Solo Eating

Food shopping in Probistip is nothing like food shopping in most of America. No longer do I have to unload ten bags from the car, bags filled with whatever I impulsively purchased (usually items high in carbohydrate and fats that nutritionists abhor). Probistip’s great for a guy who hates to go food shopping. We have one small “cypermarket”, which is about the size of a 7-11 and has most of the very basic stuff that I need . What I like best is that I don’t have to waste my time deciding which brand or what size of an item to purchase. To save on the limited shelf space, the store has limited choices. One brand, one size. I just take what is offered. No need to compare prices, trans-fat percentages, or sodium content. I just thank Edesia and Bibesia (the Roman goddesses of food and drink) that I found what I needed.

Also to save shelf space and keep the costs of purchasing reasonable, most items that are packaged come in somewhat smaller quantities than I am used to. Baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper and other such items come in small packets the size of the sugar packets one finds in restaurants in the States. I can purchase wine, beer and whiskey (until 7PM). The clerk will bag sugar for me in any amount and I can purchase one egg or as many as I need . I can choose from a small inventory of cleaning products, personal hygiene and laundry products.Milk comes in unrefrigerated one liter boxes, which upon opening require refrigeration. Milk is relatively expensive in Macedonia ,so sadly families turn to soft drinks and fruit juices as the beverage of choice. Children, I’ve notice, drink a lot of soda.

I purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from one of the several small shops and I purchase meat from one of the three butcher shops. Today I purchased eight mandarin oranges, two grapefruits, a tomato and a small lettuce for 106 denari or approximately $2.00. There are several pastry shops that have wonderful sweets but there is little variety and I can only indulge in so many tortes and éclairs. One of my future projects is to inspire the bakers to increase their offerings with the promise that I will be one of their best customers.

Additionally, there are a score of small convenience type shops scattered throughout the town. There are too any of them to count and they all have the same limited inventory of basic stuff. I don’t know how they attract customers because nothing differentiates one from another. I can purchase the same loaf of bread, the same brand jogurt and a pack of Orbit gum from any of them.

Although I’ve yet to do so, I can take a 45 minute bus ride to Stip and food shop at one of several large supermarkets. Of course I’m limited to purchasing only what I can carry and waiting six hours for the return bus to Probistip.

The Peace Corps gave us a small cookbook before we left for our permanent sites. It contains recipes collected and compiled by past and present PCV’s in Macedonia that use ingredients commonly found within the county. I’ve successfully tried several of them - chicken and rice, apple crisp, German apple cake, rice pudding, oatmeal –raisin cookies, apple pie, fried chicken, french fries and other nutritious all- Macedonian dishes.

Cooking for oneself does present its challenges. If I make a casserole I’ll wind up having to eat it for the next two or three days. If I’m really busy, I take the path of least resistance - peanut butter and jelly – to satisfy any hunger pains. With a small freezer, I have to rely on fresh vegetables to be in compliance with the updated Food Pyramid. Problem is at this time of the year, I can only find winter vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbages) at the market. Green-leafy is out of the question right now, but come late spring, summer and fall, the succulent Macedonia fruits and vegetables will be in abundance. The Peace Corps provides me with my multi-vitamins and prophylactic aspirin, so I’ve limited my chances of developing scurvy for the time being.

All I all, eating for one is OK. I do find it somewhat inconvenient though, to have to refill my own glass, to get up to get the salt shaker I forgot to bring to the table, to criticize only myself for overcooking the meat, to have to get up again to refill my plate with seconds, and to then have clear my own place, and wash, dry and put away the dishes and pots. Where’s the fairness in that?

I just heard the timer going off (or is it going on?) so I have to go and check tonight‘s dinner – Mac and Cheese and french fries. Luckily I got some ketchup yesterday so I can include a vegetable with my meal tonight, although it can be argued that potatoes are a vegetable. Bon Appetite!

(N.B. I am reporting on my experiences here in Probistip. Larger municipalities have modern well-stocked supermarkets.)