Food options across the ocean... 1

  Blackberries

 Blueberries

Raspberries

 Clementines [ Baby size]

 Granny Smith Apples

Strawberries

The day after I landed, morning breakfast was a party of sorts. Not just because we were one big happy gang, but the food on the table was equally enticing. There was no boring cornflakes or toast.. We had a giant bowl of fruits [ mixed berries], french toast, Hash browns, Burger patty that were eaten with cheese and bread, and a whole host of juices plus coffee as well.  I was in some kinda of heaven during my recent holiday in USA. While almost all products are available in our country, we still dont get to see a range of berries, atleast not in Chennai [give the weather and the fact that most of these are grown outside, thereby imported ].. Off late we have been getting blueberries and raspberries, but in frozen format. Strawberries we do get, but they are seasonal. 

The range of options, the way these fruits were all packaged, they all looked so plump fresh and juicy, I was happily digging into them for every meal... Oh I could have lived off just these forever and ever... Everywhere I went, there were fresh fruits in the fridge, in Boston there were the added Apples the town is famous for...  Another cool thing about fruits here was that since the weather was cool/cold, they lasted longer as well. Every morning as I would pack my backpack to head out to expire the city, I would carry a box of these fruits along to nibble on every time hunger pang hit. They made such wonderful snacks. Sometimes I would grab a hot chocolate and sit on a bench, enjoying it with a clementine or an apple. 

In Costco which is like a warehouse size version of our grocery stores, there is an entire section dedicated to fresh produce where temperatures are near zero and products are all super fresh. It is such a treat to just walk around here and feast on the produce. That apart, there would be rows of freezers with cheese, milk, fruits and much more across other sections. 

A juice brand that I got hooked on was "Naked". Yes, you read it right. Infact, within an hour of landing in LA we went to grab a bite and there i saw a guy in line holding a bottle that said "Naked" on it. I chuckled but soon discovered this was a brand that made some sinful juices.  During the time i was in the country, would have had atleast 2-3 litres of this juice.... We tried their Orange, Orange carrot, Mango, Orange Mango, Green Machine [which tasted far better than it looked] .. My all-time fav was the plain orange and Green machine!! they come in nice small containers that are perfect for travel. 

[Image source: https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/naked-smoothies-18-most-popular-flavors]

While I see a number of ready to eat food and juices hit the shelves back home, America is a country that leaves you spoilt for choice. You name it, heck you think of it, they have it in the shelves. Across price ranges that too ~ So nothing is uber expensive or unaffordable, there is always something that fits your budget... 

Stay tuned for more on this...