a wandering woman writes

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Heaven in a plastic jar



UPDATE, 10 pm:

Today I introduced my officemate Sol to the wonders of peanut butter. Great big slabs of it.

And we have a convert.

I can now leave Spain (not that I plan to!) knowing I've done my part.

-------------------------------
Life is good.

My lovely mother, who celebrated her 69th birthday the other day, spontaneously threw a jar of heaven into a package she was sending out to me. (I have to give my Everything-From-Scratch Mother credit for the rest of the package contents, as well: a can (gasp! a can!!) of cranberry sauce, Bell's seasoning and a couple of packs of StoveTop (gasp again!) stuffing. I'm hoping to treat a few Salmantinos to a small Thanksgiving feast. (A stovetop feast. In my ovenless house. But that's a post for another day.)

But, alas, I digress. The jarred heaven?

A big old fat blue-topped jar of Skippy. Skippy Creamy. I know I can buy peanut butter in Salamanca, Spaniards, my El Arbol has 3 whole jars (although I wonder how long they have been there) but it's just not the same. Peanut butter is one of my country's most basic experiences, and as with so many other truly important things in life, it's your first experience that marks you for life.

Peanut butter is like religion. Converting is a soul wrenching, life changing experience. And Everything From Scratch raised me on Skippy. Skippy Creamy. I've had Jiff friends, I've known my share of Peter Pan men, but we've had to learn to love each other despite our differences.

Stay tuned for another post after work today. I'm packing up the Skippy, a chabata and a knife, and introducing my Salmantina officemate to her first taste of heaven.

Now if I could only find good old fashioned American 2% fresh milk to wash this heavenly sandwich down...

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posted by Erin at 7:52 AM

10 Comments:

  • Peanut Butter brings me memories of Jimmy Carter.

    Oh, by the way, I think Betty ( http://sincontrol.blogspot.com ) buys some things ocasionally from:

    http://www.theamericanstore.es/ in Madrid

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:37 AM  

  • Haha!

    Luckily, I can get Skippy creamy from the supermarket here, and it is even fresh (and not out of date). I actually was a Peter Pan girl though. My mother, for some unknown reason (although I am sure she thought it was a sound one) did not approve of Jif or Skippy.

    I forgot all about Stove Top stuffing! But making it homemade is so much better.

    What I'd really like? Some pizza flavored Goldfish crackers. I find it so strange Pepperidge Farm products aren't here. They are so huge in the U.S.

    By Blogger melusina, at 3:04 PM  

  • Spanish version: Nocilla.
    It´s a cream made of hazelnuts, cacao, milk and sugar.

    By the way, did you know the expresion "cacao mental"?

    By Blogger Nomadita, at 5:30 PM  

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger Erin, at 9:34 PM  

  • Hahaha, Alex, peanut butter making you think of Carter made me laugh out loud. Thanks for the site recommendation, I´ll check it out. They must carry PB, its such a staple!

    Mel I agree about the stuffing and I´m sure I can find everything I need to make stuffing here, but I just really loved that my mom, who would never cook from a box, didn't want to risk it. I know just how hard that purchase was for her!

    Nomadita, that's like Nutella, then? I like it, but its not PB!!
    And no, what does it mean???
    And if you want some PB, Nomadita, you know where to find me. But act fast, while it lasts.

    By Blogger Erin, at 9:38 PM  

  • It looks like heaven and I am sure it tastes like heaven too!

    Relish every mouthful!

    By Blogger Cream, at 9:47 PM  

  • That sounds like Nutella, yea. Which is something my husband and his siblings love. They don't really seem to like peanut butter, though. I find the Nutella stuff way too sweet. Like eating icing, or something. =p

    By Blogger melusina, at 5:41 PM  

  • Yeh, Mel, I am with you. I like Nutella, but it´s desert. PB is the main course. There was a pizza place near my university when I was an undergrad that served peanut butter pizza, and I loved it. No tomato sauce, just dough, PB and mozzarella. Of course, back then my metabolism was ever so much faster. Now I´d have to run 10 miles after a single slice, or move up a size in clothing.

    By Blogger Erin, at 8:14 PM  

  • And the inventor of StoveTop just died. Odd little tale. Start here - http://WWW.markarkleiman.com/archives/_/2005/11/no_really.php

    By Blogger Dr Doom, at 12:10 AM  

  • Hmm, ironporer, most of my Spanish friends say yeh, they´ve tried it, they love it, but it´s just not worth the calories! And they may be right....

    I´m not sure even I can sell Dr Pepper, much as I love it, but I´m going to give Root Beer conversion a try..I bet I can find a Root Beer lover here somewhere. Thanks for the comment!

    By Blogger Erin, at 10:08 PM  

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