As soon as I found the New World Market, New Zealand’s major supermarket, I couldn't wait to go exploring inside! What would it look like, what would it sell, what new exciting treats would there be for me to eat?
I walked thru the perfectly clean sliding doors and found myself transported...to Ralphs. Or Fred Meyer. There was even a Starbucks Coffee stand inside the store. Deflation.
This is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy my two-hour exploration of the place; after all, reading labels fascinates me to no end! Turns out New Zealand produces just as many meal bars, fruit snacks, and frozen dinners as America, the brands just have way more creative names over here.
It seems as though Kiwi’s love making their own yogurt—there was a small section devoted to different mixes of dried yogurt flavors that require a yogurt-making machine and water to make. Very interesting, and definitely something I have never seen before!
The beef selection was also fascinating—labeled out to a tee. The most interesting company to me was one called “New Zealand Angus Pure.” The cuts of meat are solely from naturally aged, grass fed cattle in New Zealand. The fillets were so tender and pink, I was actually tempted to try it! And the prices proved more than reasonable, less expensive than some other brands with ambiguous product origin.
The dried fruit selection however, paled in comparison to my beloved Trader Joe’s. There were only raisins, apricots, and prunes (thankfully!) but all of the above cost way more than they do back home. 250g of dried plums cost about $3NZ , whereas I can buy a 450g for about $2.50US. So I must learn to savor my prunes, which is probably for the best anyway!
I managed to stumble on many interesting treats in the fresh food sections…and the candy aisle. Here’s a short list of yummy tastes New Zealand has to offer:
Plum and Cinnamon Yogurt
Pumpkin, Kumara, and Red Pepper Hummus (SO GOOD!)
Eskimos (stiff Marshmallow candy uncannily similar to Circus Peanuts; quite the exciting find!)
Roasted Chickpeas
No comments:
Post a Comment