The cost of convenience

I have discovered one thing about Mauritius so far... It's not America. :-) Profound, I know.

This Christmas I took up the task of cooking a traditional American Christmas dinner in another country. Now, last year, I did this to a certain degree in England, but it's certainly not the same task in Mauritius. There are so many ingredients that are readily available in America that simply aren't sitting on the shelf of my local grocery store. Examples you say? Cream of anything soup in a can. Now, they do have cream of chicken soup, but it's a dried soup in an envelope. Not quite the same thing. Other examples? Certain seasonings like sage and thyme. There is certainly no "Stove Top" stuffing on the shelf. No canned cranberries... No "Pillsbury" crescent rolls in the whole place. Hmm... What's a girl to do? As it turns out, I was able to find another stuffing mix made by the lovely Paxo, and I am very thankful to them for this. I bought rolls to avoid any yeast disasters, and I used yogurt to give a creamy texture to my dried soup mix... In the end, it was a really yummy dinner complete with lemon pepper chicken (the first chicken I have ever baked in my life) and creamy mashed potatoes with chives.

I realized after this experience and a week of cooking meals in Mauritius, that I am simply a lazy cook. I am used to buying packets and mixes and already made ingredients that I simply reheat and voila. Here these things simply don't exist. Want Mexican? You have to mix your own taco seasoning and your own tortillas. Want spaghetti? You must make your own marinara (which I am proud to say I have mastered already). Things just aren't as "convenient" here... Food takes time. Maybe that's why they drink so much tea here... You have to fill up on something.

Now, please don't get the wrong impression. There are larger supermarkets in other places on the island. I have a feeling that a place called "Shoprite Hyper" will be one of my new favorite places... But these types of stores are much farther away and generally are more expensive than the local "Winners" supermarket. My husband will likely be taking me on dates to our fancy up class supermarket so that I can get some of my lazy conveniences, but as a whole things are taking a different shape here.

On one hand, I am proud of myself and the ingenuity I have come up with already. I am also proud of the good cooking I have been doing. (At least I think it's good). I even made a yummy curry the other night... I guess I just realize what a spoiled American I am.

I have been reading a book set in the 1800's recently and I can't help but be enticed by the "simple life". Working with your hands from sunup to sundown to supply your basic subsistence. There is something so romantic about it, at least in books, but now that I can see a bit more clearly how that really looks, I think I'll keep my washing machine and electric oven. Not to mention, the microwave we are planning to buy on Saturday. :-)

For you Americans reading this blog, hug your appliances. Eat some hamburger helper for me and thank people like Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, Chef Boyardee, and Aunt Jemima. Convenience never tasted so good.

A long time coming

I know that it's been forever since I have written. What can I say? Getting married got me a little busy. Now the dust is beginning to settle in my new home. I suppose I'm gonna try to do this blogging thing more regularly. Perhaps I can get some motivation from fellow bloggers who do a better job. In fact, I am recently inspired by the movie, "Julie and Julia" that I watched on the plane ride here. In addition, I stumbled across the blog of another expat living in Mauritius. She is from Minnesota and though I know nothing about her, I enjoy reading what she has to say. I can certainly understand her "American" view of things. :-)

With that said, here I go... So far, we have mostly gotten our apartment settled. There are still a few small things here and there, but nothing we can't live without... We also have the ever present list of "like to haves". These are the things we can't justify spending money on right now, but we'll keep them on the list until we either decide we truly don't need them, or simply don't want them anymore. Only the most lucky items will ultimately be acquired...

Right now I am working from the hubby's parents house. It will take a couple of weeks to get the phone and Internet lines transferred to our flat. The fact that it's Christmas time doesn't help either, because people will be on holiday. Not to mention speed in customer service isn't a priority here, so they will get to it when they get to it... Tonight we are going to discuss acquiring mobile broadband to allow me to work from home sooner and also to keep as a back up for days when the electricity goes out. No electricity = no modem = no internet. Ah, the joys of island living.

In an unrelated topic, Christmas is on Friday. How can that be? I'm wearing shorts and flip flops... I guess the closest thing to a White Christmas that I will be having will be the one I share with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. I won't be eating turkey or stuffing, likely instead I will be eating curry or biryani... But I am convinced that after Jesus, I've gotten the best gift... a truly wonderful husband. I don't mind giving up snow and turkey if it means being with someone who truly loves me. I wouldn't trade him for all the stuffing or crescent rolls in the world. :-)

Okay... the randomness is over. Merry Christmas