Ask an Expat: Trouble with American Recipies, Photo Ops, and Do I Miss England?
japra | Sep 17, 2009 | Comments 17
Another fun round of questions!
A canal in Amsterdam, July 2009.
Julia asked: Do you ever have trouble with American recipes over there? It’s nice that in a recipe that calls for a can of chicken broth it’s the right size. I’m guessing it isn’t over in Europe. Is that a pain?
Cooking has been such an adventure over here, Julia. I have given up on recipes that call for things like Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup or Rotel Tomatoes. I stopped using those flavouring packs for things like taco meat and chili (I liked Wick Fowler’s mix). One of the reasons I try to cook from scratch as much as possible is that I never want to have to rely on a store bought mix again because they are hard to find overseas! As an expat, I try to make do with what I can find locally. If I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for, I use a substitute–or make my own–like homemade Old Bay Seasoning (for this awesome soup–Smoked Salmon Bisque from Simply Recipies)!
As for measuring a “can of chicken broth”, well, I just measure out 16 ounces from the large carton of broth and freeze the rest. It is kind of a pain, but I can definitely live with it! Speaking of measuring, it took me a while to get used to using a kitchen scale to measure things like flour and sugar. However, now I really prefer to measure my dry ingredients that way.
Oh, and metric versus the US customary system of measurements… let’s just say I still have to use a conversion chart.
Peggy wondered: I’ve been fortunate to have had two expat assignments … 1 year in Singapore and now 2 years in Germany. In Asia I had the astonishing experience of being approached by locals to have their pictures taken with me… on several occasions and not always in the most polite way. Has anything like that happened to you?
Wow, Peggy! I’d love to visit Singapore one day. And of course, Germany is so beautiful. We visited Bavaria last summer and loved it. Do you have a blog? If yes, I hope you’ll leave a link for it in the comments. I love reading about other people’s expat experiences… kind of like a virtual Les Deux Magots. :-)
Hmmm, your question is interesting. The only thing I’ve had happen to me that is similar to your experience was this. On our first trip to London’s Borough Market, my family and I stopped for lunch at a walk-up counter for some carver-type sandwiches. It was in March, I think, so it was pretty cold and we had on our jackets and gloves and stood huddled together, massive sandwiches in hand. I was just about to take a bite of my sandwich when I happened to glance up and saw a guy aiming a HUGE Nikon at us. Somewhere out there, there is a photo of my family tucking into those big, hot sarnies. I hope that fellow deleted that pic, though. I am sure we were not looking our best–LOL!
Akelamalu asked: Do you miss anything about England?
Uh oh. I’ve been pretty careful not to think about this because I could easily talk myself into big-time homesickness for our home-away-from-home. However, since you asked, Akelamalu, I’ll narrow it down to the ONE thing I miss most about England: our country rambles like this “round walk” near Cookham. I LOVE the English countryside with its sweet air, gently rolling terrain, soft grass, stiles, woods, rivers, public footpaths, and of course… pubs!
Oh, I can’t leave it at that… I also miss London and her museums and theatres. And I dearly miss Extra Mature English Cheddar. There’s not much call for it around here. ;-)
Well, that’s it for this round. Thanks for the questions, Julia, Peggy and Akelamalu! If anyone else is curious about life over on this side of the pond, please leave your question in the commnets and I’ll answer next Thrusday :-)
Filed Under: Blog • Expat Life • Featured
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
I’d pay practically anything for a hunk of mature English cheddar, but even Central Market doesn’t have it here 8-(
Kathy, have you tried Cabot cheese from Vermont? I used to love that stuff. The cheddar is white like in England. http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/our_products/products.php?catID=4
I thought their description for their “Seriously Sharp Cheddar” was funny:
When Sharp goes awry, when Extra Sharp earns a pucker, Seriously Sharp is born. It never tastes the same from one batch to the next. It’s a cult thing…the cheese we used to sell to hunters and truckers…on their way out of town.
I couldn’t help smiling maliciously :o) thinking what some Dutch people might think about your praises to Cheddar cheese… and what about Dutch cheese, I’m sure they might be thinking…. it’s the best in the world! :o)
What you say about the English countryside is soooooooo true!!! But I assure you that there are very lovely landscapes out there in Ned. to be explored. I mentioned the Veluwe in a previous comment – try also the Weerriben National Park here in Overijssel. It’s very nice!
My question to you for next Thursday:
being from Texas :o) how does the Dutch (or the English) weather affect you? Do you mind having to go out in the constant rain? Do you notice any change in your mood during those long months of winter?
Aledys, I am so far behind on my replies… apologies! Well, we love Dutch cheese! In fact, Gouda is one of my all-time favourites and I couldn’t get enough of it when I lived in America. And how lovely to be able to eat it every day! But yes, I do like other cheeses: English, French, Greek, Italian… well you get the idea. I do not, however, care for American Cheese. Have you ever had it? It’s ok on a hamburger or in a grilled cheese, but it is not really a stand alone kind of kaas, if you know what I mean!
Thanks for the tip about the Weerriben National Park! I need to write all of your suggestions down in my notebook so I won’t forget :-)
Interesting questions and answers today. Cooking from scratch sounds so much healthier. I just bought a whole bunch of too convenient bottled sauces today.
There is nothing wrong with bottled sauces, Christine. Knowing you, they are the healthiest you can buy as well as being tasty :-)
Interesting questions and answers today m’dear.:)
I can understand you missing all the things about England that you list – especially the cheese – I love that cheese. :)
Please eat some for me!!! And crumpets too ;-)
Oh, this is so much fun! It’s so much fun to forget things like plumbing problems, homework assignments, laundry, etc!
I am a *huge* fan of Wick Fowler’s Two Alarm Chili. And Rotel. I feel sorry for people who have never used Rotel. So sad.
I wouldn’t enjoy using conversion charts at all. Somehow I’d always be thinking that I’d got it wrong.
About English cheese – a friend’s husband (who is English) just told us that his family eats something called Stinking Bishop. Ever heard of it. Sounds gross.
Oh, that Stinking Bishop sounds awful! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_Bishop_cheese
Mr. DJ sometimes buys a brie that I have to put in a zip lock bag because it is a bit too ripe smelling for my little European refrigerator.
Loved this post.
In Jaipur we were approached by prosperous looking locals who wanted to have their photos taken with us…….
why, one asks?……!
Ha! That is funny, Elizabeth. I am not sure how I would feel about that… I would probably end up taking a photo of them as well ;-)
Really interesting post–the questions are a great idea! I am totally with you on cooking from scratch. Long ago I realised I needed to improve my adaptability and figure out how to do my own versions of AMerican recipes. But now… Ive been in the UK so long that I now have more UK cook books than American! I still like cooking totally from scratch (when I can!).
Michelloui, once in a while I use a packet of something someone has brought for me from the States. I can really tell the difference between pre-packaged and from scratch cooking now, though. I think we learn to do a lot of things as Expats that we might not have bothered with if we had stayed in our home countries! I enjoy taking the time to cook now… back in Texas, it was all take out or eat out. What a difference!
It’s always great reading your blog :) And this new feature is really interesting :)
I wanted to ask you whether maybe you could give us some tips about house hunting in the UK..any advice about the best way to go about it? We are thinking of going over to the UK for a couple of days just to look at some properties…any tips re.this? Your help would be greatly appreciated :)
Hi Krystle, wow, how exciting for you all!!! This is a very good question and one we wish we had answers for when we were looking around nearly three years ago. Is this coming Thursday soon enough for your answer? I can email you directly if you want to know ASAP.
And thanks for your kind words :-)
Thanks so much :) We just booked the flights yesterday and will be going to the UK to view properties on Wednesday next week..so I have a week to plan everything..I hope I’ll manage as I have barely started yet! :)