Cling Wrap

I just finished cooking dinner and had to wrap some leftover cheese in cling wrap..I hate the cling wrap here in Finland!  First of all, the serraded edge on the box is made of...wait for it...carboard!  Yes, I said cardboard.  I know, it is probably more environmentally sound or something, but it doesn't cut.  Then, the wrap is so thin that it sticks to itself in bunches before you can even finish cutting it off the roll, and you know the rest.

So buy a different brand you say.  Yeah, right.  Like that's an option.  Here in Finland, choice is not something you can expect in a grocery store (clothing store, yes, but not a grocery store).  At first, I found this refreshing...who needs an entire aisle of cereal?  But now with the cling wrap thing, well, I'm starting to rethink the convenience factor.  OK, enough of the cling wrap...but you'll be pleased to know that I brought my own plastic wrap over from the States, so when this roll is gone I can stop pulling my hair out (and, yes, it has an environmentally un-sound metal cutting edge).

On another note, there is one really cool thing at the grocery here: lettuce.  Yes, lettuce.  When you buy leaf lettuce here it is still in a pot of dirt...talk about fresh!  It is very cool.  And the cheese counter is also very convenient.  The cheeses are in a counter completely separate from the lunch meats, and it is packed with every cheese imaginable...except "normal" cheeses like cheddar, mozzeralla, provelone; those you can find (if you look hard) in self serve cases.  The staff is very adept at helping you to pick the cheese you need for any occasion too.

The meat section is another story.  Although the staff is very helpful, I feel funny asking what things are because I'm not sure how I'll react.  I know that there are things like reindeer and elk in the case, and other things I don't even want to know about.  As I've said, I'm not an adventurous eater, and the idea of getting elk instead of beef, say, is quite frightening to me.  And the beef is quite lean...the Finns are a very health conscious people...which I find annoying.  I like to use fatty beef for taco meat and drain off the fat afterward, thus keeping the flavor that the fat provides but losing the unhealthy excess of fat.  Healthy may be good for me, but it sure doesn't taste as good sometimes!

The other thing that the Finns do well is baked goods.  The bakery is just wonderful.  This is one place where there is loads of choice...you can't even imagine the breads!  And pastries and cakes, etc..  it is fabulous!

So much for the grocery.  Did I mention it is in the basement of the department store?  and it has free lockers to put your other purchases in while you shop.  Cool, huh?  One stop shopping.  Not too bad.
I'm sure I'll discover more new things as I go, but for now, that's the scoop on grocery shopping here in Finland.