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Mike,

I don't know where you got the idea that most fridges are under the counter in Europe, but that is certainly not my impression. Perhaps in the United Kingdom, I don't know that, but certainly not in the Netherlands. The best sold fridges here are the bottom mount models in silver or white. At least when it comes to freestanding fridges. In most kitchens the fridges are built in, I think in those kitchens the bottom mount models are very popular too.
 
Undercounter fridges are not very common here. Even if you'd a small apartment, they'd be avoided like the plague as they're just too small.

I get the impression American views of Europe are from cheap holiday rentals with 'landlord specials' or tiny Parisian apartments.

The default fridge is something like one of these : https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-appliances/refrigeration-appliances/fridge-freezers/ - They're taller (up to 2m (about 6ft6) and occupy similar floor space to a standard European washing machine, usually with the freezer at the bottom and the fridge at eye level.

Something like this Bosch Serie 6 would be fairly typical: https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-ap...6-freestanding-fridge-freezer-kge49aicag.html

-- full brochure https://www.bosch-home.ie/productli...ge-freezers-with-freezer-at-bottom/KGE49AICAG

Plenty of similar size and layout fridges at lower prices too - Bosch is an upper mid level brand and the stainless steel finish puts the price up considerably.

Side-by-Side US-ish style are pretty popular and would tend to dominate the display space in most appliance stores these days:

https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-ap...iances/american-side-by-side-fridge-freezers/

If you want to seriously max, something like this Smeg is a European side-by-side (with ice dispenser internal) https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-ap...ican-fridge-freezer-fq60x2peai.html#gallery-1

You can see they're quite different to US designs, but they're not exactly what you'd call petite.

Then you've tall full height larder fridges: https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-appliances/refrigeration-appliances/larder-fridges-and-freezers/

Larder freezers: https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-appliances/refrigeration-appliances/larder-fridges-and-freezers/

If you're into storing a lot of frozen food chest freezers are also still fairly common. They were a huge thing in the 1970s, but you'll often find one chugging away in someone's garage, utility room etc.

https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-ap...-freestanding-chest-freezer-co302e-white.html

You've got under-counter models, but they''re not exactly popular: https://www.harveynorman.ie/home-ap.../undercounter-and-countertop-fridge-freezers/
[this post was last edited: 11/25/2020-18:36]
 
I guess I

see them a lot in films. Usually a small kitchen. Even Mrs. Bucket in Keeping up appearances had one, and she had a suburban home. Otherwise if it's a larger or a country house, then yes they have large column style counter depth or American type SxS refrigerators. Here many have a second refrigerator or freezer in the basement or garage. Same for cooking ranges with ovens. Middle eastern backgrond families especially. Even upholstered furniture in the garage, with a nice cocktail table.
They like to smoke the hooka out there. Many are profusely spotless. Sealed epoxied floors, and the shoes all lined up on the step into the house, or on shelves where they remove them before going inside.
 
Went to both Hy-Vee Savage and Lund's/Byerly's PL to

Found most everything to be in stock with few exceptions. Of course that changes on a daily basis depending on what shows up on the trucks.
Both stores had their salad bars and dining areas shut down in accordance with the lockdown. L&B was better stocked overall. I saw a large number of staff in both stores filling orders for pick up and delivery.
Hy-Vee is limiting paper goods and cleaning supplies to one each. I did not go down that aisle @ Lund's and Byerly's but at a glance theirs looked better stocked.
WK78
 
Sorry for being off-topic.

 

 

Back in the '80's undercounter refrigerators were pretty common in West Germany. I remember being so surprised when I saw one for the first time. That along with solid disk electric elements on stoves. I thought those were so cool, until I had to cook on them. They took forever to heat up. Back then, people were still mostly buying food for just a few days or a week at most. Frozen food was still in it's infancy. Towards 1989 I started going into appliance stores in Germany and indeed, the switch was on towards larger refrigerators. The ubiquitous narrow, tall, units with the freezer on the bottom. I also remember seeing American General Electric side by side refrigerators for sale. Funny, they were considered luxury status appliances back then. Fast forward to the 2000's in Spain and I have not seen one undercounter refrigerator. Everyone has the tall slim models and American style freezer on the top models are also pretty popular. Large, side by sides are still considered premium refrigerators, but now most of the brands are European. My sister-in-law has an American Whirlpool side by side with water and ice through the door. A feature never used because water tastes awful in Barcelona. My husband grew up with a Frigidaire in Spain, but it was an European model manufactured in France.

 

Here's a fun fact. Because of the tall, slim refrigerators, most of the bottles are tall and slim too.

[this post was last edited: 11/29/2020-02:01]
 
Nick— I notice the same thing at our small HyVee in Windom whenever I’m there early in the morning (7:00-8:30): most workers are racing through the store with carts filling orders for pickup.

My nephew’s daughter (in her mid 20s) found herself temporarily unemployed when Ciao Bella had to shut down again due to no inside dining. She found work almost immediately as a personal shopper/delivery person. The small business—don’t recall the name—allowed her to choose the area of Mpls. she wanted to work in, so she chose what she knew to be a rather upscale neighborhood and is making great money in tips.[this post was last edited: 11/29/2020-07:28]
 
@ultramatic

The one thing I would say though Europe isn't as homogenous as the US, particularly when it comes to food and cooking. We've many of the same appliances and manufacturers but things get configured differently in different kitchens and countries.

Also the % in apartments vs houses is a national variation. For example only 4% of Irish households are apartment/condo based compared to quite high % in say Spain or parts of Germany and much higher the further east you go.

Frozen food was a big deal here probably peaking in the 1970s when it was all the range. You'd freezer centre stores selling frozen food, supermarkets had very extensive frozen food sections and home freezing was all the range. There were even books about it.

It wasn't unusual to find huge chest or larder freezers tucked away in garages, ends of kitchens or even in the garden shed.

As things moved towards a foodier outlook frozen food became a lot more about french and chilled in the 90s and onwards and you start to see the growth of 2/3 fridge 1/3 freezer space either top and bottom or side by side.

As for Mrs Bucket, part of the joke was that her house was "in fill" between the much larger home owned by Liz and her brother - it's probable that Liz had a far bigger fridge which she never even thought twicw about as opposed to Hyasinth's high quality, bespoke, bijoux model, deluxe and far superior model, as approved by the best chefs.

Hyasinth's in-fill home:

iej-2020112915375108211_1.jpg
 
James,

do you know where the Bouquet house actually is? I think filmnmg was mainly done near Birmingham.
I have found the Harry Potter house in Bracknell at 212 Picketpost close. Vauxhall Vectra wagon in the driveway and all.
 
It's actually in Binley Woods which is basically on the outskirts of Coventry, which is the second city of the English West Midlands. It's a much smaller city than Birmingham, only about 375,000 people or so, but it's an ideal spot for filming something like that.

The interior shots are all studio based and the exterior shots were real houses that were privately owned and used for the show.

Her fictional address is

"Waney Edge,"
Blossom Avenue,
Fuddleton
England

She's a well known pillar of the community. The postal code is unnecessary! The Royal Mail knows exactly where to find her!
 
Thank's James!

We shoud all know where Coventry is, if we are car fans at all. Home of Jaguar. A large plant also is in Castle Bromwich. The Land/Range Rover plant also nearby.
 
Well, I had a kind of interesting experience yesterday.

I had put off shopping for a week, but finally ventured out to the local Costco at about 9:30 am.

Found pretty much all I needed. Mainly cat food. The only problem was when I left.

You know how Costco has people checking receipts of everyone who leave the store with a cart full? Well there were two such receipt checkers there. Normally they stand behind little plexiglass partitions. But when I exited, they both were standing in front of the partitions. I sort of wondered why.

I went to the left, and when I got to the checker, he was talking loudly and I made the mistake of making a small joke. He said something forcefully in appreciation and I could feel his breath in my face. Yeech. Yes, he was wearing a face mask, but still.

Anyway, if I come down with covid (haven't yet, had at least four negative tests in the past year) I'll make sure Costco knows that I probably got it from their door monitor. I should probably complain anyway, because those guys should be standing behind their partitions anyway. I don't know what they were thinking, especially these days when everyone and their uncle is warning about another wave of covid infections.

Wish me luck, LOL.
 
I Tried Something Different Today

I’ve been going to Target for the first hour of business every week for months now to grocery shop.  It’s always been just me and maybe 2-3 other shoppers.  Last week there were already 18 in line when I arrived at 7:57 am.

 

Since the pandemic is now raging out of control in California and the numbers are rising at lightening speed in Sonoma Co. and we are being told that the very worst month so far will be in March.  On top of this there is no vaccine for even the front line health care workers or those in nursing homes, let alone those 75+, and it looks like the 65+ age group may not get vaccinated until April or later at this rate.

 

So, long story short I gave the Target Shipit app a try today for same day 2 hour window delivery.  I placed the order last night at about 9:30 pm and had a guaranteed delivery window between 10-11 am, the guy arrived at 10:45 am with everything I ordered, except only 1 dental floss instead of 2 and a smaller package of chicken breasts.  The ordering process gives the customer the option to give special instructions for the shopper and he followed them to the tee!  I asked for bananas more green than ripe and thats just what I received!  

 

I am very pleased and plan on doing the grocery shopping this way until I’ve been fully vaccinated and at least 4 weeks have elapsed after the final shot.  I want to be certain that I’m as protected as I can be before I go back into any store, except maybe a quick dash into the gas station store across the street if we run out of milk.

 

The first 4 weeks if the Shipit app is a trial period, after that its $99 per year for the service and every order over $35 is delivered without additional delivery fee.  Otherwise, without the membership its $9.99 per order over $35.  This seems like a good way to spend some the last stimulus payment.

 

Eddie
 
That is wise Eddie. From what I've been reading experts are telling folks to only go out if it's an absolute must, and get basics delivered due to the arrival of the new C variation.

Stay safe.
 
 

 

I shop at Target through Instacart. Not often though. Target is a bit more expensive than Shoprite or Aldi. Even when I get my second dose of the vaccine, I don't plan to return to the stores. The worst is yet to come, so I guess it's best to wait until late summer. The only store I go to is Trader Joe's. It's always empty and alas they don't deliver. I wish we had Walmart and ACME with delivery options. But NYC won't allow Walmart to open here and my closest ACME is in New Jersey. Disinfectant spray remains difficult to find but everything else seems to be in abundance.
 
So the "C" variant is

for real! I saw it on Google news but didn't recognize the source as relaible.
Just what we don't need. I saw so many small shops and eateries closed up for good today while out. I've also learned that once vaccinated we still should wear masks to protect those not immunized yet.
 

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