I'm lost! How do I find home?

Hannah Sunderani
Apr 22, 2016
5 min read

Me, after visiting the Wazemmes market. A Sunday market for fresh produce.

Moving to France has been a big transition in all aspects of my life. Learning a new language hasn't come easy, but I think having it feel like "home" is even harder. Upon arriving, I felt much like a stranger trying to navigate my way through what used to be simple tasks.

For the first few weeks I felt really lost. Particularly at the grocery store. I'm sure you know the feeling of visiting a new grocer and having no idea where anything is. It's frustrating walking down Aisle 5 over and over looking for brown sugar! And it becomes all the more difficult when everything is written in a foreign language.

Our first grocery shop at Carrefour took 3x longer than the average person; First, because we had no idea what any of the signs meant (is this the cereal aisle?). Second, because we had no idea what the product labels said (is this cleaner with bleach or without? How do you say 'bleach' in French?) And third, because we were unaware that you must weight your fruits and price them before checking out. Yep, we didn't make any friends having to run back to produce while everyone at check-out was waiting! :S

After this encounter I made it my duty to learn the French words of popular foods. It was my first step to integration, and to eliminating the chance of embarrassing myself at grocery stores once and for all! Once I seemed to have mastered this skill I focused on where to find all my favourite foods. I'm talking coconut oil, chia seeds, buckwheat, kale etc. I must admit, this goal has been much harder to accomplish...

There are so many tremendous things about food in France, which I spend endless time highlighting on my blog. But, there are also many foods that were a staple in my Canadian kitchen and are near impossible to find here. Below are some of my struggles, endeavours and ultimate accomplishments to finding these favourites, and making France feel more like home.

1. Peanut butter - I must be joking, right? WRONG. There are so many peanut butter brands in Canada it's hard to imagine anywhere that doesn't sell this staple product. But on my first few visits to Carrefour I could not find it! I scrupulously checked the jam aisle, which has at least 100 kinds of decadent jams in every fruit to have ever existed, but nope - no peanut butter.

Then there's Nutella...

What peanut butter is to Canada; Nutella is to France. They have rows and rows of shelf space dedicated to this stuff, and 100s of brands! They even have a family size pack that must be at least 2L big! (Costco's ears just perked up). But, again - no peanut butter!

Eventually, I did find some peanut butter in the organic aisle. Phew! But soon realized I only had two options to choose from - the first of which was completely white in colour (I'm still not convinced it was actually peanut butter), and the second that looked more normal. I decided to buy the latter. Well, it was a BIG letdown. This "peanut butter" imposter was highly salty, hard, and bad at spreading. Noooo! After weeks of searching I had pretty much thrown in the towel when one day I stumbled upon a vegan shop in Wazemmes, Végétal et Vous! And inside this god sent store was PEANUT BUTTER! Not the weird, white, impersonation kind. But the golden brown, 100% organic peanuts kind! The brand was Biona Organic Peanut Butter . The jar screamed delicious! If I recall accurately, the very moment I laid eyes on it a white light shawn down, and a herald of angels sang the glorious tune of "aaaaaaaaahhhhh." Seconds later this peanut butter was paid for, in my purse, and on it's way back to my apartment. Opening it was a true taste of home. It was smooth, it lathered beautifully, and it had the smack-the-roof-of-your mouth feature we all know and love. I felt at peace. It's as if the heavens dropped this magical vegan store on Rue Colbert just to cure my homesickness. A little piece of home found it's way to me...in the form of peanut butter!

2. Kale - When I found out there was no kale at grocery stores in France I felt like I'd lost a piece of my identity. I absolutely, positivity, LOVE this leafy green. And in Canada so does pretty much everyone else. In France, it seems they prefer softer greens - the kinds that can't withstand vinaigrette for more then 30 minutes. Which is fine sometimes, but what's a world without kale!?! So, this was another surprise upon my move - that I may never see it again. I felt like I had searched far and wide for this wondrous superfood and was ready to give up.

But then, I discovered Marché Sébastopol. This market is LOVELY and so typical French! It's open every Saturday, and is filled with the freshest produce you've ever seen. And while at this market, from the corner of my eye, I saw it....KALE!!! I quickly lunged at the vendor owner (whoops!) and asked for "un grand sac" of the stuff. The vendor owner must have thought I was crazy - like he'd encountered a real-life "Jack and the Bean Stalk" situation where I would give up everything I owned for this magical food. Well, he was kind of right. At that point, I probably would have paid all the euros I had to taste the familiarity of home again. And it worked! I now have kale in my fridge every week and you wouldn't believe how much joy it brings me. The kale vendor recognizes me now, probably as the "Crazy-Canadian-Kale-Lover," or whatever that translates to in French. But that's okay with me! The feeling of home is worth it.

3. Almond Milk - Actually, I had anticipated it would be hard to find this drink in France. In a country who loves their dairy - who would willingly give up milk for something that comes from a nut? Um, I would! Almond milk is my JAM. And it's earned it's popularity in Canada as the preferred alternative to milk - even my non-vegetarian friends love the stuff! You can even find it in the milk aisle now, chilling (literally) next to the cow's milk! But, in France, it's much harder to find. I've found a few brands at the organic stores, but to be honest they're all a let down - they have a really chalky texture and are too sweet for my liking. Fortunately, I have a new found passion for making my own almond milk. BUT, a few months ago Carrefour released a line of dairy-free milks from the brand "Alpro." And what perfect timing! You can get hazelnut, coconut, almond, soy, rice or oat milk. And they're all delicious! I love their almond milk, it tastes just like my favourite brands at home, but I think I'm even more obsessed with their coconut milk! It's got this delicious coconut finish that makes cereal a dream. What better way to feel like you're transitioning then to find something you like better than what you're used to at home?

So, although it's taken some time to find my favourite foods that remind me of home, I am slowly but surely getting there. And each time I find a new one it brings me so much happiness. Things start to feel a little less strange, and a little more like home. And slowly but surely my pantry is starting to resemble me again. :)

My sheer joy after finding out my new Omniblend blender came with a nut milk bag! This face can be copied and pasted into the scenarios above; where I found peanut butter, kale, and delicious store bought almond milk. (No joke - you can ask Mitch!).