Mini-Special: All about food

Oh yes, food in the USA... has always been a challenge during previous trips to the 'land of unlimited opportunities' (especially for me 😉). And yes, it doesn't get easier with kids. Quite the opposite.

Shopping
What all the media says is indeed true: everything has become incredibly expensive. 'Just a little shopping' (not even including meat or something), costs immediately 60-70 dollars. And unfortunately, a large part is really 'junk'. There are practically no groceries without added sugar. Bread, for example, is unbelievably sweet. The boys hardly eat any; I had to search for a long time until I found a Pumpernickel Rye Bread without any added sugar 😉 And snacks, for example: a sad story! Rice cakes without sugar? You get looked at quite strangely. Darvida? There’s nothing comparable here. Snacks (especially for kids) are packed with sugar, coloring agents, and so on. Terrible! Conclusion: we spend most of our time in the fruit and vegetable section. Everything there is very expensive, but at least everyone eats it 😉

Cooking
As you can easily guess, our 'menu selection' in the camper isn't exactly extensive. Pasta or rice with something is usually the height of our culinary experience 😉 But what the Americans have truly perfected: cooking with the microwave. It's incredible what is possible with it! Crisp vegetables in 3-4 minutes? No problem! Pre-cooked noodle soup? 2:15 minutes 😂 Of course, you can also buy countless ready-made meals, but that’s nothing new 😉 Also interesting: bagged salad lasts here an astonishing 3-4 weeks! I really don't want to know what’s in there.. 😂 We hope to be able to grill more often at the campsites now - everybody is excited about that #steakrules 😉

Eating out
So far, we've only done take-out or (of course) fast food 😉 Conclusion: if the Google reviews are good, the food is usually quite decent. And: The Americans really know how to make burgers (and fries). Even the tiniest street cafes can manage to serve delicious food (except McDonald's 🤮). It's crazy (as always in the USA): even for take-away, a 20% tip is often expected. Once, I even had to sign in a cafe that I was 'a bad person' because I selected 0% tip on the machine for the 10 seconds of interaction to receive my coffee 😂 (I survived that, or can live with it 😉) Oh, and I also get an involuntary caffeine withdrawal here for free. If anything, I only find Starbucks drinkable (after stating 'no added sugar' about 10 times when ordering - yes, really 😂🙈)

Yes, yes... The Americans and their food. The boys and I are already talking about what we look forward to eating at home again. Especially Robin is even dreaming of Grandma's cooking skills 😂 But that's very good because it helps you appreciate what you have at home. Reto takes it all - as always - very calmly. He simply eats whatever is available. At least one of us is uncomplicated 🤭😘