Sunday 31 July 2011

The Real Stuff

I can't remember when the presence of a pumpin disturbed me like it did this weekend. It is July. And the pumpkin season at the supermarkets has already begun ... come on! This is supposed to be summer! The meteorologists just down-graded this week's weather forecast from 2 hot days to just 1 luke-warm day (27°C). I am not sure if I have ever experienced such a cold July in Austria. Tomorrow they are going to publish the statistics. I can already promise I will have to inform you. Can't help it!

Yesterday I wanted to shop some groceries and ended up hunting for an original pesto. The bitter truth is, 95% of all pesto sold in super markets is made with sunseed oil. Even at the Gourmet Supermarket, the most expensive pesto is made with sunseed oil instead of olive oil extra vergine.

At the same time I tried to buy canned chick peas, precooked. No chance! Ethnic food is something you find in any supermarket in the inner districts. But not so in the conservative, bourgoise suburbs of Vienna. At this point I entered the stage of talking to myself when leaving the supermarkets with empty hands.

In the end everything turned out fine, at the 4th supermarket I finally got my hands on some original stuff and cleared the shelf. You never know ...
This is the real stuff.
I am not too shy to hoard it, once I've found it.

... and I also found a can with chick-peas and paid an enourmous price. The next time I might probably soak them for 12 hours and cook them by myself. But yesterday there was no time left for soaking, because I wanted to enjoy a Hummus sandwich the same afternoon.
No, my parent's don't own the same machine, I actually brought it with me on my staycation.
Hummus tastes way better than it looks!

In my parent's fridge, next to the left over of the hummus was a rest of a nice white wine from Portugal, named vinho verde.

It is perfect, because it comes with only 10.5% alc. And you get it for 4,99 EUR. And the taste is exactly what you wish for when sitting on the balcony on a mild summer evening. Lets hope we won't need to keep the wine until next year, due to cold weather, because this wine is meant to be consumed while still young and fresh.

I guess once I've decided to buy your LV purse not in Venice on the street but in the boutique at Kohlmarkt, there is no way back and I live the life of a consumer who always needs to end up with the real stuff. Until yesterday I had no clue a vinho verde-seal even existed.
From my opinion it is worth checking labels on the back. Other people read the back of books, I read the back of groceries. And guess what: none of my friends had a clue those "exclusive" pesto where not exclusive at all.

This Thursday I have my appointment at the hairdresser. After 3 months without trimming I am ready for a cut, probably more than just for maintenance. Since I pay for it, I want people to recognize the difference and I want to feel different afterwards. :-)

EDIT:
I just took a second look at the photos and see that they are quite dark and express an almost apocalyptic mood. The mood catches the weather - grey sky and little light throughout the day, no matter what time of the day it is. The meteorologist just published last month statistics and managed to find a positive aspect: The situation at Austria's glaciers eased since it snowed in the mountains. The glaciers melt during the summer-months and tourist organisations even cover the glaciers in ski-regions, to conserve the delicate ice/snow blanket.

4 comments:

  1. It is so hard to find "real" prepared food. I steer clear of the big supermarkets because most of their products are overly processed. I have a simple recipe for pesto on my blog once you run out of your jarred :)

    I like to make homemade hummus too. We have canned chick peas everywhere. I am surprised they are hard to find where you live. I guess I assumed they were a staple in most areas.

    Good luck with your hair cut! Have a great week. A

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  2. Adrienne, I was almost there - making the pesto myself. But all the basil pots that used to be on display in the fruit- and vegetables-section were miraculously gone, and got replaced by parsley in pots. :-)

    Thank you for the good luck - I will need it. I always end up in a situation where I give the hairdresser "one last chance", to make it right. I wish your hairdresser was in Vienna! You seem to get along really well together.

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  3. Paula, I LOVE hummus, it's my hands down favourite thing to eat. I love tahini too.
    Oh that pumpkin is a bit early isn't it? One more month to autumn.

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  4. Hi Tabitha! I keep my bikini next to me in the drawer at hte office and the moment the temperature hits 27°C you will find me in the water. Such a silly summer season!

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