Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Size DOES Matter

If Americans are synonymous with super-sizing, then Europeans have the market cornered on micro-sizing.  From grocery stores to restaurants, the amounts here you receive are very tiny quantities of pure perfection.  Micro suits me, but I suspect Justin is starving.  (evil grin) Not that an entire pot of coffee doesn't have it's place (Sunday mornings, long chats with friends), but a shot of espresso makes my day. The flavor is more intense.  The caffeine hits my blood stream more quickly.  Espresso is a tiny cup of love.  I even love the tiny cups, maybe it is from years of childhood tea parties.  Dainty=fun. 

Allow me to give some examples and you can compare for yourself the size you would buy in the states:

Packages of tortillas come in two sizes....large (US small) tortillas with 6 or XL (medium) with 4 in a package

Tortilla chips ...only one size 125 grams (@ 4 ounces and some chips are only 3 oz)

bananas  LOL you may buy as many as you like, but the only choice in size is small @ 4-5 bites FOR COLT

peanut butter...one size 350 grams @11 0z)

milk ...the largest I have seen is a liter


You get the picture.  It makes for frequent trips to grocery store which I prefer anyway because I like looking and it gets me out of the house.  Within 3 blocks, I have my choice of 4 grocers: BioMarket, Tegut, Penny Markt, and a Family Farmer Market type place.  That is only in one direction.  Honestly, I haven't been the opposite direction yet.

The biggest benefit of micro-sizing is my change in attitude.   It has no relationship to cost or quality.  Small quantities make the three of us savor every bite.  It's a miracle.  Even though I enjoy grocery shopping, it is a chore with a two year old.  Carrying or rolling two bags of groceries three blocks in the cold is hard!  The less everyone eats, the less it feels like a chore.  A 4 inch jar of PB is tiny, but I swear it last the entire week just like the 26 ounce jar I used to buy.  Every one gets a thin layer now instead of globs. 

Have I lost weight in two weeks?  Hell, No! lol The one thing that is the same size is wine. 750ml of beautiful Bordeaux and we get to drink a bottle every night!  All of my clothes do fit the same though and I now indulge in bakeries! I even wished I had a scale this morning.  Micro-sizing has it's perks!  All of the working out I used to do, seems so silly now.  Weights for 15 minutes and day and a little yoga for my sanity and I'm done!

Oh the Bakeries in Germany will have to be a three part series! I am trying to stay out of them because everything is micro here cars, toilets, beds, etc.  :)

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