As I get closer and closer to D-day, my life gets less and less exciting, or rather, I’m moving less and less, so not much has happened lately. But I still like to write, so I’ll do a top ten list this time.
After living in both France and Italy, I’ve realized that a lot of creature comforts that we consider normal in America are not so easily found in other places. Sometimes I wonder what they do without these little things, but I guess they haven’t realized the necessity of this stuff yet. So my list today will be:
Top 10 Difficult-to-Find Consumer Goods in Italy
1. Antibacterial soap- This one I just discovered, and am heart-broken. I had a small one, but wanted to get a big one for after the baby is born, so that only germ-free people will touch him. At the main store, we found one brand of hand sanitizer, which was tiny and cost around $5. I really don’t understand; it seems like such a basic thing. And with the disgusting bathrooms I’ve encountered in the last months, I’ve been very grateful for the one I did have. You would think that with all the old buildings, buses, etc., hand sanitizer would be prominent. Guess not.
2. Baking powder and soda- They don’t use these in baking here, period. I finally realized that they do have baking soda, but only use it on their feet. They apparently use much more yeast here than we do in the US.
3. Chocolate chips- virtually non-existant. I can’t really complain about chocolate here though, because it comes in every other form and flavor you could imagine. But anything chocolate chip is a no-go.
4. Granny panties- No need to explain. Sometimes a girl just wants some granny panties. Apparently only sexy underwear is allowed in Italy.
5. Baby ANYTHING- It does exist, but is hard to find, and expensive. Chicco has a monopoly here on everything baby-related, so you pay accordingly. Certain things like burp cloths are non-existent. Maybe Italian babies don’t spit up?
6. Brown sugar- Paolo has been in love with brown sugar since I made sweet potato casserole, so I brought some with me. They don’t have it here at all, and always think I’m talking about raw cane sugar when I ask about it.
7. Sweet potatoes- One of my very favorite foods, and nowhere to be found. I’m really sad this one didn’t make it over to Europe along with tomatoes and corn. They really don’t know what they’re missing out on.
8. Air Freshener- The woman who lived in my apartment before me died here and was here for three days before they found her. Needless to say, you can’t help but feel the smell is still there even though it happened months ago. The only thing I’ve found to improve smell is candles, but air freshener would be a nice reinforcement. Non-existent here.
9. Matches- Along with the candles, I had to buy matches, which was far more of a challenge than I expected. Apparently here in Italy, the government controls distribution and sale of matches and they are only sold in certain stores. These are called tabacchi, and are also the only place you can buy cigarettes (if you were wondering). There’s no such thing as a one-stop shop here in Italy.
10. Cough Drops- I discovered this one last Christmas, when I came down with bronchitis while visiting. I couldn’t find cough drops anywhere, and when we finally went to a pharmacy, they sold me something over the counter that they said would help. As soon as I put one in my mouth, I realized I had paid around $10 for 15 cough drops. Ridiculous. They only sell them in pharmacies here, and come on, for the effectiveness of a cough drop, it’s just not worth the price.
So, enjoy your creature comforts, even the little things. You can always make do without, but sometimes it’s just nice to have the things you’re used to around you.
Ciao for now,
Kathleen
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