Store Check: Bavaria, Part 2

OBERAMMERGAU, Germany — I’ve been to this Lidl as a regular shopping excursion so many times that I forget to share it as a store check.

Step 1 – Get a latte from the automated machine in the lobby for one euro.

Step 2 – Shop the small, but well-stocked produce department.

Again, I was stopping in on a Friday before a long holiday weekend where everything in this little village would be closed, so the store was busy, but the produce department was fresh and full.

One thing I have a hard time with, and my expat friend has a hard time with, is the lack of refrigeration for items like lettuce. Lettuce bought on Friday might not make it all the way til Sunday — especially with the small sizes of refrigerators in most homes — so careful meal planning is a must.

Also, can we chat about the popularity of physallis in Europe vs. the U.S.? I see it lots of places on the continent—as a garnish, at every single store, as a flavor option on menus—but I rarely see it in the U.S.

I can recall several years ago many of the berry companies were pushing it as a new “superfood,” but it just doesn’t seem to be catching on around here. Why do you think that is?

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