O'Boy! A New Hobby!

And so my friends, it is true.  Since coming to Finland, I have developed a new hobby.  Grocery shopping.  While this hobby might seem mundane to most, I find it rather enjoyable.  Where else can you be surrounded by items which are so familiar yet so foreign?  When else are you required to slow down and intently examine a stick of butter?  To give you a glimpse into my new hobby, I have put together a small collection of stories and pictures.  Please read on if you are interested in the adventures that exist just two minutes down the road from me.

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Within the first 24 hours of arriving in Finland, I had the task of deciding which carton contained milk in the dairy section.  After five minutes of deliberation, I chose a dark blue container that had a cow prominently displayed on the front.  Surprised by how challenging it is to distinguish buttermilk and whipping cream from regular milk, I decided it was still best to ask the cashier to ensure I wouldn't be having coffee creamer with my cereal the next morning.  Shyly, I asked, "Is this milk?"  The cashier smiled and nodded.  Day one.  Success.  (The following day, I learned that maito is the Finnish word for milk... so now I have no troubles with this item.) 

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As the weather is becoming increasingly brisk, the necessity for hot chocolate has grown exponentially.  So, one afternoon on my way home from school, I made a stop at my new favorite place—the S Market.  After walking up and down the aisles for some time (because, you see, I can't read the labels posted above the aisles yet), I found it!  Hot cocoa mix!  Looking over the variety the store had to offer, I was immediately drawn to the package shown below.  What better than a steaming cup of O'Boy!



 

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As I approach the three week mark for my adventures in Finland, my grocery shopping techniques have become more refined. This past weekend, American pancakes (different from Finnish or Czech pancakes) were on the menu for Saturday morning breakfast.  However, as you might suspect, making them was only half the battle.  First, all the ingredients had to be acquired!  Anticipating that some of the items in the recipe may require a bit more skill to find (compared to apples and bananas which, for the most part, are fairly obvious), I decided to compile a list of ingredients with their Finnish translations.

flour—vehnäjauho

salt—suola

baking powder—leivinjauhe

baking soda—ruokasooda

sugar—sokeri

egg—muna

buttermilk—kirnupiimä

butter—voi

maple syrup—vaahterasirrappi

Excited, I mounted my bike to head off to the grocery store with my list.  What followed was a delightful hour-long outing in which I nearly pranced up and down the aisles locating the treasures and placing them neatly in my basket.  Carefully checking that each product's label matched the translation on my list, it was quite satisfying as checkmarks appeared next to each item on the list.   

Can you identify which item this is?  It was probably
the most challenging item to find.  Who would have
thought baking powder would be with the spices?!

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Grocery shopping in Finland has been an interesting study in product packaging.  It definitely has given me a new appreciation for what goes into designing a package that properly conveys the contents within.  As there surely are more adventures waiting for me in aisle seven, you can expect more posts in the coming months related to this new hobby.  Grocery shopping.  Adventure is out there!