, it was about the size of a pizza and I ate half.  Maybe it's not that bad.  Maybe there's coke in it.  

But by far the most challenging and exciting thing I've looked for were jalapeños.  

http://www.freshplaza.es/images/2010/1101/exporta_jalapenos_peruanos.JPG

Come to Mama my sweet little babies!!  There are a lot of people that are under the mistaken impression that food in Spain is spicy.  But the spicy part of Mexican food doesn't come from the Spanish.  Spanish people like thyme, tomatoes, tuna, olives, fish, potatoes, etc.  For 5 months I casually made inquiries in grocery stores, the open street markets, mexican restaurants, etc.  You can buy them jarred but fresh is the only way to eat them.  But when it comes to fresh food, this is Spain not the United States.  The US imports a huge percent of their produce.  Spanish people do not.  They eat what's in season and they grow, buy and eat locally (for the most part).  And especially here in Murcia, which is apparently la huerta de España.  Jalapeños are relatively simple to grow and the climate is perfect for them here, but Spanish people don't like spicy, so what's the point?

I had just about given up hope when someone told me to look in Corte Inglés.  Corte Inglés is like the Wal-mart of Spain but for the upper class.  It's where you go when you can't find it anywhere else or you don't want to bother with searching.  It's expensive.  Spanish people love Corte Inglés because it has what every other store in Spain lacks: variety.  You can buy almost anything in Corte Inglés: electronics, clothes, sheets, food, speciality food, make-up, bags, etc.  It's normally arranged by brand just to give you an idea.

So I went to Corte Inglés and they didn't have them, but I went ahead and asked the guy working in produce and he said they have them de vez en cuando, once in a while.  So I gave him my number and name and asked him if he would call me if they ever had them.  Only a week later I got the call.  They are the most beautiful things I have seen in a while.  :)  So perfectly plump and green. :)  By the way - they were 12 euros a kilo.  In the states they're 50¢ per pound.  Almost 12 times the price and that's without doing the conversion.  Geez.  I paid 4 euros for 6 jalapeños, it's a good thing that it only takes 1 jalapeño for each dish...

In Texas my spice tolerance runs at about a 3, 10 being the hottest.  I'm a wimp by pretty much anyone's standards, except Spaniards.  Spaniards will call it spicy if there's a sprinkle of black pepper. In Spain my spice tolerance is an 8 at least.  But what's a girl with a spice level of 3 want with Jalapeños?  Veggie Chili, Enchiladas, homemade salsa.  I'm so excited!!