Monday, September 20, 2010

The Price of Tea in China

I have a confession to make. A couple days ago I spent 36 Swiss Francs (approximately equivalent in value to the US or Canadian dollar at the moment) on one bottle of really amazing balsamic vinegar, 250 ml. Have I gone crazy? Maybe. But we tried it at our friend's house and it was really really really good. I also bought this bottle topper that dispenses it in small droplets, so it should last. And all four of us really liked it. And we are all foodies to begin with. And we were in Switzerland where everything is hugely expensive anyway. The boutique we got it from was in Lausanne, right on lake Geneva. It is such a lovely town, I would happily go back, preferably with oodles of cash. The kind we got is on the left in the first photo. Check it out (and yes, that is indeed an olive oil chandelier):



I also just spent 5.15 Euros on 'American tape,' otherwise known as 'duct tape,' one roll. The US/Canadian dollar equivalent is roughly 7 dollars at the moment. In comparison, here in Italy, one tub of 254 g of Genovese pesto is 3.81, or 5.15 in North America.

Currency is a funny thing.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Devi!
    Nice to hear about this here blog so we can keep up with your perambulatorations.

    One thing I noticed while we were in Europe was that while the expensive food from the small shops in town is very good, if you can find a small farm or the like outside of town you can get the same delicious and very European food for a much more delicious price!

    If you see any concoyot (not correct spelling I'm sure), a slimy liquidy fresh cheese that some farms in that area sell, make sure to try some (it's soooo good on potato's).

    by the way, do the super markets there smell like rotten meat?

    Good luck with your shopping :)
    Francis

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  2. Okay, I really need to know what the Balsamic Vinegar is? I am so intrigued.

    Happy Travels.
    Mary

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  3. I once had super aged balsamic vinegar in ice cream! It was awesome!!!!!!! Crispin and I are still enjoying your posts very much. Thank-you!

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