10 random mashup challenges to begin with

    challenge n°6 and 7: cold breath & purple yams

   Who would’ve thought, that you tell people, asking about cultural differences, about your experiences in supermarkets? Seriously every time I come to Canada in the summer I catch a cold, because I forget to bring a sweater when I go shopping. It’s freeeeezing in the grocery stores! But then I return to Italy and get all grossed out when people behind me in the line literally stand so close, that I can feel their breath. And of course smell them. Ugh! Luckily all the fresh food and veggies make up for it..

   

   Which would be the next random difference between the cultures: fresh and home cooked food. Yes, you heard right, meals made from scratch! Once, when we were living in Denmark I made pasta and my man's Canadian buddy couldnt. freaking. believe. that I made it with real tomatoes and onions and all. In Italy you have a vast assortment of fresh fruit and veggies from early springtime to late fall and I`d say, 19 out of 20 people know, how to cook at least 5 meals with fresh ingredients. In Germany, most people take pride in theoretically being able to cook to some degree and not wasting too much time on it on workdays. In Canadian supermarkets you find EVERYTHING canned and ready to be popped in the microwave. That might be convenient on the one hand but on the other it’s a pity in terms of taste and health benefits. (I helped one of the Canadian wifes to make Thanksgiving dinner last year and on a sidemark: there's no canned pumpkin in any store around here and mashed yams is not supposed to be purple, even if it tastes the same. The guys won't eat it.)  Then again, great fresh and local produce are offered on the farmer’s markets and lots of Canadians are very health-conscious when it comes to nutrition.