Ne Hrvatske

"Ne Hrvatske".  Is something we've been saying that translates to "No Croatian", as in "I don't speak Croatian".  And hopefully doesn't really mean "Down with Croatia" or something similarily offensive.  I guess I should be glad we blend in enough with the locals that after the "Dobar Dan" exchange ("hello"), most everyone starts talking to us in rapid Croatian.  So then we're back up to the beginning and have to smile awkwardly, shrug the shoulders, and hope that maybe they'll speak a little English or at least get the point across with modified sign language.

Shopping in this foreign land has been interesting.  It's getting better, but still a challenge in some way every time.  I think I mentioned that Kim had stocked our fridge and pantry with some basics upon our arrival.  This was hugely helpful, especially in the stupor of jet lag and not having any clue about where the nearest store was or if our car would actually get us there.  But inevitably, the food started to disappear and I needed to do some shopping.  As if I didn't already hate menu planning enough, my first week's plan needed to consist of meals that required 5 (normal) ingredients or less.  For starters, I just wanted to look for some basics and go from there.  More elaborate meals would have to come later.

Logistics - the first time I went to a larger grocery store, I found that the carts were locked up.  Hmm...not knowing how to proceed, I stood back and tried to nonchalantly wait for someone else to get a cart...Ah ha!  She deposited a coin near the cart handle and unhitched the lock.  OK, thankfully I had the correct coin (2 Kuna - about 25 cents).  When I returned the cart to the stall after I was done shopping, my coin popped back out.  Genius.  Apparently, Aldi in the U.S.does this too (but I had never been to an Aldi before).  Now I know.  And bags.  You have to bring your own bags to the grocery store or buy them at the checkout.  I had always meant to use reusable bags back home but almost always forgot to bring them.  I don't forget anymore.  :-)

Thankfully, produce is produce.  The big difference here is that they don't import a lot of items, so the shelves are stocked with just seasonal items for the most part - I haven't seen much in the way of fresh berries, for instance.  We've been eating a lot of bananas, apples and oranges.  My friends tell me that they also really never stock celery. 

As for packaged food items, pictures have proven to be extremely helpful.  They don't really have much in the way of processed foods, so I will no longer have to try very hard to avoid them (ha)....but just even trying to find a particular item in the dairy case causes the brow to furrow.  Think about all the items in that section (cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc, etc) and how much they look alike and are packaged similarly.  Look, look, look..."Oh hey, I bet the one with a picture of a bagel on it is the cream cheese".   :-) Like everything else, it will be a lot easier with time...just a lot to process in the beginning.  What is kind of refreshing is that there is just so much less "stuff" to choose from.  There's one brand of milk (mlijecko).  A few brands of yogurt, one type of ground beef one type of egg, etc. 

What do Croatians like to eat?  They are big meat eaters.  Salami.  Seafood.  Italian. Olives are a big crop here.  Fresh bread is everywhere - they have little bread stores practically on every corner.

What is missing?  Sadly, the following:
Peanut butter
Cheddar Cheese
Giant boxes of cereal (sugary or otherwise)
Cream of "x" soups, chicken broth, things like that
Some processed favorites (like Kraft Mac&Cheese)
More...that I can't think of right now.

I've started to make a lot more things from scratch (well, once I finally figured out what baking soda and baking powder look like!, which incidentally is not packaged anything like it is in the U.S.)...blueberry muffins, banana bread, applesauce, vegetable broth, etc, etc, out of necessity.  I don't mind, in fact, I kind of like it.  Just haven't had much time to do that in the past 6 or 7 years.  :-)  Not working full time anymore really frees up a lot of the day.