Cooking in the Land of our Dreams

Today was the great and wonderful shopping day.  We started out with the latest and best (for now) Costco Wannabe....Inco.  It is not far from our apartment and is a rambling building with rooms all   over the place.

We had a list of items we needed for the zone conference lunch, the center dinner tomorrow evening and our apartment.  We systematically checked off one at a time or noted the price and passed by.  We were able to get a lot of things there, but like the other Costco Wannabe, the perks of shopping there are mostly to do with selection - not price.

We were thrilled to find tomatillos - among other things.  There is actually a good selection of Mexican food items that we have not found anywhere else.  We crossed off several things on the list, but still had a formidable number of items to get elsewhere.

Our next stop was the Turkish Marketplace....so dubbed by the many missionaries who shop there.  It is a little place way out of the way of most grocery stores....at the end of a short road, behind a gate, and through a parking lot.  From the outside, it looks like the many roadside fruit stands I used to see along the side of the road between Ogden and Brigham City Utah.  When you get near, you realize there is an inside.

Once past the door, you see a store the size of a normal Circle K, with an interesting selection of exotic foods, canned, packaged, or bottled from all parts of the world.  Their prices are usually much lower than regular stores.  We found several good things there.  They also have a small room of refrigerated items and a small room of fresh fruits and vegetables.  It is a very humble little place, but it is a fun place.

Then of course, there are the requisite grocery stores.

We finished up in the afternoon, and I shredded the first batch of pork, got it in the freezer and began another.  We took everything we will need for tomorrow's meal over to the center, and I made several lists to keep me straight on both meals.  I think I am beginning to have dreams about cooking!

Finally, at 8:30 we went to meet Melissa and Derek's plane in from London.  By the time they came out, it was 9 in the evening!....but it was still light.  They were hungry and so were we, so we headed over to our favorite schwarma place (doesn't exactly sound Danish right?).  Melissa and Derek both loved it.  It too is a very humble little place, but the food is wonderful.

We came home and played a game of Nines, and they taught us a similar but equally fun game named Golf.  We, of course, munched on bakery goodies while we played.

We listened with delight to some wonderful stories about their short stay in England , and then said goodnight.

I believe the tourist season is upon us.  Everywhere we go, it is more crowded.  An interesting thing happens as we see more people.  It is amusing to see how individuals react to our name badges.  Some come close so they can see what they say, some look warily at the badges and us....and then others look at the badges, then our faces, and then greet us with, "Hi Sister Madsen....where are you from?"  It has happened several times in the last few days.

I love it.  They are LDS tourists and happy to see missionaries.  And sometimes we are even able to help with advice or directions.  Isn't that fun?

We met a father and his two adult sons the other day in the Church of our Lady.  It was a dream trip for them all.  Both young men had served European missions and all were descendents of Danes.  They had been to the small town where their ancestors had lived and were on their way home.

It was a little sad though....the real dream trip had included the mother, who passed away a couple of years ago.

Life is truly precious and moves by so quickly.  We are so grateful to have our children come and see the land that has occupied our thoughts and dreams for the last 20 months.  

And it will probably continue to be the land of our dreams long after we have returned to Gilbert.