Nowadays

I love cooking, and I love trying new foods. Most people who live abroad long enough miss their culture's cuisine, but I have never had that problem. I have heard stories about Swedes who make visitors from home bring everything from lingonberry jam to salt licorice and milk chocolate. For some reason, however, I am not a big consumer of traditional Swedish food and don't miss anything in particular. It is true that I sometimes curse the lousy selection of bread in most stores here - the average American is clueless when it comes to bread - but I eat very little bread anyway, so it doesn't really effect me.

For me, living here has given me many more interesting experiences with food than it has deprived me off. Food is often much cheaper than in Sweden and I have developed habits I could never afford at home. When we lived in Baltimore, we ate tuna steak several times a week. Since we moved here, we've become big eaters of catfish. Still, the best thing about Texas - food wise - is the dried, smoked pepper. We use it in everything we can. Even the chicken wings have gotten a new touch of taste.
    
The funniest thing is that I have picked up a Swedish eating habit that I have never had before, I have started eating filmjölk. Americans use buttermilk mostly for cooking or baking and would never eat it as Swedes do: instead of milk with cereal. I made M try a spoonful with raisins, apple and cinnamon, but he frowned so bad I thought his face would turn inside out. Perhaps some traditions are too hard to pick up. And perhaps I have Swedish taste buds after all.