Part of the fun
of travel is trying the local cuisine, no?
We’re pretty good about that, having tried everything from fresh moules
et frites at a seaside restaurant in Normandy to braised sheep intestines in
Salzburg, to tiny shrimp-with-eyes sushi from a sushi bar in Tokyo. Now that
we’re living in Austria, though, we don’t feel as rushed to make it an all
Schnitzel, all the time kind of diet.
Plenty of sauerbraten in front of the fireplace kind of nights ahead of
us, too, so there’s no need to overdo it in 30+ degree weather.
One Friday night
at the Derag we all wanted Mexican, per our usual “Friday Mexican Night” back
in the States. We had heard from friends, and experienced ourselves in the
Parisian “International” grocery store aisle, that American Tex-Mex is pretty
much limited to Old El Paso taco kits and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
Thus, with great
trepidation and lowered expectations we combed the aisles of the Billa, and look
what we found!
The finished
product was muy delicioso, we all agreed. But I’m still glad I have a years’ supply of
chili powder bobbing across the ocean in sea freight, because it doesn’t appear
that the Santa Maria brand ventures beyond taco and fajita seasoning.
(Helpful kitchen tip: a plastic colander
stands in for a cheese grater in a pinch.)
There are several big Merkur supermarkets around town that carry more Text-Mex products. My kids tell me that the Tex-Mex fare at the local TGIF is pretty good. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBtw, Sauerbraten is not an Austrian dish. ;-)
Cheers,
Merisi