Travels in a Tin Can

way. In the Deep South we found the grim Winn Dixie, and in Florida we
found our favourite Publix. This last one sounds more like a pharmacist than a
food store, but served clean, quality products - a real Waitrose of a place!
In Florida we also found our most unusual supermarket, Sedanos. This
was in Homestead, on the edge of the mainland, and is a Cuban food store.
Consequently all the labels were written in Cuban and we were starting to
guess what they meant when one of us noticed Publix was next door, much
the safer bet – on account of being able to read the signs!
Pre-prepared food that only required reheating was our primary
requirement when eating in the van. Better yet were foods you ate cold. We
did not have a particularly extensive kitchen and were incredibly grateful to
have a microwave. Mélange is a sophisticated way of describing what we ate,
mismatch is a more appropriate term. For example, on the night of the 24th of
January, whilst near Clearwater, Florida, I made the following journal entry:
'Tea - mélange - bread (cheese-filled) and dip; potato things; hot pocket; rice
pudding. All microwave, all good'
The most culinary complexity that we produced was S'mores. Or rather
our attempt at these renowned American treats. They are a kind of step up
from fire-toasted marshmallows, often being made by Cub Scouts or families
round the campfire. The name derives from 'give us some more' - I think. The
sweet dish is basically constructed from a Graham's cracker (like a square
Digestive biscuit – a comparison that cause some consternation when we first
mentioned it to an American as they thought we were talking about digested
biscuits, their imagination ran riot!) with a piece of chocolate on and then a
toasted marshmallow, although the actual composition and method of