In a recent Globe and Mail article, “How foodies influence the things we eat” , author Susan Krashinsky describes taste testing at the Loblaws test kitchen in Brampton, Ontario. “…executive chef Dana Speers gestures to a stack of paper cups on the steel counter. “These are spit cups,” she says cheerily. “We use them all the time, so don’t feel like you’re offending us.”

The food industry is all about the latest new taste. The latest restaurant “hot spot” is at a new location every few weeks. Somewhere on the road to the new, we have lost appreciation for food that satisfies. Food is more than a sensation that glides over our tongues. It’s about gathering together; It’s about how food connects us with other people and cultures; It’s about the memories the food evokes; It’s about the satisfied feeling we are left with; And it’s about being reminded of how blessed we are.

So at The European Pantry, we do not apologize for offering food that has been around for centuries although we might present it in a new way.  And…we eat what we sell.