ok, that is a subtle difference!

[kareina]

Today in Italian class the lesson was focused on food-words and menus in Restaurants. They also touched on the cost of eating in a restaurant. The teacher commented that a restaurant which charges 200 Euros for a meal is quite expensive, but one which charges 30 is a fairly typical moderately priced restaurant. This number sounded a bit steep to

Comments

[massaria]

30 euros for a meal in a restaurant in Italy seems fairly steep - though if you are having all those courses that would explain it! When I lived in Munich (only 18 months ago) I was only spending on average 15 euros a day on food and that *was* eating out in restaurants for both lunch and dinner. I was actually paid a per diem of 18 euros a day for the entire 3 months I was there and had a small amount left. Certainly when I was cooking for myself, I would have been spending only about 5 euros a day and that is with eating meat, which is more expensive. I stopped cooking for myself because the German government was paying me to be there, was going to pay for me to eat out and I figured less time cooking was more time doing the research.

I certainly have a "time is money" view on cooking. If I can buy a falafel roll in a hole in the wall in Munich for 2.35 Euro and that saves me having to go to the shop, buy the food, carry it back to my apartment on public transport, make the falafel, then clean up - that's worth it. Particularly if you factor in real cost of cooking which would have included going to the shop on the U-bahn (1.10), buying the food (~5.50 for 4), the electricity to cook etc. If I eat a home made falafel roll each day for 4 days it would have costs me about 7 euros. If I bought 4 on the way home each night it would have been 9.40. For me, paying 0.60 euro a day not to have the time lost cooking is very much worth it.

Of course this depends on the relative cost of things and what you can afford. I had to cook a lot when I lived in the Netherlands because it was so expensive to do anything there I just couldn't afford to do anything else.

[kareina]

I don't tend to use public transport--only to get to dance practice (6 km) or A&S (9 km). There are two small grocery stores within 5 minute walk from my house, and two major ones within 15 minute walk, and the natural food store, which carries the staples I eat is only a 30 minute walk. I require at least 1 to 2 hours of exercise a day to be happy, so I multi-task and do my shopping while walking. I've also got that market right around the corner on Monday mornings for fresh fruit and veg. For me, who needs to eat a small amount every hour all day long, it is much more efficient to bring food to the office, so that I can grab a few bites while working, without stopping what I'm doing, than to go out and get food. And most of what I cook can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, often much less. No idea if it is expensive to do things here, the things I find entertaining (walks, reading, talking with friends, dancing) don't cost me anything (well, once my stuff arrives and I once again have books reading won't cost me anything, I still haven't read all of the books I inherited from my step-dad). Now, getting to SCA events in this Kingdom costs--I spent 40 Euros for my flight for the upcoming music/dance event in Stockholm in December...