The Dutch grocery store

I wasn't sure how much time we'd have for lunch today so I ran to the grocery store after breakfast and before class.

Cold items at Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn is a national chain with stores everywhere. The one a couple of streets away from our hotel is well-stocked with lots of prepared items, including cold spreads, antipasto, rolled meats, olives, seasoned meat and chicken bits, sliced cured meats, stuffed dates, stewed tomatoes, marinated cheeses, and more.

SOOOO much more!

Cold items at Albert Heijn

There's a clear cultural appreciation for freshness. Just check out the orange juice setup that appears to be common in many food stores:

Empty bottles, a juice-squeezing machine, and a cage full of fresh oranges

That said, there are lots of interesting shelf-stable foods to consider. For instance, check out all the different kinds of mayonnaise as well as special frites saus:

And check out the adorable packaging on this breakfast cereal:

Breakfast cereal at Albert Heijn

And finally, the snack chip flavors. Here's barbecue ham. Do you suppose they just added bacon flavor to the barbecue version we enjoy in the States?

Lay's barbecue ham flavor potato chips

Here's my absolute favorite chip flavor abroad. I discovered it a couple of years ago on a grocery shelf in Geneva. Introducing... COOL AMERICAN flavor!

Wildly happy Kari holding a bag of Cool American Doritos

Okay, so I didn't need junk food just now. I found a large packaged salad with greens, veggies, and pasta for less than 5€ and happily checked out.