Our First American Grocery Trip Was an Experience

There are major adjustments involved in moving countries. Then there are the truly important questions. Like: Why is there an entire aisle of cheese?

Our first trips through American grocery stores were basically one long series of “Wait… what?” moments.

America, we need to discuss your relationship with peanut butter

South Africans have peanut butter. What surprised us was how many American products involve it. The girls particularly wanted to try Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups because they’d heard about them through American television and movies. So obviously we bought them.

Then we discovered the tubes

Pillsbury was another experience. Cinnamon rolls, crescent rolls, pizza dough—if it came packaged in a mysterious refrigerated tube, there was a good chance it was coming home with us.

We also tried Velveeta because we’d heard about that too. The first few weeks involved a lot of: “We’ve seen this before. What is it? Let’s buy it.”

Even bacon betrayed us

American bacon isn’t quite the bacon I was used to buying in South Africa. A lot of what we’ve encountered is pork-belly-style strips, often with a stronger smoky flavor. Apparently even bacon required adjustment.

Biscuits should have jam and cream

Then America introduced us to biscuits and gravy. An American biscuit reminds me of a scone, and my brain expects jam and cream. America apparently decided: sausage gravy.

I had questions. Then we tasted it. Unfortunately for my argument, it’s actually really good.

And sometimes you buy the wrong thing entirely

Which brings me to Maseca. There was corn on the bag. Pap is made from maize. We did some extremely advanced immigrant mathematics and concluded: corn + water = probably pap.

It did not. Eben poured it into boiling water and produced an enormous lump of dough. We laughed, learned, and eventually found the right maize meal.

Six months later

Grocery shopping isn’t an event anymore. We know what we like, what needs ordering online and what can be substituted. There are still moments when I walk past something and think, “Why do you people have this?”

That’s part of the fun. We’re not only learning how to live here. We’re eating our way through it too.