options... the then and the now

so as it turns out, i don't live in salzburg right now, i live in rif... a small town about 10km outside salzburg, which is home to the sport university, the christian doppler laboratory, and that's about it?! well, i am of course exaggerating, but to be honest, this town is really small, in that quaint mountain town kind of way. the sport university clearly attracts the active type, as i don't think a typical uni-dorm-balcony would have a student riding a stationary bike, while typing on his laptop, over the lunch-hour?! today was an absolutely beautiful chinook type day, complete with people golfing (the golf club is right beside my dorm building), playing tennis, jogging, shot-putting (no jokes), biking, etc, which made a perfect night to venture down the main road to find the second, and supposedly larger, super market 'under' the freeway. it was neither larger, nor under the freeway, but of similar size, and 'before' the freeway. it got me to thinking, amidst the tune of the sound of music floating through my head, how completely convenient urban canada is...

whether you live in the horrifyingly character-less suburbia, or a fun urban community, a short walk, or in the former, a short drive, away will present you with a selection of stores that bring not only the essentials to your shopping bag, but the downright luxurious... like non-processed foods! even in the ghetto safeway in forest lawn you can get raw chicken breasts, and bagged salad. not the case here people... i'm talking about bologna, bacon, bacon pieces, cured ham, hot dogs, salami, and other varieties of sodium nitrite filled manipulations of 'meat'. this, and a COUPLE ROWS of sweets?! i had yogurt for dinner tonight?! i am not complaining, but i am confused... where is all the normal food?! or an even better question, how did americans get so entrenched in the need for MORE MORE MORE (food options), that you can now find whole sections in the market dedicated to gluten free, asian spices, packaged dinners, or olive oils?? i have to admit, i am fond of the gluttony found in america... i miss my food options... but i am envious of the simple approach to eating, if not to the every day life, of the austrians (and most europeans).

i hope you all will have an amazing dinner back home... and ask yourself when you pull out your 5-ish varieties of salad dressing, do you like the options?!