Bonjour!
One thing I do to increase joy in my daily life is try to elevate everyday items and activities. I use fun napkins at mealtimes; I bring daffodils (a happy surprise at the new house) from the garden into the home; I light a candle on my desk and use a pretty teacup when I’m working from home. Lately, I’ve been making my own Orangina to have with a FODMAP-friendly breakfast.
I love European treats like Orangina and Nutella (not mixed together, bien sûr!). I discovered Orangina, a sparkling orange juice drink, through my German friend, Christiane, when I visited her family in Germany in 2000. Chris also introduced me to the delights of Brotzeit and homemade ginger-lemon-honey tea.
Sparkling juice drinks are very popular in Germany and in Europe in general. Much to my delight, Orangina is available in the United States, though tougher to find than, say, San Pellegrino, a popular Italian sparkling juice drink, or Perrier, a typical brand of French sparkling water. I’m always excited to find actual Orangina, though a) I haven’t seen it in Vermont and b) I’m hardly going shopping these days due to the pandemic quarantine.
Another thing Christiane and lots of Germans do is cut their morning juice of choice with sparkling water. Y’all, I had never seen such a thing. I was amazed. You can make your own Orangina?! Why did it take me so long to remember this?!! Ja, dankeschön!
It is super simple. All you need is some juice (orange, apple, what have you) and a bottle of sparkling water. Since I live in Vermont now, I also use local apple cider from the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, as any good Vermonter would.
Now, I may offend some of the sparkling water purists (trust me, they are out there), but to me, sparkling water is sparkling water. I do prefer spring water that had been carbonated over purified water. And sparkling mineral water, much more popular and common in Europe, is harder to find in the United States, so I stick with sparkling spring water. It is inexpensive and readily available at grocery stores, Walmart, Target, et cetera.
That’s it! A little European fun and flair at breakfast are as easy as combining sparkling water with your morning juice. Délicieux!
Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!
À votre santé,
Katie
Joie de Vivre 
Hi Katie,
I’m some what of sparkling water purist – we grew up with Mountain Valley Spring from Arkansas! You can get cases at Costco of their own brand (very good) and also San Pellegrino and Perrier. I’ve lived in New England for eight years in total and have never figured out the fascination with seltzer (maybe the local pronunciation…seltzahhh). Sometimes/often Trader Joes has Orangina.
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Thank you for reading, Father Andreas! I remember Mountain Valley Spring Water from growing up in Alabama. If I ever get back to TJ’s, I’ll look for Orangina (I’m not inclined to stand in line right now!).
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What other of your favorite things are hard to find all of a sudden? I’ll keep a lookout. I’ve noticed what’s available varies a lot by region. I’m a huge fan of the lemon ginger Haribo gummies, and finally found a local source. Haven’t been back since the pandemic though.
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We’re not having trouble finding anything that’s more of a speciality item. It’s the basics like flour and paper goods that you have to snap up when you see them. I love Haribo gummy bears but have never had that flavor!
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