Post - Julie Kromar

so i'll be the first to say that the pastries around here are totally divine and nothing will compare to them when i get home to the states. the cheap brie and baguettes are also at the top of the list, and i am a big fan of both. i do however miss a few american treasures.

dinner one night. actually isn't brie, it's a cousin of brie with a name i'm not sure of but its creamy deliciousness. and only 2 bucks a block.. #collegebudget

peanut butter. JIF only, that is. mom & dad advised that i pack some, because they know how much i eat it. more than half of a sams club size jif PB is gone.. luckily kate & jack are bringing reinforcements upon their arrival (3 WEEKS!!)
mexican food. literally any and all mexican food. queso, salsa (a staple in my diet), a quality tortilla chip, qdoba queso, chipotle burrito bowl, el rancho rice... you name it, i miss it. the french need some doba chains or something, so if you're looking for a business venture to thrive i'd suggest you start there.
milk that will taste pretty good and more or less the same no matter where you buy it. i bought some milk the other day that i thought was just the generic brand for the first milk i bought which appeared to be name brand, and it has the funkiest taste (mary is convinced its fine but mary would also eat mostly anything expired or stale - we love her anyway) and i can't figure out why its so weird (because its all in french.) needless to say, the green cap 1% milk from kroger is totally underrated.
sweet tea. everyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE sweet tea, specifically mcalisters sweet tea. well they don't have sweet tea here, and even if they did it would probably be terrible.
RANCH. I love ranch with just about everything and it doesn't exist here. they do have some funky sauce options but ranch isn't one of them. I'm on the hunt and so far nothing compares.
apple sauce. weird right? well their idea of apple sauce, and salsa for that matter, is like a baby food puree. WTF no i don't want baby food i want a chunky salsa, and apple sauce that hasn't been through the processor for 50 years. you know how apple sauce has like some texture? not chunky but not puree? yeah they need that over here.
cheap liquor. i've been drinking wine - and everyone (including myself) is surprised about this. thing is, i can get a bottle of wine for like 3.50 euro, but even low shelf vodka is like 13-15 euro, on the low end. YIKES where's the smirnoff for $12?i'd settle for $10 burnetts.
classic american burgers. five guys? heavenly when its convenient. but when you don't have access? oh you crave those suckers.
COFFEE. i wasn't a big coffee gal before college, but those late nights and early mornings really catch up to you and you rely on some serious caffeine. starbucks exists in europe, but really only in the big cities. i wouldn't classify myself as a "basic white girl" but i have been seriously missing starbucks because the french idea of a coffee is a joke. its served in a tiny cup or mug, so small you could throw it back like a shot. and it tastes AWFUL - swear its like porter beer bottom of the coffee pot bitter and dark and gross. i heavily rely on a ton of cream, a ton of sugar (inspired by poppa kromar of course) wouldn't fight some some vanilla or carmel flavoring - and that just doesn't exist here. cafe au lait is the closest thing you can get, but it barely has cream and definitely doesn't have sugar so i choke it down with a face that babies make when they are less than enthused with the food their elder is scooping into their mouth. an ode to starbucks, even my keurig, i miss you.

cheers, jkro

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