Feeding our Family on Foreign Soil

For most people that know me, even just a little bit, it is pretty public knowledge that I love to cook.  Really, I love food, not just as something that satiates a need in your stomach, but as something that fuels your body and, often, your soul.  I love food as an experience, not just a daily requirement.  I also love how food brings people together – it’s often, if not always, at the center of any gathering I host.  People relax around a table of food, conversations develop, relationships feed off of the residuals as people eat, talk and connect.  I thrill at preparing a meal for a crowd of people and gain a deep satisfaction from their enjoyment of the food I have lovingly prepared for them and the community that is shared in the process.  It’s one of the ways I show my love to people – to the heart, through the stomach. 

Cookin in the desert, taking it seriously

All this to say, I take food seriously.  I have always been drawn to the process of how something gets from a garden or farm to a dish on a table.  I grew up on farms and in restaurant kitchens, watching and experiencing the journey food takes from creation to consumption.  I knew what a roux was before I could read and my hands understood soil and seeds from a very early age.  I respect and enjoy every piece of this process - tilling soil, growing food, preparing it and serving it.  My brain was oriented around farm to table movement eons ago.  Because of this, seldom do I embark on a meal without carefully considering all the factors: ensuring that it is exactly what I (or the people around me) want to eat, that it came from somewhere I can trust and that I am going to enjoy it.  For me, there are few things worse than walking away from a meal and saying, “Ugh, that’s not at all what I wanted" or worse, "That made me feel terrible!"  It might seem silly to some – I mean, you’ll get another go at it next meal, right?  But, to me, if food is fuel for our bodies and souls, I don’t want to waste time, energy and calories on something that I am going to either not enjoy, or worse, regret. 

For these reasons, I prepare a majority of the meals that we consume as a family.  I revel in grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation.  I get this from both my mother and my father, who have both spent a lot of time in kitchens along the way.  They share different experiences and they definitely go about the process in very different ways, but I've learned from all of it.  My mother, like me, doesn't always know what she wants to eat, but loves ingredients and grocery stores and could peruse the aisles for hours…and sometimes does.  My father is very direct and routine oriented – as is his personality – so, he knows exactly what meals he is preparing and has a list to match; I could probably even tell you exactly what’s on that list on any given day, right down to the brand.  He knows exactly where the items are located, grabs them in expedient time and is back out the door, onto the next task.  I fall somewhere in the middle – I could grocery shop for hours, I love perusing all the products and I love exploring new stores; however, with small humans in tow, time is of the essence and I usually need to be in and out as quickly as possible.  I don't always know what I want to cook, though, so I rely on the requests of others to guide me. Then, list in hand, I shop expeditiously.  But, I take seriously the ingredients I purchase to make the food I prepare.  I read labels, I check dates, I handpick my produce selectively; I like to know exactly what’s going into the bodies I so love and care for within my home. 

Life in Sri Lanka has made all of these things decidedly more interesting.  One does not just relocate to another country and expect all of her food practices to remain the same all the way around.  I had none of these illusions. I knew that I was going to have to make some concessions and figure out how to make Sri Lankan items work for me outside of my, sorry to say it, pampered American experience.  This starts with groceries, which was one of my biggest concerns before arriving: What would be available?  What should I ship ahead of time?  What can’t I live without that I don’t even know I can’t live without?  When someone takes food as seriously as I do, I had a list of questions that was multiplying rapidly.

There are a few different grocery options here in Colombo.  The two main stores are Cargill’s and Keell’s.  They are essentially the same and carry pretty much the exact same products, just in varying degrees of quality.  There is one other spot called Arpico, which is essentially like a Walmart – it has a full grocery section, but also carries household goods, office products, bedding, and a number of other items.  It’s much bigger than the other two, because of its diversity in products, but the grocery section works in much the same way as the others.  Now, grocery stores here are not nearly as large as those back in the states.  They stock just about everything, you might need, but usually with only 1 or 2 options per item; not like the glut that is the American grocery store, with 6 -10 options for every product on every shelf.  In a lot of ways, this is nice, because it limits the time you spend hmm-ing and haw-ing over which product to commit to; however, in the end you are stuck with whatever that product is, so you hope it will hold the quality you are looking for.  It took a few visits to get the lay of the land, but we soon figured out that eggs are kept on the regular, non-refrigerated shelves; milk can be found in the refrigerated section, but there is far more selection and variety in the boxed, non-refrigerated aisles; There are few if any pre-packaged meat items, you request all meat from the counter clerk; and, you must weigh your produce before you arrive at the check-out. 

Dairy

There is even disco lighting for the shelves of milk

Dairy products in general are quite different here than what we are used to.  Because of this, Little Boy went from drinking several glasses of milk a day to only having a little in his cereal from time to time.  I tried to call on my nationally ranked skills in FFA Dairy Judging to put my finger on the difference in flavor, but all I can really say is that the milk just tastes sort of…off.  It isn’t bad or impossible to drink, but it’s just not the same.  We were buying the stuff from the cooler section for a while, but after a few experiences of it going bad too quickly or even being sour right when I bought it, I decided to try some of the warm shelf options. Honestly, the kids like to drink the stuff from the non-refrigerated aisle much better than the ones in the cooler.    Those have been great so far – still a little different in flavor, but much more reliable and drinkable.  There is also always a huge variety of powdered milk boxes on the shelves.  Seems like a lot of people go for that instead of the fresh stuff. 

This is all powdered milk options

The cheese I've found so far has been decent.  You won’t find near the variety of cheeses in general, but it's easy to find the basic things you need.  Just as with the milk, there is sometimes a slightly off flavor to some of the local cheeses that you have to adjust to.  I've managed to find a few that are tasty in the Swiss and Cheddar department.  You do pay for it, though – cheese is definitely a top dollar item around here.  Except in the case of processed cheese, of which there is an abundance.  These cheeses all taste pretty similar to me and they are usually cheaper than the rest.  There is what we call American Cheese (sliced or burger cheese here), as well as several processed cheese snack products, akin to Laughing Cow cheese (actually called Happy Cow here).  Mozzarella has been a mystery so far, though.  We typically make pizza once a week.  I make a big batch of dough, we do a mixed bag of toppings – usually a few different pizzas with different options.  The first time we had pizza night I ran down to get some mozzarella from Keell’s.  When I opened up the package, both Ryan and I jumped back because it smelled really sour!  I couldn’t figure out if it was just a fluke or if all of the bags would be like that.  I tried another one a few weeks later, same story.  Fortunately for us, the Commissary in the Embassy typically has lots of shredded mozzarella, so we try to keep some in the freezer at all times.  But, a couple weeks ago I found fresh mozzarella balls, in water, at our Walmart like store while I was putzing around trying to come up with dinner ideas.  It was such a breath of fresh air.  Savannah claimed it tasted a little weird to her, but I think she was just being dramatic (can you imagine?).  It tasted just fine, if not even super delicious, to me! 

Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and sour cream, which are staples in my fridge normally, are nowhere to be found here.  Actually, that's a lie, I have found cottage cheese at one small market that comes from a local farm and it works, but it comes in a very small amount and is not quite the same.  The closest thing to Greek Yogurt I have found is Curd, or yogurt made from buffalo milk.  It’s passable for Greek Yogurt, with a slightly different flavor and a more gelatinous texture.  The kids like it, especially with a little honey and some bananas and raisins.  I also found sour cream and promptly scurried home, anxious to open it and find out what was inside.  But upon opening the container, I snapped back after discovering that the contents were literally “Sour. Cream.”  I was crushed.  Curd has taken the place of sour cream as well, for now, which has worked just fine in most cases. 

Meat

Buying meat is a bit of a different experience here in Colombo.  There are almost no pre-packaged fresh meat items - everything available is displayed in a clear meat cooler in bulk and then a store clear weighs and bags whatever you select.  There is usually a selection of Chicken (mostly bone in, skin off or on, whole legs, breast on bone, legs, thighs, or ground); Pork (chops, roast, or ground); Beef (top loin, chunks, and ground); Mutton (same cuts as beef mostly); Prawns; and a variety of local fresh fish.  You can also get random parts like livers, beef tongue and that sort of thing - that's not totally my bag, so I don't pay too much attention.  What you won't find at the grocery store is turkey (in any form), ham, and many cut varieties of pork or beef.  You won't find turkey anywhere - it just doesn't exist on this island, I think.  A devastating reality for our family.  Deli meat in general is hard to come by, with the exception of different variations made out of chicken.  I have tried some of these - one was a chicken/carrot sliced deli meat that was surprising and delicious.  And if you are promised ham as an ingredient out in a restaurant, chances are you will get a white or pink colored sliced meat called "chicken ham," that tastes mildly similar to ham, but is definitely not the same thing.  Specific cuts of meat can be found if you find an actual butcher who specializes in that sort of meat - which I have heard exists and intend to explore, particularly for beef roasts and pork shoulders.  Sometimes there can be a "local flavor" to the beef, much the same as with the dairy products (which seems pretty obvious), but I've heard these local specialty meat guys have stuff that's legit and delicious.  Otherwise, I tend to steer (haha) away from beef in many cases, with the exception of the ground variety which I have found to be delicious, especially when mixed 50/50 with ground pork for meatloaves, burgers, and meatballs. 

Vegetables

The produce section has been a little less of an adjustment, but the availability of many things I am

Long beans, manioc, lady fingers, & aubergines 

used to has been a learning curve of its own.  Certain things are available on a strictly seasonal basis, unlike in the States where many things can be found any time of year.  In the vegetable section, you can generally find the following things with regularity: Carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, small red onions (no other color), garlic, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, small eggplant, sweet potatoes (not yams), mushrooms, leeks, celery and herbs.  There are also several local vegetables inherent to the region that are available, like aubergines (cousin of the eggplant), lady fingers (long, large okra), manioc (yuca), curry leaves in many varieties, white radish, and several others.  There are also many things that you simply can’t find.  Spinach and kale (and most other greens) are often nonexistent in the regular grocery stores, which was a big change for me.  At home we eat a LOT of spinach and different leafy greens, so that was a sad loss.  I have found both spinach and kale at some markets and farm stands, but the flavor is much more earthy and bitter, so just not the same.  Also, I used to rely on frozen vegetables a lot at home, which is something you can’t find here at all, with the exception of peas and French fries. 

Fruit

Sri Lanka definitely loves its fruit. If you dine out for breakfast, there is always fresh juice and a plate of fresh local fruit involved.  Sri Lanka has a lot of local fruit: pineapple, mango, coconut, papaya, guava, passion fruit, watermelon, and almost 20 different kinds of bananas. They also have some you probably haven't heard of, like rambutans, woodapples, mangosteens,  soursop, jackfruit, and the infamous durian.  Berries are one thing you can’t really find, with the occasional exception of strawberries.  No lemons, either.  That’s been a hard shift for me – I never realized how much I relied on lemons until I couldn’t have them.  Limes are available, although they are tiny – akin to the size of a key lime.   

The bread selection has been a revelation for us.  Of course the stores have a selection of processed and pre-sliced bread loaves on the shelves.  But, they also have a section of local, freshly baked, unsliced loaves of bread that are amazing.  They have a few whole wheat options that are all super yummy, usually with flax seeds and oats dusting the top.  There are also a few delicious white breads that I get on a splurge from time to time.  They all make such delicious toast with some coconut oil and honey - yum!  Also, you can buy hamburger and hot dog buns individually or in pairs!  What a concept!  Only buy as many buns as you need for an occasion – this was all the things to me. 

Now all this said about the grocery stores, there are open air farmer’s markets and other specialty markets around.  Lots of them, actually, roadside style both inside and outside of the city.  These markets and stands will often have good quality produce you might not find in as plentiful a supply at the stores.  For instance, there is a local market down the road where you can get spinach and kale regularly.  I have heard they also have lots of other good quality fruits and veggies that you don’t always see in the stores.  I haven’t been yet, but have been wanting to go.  It’s the kind of thing I want to do sans children, so I can really focus and look around.  Those moments are not always easy to come by.  There is a great farmer's market on Saturdays nearby that has some good produce.  That same market has a storefront right across the street from where the farmer's market happens where you can get local stuff all week long - that's where I found the cottage cheese. 

Honestly, the differences between here and home haven't been so difficult to adjust to.  I find it’s a lot easier to resist temptations here.  There aren’t as many junk food options staring me down in the grocery stores – no rows upon rows of delicious and devilish crackers, chips, cookies and treats.  Lowering our dairy intake hasn’t hurt us in the least, as a matter of fact I’m a lot less likely to make a late night chocolate milk these days.  We drink a lot more tea and water and eat a lot more straightforward, cleaner foods.  Food is also so much cheaper here, in just about every single category.  Opposite to the States, fruits and veggies are the cheapest thing you can buy, while boxed goods are the more expensive items.  Exactly how it should be, in my opinion.  You can get a bag of apples, oranges, carrots, or whatever for around $1.50 or so.  I can get out of the store with 2 full bags of groceries, chock full of fresh produce, meat, eggs, bread and necessities and spend less than $30.  That almost never happens in the States.  

The farm stands and markets are even cheaper than the grocery stores, too!  I went on a little overnight trip to Kandy with a group from the Embassy right before Ryan left for several weeks.  Our driver knew of a huge Sunday market happening in his hometown on the way back, so we stopped in.  It was enormous and flooded with so many vendors selling everything you could think of.  There were sections for clothing, home goods, dried fish (very common in local markets here), prepackaged food items, and, of course, local fruits and vegetables.  I wanted to check out what was available and also needed some stuff to make dinner when I got home.  I could have spent all day there!  After much looking around and wandering amongst the vendors, I knew it was time to go and had to pick up some items before the van left me in the dust.  I settled on a huge bunch of spinach, a butternut squash, a bunch of turnips and a big bag of potatoes and onions for 500 Rupees (less than $3.50)! Try buying even one of those items for that amount in the States.  Seriously.  

Our access to the Embassy Commissary keeps us stocked well enough in the occasional treats we crave – a bag of chips here or a box of familiar crackers there.  They also occasionally open up an order to everyone so if there are things you want, you can order a case when they make their big order from the States or Australia.  I recently ordered a case of frozen spinach, frozen veggie mix, mozzarella, string cheese, and Italian sausage to fill in some of the gaps we had been feeling. The things we can’t live without, or at least that make our lives a little easier, like graham crackers, applesauce pouches, and Annie’s mac and cheese can be ordered from Amazon, which is an easy option.  Otherwise, I try to make our familiar standbys for dinner, like tacos, chicken pot pie, spaghetti Bolognese, and just about anything else you can think of.  It can be done if you have the gumption to make it work.  I have a crockpot to make applesauce and chicken stock and the internet full of recipe ideas when I feel at a loss.  I like the challenge of not being able to find an ingredient sometimes and being forced to shift the recipe a little because of it.  It keeps my brain working and life interesting.

Dining out has been a challenge in and of itself.  I have devoted an entire post of its own merit to this topic, because there is a lot to cover. 

To Be Continued…