P_M

My favorite lessons all relate to food, I wonder what that says about me? :-?

I learned to love scones and clotted cream (sorry British friends, I don't use the jam).

I also learned about Nutella, which I buy regularly now. Although Nutella is sold in the US, it's not well-known by people who don't travel. At least that's my observation.

There are many more things I learned from European travel that I practice regularly, but these are the first that come to mind.

SuzieC

I am in the league of the "french press" coffee; freshly ground beans. My fiance has an expresso machine that is quite posh...grinds the beans, etc. So at either home, I have great coffee. And butter. I only buy european butter. AND I'm learning to make my own cheeses.
Note to self; find someone with goats and sheep.

RufusTFirefly

Ah, yes, mattaitom--Campari. Started drinking it in Venice. I have it with club soda and ice (sorry about that schuler).

ira

Hi all,

I make my own pasta

I make my own pizza

I bake my own bread

I use only EVOO for cooking and salad oil

letour

Oh my goodness!

Great question!

I returned from house exchanges in Britain and France several years ago committed to an entirely new intake of beverages:

Real French coffee. British ales. French wines. (I told people that when we moved from our exchange in England to southwestern France on that trip, that I made a "seamless transition" from the ales to the wines! (And muscats etc.)

The truth is that as much as I actually enjoy drinking French or Italian coffee--particularly in cafes in France--it sadly doesn't agree with me, so I have had to largely give up that affectation! Eventually, all the British ales caught up with me too as I found myself becoming rounder by the week. Alas, I have not given up the French wines, and I tend to buy them exclusively. My French friends all say that a glass a day is fine, but I must confess that I sometimes wonder if I haven't made that too much of a habit too!

I really do enjoy bringing back as much of the cultures as I can; pretty much the only literature that I read now is French literature--it's as though I am playing catch-up and taking in a parallel cultural history with France. It drives my family nuts to be such a Francophile but it's actually kind of addictive!

Thanks for a great question!

elina

What is this Nutella? I have never seen, let alone tasted.

Wednesday

I always let my beer sit out before drinking right away, I prefer it more barely cool, than ice cold- after visiting Pubs @ England

ira

Hi elina

See http://www.nutellausa.com/

MarthaT

Elina, Nutella is a hazelnut chocolate spread. In American supermarkets it is found in the aisle next to the peanut butter.
They also have a website where you can find out all about it. Just put Nutella in a search engine because they have websites for alot of countrys.

elina

Thanks, I suspected it would be something like that. But I donīt think that is widely spread in Europe. I have not seen it anywhere.

lincasanova

well. maybe kettle isnīt the right word? i have a metallic tea "kettle" where i heat water on the stove.. when i want to "squish" a panini sandwich a bit, i put water in it and use it as a weight.

does the trick, but of course does not brown it on top side.. just smashes it a little.

( i don't overdo it though)

sandi_travelnut

I got a great pannini grill last Christmas. What a great treat it is!

Kate

elina, Nutella is all over Europe. I'd always assumed it was French, because that's where I first had it as a child, oh, some 25 years ago, but apparently it's italian. It's also been a solid fixture in British supermarkets for about 20 years.

JJ5

Make pesto. Learned in Liguria from a cooking lesson. I know Sicilian cooking from my family, but never did any pesto using the fresh basil and pine nuts.

KT

In an effort to pass for Italian, I've moved in with my parents, started smoking like a chimney, and wear tons of gold jewelry.

Only kidding.

BTW, Nutella is indeed Italian.

elina

One learns every day. I suppose I just have not payed any attention because it looks too sweet.

elaine

Thought of another one.
Cooking Greek recipes. My first trip to Europe was to Greece. I don't have any Greek heritage of my own, but I've adopted some of it over the years, especially Greek food.

Madison

I love reading and watching travel shows on Europe, Paris being my favorite.

Tackling learning French.

I was raised eating Greek food and as a child, I would visit my grandparents for a couple of weeks my breakfasts consisted of a homemade crusty bread my grandmother had made, cheese, tomatoes from her garden and olives that she cured herself.

For those of you that have a panini press I am going to buy one this weekend. You have convinced me. Any special brands to recommend??

This is a wonderful thread.

Marilyn

So many of these things (down duvet with no top sheet, good coffee, fresh pasta) have been a part of our lives for so many years that I can't really remember whether I picked up the habits in Europe. So I've been wracking my brain for something to contribute to this thread.

After lots of trips staying with friends in England, I did buy a cordless electric kettle that sits on a base. It boils very quickly and the kettle part is unattached -- very convenient.

I vaguely recall that my first trip to Europe (age 19) was when I first enjoyed wine on a regular basis. That habit has definitely stuck with me!

SAnParis

How to properly make a crepe (& probably several other cooking tricks that I don't even recall).