After nearly a month in Estonia, I can’t help but notice that there are some beverages and foods I’m missing.
Organic skim milk comes to mind immediately. I’m of the opinion that milk is right up there with wine in the “great beverages†category, but I’m not adjusting well to the taste of Estonian milk. Another beverage I miss is iced tea. There are a few places that serve an okay iced tea, but the majority of restaurants here don’t understand the cold drink concept. Even the soft drinks aren’t served cold (a bit chilled, maybe). Water is usually served room temperature. In the States, unsweetened iced tea (I add my own sugar) is my regular beverage at restaurants, so here I just order water or wine. Wines is actually quite inexpensive here. A bottle that would cost $30 in the U.S. costs around $12 here. I’ve been sampling some wines I can’t usually afford. I don’t usually drink soft drinks, which is fortunate because the Coke here tastes like Pepsi (and they don’t sell Pepsi here). Most of the hard ciders here are grossly sweet, too. And the beer is as bad as typical American beer. Finding beer other than that produced by Saku or A. Le Coq has been quite a challenge.
Back in the States there is a fabulous French café that I usually frequent once a week because I am addicted to their onion soup. A week and a half ago, I began my quest for authentic French onion soup in Tallinn. The closest so far is offered by le Bonaparte. But, they don’t bake the baguette in the soup, so it’s not up to real French standards. This could be because they fired their French chefs and now have Finns cooking the food.
It’s also impossible to find a good burger here. Just about every place serves these flat, frozen patties on bad bread with a mayo sauce. They claim it’s beef, but I wonder what part of the cow that meat’s coming from. The grocery stores sell ground beef, but it’s mostly fat and doesn’t make a tasty burger. It also leaves a disgusting layer of white fat on the hands after molding the patties, and even three hand washings don’t take it all off. I don’t make burgers that much back in the States, but it was very odd celebrating the 4th of July without them.
There are, however, several foods I really love that I can’t find back home. The ice cream here is made from real cream, and it’s so delicious. There are also some excellent Estonian cheeses. I’ll most likely bring some back with me in August.
There are lots of delicious foods that I’ve been eating here that aren’t necessarily specific to this region, so I won’t bother mentioning those. Oddly enough, I went to a great Tex Mex restaurant in Pärnu a few weeks ago, and I’m sure I’ll eat there again when I next visit there. I never eat Tex Mex when in the States.
HA! We got your mother eating queso so when you come to TX we’ll introduce you to real Tex Mex or more importantly to the most well crafted margaritas in the US. Every margarita thereafter will taste like dishwater. Might not sound so tragic now but you’ll see…
I went to a Tex Mex place in New Delhi and it was real kiche. The waiter pulled the pistol shaped drink menu out of his holster and he was dressed like a cowboy. I really enjoyed it.
I missed pesto, goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes to the point of insanity.
It’s interesting how food plays such an important role in our lives, even for those of us who live in a land where food is plentiful.
I think Americans are interested in quantity rather than quality, and although there is very good food available in the US, I have to say that the European food of today is usually of better quality.
We are a nation that took in the hungry from all over the world, and they came to eat, and a lot of it.
I am presently reading a book callled: “Island of Hope, Island of Tears”, and it is full of interviews of people who came to the US in the early part of the twentieth century via Ellis Island.
There was no food for many of them who came from eastern Europe as well as the Middle East, Germany and Poland. I even remember my parent’s stories of deprivation during their childhood and early years of their marriage. Europe was falling apart and America was beckoning as a land of plenty.
I have noticed a change in quality and health conciousness pertaining to foods in the 40 years I have lived here, but I still remember making my own bread when you kids were growing up because good bread was not to be found. Americans were still eating Wonder bread. The variaty of foods has mushroomed as well and I have been branching out to Mexican food as Nicole mentioned in an earlier post. If you should end up living in Estonia for a while you may want to start making your own tea.
Iced tea is never going to be a big hit over there because it is cold most of the year, I don’t think anybody drinks iced tea besides Americans, and then mostly in the south.
Iced tea — not just in the south of the US…. I was suprized to discover it was very available in the Netherlands – to the extent that they even serve it with a gizmo at most cafe’s/restaurants that is an interesting mix of a swizzle stick and a lemon masher — it’s a straw-length stick with about a 1/2″ square on the bottom. Have never seen this anywhere other than the Netherlands, but must admit, didn’t really go on an extensive search for iced tea while I was traveling either! Guess it will give me a little project next time I have the opportunity to wander the world!
Continental Western Europe is the place for Iced Tea
I agree with the two previous comments. I know iced tea is enjoyed around the world, although it may not be universally enjoyed by all people of all nations. Just like any other food, it is a particular palate that enjoys the flavor of tea.