Shopping in Croatia

Foreigners Beware

By John Fisher

Going to the open air market is always worthwhile, even if the experience is negative. I've shopped in markets in Kosovo, where I've been living for six months, and the experience has always been positive. I have never been taken advantage of. Rather I was always welcomed, maybe because Kosovars like Americans so much.

But, in Senj, Croatia, I feel I was cheated - because I was a foreigner. At the Saturday morning market, I was swindled at every stand except one. The merchants made a pretense of weighing the product, but then they added much more than it was worth. I know because I had already paid regular prices at the super market. A small melon was listed at 15 kuna per kilo. It weighed about 400 grams and the price I was charged was 15 kuna (about $2.25). 

I bought a single fig at one stand and paid 1 kuna (15 cents). Then at another stand my wife went to pick up two more figs. She gave an old lady a 20 kuna bill. (I'm seventy-one. Anyone who looks older than me is old). The lady gave back a 10 kuna bill and then I started arguing with her. I didn't speak Croatian; she didn't understand English, but she knew what I was talking about. She looked up in the sky and crossed herself with a look of disgust on her face. I thought, "Who is the patron saint of liars and thieves?" She gave me back 5 more kuna. Two figs ended up costing 75 cents.  

At one stall, my wife went back several times. The products were good, but I think she really liked the way she was treated by the woman. She sensed something different about this woman. That she was honest and fair. Her final purchase was a half dozen small potatoes. The merchant said, "Take those - they are my gift to you." She must have known how frustrated we were by the whole experience. 

Vegetables and fruits I would have paid five euros for in Kosovo cost three times as much in Croatia - 100 kuna or about $15.

A vegetable stand in Senj, Croatia

Indoor market in Senj

Clothes and flowers

The offending melon up front

Later we went to the hospital to visit a friend. She is 81 years old. We met her in Canada 30 years ago. On the way we walked under a fig tree along the public sidewalk. We picked our fill of figs and had more to take back to Pristina. I like dried figs. Fresh figs from the tree are many times sweeter and better.

Picking figs straight from a tree

Fruit Bliss....Take your Bliss with You!

We live in a world full of processed foods and lots of sugary sweets. So, it is nice when you can find something that is both healthy and yummy that your kids will enjoy, especially if you haven't had to spend a lot of time preparing it.  I am excited to tell all of you about Fruit Bliss snacks.

The idea for Fruit Bliss was developed while the company's founder, Susan Leone, and her husband were taking trips to Turkey to visit relatives. During these trips she encountered re-hydrated fruit, a popular European snack food that is prepared by re-hydrating dehydrated fruit.  She felt this type of snack food might be popular back home in Brooklyn because it offered a simple, healthy, and sustaining snack not offered in the grocery aisle.  So, in 2011, Susan launched Fruit Bliss.




The process for making Fruit Bliss snacks is a simple one.  From Orchards in France, Turkey and Tunisia, fresh dates, figs, apricots and plums are picked while ripe.  They are then sun-dried for sweetness, steamed to make them moist and delicious, and then packaged.  There are no added preservatives or sugars.

You might notice that the fruit contained in Fruit Bliss snacks has a darker color than your typical dried fruits because their are no chemicals added to preserve coloring.  Everything is 100% natural. Fruit Bliss proudly offers products that are Non-GMO Project verified, as well as OU Kosher, vegan, and gluten-free certified.

Fruit Bliss has made it easy for you to enjoy their healthy snacks in your home or on the go.  Products can be purchased in individual, small, on-the-go packages (1.76 oz), or larger (6 oz) packages to be kept at home or in the office.  The larger packages have a resealable closure, so the fruit remains moist.

My own experience with Fruit Bliss's products has been great.  I have had the opportunity to try each product and I can't believe how moist they are.  The snacks taste just like the fruit.  They are so sweet that I had to look twice at the packaging to make sure there really is no sugar added.  I especially loved the plums and could have eaten a few bags of them.  I gave the apricots to my teenager who devoured them.  I was disappointed when we finally ran out.  

I really love the on-the-go bags.  They can be taken on a trip, to eat while shopping, or added to your kids' school lunches.  Fruit Bliss snacks are a wonderful addition to a salad, especially with fresh spinach and sliced almonds.  They are also great when combined with ice cream. 

One other great thing about Fruit Bliss is their website, where you can find more than just their products.  Their website also provides excellent insights on how to find bliss in your life.  We all could be doing something each day to bring a little more bliss into our lives, and a great way to start is by enjoying a bag of Fruit Bliss snacks.

*Fruit Bliss generously provided samples and images for this piece. This has in no way effected my opinion.*