TRAVEL|FOOD|CULTURE
An Unlikely Love Affair That Still Excites Me Wherever I Go
Germany has greatly surprised me by being an all-time favorite
I had only visited Germany one time for just 6 days before moving here almost one year ago.
From what my German boyfriend told me, and from what I’ve read online, I didn’t have high hopes of finding a wide variety of vegetarian options.
From the blogs and vlogs I’d read and watched for 2 years before my move, I expected that whatever I did find would be expensive.
Boy am I happily surprised to find that overall, this was not the case, at least not in the Hannover area.
(Mike Goldberg, here is another story for you.)
Supermarkets fascinate me.
It’s usually one of the first places I go when I arrive in a new country and I absolutely love meandering through the aisles to see what they have because every place is different.
When I read the monthly challenge for Globetrotters, I decided to share my love of German supermarkets in particular.
We are looking for stories from around the world that speak to the beauty of growing food and then eating it. BUT, your story doesn’t necessarily have to do with the harvesting of food, or anything to do with growing it. Even if it is just about the food that you ate, let us hear about it.
Normally, I would not post as many photos of products as I have in this story, but some sayings have become “sayings” for good reasons, such as:
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
“Seeing is believing.”
I love wine and am blown away by the variety and prices here.
That is why I’m sharing these photos of some of my favorite purchases at German supermarkets.
If you eat a primarily vegetarian diet and try to buy organic, and you try to find these things at affordable prices, prepare to have you mind blown- and possibly become hungry in the process.
I love Thai food.
I’ve never had organic Thai food, at least not to my knowledge.
I know I could learn to cook sauces that are comparable, but I have yet to do that (it’s on “the list”).
When I saw that package of deliciousness for $4, and it was the last one, I knew that it was coming home with me, even though my fridge was already full of delicious vegetarian delights.
It makes me giddy just thinking about how many vegetarian (and organic) things there are in this area that are affordably priced that I STILL look forward to trying.
The price of yogurt here in Germany is ridiculously cheap!
(However, it used to be $0.89 before the war in Ukraine started)
My boyfriend was right about yogurt being extremely cheap in Germany compared to the U.S.
He mentioned that those who produce yogurt in Germany receive government subsidies.
I intend to look into that at some point, but in the meantime, I have been basking in a smorgasbord of choices, such as “straciatella” (normally only seen in Italian gelato) and apple cinnamon cake that I’d never tasted before.
They’re both ridiculously good and I never used to be a fan of yogurt.
I didn’t even used to eat dairy yogurt. I just ate soy or almond yogurt for years.
However, since I started having tinnitus (ear ringing) in one of my ears a few years ago, I’ve found that B and C vitamins, as well as probiotics in yogurt and kombucha help lower it or make it go away completely.
I am damn happy I can buy organic yogurt at such a remarkable price now!
Drinking tea is one of my favorite ways to hydrate, especially throughout the fall, winter and spring. This organic 3 mint herbal tea was only $2.31. I also bought a rooibos and vanilla tea for the same price the other day. Salbei (sage) has become a staple of mine as well and is common to see in almost any store.
Germans LOVE tea!
The tea aisles here rival what I’ve seen in England, which I did NOT expect.
I don’t remember exactly how much this beauty cost, but I know that it was around $2!?
I’ve never seen a vegetarian Bolognese sauce in my life.
The organic salads that are normally $4 in the U.S. cost only $2.31 here- even less when on sale.
My boyfriend, who eats high-quality meat, loves to eat these as well.
Are you drooling yet?
I am officially hungry now, simply writing about all of these delicious and nutritious (okay, the vegan mayo is not so nutritious) food options that are at my doorstep, and fingertips, here in Germany.
Don’t always believe the hype you hear from other people!
Germany is quickly becoming a vegetarian lover’s paradise.
GUTEN APETIT!
For more of my travel stories:
