I realise that my reflections are coming out rather negatively and I don't want to give the impression that we didn't enjoy ourselves, because we certainly did. The people we stayed with and met were a great joy, hospitable, caring, kind, fun which was way the most important thing.
Food however was a whole new experience, more than you might think. I calculated last night, reading back through my diary, that we ate out about 24 times. It's the American way. And one elderly relative said she hadn't cooked in 20 years. I don't think that meant she ate out a lot, she just bought stuff readymade. It's cheap and it's easy and Americans work hard enough to appreciate eating out. And yes, my family will say I am a food snob, but let's just say that on the whole I'm glad the prices were in dollars. Over- salted and over-sugared was the general lament. An example of the general difference in diets (well mine, if not yours,) is that it was nigh impossible to buy natural yoghurt. HoF says by the end of the month he could only get in one of the five pairs of trousers he took.
The top photo is of Beckie's at Union Creek, Oregon where we ate out for dinner and breakfast. Speciality: pie. Speaking of which, in Minneapolis, we were treated to outings to a pie restaurant where a flip menu at each booth illustrates the range of fillings on offer and to a milk shake parlour with an amazing array of choice. Fun, I confess. Years ago, when a small American in my Sunday school class said his favourite food was pie, I didn't really know what he meant. Now I do.
Growing weary with eating out, we searched in a supermarket for something for breakfast in our motel. All in one packet we got a juice carton and a bowl filled with cereal and a cereal bar. The coffee was free from the foyer. Not sure how the Pringles got in there.
So right now, we're enjoying eating in.
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