Have you considered that shopping in a traditional European way could save you time, money, and make you healthier?
American Shopping
The American style of shopping is to get in a car once a week, visit a supermarket, pile the usual list of processed foods, days-old produce, and industrialized meat into your cart. Then, you lug it all home and stow it in the freezer, refrigerator, or pantry. It’s a major event in your week and takes hours to complete.
A week later, you toss the things that have spoiled and wish you had more pantry space, because it’s time to go shopping again.
Saving Money
Making a shopping list and sticking to it could be a bad idea. When you arrive at a store, try to be flexible. Check what’s on sale. While wonderful fresh produce is never cheap, what’s seasonal and abundant will cost less than what’s out-of-season and scarce. Most of all, buy what you can use while it's still fresh and full of nutrition. Every bit of food that you throw away is money wasted.
City Lifestyle
With small kitchens, less storage space, and in many cases no car, the European method fits the city lifestyle much better than the American style that grew out of a more suburban way of living. Give it a try! You could find that you are eating better, getting more exercise, and saving money.
When you think of a French or Italian cook shopping for a family meal, you envision a person visiting the marketplace, chatting with vendors, stopping by the bakery, and building a meal around what they find that is fresh, inexpensive, and seasonal.
American Shopping
The American style of shopping is to get in a car once a week, visit a supermarket, pile the usual list of processed foods, days-old produce, and industrialized meat into your cart. Then, you lug it all home and stow it in the freezer, refrigerator, or pantry. It’s a major event in your week and takes hours to complete.
A week later, you toss the things that have spoiled and wish you had more pantry space, because it’s time to go shopping again.
Farmers’ Markets are European
Farmers’ markets have given us a taste of the European method. We walk to the market, cruise the stands to see what is tempting, and build our menu. Many of us still buy too much, because we have that shopping-for-a-week mentality. But, even then, there is less waste, because the food at the market is so fresh.
Farmers’ markets have given us a taste of the European method. We walk to the market, cruise the stands to see what is tempting, and build our menu. Many of us still buy too much, because we have that shopping-for-a-week mentality. But, even then, there is less waste, because the food at the market is so fresh.
Saving Money
Making a shopping list and sticking to it could be a bad idea. When you arrive at a store, try to be flexible. Check what’s on sale. While wonderful fresh produce is never cheap, what’s seasonal and abundant will cost less than what’s out-of-season and scarce. Most of all, buy what you can use while it's still fresh and full of nutrition. Every bit of food that you throw away is money wasted.
City Lifestyle
With small kitchens, less storage space, and in many cases no car, the European method fits the city lifestyle much better than the American style that grew out of a more suburban way of living. Give it a try! You could find that you are eating better, getting more exercise, and saving money.
A friend and I were talking about Judith Jones
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Words: Penny Cherubino (Adapted from one of her "Fresh & Local" newspaper columns)
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino
