THIS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME IN THE USA (since leaving Germany) 🤬

[@HayleyAlexis]

Oh the joys of coming back to the USA and having everything cost an arm, leg, and kidney. I will be selling feet pics to pay for my groceries!

[@asahelisrael8700]

I complete agree that why we cook everything at home...the quality is better at home in regard to buying the whole store...the best way to get the most for your money, bulk buying or meal prep!

[@aliceputz3183]

You know I am actually happy to hear you grumbling about food prices. Was rather worried for you because of the hurricane. As for herbs, in spring you might look into growing them from seeds. Take care!

[@weinbergfahrer4048]

Sorry, I don't get it ("stehe gerade auf der Leitung" ;) - what's so special about your feet? By the way, if you fancy something special like chanterelle (fresh from the woods, now it's the season...) can you buy those in Florida? Here in Austria, you can get them for about $7.50 per .66 lbs - how does that compare to the US?

[@raythevagabond3724]

If you promise not to show feet pics (ew, gross) I share an idea for free. I am planing to grow some herbs and maybe even some vegetables myself on the balcony and in the garden to save some money.

[@dancell7421]

Was back in the USA many years ago and astonished even back then by the cost of fresh vegetables and fruits!!!

[@wizardm]

My daughter studied several months in Flagstaff AZ. She was shocked by the low quality level of cheap food there. Shelves full of crappy stuff made of wheat flour, sugar, fat and chemicals in many variations. If you try to eat food in a standard german quality level, its really expensive and I understand why many americans can not afford this food quality, which affects their health and weight.

[@islandgurl4123]

I’m soon to be 49 but spent 1983-1992 living in Germany so basically grew up there due to my dad being in the military. It took quite awhile for me to get used to being back in the US. My mom for like the first year kept saying “in German” etc because the reverse culture shock was so intense for her. Even to this day over 30 years later I still don’t feel like I belong in the US

[@willybauer5496]

Where exacty did you grow up in Germany, if I may ask?

[@SonjaHamburg]

Come back 😊 i'd say germany changed for the better since the 80s and the US went downhill in so many aspects that make life worth living

[@Incegnito_27]

Heh same here except I spent my first years alive in bayern , Francoian Germany , from 2003-2005 , and tried to hard in my pre-teens and teens to be apart of american society that I've losted myself and found my myself in my german culture again and all around the world and less of the us . I know understand my parents and grand parents a bit more because of the military but a little less because knowing what they know about the us , why go so hard for it and be so deusional , they would die that way yk . And I don't have the finanaces to move back to germany as a full grown adult now or mexico , and surpsingly it followed me , which is comforting and shocking at the same time . But the us doesn't feel like home anymore or worth defending to be honest . Like I need to spread my wings and fly fam :/

[@islandgurl4123]

@@willybauer5496 Pirmasean, then Finthen Army Airfield, went to elementary in Mainz and middle/high school in Wiesbaden

[@m4ur1r4g3]

@@Incegnito_27 damn sounds like a giant prison Q_q

[@Anatol_Tobler]

ich muss immer schmunzel wie du deutsche sachen einstreust. Bei den Kreutern auf jeden fall. Es ist so sympathisch.

[@MumofSimon]

A friend of mine once was on a Schüleraustausch in the US and the Family she stayed at did only bye fresh fruit because of their guest. They only shopped at wallmart and normaly their kids didn‘t get any fresh fruits because for an avarage family of 4 it was too expensive. So sad. 😢

[@maxbarko8717]

Not cooking with real food reminds me of my wife being invited by Canadian women for Christmas baking. They melted marshmallows and poured it over something else (don’t remember) - that was the cookie. Or used cookie dough. It was just using other already made „food“. She was the only one making dough from scratch and baking as we do it in Germany.

[@stephannordmann5346]

The last vacation in the US proofed that we never go back to the US to life for good over there 😔 The prices in general and the people's are not our choice anymore 🤢 Crime, Drugs , worries about the kids , education and crazy people no way that we want to deal with that. I wish you all the best but the US have change and I believe that you are back soon 👍 You are to German after such a long time over here 🎉

[@Arltratlo]

haha, my daughter wanted to travel to Philly, meeting her cousins the first time in her live.... i showed her some YT videos about Philadelphia, even the street where my brother in law lives....and she mentioned not to go.. Jetzt möchte sie nächstes Jahr nach Japan....da werde ich natürlich mitkommen...lol

[@stephannordmann5346]

@@Arltratlo Good choice 👍

[@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl]

Hello Hayley, actually parsil and chives are quite easy to grow for yourself. You can do that even inside your home in a pot or a larger container for earth. And at least here in Germany you can get the seeds in many shops - even simple grocery shops. How's that: create your own edible jungle!

[@jessicaely2521]

I second this. It's so simple to grow these things. My mom took chives and parsley from FL, potted it, and grew it in a pot in TN. It didn't do as well as FL, but it still lived.

[@isabelhuppmann4871]

Yes, I agree! But parsley and chives don't like to be in the same pot together so use two 🙂

[@kathrinanna]

That is exactly what I wanted to write. I find the frozen fresh herbs in Germany way too expensive and too poor in quality - the chives often taste like straw. At Aldi and Lidl there are always very cheap good seeds in the spring and at Rewe even all year round. I grow parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, peppermint, Moroccan mint, marjoram and coriander myself. You can even grow most of them on your windowsill. My next attempt will be ginger. I am curious to see if it works

[@hypatian9093]

Most of the "regrow"-hype is just that, a hype. But regrowing spring onions is great - leave a thumb length, put in a pot and enjoy the growth ;)

[@Julia-lk8jn]

In my experience: they take forever to grow to the point where you won't be cutting off most of the plant for one single salad. I suggest hustling to the a good garden center and coming back with a box full of fragrant deliciousness. (And if you're on a fresh herb withdrawal, might be good to not bring along more money than you want to spend.)

[@miasolala8415]

What always amazes me regarding 'herbs, fruits, vegetables' is how little people in the U.S. seem to know that you can easily grow a lot of it in a garden or on a balcony (or even windowsill). I've seen some documentaries of people who had little money and seemed so helpless when it came to feeding their kids fresh fruits/veggies, but at the same time sitting on a porch with some square feet of more or less green lawn all around. Is it really so unheard of to just plant a bed and grow your own food, or does it just seem that way to me? On my small balcony I have lots of flowers, all the herbs I like, then a tomato and a bell pepper in the summer, carrots and lettuce in flower pots, even a small apple tree (with currently 8 fruits😂), a raspberry bush and a small fig tree. Admittedly, I can no longer sit properly in this jungle, but to me this little oasis is just beautiful.🌻🍎🌿🥀🐝🐞🥰

[@combatduckie]

"...Admittedly, I can no longer sit properly in this jungle" - Reminds me of my garden corner belonging to my rented apppartement, I started putting bird baths, bird feeders etc in there, and now it s no longer mine, the birds have taken over. ...some of them are too shy to come to the feeders while i m sitting there so I meantime stay entirely out of my garden area....

[@lillic8522]

My sister lives in a house with a home owner association. Apparently they have the power to prevent the homeowners to have their veggiebeds in the front yard, or even have elevated beds in the backyard. Depending on the orientation of the houses, this makes gardening rather hard, but I agree, that herbs or tomatoes in pots should be possible everywhere.

[@Winona493]

Like paradise!!!!❤ I can retrace it so well! If only I could! Unfortunately I don't have any of these opportunities and I long for it so much! Now that I've read your comment, I made a decision: I leave my current flat and look for an appartment that offers me at least a balcony!!! Thanks for pushing me unintentionally.😅

[@thirstwithoutborders995]

Regarding the Kräuter, I would just grow them myself. I do, because I feel like the supermarket ones here in Austria are expensive and not as aromatic, and my mom did when we lived in India and they basically only have cilantro as a fresh herb. Actually she grew a whole garden of vegetables, that were considered rare, but I would start with herbs, they are easy to grow and with the Florida sun they will grow year round.

[@andywilliams7323]

Also, US foods contain way more sugar, additives and dangerous chemicals than foods in European countries do. For health reasons, European countries mandate much stricter limits on how much sugar and additives foods can contain and ban the use of many dangerously unhealthy ingredients still used in US foods.

[@jessicaely2521]

This is only if you don't sit down and reasearch it. You can get completely clean things. Now you are going to pay more, but which is more important? It definitely takes time when you are doing it for the first time. You just go to Aldi or Trader Joe's and 90% of their food is dye free, no msg, no partially hydrogenated oils, etc. It's pretty reasonably priced also. Trader Joe's is dirt cheap. You get all pasta for $1-$1.50 (0.93€-1 40€). You get 1/2 a kg for this price. It's completely Bio stuff.

[@willybauer5496]

It still wouldn't matter, if you prepare your own food & meals, doesn't it? I'm doing this for my whole lifetime and don't understand why this is even an issue. Okay, I'm living in a small town and even go to the local farmers markets… though even, when I lived in an area with millions of people, I had no probs with local food from the area. And hey, getting some flour or eggs for some waffles isn't a thing… cooking fresh and being able to take the time for it should be some kind of a human right. My humble opinion ;)

[@thinkingbout]

​@@jessicaely2521Thanks for sharing your insights. I find it Interesting that this is the case in two grocery stores owned by german companies (Trader Joes belongs to the german Aldi Nord Group since 1979).

[@Mike-zx1kx]

When you have universal healthcare it makes perfectly good sense to make sure the population have access to good healthy affordable food! When you have a insurance and privately for profit healthcare system you MAKE money on having an obese unhealthy population. All financial deep diving into US healthcare show they can taxfinance it and make it non profit and cover all 100% for a lot less money than current system where many either do not have access or put great restraints on themselves in seeking professional help when needed. As long a America have their lobby laws, that judicially would be straight forward corruption in ANY EU nation they will get the governments the fossil fuel industry and POOtin paid for. They sell their opinions for next term long before the (remaining) voters even arrive at the boot. USA deserve a multi party democracy with a single chambered parliament. 1/Drop current lobby laws and pay you politicians a taxpayer paid fee per vote in last election. 2/Remove the electoral college and let all votes count. Electoral college are anti democratic per design and might have had a purpose when introduced but evolve from this. 3/Ban the ability to move lines of voter districts and let each states votes counts equally. 4/Change freedom of speech to freedom of expression. The current ability to serve lies as truth in a highly structured and coordinated manner are tearing USA apart. NO US media are informing Americans of reality in the world making them easy to manipulate whenever needed. Never forget that 3 days before George Bush went to war with Iraq a huge demographic survey showed 86% of Americans over 18 agreeing to this statement: "We should attack Iraq to revenge 9/11"! Iraq and Saddam had NOTHING to do with 9/11 and certainly less than the very government that ordered that war! Dictators in other countries would LOVE to have 86% of their population believing a totally fabricated notion/lie in just a few months time. Understand your political ignorance are DANGEROUS for yourself and the world. ONLY a friend will tell you the truth´s that might feel uncomfortable to be confronted with! Your enemy will happily stay silent while you fail.

[@dorisschneider-coutandin9965]

Every time I see someone (there are some people on FB doing it) from the USA blog on "cooking"; I can be sure in 9 out 10 cases that the only thing they do is mix together frozen, canned or packaged stuff in a baking dish, add a ridiculous amount of butter and that awful cheese like Velveeta block (or anything similar) to it and bake it in the oven (standard saying "at 350 for 35 minutes"). Then they serve it proudly as "home cooked". I am equally as shocked as I am appalled by it, and regularly so. Would never happen that way in my (German) kitchen.

[@peterpain6625]

I always send those american co-workers that tell me "i can't" "never learned" to "Cooking with Kian" on yt. I watch a lot of international cooking youtube and that kid made it into my recommends. If a 13y old can cook. So can everybody else ;)

[@David_randomnumber]

I regularly buy some of those exotic premixed packs from Knorr or Maggi. Then, if it tastes good, reverse engineer it to make the same thing from fresh(er) ingredients without the premix. Everyone can cook, you just have to try.

[@Psychx_]

How to save costs on food: Rice and pasta every day + buy some vegetables frozen (shock frosted vegetables may taste different, but they retain all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants). If possible, get your stuff at a discounter and buy goods that have been reduced in price due to reaching their "best before" date soon. Things like yoghurt and cheese usually last up to a month longer than stated when the packaging is intact.

[@selpharessecret3899]

Or justr move out if the USA and get healthy food for reasonable prices.

[@AnnaLee33]

@Psychx_, I'm preeetty sure that Hayley is used to fresh veggies, not frozen, - we have a huge variety of that here. The texture is better, it has more "bite", unless you cook it too long. Your other tips are spot on.

[@vattenflick]

@@selpharessecret3899 , I mean, she did really try that route!

[@JouMxyzptlk]

5:55 The "LebenUSA" Channel had exactly the same topic about "What counts as cooking in the US", which is practically just unpacking and maybe heating it up. And if you start growing your own Petersilie, Schnittlauch, Thymian, Rosmarin, Mint and so on, you will be 100% Germanized :D

[@carmenfinn7521]

I was reminded of that also.

[@kemeu_]

I'm in the US(Mi)atm. Funny thing just happened: I ordered a pizza with mushrooms and garlic. The waitress asked:"do you want parmesan garlic or garlic butter ?" - Umh no, just simple fresh garlic... She didn't even seem to understand. So I took the garlic butter. I wonder: Why would I need some processed garlic with who knows what chemicals inside when it would be so easy to just chop up some fresh, healthy garlic ?🤔🧐 I don't understand this concept. 🙄

[@peterpain6625]

They probably use garlic powder. Also i bet the parmesan isn't parmesan at all. Just google "fake parmesan" and go down the rabbit hole ;)

[@blondkatze3547]

I agree with you dear Hayley, fresh home-baked waffles taste best. You need to mix the flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, vanilla sugar and baking powder well and the waffle batter is ready. It tastes best with powdered sugar or with fresly whipped cream and hot cherries. They taste so delicious. Lovely Greetings from northern Germany.🙂😋🌻🌺

[@Saavik256]

When my friends and I did a roadtrip around the US years ago (almost 20 years ago by now), one of the things that bothered me was how much sugar is in almost all foods, even bread. As someone who doesn't eat fast food or use sugar, that made my food choices fairly limited. I think I lost something like 15kg by the time we returned to Europe.

[@clivewilliams3661]

Sugar is added to give an easy flavour for food but primarily as an appetiser in that it makes you want more, thereby increasing consumption. Just look at breakfast cereals, a portion of sugar free cereal is satisfying but a portion of sugar soaked cereal will generate a craving for more. Not only is excess sugar bad for you but to then purposefully encourage people to crave more is immoral. My wife had gestational type 2 diabetes that was genetic so that we were acutely aware of the sugar we all ate including my daughters, who are genetically predisposed to having type 2 diabetes in later life. With that focus we look at the added sugar in many foods that verges on being criminal in destroying health. In many cases artificial substitutes are available that do the same thing without the dangers. in UK there was a campaign to reduce the amount of sugar in soft drinks and overnight it was noticeable how the supermarket shelves changed from 90% sugar added drinks to 50+% of sugar free drinks that tasted the same. Just look at basic Pepsi, the original has added sugar but Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max are both sugar free and now take the majority of Pepsi sales. The UK added a sugar tax that had a significant (healthwise) effect and an unnoticeable change in flavour to most things. I would rather get rid of sugar in products that can get by with artificial sweeteners and save my sugar rush for those products like patisserie and confectionary that need it.

[@jessicaely2521]

You just didn't chose the right bread. I can get bread with absolutely no sugar added. You have to do a lot of research.

[@claudiakarl7888]

@@jessicaely2521But you don’t have time for that if you’re just travelling. And it shouldn’t be necessary. Healthy food should be available everywhere.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

​@@jessicaely2521'Research' needed before buying and eating a part of the staple diet in the USA? Are breadmaking grains unfamiliar or unavailable in the USA? Is the skill of baking dying out? I believe it was in Ireland that a court ordered Subway's US-style bread rolls to have the higher rate of VAT, applicable to 'confectionary', charged upon them, due to their high level of sugar. Yuk! Like using roast beef and gravy to fill a Victoria sponge sandwich!

[@lillic8522]

@@jessicaely2521when you are on a roundtrip, even the best research does not help. Several years ago, we traveled from Texas to California, visiting the parks. And even in the most touristic spots it was extremely difficult to find good food in restaurants. My daughter is allergic to wheat, and does not tolerate too much sugar (her neurodermitis then flares up). She basically lived off french fries for nearly 4 weeks, since in the states between Texas and California, there where not even glutenfree products available, people apparently just order them online. When we travel in Europe, it is like a party for my daughter. She really likes discovering the different things the other countries have to offer, and in Italy, the land of pasta and pizza, the choice she is having, is enormous (in Switzerland we only get around 6 tipes of pasta..)

[@LythaWausW]

I feel you. My last return to Germany this year, I took a photo of my grocery haul and said THANK YOU ALDI for all that, for 50bucks! There are so many items I wish German grocery stores had (esp in produce and seafood...and a self-checkout!) but I'll take the awesome prices! My family in America has learned how to sale-only-shop, and freeze those two-for-ones and use Costco for non-perishables. I have so much Heimweh, I was hoping this video would make me feel better but...hrm.

[@alexmaganda5827]

and its crazy bc 2 years ago before the inflation in germany you could shop for like 30 euros easily for an entire weak lol

[@derda1304]

@@alexmaganda5827 thats not true.

[@alexmaganda5827]

@@derda1304 that is very true i lived of 20 euros easily a week wich is now impossible

[@dorodandelion]

The waffle thing you say is sooooo true! When I was at a choir tour in the US I was wondering why our hosting family makes pancakes from a powder instead of using the REAL ingredients... They added also certain things. Yupp. (I'm Hungarian, making pancakes for family or friends literally in every 2 weeks from flour, eggs, milk, oil, salt and beer / sparkling water. It is so easy and quick process.)

[@caccioman]

Beer? That is new to me. But then again, in Bavaria they mix (among other things) beer with camembert to make a dish called obadzda… 😅

[@dorodandelion]

@@caccioman yupp, it makes the pancake batter lighter a bit :) Obadza sounds great, btw... ;)

[@kathrinscharrer3923]

Love love love Hungary and hungarian pancakes!!! I don't get the politics though😔

[@dorodandelion]

@@kathrinscharrer3923 I agree with both your statements... 👋

[@kathrinscharrer3923]

@@dorodandelion I used to spend holidays in Hungary as a child because my parents had friends there and my mom learned the language as a hobby. I especially cherish my memories of new year's eve celebrations, they were supercool ( I belive it was 1986)👋

[@Psychx_]

Fast food pricing vs. the cost of healthy food, aswell as widespread availability of fast food are for sure in part responsible for the US-wide health and obesity/diabetes crisis.

[@barefootvibes8896]

Junk food in the US is subsidized. The food industry is incredibly corrupt. It costs more to buy real food, and when you consider that 1/3 American workers make >$13 an hour...well, lets just say there is more than one reason why people are so unhealthy here. It can be shocking to see the difference from one state to the next, or even one area to another.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

A Burger King Burger costs 0.5 Euro cents production. They do not need subsidies...

[@jessicaely2521]

It's changing in the US. Your businesses are slowly but surely realizing people aren't going to work for less than $15 an hour. My job walking in now you make $18 an hour where 6 years ago you make $8 an hour (our job is "dangeous" so you get hazard pay). There's absolutely no education needed for my job. It's all on the job training.

[@barefootvibes8896]

@@jessicaely2521 You are right about people being fed up, but it's not changing fast enough, and people are struggling everywhere. Where are you from? What do you do? Anyway, stay safe out there!

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

@@jessicaely2521 That would be about 2000,-- US$ or 1850,-- Euros. Thats the salary of a unskilled trainee for office work or a janitor, unskilled factory worker in the EU. Or for a waitress working 30 hours per week (my wifey). Including lifetime unlimited health care and after all taxes. Including 38 hours per week (or less, never more), including 5 weeks of vacation (or more, never less) and 8-16 days for christmas etc. depending on the country. Including 3 full years of paternal leave with 80% of your salary after childbirth. Or 2 years and one year paternal leave for the father. Including all the off time you need for getting well after a injury or flu etc. Including enough pension @ 65 to support yourself and your family till your life's end. Including working public transport services. Including healthy and affordable food everywhere. Its actually not easy to get some fast food at all besides the cities. Excluding dentists. Sadly. Thats Europe.

[@barefootvibes8896]

@@wolfgangpreier9160 We could only dream of that in the US!

[@andreahughes1]

I am from Germany but lived here most of my adult life! In Germany the government for the most part is not seen as the boogie man like it is here. Germany has a lot more regulations when it comes to prices and food safety. You have to take the good with the bad! No regulation means companies can charge what they feel like! Here the prices went up during Covid but never came back down! So, it’s not all sugar and spice when you have less regulations!

[@AnnaLee33]

the big supermarket and discounter chains here in Germany keep each other in check too! If Aldi lowers prices, Rewe, Norma and Netto follow suit. People are well informed by the weekly ads they get in their mailbox and go where they get a good deal!

[@PattisKarriereKarten]

I feel you soooo much 😂 I was just visiting for 4 weeks in 2011 and asked myself how anyone gets along with ONLY fast food chains who offer all the same. I was really disgusted after a few weeks and jumped on slices of whole grain bread as soon as we were in the plane back to Germany. Wish you the best for your time there.

[@jennyh4025]

I felt the same visiting family twenty years ago. And so much meat everywhere. I flew home to Germany in September and didn’t touch any meat until Christmas.

[@jaaanaaa8045]

When it was my turn to bring some cake (Kuchen) to work for my birthday I considered using a boxed cake mix. I am generally just awful at baking, so it truly was an option to me. I ended up torturing myself to make muffins myself because I would have been way too ashamed to bring anything that comes from a box to work lol. So yes, we really do make stuff from natural ingredients whenever we can.

[@itsmejohnson0891]

I love Haley - just uplifts people's lives and gives so much information that most people might be wanting to learn and better their lives.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Well thank you for that uplift in my life with your kind words!!

[@piamadamefate7217]

Hi Haley, You are just German at heart by now...Maybe you should take seeds for parsley, chives, cilantro etc. from Germany in October and grow your own herbs in pots.... Then you won't have to fret about the high prices in the US.... I wish you all the best for your new start in the US, stay healthy and take care of yourself. Greetings from Hannover/Germany (translated by deepl)

[@berlinmom4857]

I moved to FL from Berlin last year. I lived in Germany for over 25 years and still struggle with the cost of food, lack of variety - unless you are looking for repacked convenience foods. I also miss the mass transportation. Sometimes I wished I had stayed in Germany.

[@DidierWierdsma6335]

You can always go to Germany/Europe live over here is not that bad it's definitely better than live over there and much more affordable and healthier as well😊 America is a great place to go too for a short or long vacation but to work and live there permanently HELL NO Europe is so much better period. Other than that greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱

[@tillneumann406]

I can still see why the weather and other things might induce you to move to FL. Though RDS certainly would put me off.

[@Julia-lk8jn]

Live without public transport? 😳 Okay, I guess I could do it if there are cyclist lanes, and the car drivers understand the difference between a cycling lane and free parking space ... But I love trains. Even if they're full, I can move around, there's a toilet, in long distance trains there's usually a small bistro, and I can use the travel time as productive or unproductive as I wish. Sorry about the (reverse) culture shock, hope you'll find some good shopping options. Or space for a garden.

[@MollysMum-A.K.]

Do a herb garden 😁 and you can freeze what you can’t it when it’s time to harvest! 😊

[@jenniferhill3524]

Hear ya I experienced the same going from Germany to Wisconsin for a family visit. Grocery prices are crazy.😞

[@karenkingrey6142]

Yep. Welcome back to America. It is def cheaper to buy crazy expensive fast food, than to plan, shop, & prepare really good food at home. And then we sit and wonder why Americans are so much heavier than other places in the world.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

Its cgheaper to let yourself go and buy a fatty Mac Burger and drink some Soylent Green AG1 instead of investing the time and effort to eat and drink and generally behave healthy.

[@uwelohr7958]

it occurs "we" turned you into a European in the end...very nice to see from my point of view...with all blessings!

[@bethgrant1694]

Hi Hayley.🙋 I know what you're talking about out of my own expirience. When I lived in SoCal I grew my own little "garden" on my windowsill, by growing the basic herbs in pots and also started to learn how to bake bread and ppl always asked for me to cook them German "specialties". Back in Germany now I still bake my own bread and have a little herb selection in my backyard and every yearin fall I cut and freeze them for the wintertime, so I always have homegrown herbs. I wish you all the best.

[@Revi-2020]

OMG Hayley ! Your german community should definitely send you care packages so that you can continue to enjoy products at reasonable prices. 😮 The (much) older ones of your viewers will still remember the time when West German care-packages were sent to GDR .... ähhm ... mostly for Christmas. 😂😊

[@M13C7]

Im learning a lot about the US and also understanding the cause for many factors while watching these videos, so big thank you Hayley. I also think you re probably helping people understand germany better in turn as well. It would seem to me, that the smartest thing to do in the US is to have your own little garden and grow these supplies yourself. I know many do live in tiny apartments with polluted air, but surely you can grow more than you think indoors. So i would encourage people to do that. I live in Germany and i grow in my own garden. I absolutely agree with you that some of the most basic joys of cooking are fresh ingredients. Which the US population should explore too, wihtout having to go poor.

[@Visitkarte]

Dear Haley - try to plant yourself a small herb garden- you can grow these in pots. I prefer them that way anyway.

[@angelao6047]

I don't own garlic or onion powder. I use the real veg for each recipe. I combine ground herbs to make my own tacco powder, etc. American cooking can be sad, if not homemade. Then again homemade carrot cake/ cheesecake and so many more are just a gift to the world! 😅

[@peterpain6625]

No idea if you got the room for a little garden but many of our american coworkers grow some stuff themselves. Parsley, basil, garlic and tomatoes even. Some grow pumpkins and/or carrots. There are plenty of youtube channels about that for you to get information on how to grow with minimal room/investments. Also lots and lots of cooking channels about cooking good food with minimal effort.

[@aglaiacassata8675]

Florida has very sunny weather: Maybe you could grow some chives, parsley and cilantro in pots?

[@Phiyedough]

I have a similar problem here in Croatia. I'm on a low income and can afford to make meals but not such healthy meals as I would like. In UK the meat or fish was the expensive part of the meal, the veg. was quite cheap. Here fruit and veg. are expensive, even potatoes, so I don't buy them so much. I end up eating a lot of pasta and rice with stuff like tomato ketchup instead of fresh tomatoes, peppers or whatever. No temptation for eating out / fast food as I live in the middle of nowhere!

[@Thepsyrotic]

So funny and true. i have just been to the US a few weeks ago, Florida but also St. Louis (I'm half american, half German). The food in the US definitly is crazy expensive, especially if you want to cook fresh, from vegetables to meat, it does cost an arm and a leg. It is extreme in Florida, but not tooo much better in the mid west. The Red Bull is a good example, but I also saw "Appenzeller" cheese. 0.77 lb $23 and some change ... thats insane Cooking: i loved Aunt Jemina's Pancake mix until I realized that with the ingedients i still have to add, I would just need to mix Baking soda and flour and have my own "mix" You also don't have the vast amount of dried herbs, most are premixed. Were you can find good fresh food is at Farmers Markets... relativly affordable Gotta say though: I hate coconuts in Germany... whole different story in florida :D

[@orangecat999]

Oh, another thing. I used to think it was a convenience issue in the US until I went to Japan. Japan has so much "everyday person's" good food everywhere---at the train station, at the street corner, in the malls, etc. Space is at a premium in the big cities so most kitchens are tiny and people rely on the availability of pre-made foods-but they haven't given in to the idea of turning the food into junk in order to enrich corporate interests.

[@peterpain6625]

Friend of mine went to Japan for vacation and was amazed about all those little hole-in-the-wall kitchens/restaurants making affordable, good and healthy food over there. Also the convenience store options always had healthy stuff not just fried-chicken or something.

[@caccioman]

We used to joke with our US roommate Denise that American cooking is all about „just add water“

[@SatieSatie]

😂

[@colibri1]

I had a similar US waffle experience just yesterday! I recently moved from a US city where people generally eat healthier and cook more to a US city where people don't, mainly because my family needed my help with an elderly parent. So, my mother asks me to make her some waffles. I found a recipe and made it kind of how you say you would have done it: flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, salt, sugar, vanilla. It comes out really good (especially with the addition of a syrup my sister made from wild grapes), but when I tell one of my mother's friends about it, she huffs and says, "Well, why didn't you just use one of those Eggo toaster waffles?! That would've been faster, and probably better!" And like you say, I bet this woman would have believed that putting an Eggo waffle in a toaster was her "cooking" it or "making" it, when it was already a pre-made item.

[@Arltratlo]

i did German pan cakes for breakfast for my in laws last time i went to the USA..... my father in law alone ate the half of them... i made them after my granny recipe....she been born in 1908...

[@Djahnie]

You should grow your herbs in small pots on the windowsill. They grow really fast and you can use them again and again. That is, if you can find the seeds..?

[@HayleyAlexis]

Once I get my own apartment I have a lot of things I would like to do.... a little herb garden is one of them!

[@hans-jurgenoberfeld343]

It actually surprises me that vegetables, fruits and herbs are so expensive in the USA. The country is huge and Europe is so small, with prices per square meter you have to be able to grow crops cheaper.

[@gloofisearch]

It is all all about corporate greed. You can buy 100 different salad dressing with ingredients you never heard of. Way easier to sell and advertise than having Petersillie or any other herb on the shelves. I usually buy Kraeuter in Germany and bring them over to make my own salad dressing. Nobody here makes salad dressing themselves!

[@rhalleballe]

>The country is huge and Europe is so small What?? United States of America including Alaska is 9,5 Million km². Europa is 10,5 Million km². So what do you mean by "huge" vs. "small"??

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

crops? Yes. Wheat? Yes. Corn? Yes. Healthy tomatoes, paprika, lettuce? No.

[@kattanakaokopnik5170]

It depends a lot on where you are in the US.

[@SonjaHamburg]

Europe is bigger than the US. But our geografie might be better. We have less dessert wasteland

[@6EBEN9890]

But honestly, packaged pancake and waffle mix is already in german shops....so this point is for any country, i am guessing. That it is better to use your own natural ingredients coz packaged mixes are everywhere.

[@vonydavis1150]

Anyone can find a recipe. People take shortcuts because they have no time.

[@clivewilliams3661]

@@vonydavis1150People take short cuts because it is convenient , hence the rise of the convenience store. Part of the problem is that children are rarely taught to cook by their parents or by the schools. Here in UK we often see poor families have take-out meals and then complain about the cost of living when to cook the same food at home would be 1/3rd of the cost. I have no sympathy for those that bleat about the cost of living when all they can do is consume fast food and takeaways, which they order over their mobile phone. We are not poor but we grow food and support local producers and its surprising that on the food front the cost of living has largely passed us by and to be frank, we are enjoying a renaissance in the variety of food we now have. .

[@jennyh4025]

I have only seen one couple, who wanted to buy pancake mix. And when I told them what they needed to make their own mix they put the convenience stuff away, grabbed a kg of flour from two rows further down and left to get the milk, they already had eggs in their cart.

[@orangecat999]

Girl, I feel you! I have the same issue having lived in Italy. The only saving grace is that I can garden where I live. Another thing I found out is that you can get the same brand products in Europe with less sugar and fewer chemicals. We Americans have completely lost it when it comes to cheaping out on our health and food.

[@klaus2t703]

You are so Germanized! - Really fun to watch 🙂

[@AnnaLee33]

Oh, wonderful post!! I could NOT find a simple "Kamillentee", (Chamomile tea) in the USA, it's here in Bavaria available for under 1 € in every discounter and drugstore, 20 teabags, just like peppermint, Melisse, Hagebutten, Kräutertee, dozens of different types, - I had to go to a pharmacy, where they had it. The owners were Jews from Germany...and the Pharmacist went to fetch his family, and they asked me to speak German, their eyes were wet, mine as well. It was so lovely! But there were zillions of different cereals in the discounter and huge containers of milk. -- Hayley, how is the bread over there...? *g*

[@Duchesse_Justice]

As someone who spends every waking hour wishing I was in Europe and not the USA, I know our food is terrible. I know the quality is crappy, the FF is everywhere(As I had Chick Fil A for breakfast this morning..), and very rarely do people sit and enjoy their food (I'm guilty. I'm the queen of eating on the run). However, things like cooking- I don't have that talent. I set the smoke alarm off making eggs. I'm the one going Hmm, what's bigger again.. Teaspoon or Tablespoon. Tsp? Is that like Lisp? Whats that? My dad is a wonderful cook! He loves it! It's one of his biggest hobbies.. Me, I didn't get the gene. It would cost more money for me to buy ingredients and mess up (probably more than once) than it does to hit the drive in or DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, etc. Everyone.. Every single person I watch in Europe, From Europe, Traveling/Living In Europe always always ALWAYS mentions the. food differences. You're in good company!

[@00wheelie00]

Teaspoon or tablespoon, the problems o a country that is stuck in the past with imperial measures and a ridiculous measuring system for ingredients :D

[@michaelschmidt9645]

Welcome to your Reverse Culture Shock! Of course you know you had it coming ... ;) Considering your small choice of fresh herbs and vegetables, maybe that's a problem of the size of the country and its distances too. I've been to New Jersey a couple of times (the Garden State ...), and there is much more variety of these fresh things, probably due to the proximity of growing areas.

[@shahlabadel8628]

Same here in California.

[@k.schmidt2740]

I think my comment disappeared, because it had links in it. That is too bad. I just wanted to emphasize the fact that the only way to get decent food in the U.S. that does not cost you an arm and a leg is 1) grow it yourself or 2) get a share in a CSA and join the folks there who also want to be able to eat real food!! That's what I do, when I go "home". The CSA movement is worth driving a few miles to get to. I can't post the link to the movement here, but the title is "Community Supported Agriculture", and the website is run by "Local Harvest". I with you all the best of the best!

[@sylviaheinemann3314]

Hayley, you could try to grow these Kräuter on your balcony. Or do you have access to a little patch of garden? Growing Schnittlauch is easy, so is Koriander, Basilikum, etc. Only Petersilie gives me a hard time for some reason. Viel Glück!

[@cdnest]

*einfaches Waffelrezept :* 250 g Zucker 250 g Margarine, zimmerwarme 5 Ei(er), verquirlte 1 Pck. Vanillinzucker ½ Schuss Rum 500 g Mehl ½ Liter Milch ½ Pck. Backpulver Viel Erfolg ;)

[@wanderingengineeress]

Girl I lose so much weight when I visit my family in the States because I visit NYC and I refuse to buy so much crap

[@lunagabriella213]

This year I worked in a grocery store in Texas and couldn't afford my own groceries!

[@bavariancarenthusiast2722]

I never went shopping for fresh food and cooking myself in the USA - if I look back...only my time studying in Berkeley....well I cooked basic stuff. It's a matter of demand, if nobody is asking for variety and high quality fresh food, it will not be grown and sold. Regarding herbs (Schnittlauch, Koriander, Petersilie....) many of my friends have a Kräutergarten in their backyard. If you are in a rented flat they grow them in Blumentöpfen, maybe you can do it there too - it helps a least a little bit.

[@assimgreen9806]

Happy to see you. We been worried when we heard the news about the storm in Florida

[@VeeBlack]

The looks I get when I tell people I cook almost every day, from scratch ^^' It's like they don't see that often. Also, I grow my herbs at home. Have a little hydroponics garden and get to have fresh herbs all year around :) I had the same thoughts about food when we moved from Germany to the States as you do and to these days it sometimes still blows my mind how much fresh food, produce etc. costs here. Still, a real home cooked meal is the best :)

[@Artemis13579]

1. Counter top herb gardens are a must. Keep em in your kitchen always and they have their own grow light! 2. Ingredients in American foods are hugely laced with preservatives and B's and it sucks always trying to be healthy it's basically unavoidable. 3. Costco / BJs/ Sam's Club/ are a must for most families because of the cost per unit being cheaper than regular grocery stores. Plus, surplus items are usually frozen for convenience later when the cost of food is too much. Get it now at the bulk price cheaper and save your ass when the prices go even further 3. East Coast still has Lidl and Aldi and is typically still the cheaper store to shop at. My mom would compare Price Chopper to Walmart to Aldi and cross reference ads for the store and coupons to ensure that the shopping day always got the most for the money and did her big hauls all at once. Might have to consider doing that. 5. Cannot seriously bitch about takeout when supporting Chik Fil A as they still send their money for anti-LGBTQIA groups. Morally reprehensible IMHO. Stop going to places like that that do morally damaging things. 5. Pancake Mixes, Bisquick, Biscuit Mixes have all the powder ingredients in one that are the same as the shelves but as you mentioned cost per unit is cheaper in those all in one boxes than separately. It makes sense from a cost saving side to get those. Bisquick being the main one. Bisquick makes it possible for waffles, pancakes, biscuits etc. Just add water or milk and you have what you want to make. Just makes sense for some people. 6. Redbull distribution in Germany is from Switzerland and Austria. So it's close to SoGermany where you came from, in the US the distribution is from AZ.... so all the way across the country. Cost of manufacturing, distribution, and inflation are in the cost. This makes most people looking to save to get items that are restricted to local only or genetics made locally to avoid all that cost.

[@Wlf5953]

Hayley it’s going to definitely be an adjustment period for a time. Might I suggest looking around for co-ops or local more ethnic shops. I have to sometimes laugh at myself because I frequent different grocers to find what I want ( Walmart is not one of them)🤢 JMPO. Anyway,agree with all you said and with that,good luck. Cheers 😉

[@SABRINA.ARMY.BTS.]

I still remember that when I was an au pair in Ohio that when my host mom said that she’ll cook dinner she always used frozen or premade meals and stuck them in the oven, or she would stick pre made mashed potatoes or pizza in the microwave as well as French toast sticks or corndogs ! Then one day I made myself some homemade “hash browns “ with onions and a sunny side up egg on top (very easy to prepare) and there were so many different other things that I’ve cooked for myself that the kids in the end preferred my homemade dinners 😂 ! Or the kids loved these Fruit cups that you can buy everywhere and I just chopped up some fruit added some Squeezed orange juice mixed it up and they liked it as well !

[@bb7993]

Ich bin 58 und schaue mir deinen Kanal gerne an, sehe die Dinge hier in Deutschland ein wenig anders. Vom Verhältnis Selbstkocher zu Selbstkocher gibt es bestimmt noch einen größeren Unterschied in den USA, allerdings haben auch wir hier reichlich Conveniant-Produkte und Fertigprodukte. Auch hier gibt es Waffel oder Pfannkuchenteig (aus der schüttel Plastik Flasche 😖) oder, sogar seit meiner Jugend, die Fertig-Kuchen-Packung. Schon damals dachte ich, wie unsinnig das ist, aber Werbung und der "große Bruder" USA machen es möglich. Ich freue mich über jeden, dem das klar ist und der diese sogenannten Lebensmittel einfach verweigert 😅. Pass auf dich auf und viel Erfolg für deine Zukunft 😊!

[@memories511]

Wishing you lots of luck , being back in the lousy USA. It is a mess here, so strap yourself in for the crazy ride.

[@tinekepostema4672]

I can relate.... we were in Michigan, greater Detroit, last fall... we were so happy to be home in Germany again after 2 weeks of mainly fast food. Even though we stayed with family, more than 80 percent of the food we ate was fast food🤮🤮🤮

[@jessicaely2521]

Become a gardener. It really isn't difficult. I understand its difficult. Im in FL also and cant wait for winter to come so I can grow my own food.

[@psk8900]

I totally get it - as a German having lived in the US, I was always shocked how much it costs to get fresh ingredients to make something as basic as a Spaghetti Bolognese (the way we would make it in Germany with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, etc). No wonder many American families veer to cheap(er) fast food when fresh produce costs a fortune!

[@jessicaely2521]

Prices is why I grow my own produce (fruits and vegetables) and get my meat, eggs, dairy from a neighbor. We swap food. I grow enough produce for my family and his family. He makes/grows enough eggs, milk, and meat for my family and his family.

[@santaclaus0815]

The first time I ate fast food (I was about 10 years old) I felt bad afterwards. I felt sick. I think the less used to fast food you are, the worse it tastes. And if you consume it often, it can become addictive. So if you eat very healthily at home, especially low fat and don't eat meat every day, then it will be much easier for you to avoid fast food or at least eat smaller portions.

[@tortlifee3470]

i am a cake decorator in switzerland and in some fb groups with members from all over the world an realized that a lot of Americans cake decorators use box mix instead of baking from scratch. I somehow don’t get it, you still have to add stuff. Its equally fast doing it from scratch, better in quality and less expensive 🤷‍♀️

[@roesi1985]

Absolutely get what you are saying! I've never lived in the USA, but I like to watch cooking videos and vlogs, and I also get the impression that cooking and baking in the US just means whisking Fertigprodukte together. I wonder what Americans would say about the new trend in the German-speaking world to use traditional techniques in their everyday cooking? I've been making kefir at home for almost a year now, my mum used to make goat cheese and I know a lot of people who make yoghurt or sourdough bread at home. I also follow people on IG who teach techniques that help to make grain foods like rice and bread healthier, and show how to ferment vegetables or make dairy products like set milk or quark at home. Guess people like that would be considered almost superhuman in America ... But I'm absolutely sure that what you eat makes a difference in how you feel. People who eat high-quality food will feel better and therefore will be less grumpy and annoying!

[@thomask.8537]

For the last fifteen years I have spent a great deal of time in Munich. I have an apartment there and naturally do my own shopping and cooking for myself. I too have been stunned by the difference in the total that the clerk rings up at the end of each visit to the supermarket. It is usually about half of what I would expect to pay in Florida where I have my US base. Another thing. German supermarkets always have a real butcher shop attached, and there is alway someone (or several someones) there to get you the cut you want if it isn't in the case. No need to just press a button and pray to heaven someone comes. A lot of supermarkets also have bakeries attached with a wide variety of fresh bread and cakes, not Entemann or Hostess factory produced stuff but fresh baked. No use complaining about this. Of course you do have places like Whole foods (we call it whole paycheck) which vaguely approximates what you get in a German supermarket (and then some!) but this is for the affluent or the profligate, not for most people.

[@crazychicSHENA]

It's a pretty big Difference from American to get Accustom German products in food and even clothing and women's Products like perfumes and hair care products Germany a E.U. country like Here in Ireland😮 so yeah bless your heart❤ on the move change😢🇺🇸🇩🇪

[@LoamySoul]

A few tips: 1. Grow your own herbs at home - Much of Florida is zone 8-10, perfect for growing them 2. Ethnic markets tend to have a larger selection of fruits and veggies than typical big box grocery stores - Asian markets for the win! 3. Get to know local farmers - Eggs and meats are better quality, plus you can build valuable relationships and support small farms 4. Try a farmer's market for fruits and veggies - They may potentially have cheaper prices and you'll eat in season

[@mudi2000a]

Thank you for this, very interesting. As I never visited the US I didn’t come often in contact with US food but a few times I was at places from people in the US army stationed in Germany and I was always surprised about what they eat. And funnily enough I got a McDonald‘s ad for this video.

[@Peacefrogg]

Waffles are the best if you make them with buttermilk and baking soda ( and ofc flour eggs and sugar and a pinch). Maybe ppl buy premixes bc they’re afraid of scales? But once you’ve done it a few times it gets easier and easier. About the herbs: do you have a balcony? It pays to grow them yourself. Chives , mint and parsley grow like weeds.. On veg: i am lucky that in my country (nl) fresh and healthy food is still cheaper than most processed ‘food’. I hope it stays that way.

[@celestecordes577]

It's pretty crazy to me that many of these additives are linked to cancer. I always wanted to try american cereals or sweets but as I got older I finally realised why you can't nd' won't find these in german stores. Now I'm pretty scared of eating any american food

[@peterreitmann4496]

Hi, i hear u girl, i'm german living in the states! I live i Sun Valley Idaho , ski resort, and it is extremly costly here, a loaf of bread is $10 plus ! A thousand bucks a month on grocerys minimum, crazy i hated!

[@MsLilyFay]

Hey, Hayley, in Florida you have the best conditions to grow your own food all year round 😊❤ Do you have a garden where you live? You only need to make sure the soil is alright, then you can grow fresh veggies SO easily. If I were living in Florida and had a garden I'd simply plant each veggie that I need regularly every other month and after a few weeks the harvest comes in and there's a steady supply. Plus studies have shown that people who garden have better overall mental health 😊😊

[@calise8783]

My parents moved from Massachusetts to Florida. They were huge gardeners. Nothing grew well in Florida. In Massachusetts we grew beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, peppers, pumpkins, peas, strawberries, raspberries ……in Florida not much grew well. We did have lemons, star fruit, basil……..but the rest was a real battle.

[@lordvectrex]

Why did it not grow well in Florida?!

[@bazingaburg8264]

Put a flowerbed with all the Schnittlauch, Petersilie and such next to the window that gets sun throughout most of the day. There are gardening hacks that will help you to keep a small Kräutergarten indoors, safe from animals, all year. In Germany it's like "i'm not paying for that" but given the prices you face back home i'd go "i'm sure as s*** not gonna pay for this". A forever Kräutergarten can fit in 1 or 2 flowerbeds depending on the variety you need. You'll find tutorials on how to grow and regrow from the same plant for years. In less than 3 months the small investment will already save some money. Watering and harvesting can easily become just another Handgriff while cooking. Love your videos, Hayley! Liebe Grüße, we miss you!

[@Karnsteinchen]

I remember going to Florida (gulf side, Fort Myers area to be specific) as a teenager in the nineties during easter holidays. It was kind of a cultural shock back then. We pretty much outed ourself of being tourists from Europe by using roller skates and bikes to go from our apartment inside a gated community to the publix in front of the main entrance (~1.5miles commute) to pick up bread for breakfast. As a teenager free refills at fast food joints was cool, but I remember that fresh stuff was pricy and fast food was cheap. But hey, I'm the kind of guy nowadays that checks food labels and for example that waffle mix irks me a lot. I mean come on... on the other hand not everything is perfect here either. Try finding a mixture of frozen vegetables for Asian style cooking in a German store that has no added stuff like seasoning. I have that stuff in my pantry, I don't need it added to the vegetable mix. Sure, there is always the option to use fresh vegis (which I would prefer), but if you cook for a single person and if you buy 3-4 different kind of fresh vegis for such a dish, you end up with way more than you need and risk food waste down the road...

[@ramifridhi4038]

I can say Germany and France in terms of supermarkets and food qualiity they are the powerhouse with Lidl ,Aldi , Carrefour really good ...

[@lisastenzel5713]

12:44 oh gosh!😮 I didn't know you can't get Schnittlauch and stuff in the US...You can grow this in your little flower pots at home! It is not as if America has the wrong weather for this, like Germany has no weather to grow oranges "I am not looking to buy a house" comes to mind... And I fully agree. Food has to be affordable the most

[@kathrinlancelle3304]

Aldi is your friend. They have almost everything I would consider basic, plus some fun stuff like Speck, Deutsch Kueche products, some very decent wines and craft beers, all at often huge savings. Also, get a Costco membership and a vacuum sealer. For herbs, look for when Aerogarden goes on sale. I have one and use it for herbs. I have done very well with Dill, different Basil varieties and Thyme. Just between these 3 herbs, I have probably harvested more than $200 worth.

[@luziacristinamarquessilva4457]

Omg! Why are you back? I'ts been a while since I watched a video, sorry. I moved back from southwest FL to Bavaria and I was hopping to meet you in person :). I feel wit you and i tottaly understand what you are saying. I hope you can visit Bavaria soon. Servus and good luck!!

[@TheJasonBorn]

Yes, food costs far to much in the U.S.A. and it does not make sense. Yes, variety of both foods and ingredients and spices in the U.S. is also rather limited.

[@juliebrooke6099]

Grow some herbs in pots on your patio or your kitchen windowsill. Basil and coriander are easy ones to start with. I never have to buy chives, rosemary, mint or parsley because I have them growing outside ( the mint and parsley die back in winter but I keep some frozen.)

[@libby305]

WOw, we are having the same problems. Is double or more every time we go to the groceries. Publix is gonna kill my bank account. Yes, fast food is cheaper, we are trying to avoid them but it is hard. I am trying but it`s so expensive. My son ended up in the ER, was told by the doctor try to continue your eating habits like back home, until we adapt to the change 😡😡. We don`t want to adapt, we want to continue eating healthy without going broke. And, yes, I make waffles and pancakes from scratch, is not hard and with less chemicals. OMG, wish us luck.

[@quo33]

4:19 😳 I'm from Austria and I've literally only been to McDonalds, out of all of these. And Burger King, when I was in England as a teen with my class (spent most of my money on English books and was then poor lmao... the whole class met up there anyway, we were in a small town). And I've only heard of like 5 or 6 others. How are there so MANY

[@sarahgirard1405]

I think Costco could help you save a bit of money… it needs storage and organization, but the price per ounce is better I think. They have a lot of European cheeses and stuff.

[@peterhomann2140]

One of the roots for this difference in food quality (and price) is the regulatory agencies in Germany (really the EU) which is called the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) vs. the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the USA. One telling difference in their respective charters is that the producer of any given processed food must prove that any additives used are not harmful to be permitted by the EFSA . In contrast the FDA allows any additive be used unless it has shown to be harmful. To make it clear: In the US the FDA waits until tests show it is harmful and then starts the process of banning the suspected agent. In the EU and Germany the agent will only get into the food chain when tested to be safe before it can be used. A simple and telling exercise is to check the list of ingredients of the seemingly same product sold in the EU and the US. The list of chemicals, preservatives is always 3 or 4 times longer in the US. Another big difference is corn and the insane subsidies corn growers receive in the US. As a result High fructose corn syrup which is one of the most dangerous additives is everywhere. It is known to cause all kind of circulatory problems, blood clots, contributing to stroke and heart attack, and obesity... yet the US not only allows but subsidizes this poison. By contrast the EU subsidizes organically grown foods. Ironically US producers are quite capable to adjust their products to EU standards for exporting into the EU.

[@peterpritzl3354]

I am going to bake some of my cookies now. 100% organic and vegan. Ground nuts, spelt flour, sweetened with maple syrup, dried pineapple, mango pulp. Some sunflower oil from Aldi, which I brought with me, because it's 10 x the price here at Whole Paycheck. With dinner I usually have home grown mustard greens, harvested when they are about 6 weeks old, and they add a nice 'zing' to everything. Very easy to grow, even on a window sill.

[@mailsunday1524]

Can you maybe grow your own herbs? Would this be an idea? When I was abroad the thing I missed so much were fresh salads, so I feel for you.

[@fanny_dob]

..I started to plant some herbs in little pots in my kitchen window. Back to the seed if you want. And all you don't need at the moment, you can freeze easily for later..for me it works most of the time..also microgreens are very healthy and easy to grow even in a small home. It took some time to learn about the 'how to' and different needs, but that turned into a daily routine the more knowledge I had..

[@digitalvixenltd9852]

Thank you for your cander Hayley. As a Brit who has holidayed in Florida, I remember fantasising about having delicious meal, made with natural fresh ingredients while on the plane home. Oh, and a decent coffee! The food system in the US seems to be set up to make people ill, in turn, funding the pharmaceutical industry.

[@dirkp.6181]

Aren't the prizes for the herbs you mentioned literally the invitation to grow them yourself at the windowsill? Always fresh, affordable, at hand and you know how these were grown. 😉

[@jennifermuller1663]

They sell the fresh mint and similar items in the fresh produce section in the cold area in Publix. They also sell the mini plants to grow yourself. 😉 But I agree with you with a lot of the things you said.

[@teachersusan3730]

The family I stayed with as an exchange student only ate convenience food, nothing fresh at all. And we always ate from plastic plates. They were thrown away after every meal. I was shocked. So must waste and I was feeling sick from all the sugar and fat in the food.

[@wallerwolf6930]

Once again an insightful video and very nicely described. Thanks for that! Just for info. The herbs from the refrigerated counter are shock-frozen and are therefore "usually" fresher than those that are offered unfrozen ;.)) The same applies to vegetables, where natural goods rarely come directly from the field. P.S.: Good luck changing your diet ;-)), it could give you an “aha moment”.

[@davenwin1973]

Im in Gary Indiana, and groceries aren't cheap here, though I feel bad for you, that they're that expensive in Florida. Publix is not cheap at all from what ive seen online. Where i live, independent Strack and Van Til, Aldi, Meijer, and Walmart are the places to get groceries. Kroger has a small presence with Food 4 Less and Ruler Foods (Kroger's version of Aldi). Most of my shopping is done at Aldi and Strack and Van Til. I go to Meijer for the sales, as they're expensive on their groceries. I dont go to Jewel Osco often, due to the store being more expensive than Meijer. I expect the Indiana Jewel Osco stores to be acquired by Kroger, regardless of outcome of whether Kroger can acquire the Chicago area Jewel Osco stores. I expect prices to go even higher under Kroger, as their traditional grocery stores are majorly expensive. Kroger's Food 4 Less and Ruler Foods are their discount stores. Food 4 Less is a semi service store as i call it, meaning it looks like a trade grocery store, but you bag your own groceries. Ruler Foods is set up similar to Aldi, by requiring a quarter for the carts, carrying the essentials, and you bring your own bags, and bag your own groceries. For some cooking, im guilty of getting the boxed stuff, like Rice-A-Roni, Hamburger Helper, and pancake mix. I used to get Aunt Jemima, until it was rebranded Pearl Milling, which i do not buy now. Mrs Butterworth was the other brand i got often, and still get it, along with Hungry Jack. I have not had homemade yet. I however switched to real maple syrup, afteri tried the Kirkland Signature real maple syrup from Costco, after shopping for an Instacart customer, who was not home, and that order was canceled. So i got to keep the order, and after trying real maple syrup, i found i used less real syrup, over the corn syrup that is sold, as maple flavored syrup. Im trying to get on disability, and hope to work on getting my health in order, and learn to do some real cooking. I have a few cookbooks i bought from Ollies, and theres a lot i want to try. One cookbook i bought was printed in England, and the recipes are by weight. So I'll need to get a scale to prepare those recipes . As for restaurants being cheaper than getting real food from a grocery store, is partially true where i live. Depending on what i get, to fill me up, its usually sit down, order from the menu diners that are cheaper, than some of the fast food. Subway is getting very expect, and the local Subway locations by me do not honor the corporate coupons, and even going as far as to not honor Subway app orders either, because they say they're losing money off the promos. I do like McDonald's, and would rather starve, than eat their food. Burger King isn't much better, and unless i can find thevright promo, i wont go there either. Independent Chinese restaurants are cheaper than traditional fast food. Ironically, i can get Chinese at an independent Chinese restaurant cheapet, than fast food Panda Express.