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I'm eating Marmite cashews. I've never tried them before and expected the nuts to be crisp. Should they be soggy?

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Cashews are definitely softer than other nuts. I wouldn't say soggy. Unless that's runny marmite to blame. :lol:

Ah, I see it's actually an official product. :o

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I stand corrected, National Pig Day March 1.
If I had a pannini press I wouldn't have to use a frying pan (which works very well).
If you don't believe me about how to make a Cuban sandwich feel free to look it up. I only know how they make them in Florida.
After a bit of driving around I have what I need for Cuban sandwiches, Greek salad, and salsa fresca (avocados and limes were a good price and the red onion and fresh garlic and jalapeno were right there).

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I was just checking you didn't mean pork or ham rather than both.

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It's both, and apparently in Tampa can include salami as well, (though I didn't see that). I went to make my sandwich and the pickle jar in back of the fridge held stuffed olives (I'd forgotten all about that, and it would have been so easy to get pickles), so I didn't get my true Cuban though it was still good. That pickle and the mustard provide a necessary tang to the Cuban sandwich the same way they do in rouladin.

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Right, I'm adding pork cold cuts to my list for tomorrow. And Pickles - which my stepson could eat for ever. I'm less keen but they do freshen up a sandwich.

Not the salami though.

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Since tomorrow is National Pig Day it doesn't hurt to be prepared. All I'll have to do is take the leftover roast pork out of the freezing compartment and that will give me several choices. While I still have ham and Swiss cheese I could get dill pickles today and have a Cuban sandwich, but lst week I made a couple of variations of Mexican bbq and carnitas that were pretty good, and since I still have the stuff for salsa fresca I could either buy or make some tortillas and call it Mexican night.

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Lobster tail $4.99 out here in the deserts of California.

I forgot how cheap food is here.

Dozen eggs 99 cents, cheese on sale 500g $1.99, cream cheese 1.99, butter 2.99, cereal boxes for 1.99 to 2.99.

My mom spent $100 and got close to twice as much food as $100 buys in Vancouver and so much more selection of food, so.much more.

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While replenishing some spices at Olde Fashioned Foods I picked up some smoked paprika (first time), and it's certainly fragrant! I'm cooking chili and will see if it makes any appreciable difference vs the Hungarian paprika I usually buy.
Edit; it is quite prominent, but nice; however instead of the tsp I normally use when I add the meat just after the onions and garlic, in future I'll try a half tsp of smoked and half of regular, so it isn't so dominant.

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That is super cheap! Canada is expensive now....when I first moved here it was cheaper than the UK....not anymore.

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Is that down to changes in the exchange rate?

When I moved it was around 2.15 to a £ and eventually fell to around 1.50, creeping back up ever so slowly to the 1.75 or so now. That certainly makes it appear more expensive and given half my income since 2007 comes in ££, in my UK reality it's more expensive.

In my Canadian reality, however, I can still buy many things for the same price I was paying in 2005 :ohmy: although I have more money to spare now so I tend not to buy the beef/steak @ $2.99/$3.99 (preferring prime rib and tenderloin, but only when on offer), but I still stock up on Pork Chops/Hams @ 99c, Chickens @$1.99.

Our freezers are better organised now. :whistle:

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Maybe partly to do with exchange rate, yes. But groceries just seem more expensive, my money doesnt seem to do as far, unless I am being more extravagant with food, which could be a factor too!

I have noticed the price of chicken creeping up, however beef steaks are still at a decent price if you go to the right place....markedly cheaper than the UK. As we all know booze and cheese is a rip off.

However I should never complain about prices of booze again after I saw what he poor Newfies are subjected too! the price of booze there is just SHOCKING!!!

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The UK is cheaper for groceries and has been during my 9 years living in Canada when ever I've gone back to Blighty and compared.

This is down to competition in my opinion. The UK has a variety of competing stores one can buy groceries where as in Canada it is controlled by an Oligopoly- much like telco and utilities.

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Not just competition I don't think - just sheer logistics too. It's more expensive to store and distribute things over a continent-sized area with only 30m people to pay for it, than it is to cover an area 1/3 the size of BC, with 60m to pay for it. (Also goes for telecoms). UK definitely cheaper for food (quite dramatically in some genres, less so in others), but there are reasons for it. (Mostly. I have yet to figure out why Canadian flour and Canadian cheddar is cheaper in the UK after being shipped across an ocean. That could be loss-leading there, or just what the market bears here).

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In a lot of cases it's hard to tell because of things like shrinkflation - most previously 2L pots of ice cream are now anything from 1.5 to 2L. 500g packs of bacon are now 375g. So you may feel you are paying the same as years ago, or only slightly more but getting a smaller quantity.

But the huge variation in prices - not just seasonal, sometimes just because there's an offer - makes it hard to tell too. I mean one week a Cauli will be $5 but the next week $2; A nice sliced loaf around $3.50 in one store/one week but the same brand $1.80 in a different store; Bacon $5.99 at the main supermarket but $3.49 at Shoppers which also sells eggs for $1.88 on weekends instead of around $3.50 at the supermarket.

Lidl and Aldi have probably made a big difference in the UK.

I've not been back to the UK but I have looked at Tesco and Sainsburys websites and the sort of deals advertised now, and on multiple products too, not just a loss leader, I never saw when I shopped there.

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Yeah food is getting pricey here. I was amazed how much food my mom was able to buy for $100 US, things like soda cost about the same there, but meat, fruit, vegetables were all far lower cost wise.

Need a job that pays in US$ lol

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I've found prices have gone up considerably, whereas 2 years ago I could do a 3 week 'big' grocery shop at Walmart Superstore and spend $160 today it was double that - and I'm not buying even 1/4 of the meat and cheese or biscuits etc., that I used to. :(

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Do you buy different stuff now though?

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I'm always a little skeptical of the population density argument. Urban areas are served the most affordably in Canada for groceries, and outside of large cities you start to see significant price increases on food, so while the city prices might be subsidizing rural prices to an extent, it's not really done in a universal cross-Canada way. For Telecoms, we certainly do get gouged as Australia gets far more affordable cell phone plans, despite having similar geographical issues.

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We do. I have a Canadian SIM card that I keep adding to whenever I get back to Canada. I find it ridiculously expensive to use. In Australia we have an area code specific to mobile phones so there's none of the silly long distance charges. I can call/text my friends on the east coast on a mobile for free. In Canada I have to pay long distance fees to call Stoney Creek from Burlington.

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Can't say for pre-paid type plans, but we have unlimited calling including long distance within Canada and to the US with Fido post paid plan, never actually paid long distance on a cell phone here.

Prices are stupid in Canada though compared to some countries.

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My cell phone plan is second to none. Actually it is none. No cost.

I don't have one.

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So many websites these days require a phone number not sure I could get away with that, especially US base websites and their we need to send you a code via text to access your account, or we need to verify your identity via text, everything is text these days lol

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I either don't give one or they have the landline number and randomly send an automated number to use.

It's also surprising how many fields will accept 111 111 1111 or similar.

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Get with the times, man. It's the 21st century!

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But everyone says they are so expensive in Canada. Do they work out cheaper if you have no reason to use one? :lol:

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Yes. Because you don't expect to use it much, pay as you go or very basic plans that cost very little might be best and if you want to you can carry a $10 long distance card from the grocery store in your wallet in case you need to call from away. This covers you for stuck somewhere and there is no one to call a cab for you, Dad, where are you?, as well as for (to a degree) I've fallen and I can't get up.

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If I bought one it would spoil my wife's day every time she has to say, "Sorry, Gordon's out in the car. He doesn't have a cell phone, so you'll have to call back in about an hour, on the landline." The response is usually something along the lines of "WTF???!!!"

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Even companies when contacting applicants for interviews often no longer call, the last 4 interviews I have had the company has either contacted me via email, or via text, none actually called on the phone.

I would say other then mother in law, we get under 5 actual calls per month, mostly texts now.

I know people who don't even have an email address, its all text or chatting via kik or such.

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I'm almost like you in that I have a cell/mobile but never answer it if it rings as it is usually telemarketers and have it solely for the odd text once or twice a week and often leave home without it.

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Cheese maker in Saskatoon:
"For the past two years, he has been experimenting with various cheese-making methods. It wasn't until he met an 84-year-old French monk named Brother Albéric​ that his goal became a reality."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...-art-1.5077634

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No Frills has ducks on sale again, but I just had a duck, and have one frozen. However, they also have fresh pork shoulders on for $1/lb, so I went for a smallish one of those. Having had my Cuban sandwich fix not too long ago I probably won't need to splurge on ham and Swiss cheese for that, but still want to make some Cuban and/or Mexican pork dishes to cut down on the number of cold pork sandwiches. The potential for some nice chicharrones is there too if I'm a bit careful how I do it.
Edit: I don't want to freeze it or wait too long so may just put this in the oven all day while I'm at work tomorrow. I'll be boasting about multi-tasking.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...77a870a16.jpeg

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I see celery has gone up in price. $5.99 for a stalk of it, crazy. Cauliflower is $4.99.

Got some 50% of meat at Save On last week, they mark it down 1-2 days before the date on the package, freeze right away and its all good still.

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One of the reasons to move to Malaysia! :)

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Always happy to pay $10 for 20 chicken wings at Superstore/loblaws. A nice accompaniment to a salad.

But this week the deal is 36 wings and potato wedges for $20.. I expected half a dozen wedges to replace the 'lost' 4 wings, but there was a good amount of them for four people. Even better value than the 20 wings for $10.

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I'll have to check the stores here.

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Wholesale Club had Sila 300g "port and fig" dried salami in the cold room for $4 this morning. I bought one, took it home and tried it, then went back and got 5 more. I like my dry salami.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...924ed22733.jpg

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Metro have Beyond Meat Burgers :D They are really good.. not cheap but taste just like a 'real' burger.. I was really impressed. Thanks for the heads up about them Jsmth! Very high sodium unfortunately, I might have to pretend I haven't seen that :D

https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...il-Timed-Start

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Oh nice, I haven't seen them in any grocery stores here yet though I've been keeping an eye out. I've been able to get them at a local health-food store called Nature's Fare and (ironically) a butcher chain called Meridian Meats. The bratwurst sausages are excellent as well, I fried a couple in a frying pan last night and the smell made me start craving a full english breakfast!

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In BC Save on Foods has the burgers (well the Kamloops branch does.)
Olivers tea room in Chilliwack does full english breakfast.