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Along the Natchez Trace

Monday, February 18, 2013

Back to the Market... and the Mystery Veggie

The other day I wrote about the Triana Market.  As you could probably tell from the photos most of the products sold there are local...  or at least grown or produced in Spain.

Today Bill & headed off to El Corte Ingles...  or "The English Court".  This is a complex of 4 or 5 stores.  They are open during the traditional siesta hours and the are like Macy's or Dillard's or one of those huge department stores you see in the States.    One of the stores even has a large supermarket on the lower level.

I wanted to buy cranberry juice and Listerine...  2 items we haven't seen in the supermercado a few blocks from where we live.  (Actually, we saw Listerine at the supermercado but already had our backpack full so waited to purchase it today).

We love seeing all the unfamiliar foods on the shelves...
Okay...  so they have a few brands that are known to us ...
The top row are all kinds of Kelloggs breakfast foods, then Oreos, then Barilla pasta...  then Heinz Ketsup..
Row 2: Nescafe, more Kelloggs, then (WOW!.. this one was a surprise) Old El Paso Tex/Mex foods... both in cans and packaged seasonings.  
Row 3:  Dove soaps; Colgate toothpaste (and Listerine on the lower shelf), Goya coconut milk (lots of Goya products) and Danon yogurt.
Row 4:  Coca Cola (no surprise there... it's world wide!), you can't see the brand on the whiskey cake, but it's Nestles, then Chips Ahoy Cookies, and last... Ritz Crackers.

I guess if a person just couldn't do without those foods from home they'd have no problem finding it here.

This next picture is for our friend Norma...
 Hey Norma... had any Nutella lately?  (that's the stuff in the jar on the left).  When we were travelling in Mexico with Norma & her husband Bill, she bought some Nutella hoping it was like peanut butter.  It isn't...  and we've teased her about it ever since.  
Those digestive biscuits at the upper right made me think of England...  I think those are cookies.  AND...  a lot of kids would love this...  a loaf of bread with the crust cut off!  (lower right).  To me, the crust is my favorite part so I'd feel cheated if I got this as a sandwich.  But... hey... maybe I'm not upper crust (HA!) enough to have cucumber and watercress sandwiches.

These are actually candies....
BonBons, if you will.....  But designed like Sushi.
I bet they don't taste a thing like raw fish...  and where's the avocado?
Quite expensive too.. 8.95 euros for maybe a dozen pieces.
Guess I'll pass on these....


The next 2 photos are the rows of olive oil...

All different "strengths" - virgin, extra virgin etc (no wisecracks please)...  Each region in Spain produces their own olives and olive oil.  We buy our olives at the Triana Market as they sooooo good!

The Mystery Picture...
Does anyone know what this is?
It looks kind of like the bottom on an Endive, but there aren't any leaves on it...  just kind of spiny looking things.  It kind of looks like a very loose artichoke...  but ??????

So now we've taken a trip to another grocery store...  there are still the tiendas (small neighborhood groceries)... and... oh yes!
the panaderias, the carniceras and all the "specialty" shops.

We still have a lot of time to go shopping.

That's All For Today!

12 comments:

  1. What a fascinating trip. It's almost like seeing the ubiquitous condos and fast food restaurants at any freeway interchange in America.

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  2. Fun to see what's on the shelves over there!

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  3. Yum, nutella! I wanted to buy some yesteray, but they were sold out! I don't buy it often (because I like it too much). It's really good with honey wheat pretzels dipped in it! Don't know what that plant is, it looks like some variation of aloe. Guess that store won't be selling out of oils any time soon either! Wow.

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  4. Talk about feeling right at home. But I must admit - haven't seen that whisky cake before.

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  5. Looks like our Wal*Mart here at home. Are you sure you are in Europe?

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  6. That is a great looking market. We had to stop buying Nutella. That stuff is like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in a jar!! Just too tempting to have around...

    I have no idea what that vegetable is but it looks spiny!

    Mark

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  7. All that olive oil...looks like the wine aisle.

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  8. hope you find out about the mystery veggie.. does look a bit like it belongs to endive/artichoke family...

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  9. Old El Paso - who'd a thunk it!! I must like authentic cuz that's my favorite haha. I like to prowl through markets in different areas. Always something fun to see. Have NO idea what that veggie is.

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  10. I bet the olives and olive oil are very special there... they grow olives there, right? not just in Italy? what fun.

    that vegetable looks like a succulent plant to me. fleshy arms ... maybe a type of Aloe? pretty regardless... interesting. if it's an edible vegetable... you'd certainly have to unspike it!

    I truly think Oreos and Ritz Crackers are already on the moon. as well as McDs... I mean Walmart's a given f'sure.

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  11. We picked up a couple of bottles of wine from El Corte before boarding our ship for the TransAtlantic journey from Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale ... they had a good selection and reasonably priced too. Sorry, no clue on the vegies.

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