I like a fresh loaf of bread as much as the next guy; however, exactly how long should bread stay soft and fresh? In India, a loaf of bread, which cost Rs. 16 (or about $0.30, I kind of miss those prices) lasted approximately four or five days before becoming completely stale and uneatable. I've realized that here in the states bread seemingly stays fresh forever. I had purchased a new bag of wheat buns to use for dinner tonight. I was surprised that the buns I had purchased over two weeks ago were still eminently usable. I've had pretty much the same experience with the sliced bread I've purchased (and I keep getting suckered into "buy 1 get 1" deals that would be ridiculous if not for the fact that the bread lasts forever).
Maybe it's how it's stored. In India, we stored bread in a ziploc bag on a shelf in a kitchen that was neither heated nor air conditioned. In my new house, we store the bread in a dark pantry seemingly protected from the elements.
The more likely yet completely unproven (because I'm simply too lazy) culprit? They put a lot of preservative and/or additive crap in American food. Actually, I'm not even sure what an additive is but just know that was the line of work Clark Griswold was in. Whether it be bread, produce, or other items, food simply lasts longer here. We knew that coming home and have tried to start buying organic, which I always thought was a little unnecessary. However, if anything might make you a believer, it's knowing that a loaf of bread tastes fresher after a week in my pantry in Orlando than it did coming off the shelf from my neighborhood Need's market in Gurgaon.
Maybe it's how it's stored. In India, we stored bread in a ziploc bag on a shelf in a kitchen that was neither heated nor air conditioned. In my new house, we store the bread in a dark pantry seemingly protected from the elements.
The more likely yet completely unproven (because I'm simply too lazy) culprit? They put a lot of preservative and/or additive crap in American food. Actually, I'm not even sure what an additive is but just know that was the line of work Clark Griswold was in. Whether it be bread, produce, or other items, food simply lasts longer here. We knew that coming home and have tried to start buying organic, which I always thought was a little unnecessary. However, if anything might make you a believer, it's knowing that a loaf of bread tastes fresher after a week in my pantry in Orlando than it did coming off the shelf from my neighborhood Need's market in Gurgaon.
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