We made our weekly trip to the Stop n' Shop on Sunday and picked up a roasting chicken to have for dinner one day this week. I have to tell you...the one that Kevin chose was a BIG chicken. The thing was about 7 pounds (about 3.1 kg for my friends in Switzerland). So, that leads me to also tell you that the last time I bought a turkey in Switzerland it was only 4 kg (8.8 pounds)!
Everything in Europe seems to be packaged in miniature...at least compared to things in North America. In Switzerland we bought flour in 1 kg bags...compared to the 10 kg bag I used to buy in Canada. Milk comes in one litre bottles...compared to the gallon jugs (approx. 4 litres) in the USA. The fact that a turkey was only 4 kg was actually a good thing....because the oven was so small that I couldn't have cooked one that was any bigger. I am not kidding.
I think it is fair to say that Europeans tend to be more minimalistic. They tend to live in smaller spaces because cities are more densely populated. The cities are old and were not designed for modern day living...horses, not cars, and farmhouses, not apartment buildings. Because of the smaller amount of living space, it makes sense that storage space is less also, the consequence of which everything else must be smaller too! And that brings me back to the 1 kg bag of flour.
Something else that is smaller in Europe (besides the people!) are the parking spaces! Narrow doesn't begin to explain it. When Rebekah was an infant and still in the "bucket" car seat, there was more than one time that I had to put her into the car through the hatch. This was because the cars are so closely parked that the door would not open widely enough for me to fit her car seat in the traditional way. It was crazy. You rarely see a vehicle without a scratch or a dent in it. It is just normal to have damage on your car. It almost can't be helped! Everything is such a TIGHT fit!
We were very fortunate to have a North American sized fridge in our apartment. My friends were all envious of our ice and water maker features too. Most people in Europe have fridges that we (as North Americans) would consider bar fridges. The door is the size of the front of the dishwasher, if that. I don't know how people with families do it!
Overall, it is a very different mentality...a different approach to life. In many ways it was really refreshing. As many benefits as North America has to offer us, we will definitely miss Switzerland. Our time there will be remembered as an amazing, life changing experience.
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