suze

drink cold white wine mixed with pink grapefruit juice in the morning to get over a hangover

sandi_travelnut

Madison,

My press is by Cuisinart with the unfortunate name of "Griddler". It has a hinged top so that it pressed straight down on the bread rather than pushing from the back. It also releases completely so you can open it up flat and comes with both the ribbed surfaces (no jokes please) or the flat "grddle surface for both sides. I think it's a great design. Comes with a little pannini cookbook and other things. Love it and use it often. Easy to clean and has multiple temp settings.

jgg

Looking for true buffalo mozzerella to have with our new habit of caprese salad.

Drinking water "con gas", and wearing scarves.

grandmere

Un Lillet blanc is nice before dinner.

Budman

No "true buffalo mozzerella" can be had anywhere but Naples, Italy. It's the freshest and the best!!!

kopp

All this talk about food is making me hungry...

One thing I wish our Italian restaurants here in Austin would do is go to Naples and learn to cook pizza. Enough of this thick, dried-out, cardboard-tasting crust. Yuck! Give me a true Italian pizza anyday.

Marilyn

Drink Badoit. (I don't usually like sparkling water, but Badoit is less fizzy than most.)

cigalechanta

Marylyn, My favorite water. I finally found it here but expensive

Danna

Cheese for dessert.

BetsyG

After the first trip - croissants & my husband switched to expresso roast & big cups, I still drink my strong French roast as before (all Starbucks.)

After the second trip - bagettes, the kids are addicted, they would not even eat sandwiches before, now its lunch meat, cheese,& a pickle on a bagette.

After reading this, may have to plant basil in the garden next year.

Great question!

caroline_edinburgh

lincasanova: thanks for the explanation - you really did mean a kettle ! If you boiled the water first, so the underside was still hot, perhaps it would brown the top of the panino ? Regards, Caroline

lincasanova

i don't think it really matters because the bread i use is already cooked and crisp.. just is nice for any baguette type sandwich to heat it up on grill with a weight on it.

it really does work well.

you cold always just flip it over and do other side a bit. i can't bear the idea of another apparatus in my kitchen, no matter how great.

flamingomonkey

I FEEL more European with these gas prices. I've cut way back on my driving, shopping and dining out. Sigh, I do miss hopping in my car and driving down to Champaign (from Chicago) just to see a movie. (I know, I know, gas is still relatively cheap compared with Europe, but stil...). Since returning from Ireland I have a newfound appreciation for where I live. I no longer entertain so many fantasies about moving cross country in search of greener pastures. The Irish, and I think most Europeans, tend to be much more rooted than Americans. I've also been more inclined to try to slow down and enjoy some of the simple pleasures of life. I appreciate family gatherings more and shopping less. From the perspective of Ireland, it quickly becomes apparent what a consumerist culture we have in America.

mebe

Belgium converted me into a beer drinker - Belgian style triple ale - yum!

midlohokiegirl

After visiting Paris, I now put spices in my coffee (on top of the coffee grounds) and I now love mint tea after a meal. I learned of these things from some ladies I met in Paris, originally from North Africa. The coffee thing really is quite neat...I usually use cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a touch of ground cloves.

tondalaya

Learning all the wonderful apertifs that we don't have here.

merrittm

What a great thread and one of the reasons I am a Fodors Talk addict!
3 weeks back from London and Paris and:
Wearing a scarf today at work
Afternoon tea (without the scones and clotted cream and Jam)- does anyone know where to get clotted cream in the San Francisco area?

Learned how to make a proper British "cuppa"

Refreshing mint tea for an anytime pickup

St. Dalfour's preserves, no sugar added, sweetened with juice concentrates - hauled 5 jars home and found my local store just started carrying it while I was on my trip!

Always had great coffee before, but bought an individual coffee press while there. Usually heat the milk.

Bought various "tisanes" while in France and enjoy them regularly now.

Already in the habit of fresh parmesian.

Working on the "more walking" and failing in this auto driven culture.

Husband already shops daily (lucky me)

Trying and failing miserably to look chic every day. Can't accessorize worth a darn! Would really like to get into the "quality" vs "quantity" clothing idea, but haven't succeeded (yet) in banishing the "I wants".

I come back from each trip grateful that I went and grateful of where I live.

travlsolo2

Eating Nutella; using individual comforters/duvet covers with no top sheet; french press coffee; waffle towel.
SeaUrchin -- you mentioned waffle towels -- if they're the kind I now like, where were you able to buy them? I've looked online and cannot find any. I actually bought two from my hotel in Vernazza; they thought I was nuts. Our hotel in Venice in 2003 had them also.

eSynergy

I just discovered these message boards. How fun!

Here are some of my things:
- Nutella
- Heinz baked beans for breakfast
- Bangers and mash
- Yorkshire puddings

Mostly English foods since my fiancee is from England!

MzPossum

Very interesting replies!
Like many, I use the duvet system, except in summer as that's too hot where we live--heaven in the winter, thogh, with flannel duvet cover--(I made my own for years until they became more popular here)
Going to the grocery or fruit stand several times a week instead of a big shopping trip and then storing alot of things in the freezer.
Hot tea made with tea leaves instead of bags
Again, like others posted, grating my own cheese
Recycling (hadn't really caught on in the 80's after I came back from living overseas--happily that's different, now)
After a German trip last year, eating boiled eggs almost every day for breakfast
on and on and on.....