Useful apps
Name: Diego Croci
Citizenship: Italian
Programme: business analytics
As an international student from Italy, managing the grocery is a crucial part of my experience. I found two extremely useful apps, Mattilbud and Too Good To Go. Mattilbud is a very popular grocery stores app here in Norway. You can find the most updated discounts, offers and promotions. From all the famous supermarkets and local Norwegian shops. Since in my birth country the general level of prices for food is lower than in here. It is fundamental to compare prices weekly. Also, to be able to do that easily with one app, is just fantastic. The second application an international student cannot miss on their cell phone is Too Good To Go. This marvelous platform allows you to cheap delicious food. Which would otherwise be wasted. From close by restaurants or the school cantine. What’s better than enjoying good food knowing. Not only did you save some money, but you also contributed to the reduction of global food waste?
Some more general advice on supermarkets here in Norway is that different shops have different strength points. For instance, some might sell extremely good fresh fruits and veggies at a competitive price. But others may be more convenient when it comes to meat, fish or dairy products. Hence my tip is trying as many shopping places as you can. Finding the best combination that fits your needs and preferences. Rather than locking in one supermarket just because maybe it is close to your premises. You might miss out on very convenient deals or extremely qualitative products. Also, make sure you take advantage of economies of scale for primary products. Namely, make big stocks of fresh food and freeze it rather than buying one serving when you need it. Trust me when I tell you that this is going to help you save money on the long run. Also, avoiding running out of food in study-intensive periods. We all know how tempting it would be then to order some fast food at the nastiest burger place!
A big part of the “food experience” involves trying out what a country has to offer of restaurants and bars. In Oslo the variety of international cuisines you can find is just unbelievable. Just know that there are more than 1200 restaurants in the capital. It is true that the price levels are pretty high here in Norway. Especially if one wants to try traditional national cuisines like Italian restaurants. But it’s important to know that it is possible to eat almost at every restaurant without exceeding the average price. Also, the quality of the food being served is generally very high. My pro Italian tip on this topic is to go to restaurants and bars in large groups. Making sure to drop in your reservation in advance. That will make you be able to share the food with your friends. Also, taste as many new international dishes as you possibly can.
That was how I adapted to the Norwegian student-life concerning food and restaurants. I hope it will be useful for anybody who loves healthy and delicious food as much as I do.
Diego