Brand New

One thing I didn't expect moving over here was to have my entire working knowledge of how to shop, wiped out. Imagine going into a grocery store to buy, well, anything. Let's agree for the sake of argument that you actually are able to read the labels and talk to the sales staff sufficiently. (If you can't, you will be buying items based on the pictures on the packages, and are libel to find yourself with many interesting and unexpected foodstuffs when you get home).

Now, you enter the grocery store looking for, say, cake mix. Greeting you are an array of brands with deceptively attractive-looking cakes. Prices vary widely between brands. Which one to take? Do I really want to put the effort into making a substandard cake if I purchase the wrong one? Will have have enough eggs to make a backup? Who is this Dr. Oetker, anyway? I'll disappoint my guests! My mother-in-law will think I'm a bad caretaker for my family! My neighbor will purse her lips disapprovingly at the crazy American! My children will eat it anyway because 1) it's sweet and 2) it's sweet! After dithering for an embarrassing amount of time, I think, I'll take the virtuous route and make something from scratch.

Turning around to the 'from scratch' part of the baking aisle and - you guessed it - back to the start. Trial and error has shown me that even familar brands like Heinz or Colgate are just a bit different than their domestic versions.

Buying meat is also something of challenge as well, but with those I'm pretty safe with these fine (and legitimate) German words: der Steak, der Hamburger and die Ribs. Cheese is hit or miss - sure, there's lots of Emmentaler, Limburger, Edammer - but when you really want a nice bit of Cheddar... *sigh*. Tacos with an aged Gouda aren't that bad though!

True agonizing comes with items that require committment - a tube of toothpaste, for example, a bad choice of which will condemn me to weeks of dreading the toothbrushing ritual. Why, you might ask, don't I through the things away, if I don't like them? Then I answer - didn't you see my post where I mentioned how miserly I am? I can't just waste good toothpaste!

p.s. turns out that good old Dr. Oetker is the German 'Betty Crocker', and has saved my hide a few times. Thanks, Doc!