Every country has it's own special nuances. Specific food and drink. It's not to say that we can't get some of these things in other places, but they aren't always the same. There are also some things that are just common wherever you go. For example, no matter what state in the U.S. you are in, if you go into a restaurant or cafe for breakfast, odds are incredibly high that (regardless of what all else may be) you'll find eggs, bacon and/or sausage, and drip coffee on the menu. These are considered breakfast staples in America. This is NOT the case in many other countries. Having just done an extended trip through Spain, France, and Italy, I found something else to be the common breakfast staple. Every restaurant and cafe I went into, croissants and espresso (see pictures below) were on the menu. There were often a few other items, think chocolate or fruit (second picture below), wrapped in a croissant, as options, but the only time I ever saw bacon and eggs offered, were when you saw American Breakfast as the advertisement. I got to where I loved having my croissant and espresso (with a little bit of milk) in the mornings. Depending on the country, I also saw a lot of people (specifically older gentlemen) drinking beer for breakfast, but that's another blog. I enjoyed this so much, that I decided to come home, and recreate several of the things I had. I have a Nespresso maker, so my morning espresso is always fantastic. But the croissants, there just aren't several little cafes all around me that I can walk to to get these. No problem, my nephew loves to cook, so we decided we were just going to make croissants. I have a cookbook I got in France with a wonderful (and not too difficult looking) recipe, and what a great bonding experience for us. We even made a video of us making these. Now let me just stop right here and tell you, you are welcome that I did not post that video for you to have to suffer through. There isn't enough editing in the world to make that video worth watching. But I can tell you this, we'll make another video, because we are going to have to make another batch of croissants. For two reasons: 1) they came out hideous looking - like blobs {see last picture below} and 2) they were delicious and we ate every one of them! They were buttery and flakey, and buttery. SO MUCH BUTTER. Two cups to be exact. No wonder they are so delicious. The other major difference I noticed, specifically in Spain and Italy, is that people don't necessarily go sit down and get waited on for breakfast. Of course there are places and options for this, but most of the locals, they just go up to the counter and order and consume there. If you are feeling a itch for a bit of Europe right now, and can't get over there to scratch it right away, might I recommend grabbing an espresso and croissant, and standing (or sitting) at your counter and savoring every bite and sip. Close your eyes, maybe put on your Spotify or Apple Music, and take a few minutes to relax and just indulge. It might be the tastiest part of your day!
And just for reference, the pictures, these are what I had, and the last picture, is what we made. THEY DO NOT LOOK THE SAME.