Living in California in Fall 2015

[Fragile Bird]

About yeast: I’m talking about yeast for baking. Bread, cinnamon rolls, etc. Like in the picture on this page: http://www.kvalifood.com/recipes/bread-baking-technique-7-fermentation-of-doughs-timelapse-videos

I live in Canada, not in the USA, so I can only tell you my experience. There are good, natural foods stores that have yeast in their refrigerators year round. But the most reliable places to buy yeast are bakeries and delicatessens. I'm Polish, I know I can go to half a dozen different Polish bakeries and buy yeast. You ask for fresh yeast (as opposed to dry yeast).

I see from a quick search on the internet that people say you can buy fresh yeast at a store several people have already mentioned, Berkeley Bowl.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

 

That’s what everybody told me, but I was severely disappointed. My local tiny minimarket at home in Sweden, 50 meters from where I live, as more healthy food (just branded as “food” there) in greater variety, except maybe for the fruits and vegetables (it’s a tiny store). Every sizeable supermarket (those large enough to have parking) I’ve seen in Sweden his a better source of healthy food.

 

But we’re getting there. Thanks again for all the help, our panic is abating.

Sorry if I wasn't being clear. I was mocking Whole Foods for it's pretentious, gimmicky and overpriced "Health" foods.

 

I'm not sure about quality bread, but you can get fresh fruits and vegetables at any normal grocery store. Especially in Berkeley.

[BLU-RAY]

Hope you're enjoying it, Ent, Berkeley is an awesome town. I also hope you took Bronner's advice, as I understand it, you get a guaranteed parking spot at Kal with your Nobel Prize, and not a moment before.

[Happy Ent]

Have you returned from La Jolla yet?  THAT'S truly God's country (if God had an unlimited budget and could live on a cliff by the ocean.) 

You MUST keep us entertained updated with your American Experience.  I'm sure you're in for some  "interesting" days ahead.  

 

No, we’ll reach La Jolla this afternoon. Currently we’re in faux Danish Solvang, somewhat north of LA. (Solvang is really weird visiting as a Dane.)

 

Hope you're enjoying it, Ent, Berkeley is an awesome town. I also hope you took Bronner's advice, as I understand it, you get a guaranteed parking spot at Kal with your Nobel Prize, and not a moment before.

 

 

I’m certainly enjoying it. I realise my please for help here may give the wrong impression, but so far we’re having a ball.

 

The Berkeley apartment (which we’ll have access to in a good week from now) is said to have a parking spot. Nobel prize is not on the horizon anyway.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

Hah!  My husband's family is from Solvang (he's like a quarter Danish, a quarter Swedish, a quarter Norwegian and a random quarter English).  His granddad had a shop there.  The big thing to "do" was Danish  Days.  Everyone knew it was campy (And I would call it somewhat north of Santa Barbara, my own self - LA is a long way from Solvang).   

 

As for yeast - you can buy cake yeast (in the refrigerator sections) in at least some grocery stores around here.  You can also buy it in health food stores as FB says.  I also from time to time have my own starter (I get it from a friend) but I reliably kill it.  Given where you are, I bet there is someone you will meet who will be willing to share starter for you.

 

High fructose corn syrup is on labels, so you should be able to tell.  You are going to be happier with the periphery of the store (the fresh food) than you will be with the interior.  You will be happier with bakery bread or bread from an Italian market (I get all of my bread from an Italian market here, though don't know the situation that well in Berkeley).  You will also be happier with salami, etc. from an Italian type market.  Asian grocery stores can have some awesome, amazing stuff (though won't feel like "home" I'm guessing).   

[Jo498]

I think steel-cut oats are different. They are less processed than what I used to know as oatmeal (Haferflocken) in Germany. To my recollection (but it's been almost 20 years that I lived in the US for a longer period) there were some varieties of Quaker oats that were very close to the stuff I knew from Germany (and I do not think they were that expensive).

 

I do not know about the typical Swedish/Danish oatmeal preparation but in Germany it is more common to use some instant-type oatmeal (price in Germany ca. 0.7 - 2.5 EUR/kg depending on brand and quality) that does not need any cooking but gets fairly soft and edible by being soaked  a few minutes in cold milk. You can use the same stuff with hot milk and with a little cooking it becomes a soft kind of porridge. I thought steel cut oats were fare grainier (not flat flakes) and needed to cook at least about 30 min or so to get soft enough. (But my experience with the latter is quite limited).

 

Anyway, I do not remember oatmeal or cereals to be such a problem in the US. Neither fresh fruit or veggies (if you have no qualms about GMO). Milk and yoghurt are o.k. (but probably not up to Scandinavian standards, I remember delicious dairy products in Denmark).

Most  dissapointing for most Europeans is probably that  edible "bread and cheese" (almost the simplest meal conceivable) are rare luxury items. Because edible cheese is sold in "Delicatessen" (expensive and hardly up to French, Dutch, German, Swiss, Danish etc. standards) and edible bread is "artisanal sourdough" and expensive.

[Happy Ent]

Update:

 

Oatmeal situation is solved. Like Jo498 indicates, I’m really looking for Haferflocken as a morning cereal, cold in milk, with a wee bit of sugar on top. I had it this morning and feel much better. (Sometimes I do heat it up to make porridge, but that’s a rare luxury.)

 

Milk has been perfectly fine right from the start, no problems there. Great taste. (Unlike in Germany, for instance, where it’s super-difficult to identify the fresh milk.)

 

I’m not to sure about the yogurt situation yet, but there seems to be at least one or two trustworthy options.

 

We’ve bought a lot of fruits and vegetables now, all of it great (and only slightly more expensive than usual, mostly and artefact of the exchange rate.)

 

I found the good pasta brand in [i]Ralph’s[/i] (Barilla), as well as several of the cheeses I need (a mozarella for caprese salad, Boursin). I haven’t yet found an attractive mild cheese like a simple Gouda. The salami we bought was ok, but still tastes sweet. I need to follow MaZab’s suggestion and find out where the Italians get their stuff.

 

I was delighted to see Gillette Sensor Excel blads in the supermarket. In Sweden, I have to buy these over the internet.

 

The big open question is indeed bread.

[Happy Ent]

 Asian grocery stores can have some awesome, amazing stuff (though won't feel like "home" I'm guessing).   

 

Oh, “home” is not necessary. In principle I’m very open to eating differently when abroad. But our first reaction was mild panic because we saw ourselves inflating to twice the size because of the insane amounts of sugar.

 

Once we have our basic food sorted out I hope there will be plenty of space for unfettered hedonism. Our apartment in Berkeley is right in the middle of something called the gourmet district. 

 

(I need to understand the fine print of my expense account.)

[Happy Ent]

Random new experience: Buying a tank of gas.

 

With a rental car full of Ents but diminishing amounts of gasoline I pull up to a gas station for my first US gas station encounter.

 

After several attempts of negotiating with the payment machine at the gas dispenser I gave up and decided to talk to a human.

 

“Hi there, human. I’d like to fill up my vehicle with fuel.”

 

“How much do you want for?”

 

“I just want to fill it up. Also: when renting the vehicle I inquired about the required fuel and was told it runs on 87 octane unleaded gas. I can see that you advertise 3 different types of unleaded fuel: regular, plus, and premium. Which one is 87?”

 

“Um, that’s unleaded.”

 

“Yes, I understand, but which of the three unleaded is 87.”

 

“They all are. All are 87.”

 

“Huh? Then why would I ever want to buy one of the other ones?”

 

“They just put more like, chemicals in there. It’s for BMWs and special cars.”

 

“… Ok. Well, I’ll have the regular unleaded then.”

 

“How much?”

 

“I don’t know, I haven’t filled the tank yet.”

 

“So how much do you want?”

 

(Looks at Entwife. Both shrug.)

 

“I don’t know. It‘s a rental car, I don’t know how large the gas tank of an American car is. 60 liters?”

 

“How many gallons do you want?”

 

“How much is a gallon?”

 

… (silence)

 

Ent: “How many gallons would typically go into an American car like the one you see parked outside?”

 

… (more time passes. One of the older Entkids helpfully appears and happens to know that a gallon is 3.8something liters.)

 

calculations ensue.

 

We decide that 10 gallons is not completely crazy, based on our intuition about the tank size, how much fuel was left, what a gallon is in litres.

 

It turned out all right, the tank was something like 7/8 full.

 

——

 

How this should have played out:

 

“Hi there. I’m on 4.”

 

“That’ll be XXX credits.”

 

“Here you go. Bye!”

[deleted01]

Ha! Yeah, that seems overly complicated to me. In the UK, you put your fuel in, then pay for how much you used. :dunno:

Also, I'm loving your updates. Keep them coming! As an aside, by the oatmeal story, did you mean Weetabix, not porridge? I confess to being truly confused during that discussion :laugh:

[Happy Ent]

No, I think I mean porridge. (I’m not a native speaker, so I have a hard time explaining this myself.)

 

Here’s how I think it works: rolled oats seem to be havregryn or Haferflocken. You pour it into your bowl, add milk, a bit of sugar (or, if you have it, berries). Eat. Looks like this: http://www.axa.se/Vara-produkter/Gryn/Havregryn-750-g/. Dirt cheap, one of the most basic foodstuffs known to Man.

 

Apparently there is a gradient of increasingly thinner variants, called “instant” or “quick”. I think this corresponds to “grovvalsede” versus “finvalsede”, relating to the thickness of the rolled oats. For me, thicker is better, but I don’t much care.

 

You can cook the rolled oats in water (1 part oats to 2 parts water) with a pinch of salt for a minute or two. The result looks like this: http://samvirke.dk/mad/artikler/havregroed-dummies.html. I think this is “porridge” (havregrød or Hafergrütze or havregrynsgröt). The consistency and colour are disgusting. You eat it hot, depending on how much you want to treat yourself you can add sugar, cinnamon, or butter. I just use sugar. This is the most useful breakfast I know, I feel much better after switching to it for a few days. 

 

Apparently, you can cook rolled oats in milk instead of water, but I’ve never tried that and consider that the rankest Southron heresy.

[deleted01]

I think our porridge is like dust, the instant variety anyway. Pour it into a bowl, add milk, microwave. Add sugar and jam if required. Weetabix is a different thing. They're like squares of oats, that you can have with cold milk, hence my confusion. But it tastes like arse, hot milk all the way!

[lessthanluke]

There are no oats in Weetabix :P they are squares of wheat. Hence the name haha.

[Whitestripe]

Gas: pay at the pump is pretty much the standard, but the swipe machine can be tricky, if you are not used to it. (Just wait until it asks you to put in your supermarket rewards card for a discount!) Usually you swipe the card, pick the grade (87 is "regular unleaded" or "unleaded" there is "super" and "premium" with higher numbers and higher prices) and fill up, or stop the pump once you get to the desired amount spent. When you go in to the store, the clerk has to select the grade for you and either put in a gallon amount or a dollar amount or the pump won't work. It can't be open ended like "fill it up." If you had an attendant at the pump, s/he could just fill it up because that person would be working the pump manually. My parents always have trouble with pay-at-the-pump and my MIL never learned to pump gas. (You aren't allowed to pump your own gas where she lives)

ETA: I am immensely pleased that a supermarket is named "Ralph's," since that's a slang word for "vomit." My grandmother used to frequent a market called "Belcher's" which also pleased me to no end.

[Darzin]

With gas most people just use a card I guess, but I'm pretty sure the reason they won't just fill it up is their scared you're going to just drive off without paying so they want you to give them the money first. I'm surprised in Europe they let fill up  and then pay, I'd figure people would steal to much for it to work. 

 

Also  "ethnic"grocery stores can be used for more than just exotic foods. At least in my neighborhood staples such as meats and vegetables are cheaper at the Asian Market. Spices at the Latin Store are 1/3 the price of ones at Safeway they just come in little plastic packets instead of plastic bottles.

[deleted01]

There are no oats in Weetabix :P they are squares of wheat. Hence the name haha.

:lol: Fuck sake, what a mong! :dunce:

[HexMachina]

I think our porridge is like dust, the instant variety anyway. Pour it into a bowl, add milk, microwave. Add sugar and jam if required. Weetabix is a different thing. They're like squares of oats, that you can have with cold milk, hence my confusion. But it tastes like arse, hot milk all the way!

What HE is describing basically sounds like uncooked porridge (but, not the instant kind. The kind made from oats that you would use for flapjacks). I've had it before, quite nice actually. It's the same as muesli I think, or near enough.
Wetabix need to stew in the milk and absorb it all before being stirred into a mushy sludgy mess. There is no other acceptable way to eat them in my view :p

Edit: I'm really enjoying reading this thread and hearing about HE experience in America. I like hearing about all these cultural differences

[S John]

Random new experience: Buying a tank of gas.
 
With a rental car full of Ents but diminishing amounts of gasoline I pull up to a gas station for my first US gas station encounter.
 
After several attempts of negotiating with the payment machine at the gas dispenser I gave up and decided to talk to a human.
 
Hi there, human. Id like to fill up my vehicle with fuel.
 
How much do you want for?
 
I just want to fill it up. Also: when renting the vehicle I inquired about the required fuel and was told it runs on 87 octane unleaded gas. I can see that you advertise 3 different types of unleaded fuel: regular, plus, and premium. Which one is 87?
 
Um, thats unleaded.
 
Yes, I understand, but which of the three unleaded is 87.
 
They all are. All are 87.
 
Huh? Then why would I ever want to buy one of the other ones?
 
They just put more like, chemicals in there. Its for BMWs and special cars.
 
Ok. Well, Ill have the regular unleaded then.
 
How much?
 
I dont know, I havent filled the tank yet.
 
So how much do you want?
 
(Looks at Entwife. Both shrug.)
 
I dont know. Its a rental car, I dont know how large the gas tank of an American car is. 60 liters?
 
How many gallons do you want?
 
How much is a gallon?
 
(silence)
 
Ent: How many gallons would typically go into an American car like the one you see parked outside?
 
(more time passes. One of the older Entkids helpfully appears and happens to know that a gallon is 3.8something liters.)
 
calculations ensue.
 
We decide that 10 gallons is not completely crazy, based on our intuition about the tank size, how much fuel was left, what a gallon is in litres.
 
It turned out all right, the tank was something like 7/8 full.
 

 
How this should have played out:
 
Hi there. Im on 4.
 
Thatll be XXX credits.
 
Here you go. Bye!

California also has these weird gas pumps that I have never seen elsewhere in the United States. It's got this plastic covering on it and you have to push down to get the gas to flow. I guess that is fine for a car, but a few months ago I was in the midst of a motorcycle trip from Texas to the pacific and back. I went to fill up near San Diego, had to push down on the pump and the pressure I applied completely broke off the gas cap on my bike. I got lucky and was able to get the part I needed the next day and finish the trip.

Anyway, I am enjoying your impressions! Some things that you experience are gonna be universally true throughout the US but others will be unique to California. And if you REALLY want to get fat, make a trip to Texas. :)

[IheartIheartTesla]

Ha! Yeah, that seems overly complicated to me. In the UK, you put your fuel in, then pay for how much you used.
 

 People drive off without paying for their fuel, not sure how that is prevented in the UK...human nature being the way it is around the world.

 

You (Mr. Ent) might also wanna get used to pounds, miles and temperatures in Fahrenheit (rather than kilos, kilometers and celcius). The temperature one is the hardest to get used to, although F does allow for more granularity than a C scale.

 

The last thing that might be a bit of a culture shock is the 6 odd% sales tax that is never advertised in the sticker price. So while $9.99 might sound like a good price for a kilo of havregryn (excuse me, 2.2 lbs of instant oats), its actually $10.60.

[Impmk2]

 People drive off without paying for their fuel, not sure how that is prevented in the UK...human nature being the way it is around the world.

 

Same system here in Australia. Having to guess how much fuel you'll be wanting seems very very strange.

 

I guess they're just relying on 99% of people not wanting to game the system - kinda like self serve checkouts. Add to that cameras at all petrol stations, and plates on cars and you'd end up getting caught very very quickly if you tried it in your own car... Unless you went completely illegal and pulled your plates off, but then you'd just be pulled over by the next cop you passed. :dunno: