EVERYTHING is expensive in Norway. 😕

For the most part, I ate supermarket food. Cooked in a hostel or on my camping stove. SPAR was by far my favourite chain. They have grocery stores in 48 nations.

SPAR is the only chain that always has hot deli food, often discounted by 50% late in the day. As everywhere, rotisserie chicken is the best value food in Norway. At least for me.

SPAR sells a low-cost brand called “First Price“ which is often WAY cheaper than name brand alternatives.

The most recommended (lower priced) seafood in Tromsø was the Dragoy Fish and Chips restaurant. I tried both these two meals for about US $21 each. OK — not great. And not worth the price.

I asked for something local, traditional at another restaurant — and got this … something like meatloaf with an egg on top.

My favourite restaurant meal was reindeer stew. This glass of wine was the only booze I had in Norway. Beer is everywhere, including grocery stores. Wine not all that popular.

To be fair, I don’t like restaurants anywhere unless I’m socializing with other people.

Happily, Diet Coca-cola is not expensive in Norway, IF you buy 4 bottles at a time. And I’m OK with that. 😀

Weirdly, many hostels did not have a toaster. Gourmands of my class only require kettle, microwave … and a toaster.

Menú del día, or menu of the day, is a menu served by Spanish restaurants during lunch, one of the largest meals of the day …

… typically between 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

This is a cheap, economic meal, typically with good food.

Problema for ME is that it includes all-you-can-drink wine. They leave a full bottle on the table for you.

I’m pretty much buzzed for the day — at lunch.

Typically they come with soup, bread, drink, dessert and main course. I paid 12 Euro for this feast.

HEY – the Interterritorial Health Council, made up of doctors and other health professionals, had suggested that alcohol be dropped from the menús del día.  I highly doubt that’s going to happen.

Best advice when visiting Lisbon is to eat MOST of your meals at Time Out.

It’s a massive place where you have a lot of choices at reasonable prices.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Over a couple of weeks, I ate there perhaps 6 times.

My favourite was something billed as a traditional Portuguese meat sandwich. I tried several variations.

Last time I Portugal, my favourite was the Francesinha ( ‘Little French Girl’). It’s a high calorie feed.

My friend Paulo recommended I try a traditional Portuguese light lunch. Cod croquettes alongside a beans dish.

Of course PORK is a mainstay in Spain and Portugal. This was a delicious dish … of some kind.

The traditional desert is a custard tart.