Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Applesauce

So I've been making all of Noah's baby food instead of buying the jars, cause I think its probably healthier, and it saves money. But I thought the one thing I wouldn't make is applesauce, because you can buy it in little cups anyway, and its usually pretty cheap. I walk into our local supermarket, and I realize that I've actually never bought applesauce in SA before. I look up and down each isle, and can't find it. I ask two workers in the store, and they have no clue what I'm talking about. So I finally find the manager, and ask where the applesauce is. He takes me to the section with like, ketchup and mayonnaise, and points to the top top shelf, where there is ONE (count them 1) jar of "Apple Sauce" and on the jar it says "to be served with pork" etc. etc. It's a tiny jar, which doesn't even look like applesauce, for 27 rand (that's about 4 dollars). I was super confused, and asked him...."don't you just have like mushed up apples in fruit cups for like a few rand?" He shook his head, and pointed to the fresh produce section. He said rather rudely..."no. take an apple, peel it, boil it, and mash it. there's your apple sauce." Well, I found this rather funny cause you walk down any isle in any supermarket in LA, and you can get like 50 different kinds of applesauce...more pulp, sweetened, with pears, etc. etc. So I found myself this morning, for the first time, making my own homemade applesauce. It's so yummy! Homemade pearsauce is even better! Convenience foods here are way way more expensive. It's fun though cause when you go to someones house for dinner, its usually something made from scratch, and is sooo yummy. I think Trader Joe's would do so well out here, man I miss their already prepared orange chicken that you just pop in the oven! Yum.

2 comments:

Drew & Erica said...

It's so funny how different countries have different ideas of what's 'normal'. interesting story! hope you guys have a nice christmas!

The Mom said...

Ha, that's funny! Alicia just started applesauce and I did the same thing. Decided that even though I've made everything else, applesauce is simple enough to buy, and not too expensive. Funny to think that some places it's not that easy to get.