Just for fun...What food(s) would you miss?

[Chris in VA]

So I am getting ready to head back to the States for 6 weeks on our "vacation" and I can't wait to eat some of my favorite foods, not all of which are good for me (don't judge me! lol). 

I can get bacon here, but it is about $30 a pound. I miss good steak, russet potatoes (for baking), a decent burger (5 Guys?) and Mexican food. And Chinese takeout. And bread for sandwiches that doesn't have a hard, rye-bread-like crust. And box cake mix. And dairy-free ice cream bars. 

What foods would you miss, if they were hard to find or suddenly unavailable? 

Edited June 14, 2019 by Chris in VA

[Pawz4me]

Bread and French fries

Although if something were truly unavailable I'd probably start missing it like crazy, even a food I don't normally eat. Like I'm not a huge bacon fan, but if I knew I couldn't get it probably all I'd think about would be a BLT. Human nature . . .  

[J-rap]

I'd miss cheese and peanut butter.  Except I know cheese is almost everywhere, so I wouldn't even have to miss that.  Peanut butter is something I've missed a lot in other countries.  I think more countries have it now, but not the brands I like which are without anything added except salt.

[Soror]

chocolate, #1 always (not milk chocolate blech)

Edited June 14, 2019 by soror

[sassenach]

I'm doing whole 30 right now and I miss dairy. It's the only thing I've truly missed. A dollup of sour cream on my potatoes or tacos, yogurt, cheese in my salad, CREAM IN MY COFFEE... I will for sure be adding dairy back in and praying that I'm not sensitive to it.

[PrincessMommy]

I'd miss a decent pizza and a juicy hamburger.

This thread reminds me of my honeymoon.  We went to the UK for 2.5 weeks.   By the end of the 2nd week, I was so tired of the standard English breakfast.  We asked the elderly lady running our B&B if we could have some pancakes for breakfast instead of the Eggs & B.  In a very heavy Scottish accent she answered "Well.. we only do pancakes on Shrove Tues.".. but she acquiesced.   They were the grossest pancakes, but at least it wasn't eggs and bacon.  

[TheReader]

Oh, I actually know this from experience! 

When we were in Brazil, the foods we imported/brought over in our luggage were: 
*Good salsa/picante sauce
*ranch dressing
*peanut butter

The other thing I missed the most was cheddar cheese. Real cheddar. Or most good cheeses, for that matter. There were a few good cheeses in Brazil, but it took exploring to find, and $$$ to buy (like, DH sometimes would buy me this tiny thing of imported real cheddar cheese for a birthday gift...). 

In the beginning we missed more....root beer & Dr Pepper; good Mexican food.....eventually we came to enjoy Pepsi, and some ok Mexican places popped up. And of course we embraced the local food (and now we miss some of those things....there's one cheese from Brazil, this kind of cheese on a stick that you grilled, and it got this lovely golden crust on it, and was just soooo good......and it doesn't seem to exist anywhere outside of Brazil; even the fancy-shmancy Brazilian churrascarias here don't bring it over/have it.....so sad. So very sad.)

Nowadays, I'd miss different things, I think.....still the good cheeses, and probably still the salsa....but depending where I was located/why I couldn't get the stuff anymore, for ex, I'd miss my good coffee, and I'd miss fresh fruits/veggies. (well, ha, I do miss mangoes....we technically have mangoes here, but they are not ever as good as the ones in Brazil). Oh, and we miss Brazilian bacon.....it was sold in big hunks that you cut yourself and was almost more ham-like than bacon-like, except it tasted bacony. I am sure if I knew exactly what it actually *was* we could likely get that cut at a butcher here, I just have no idea what it was/how to ask for it. 

[MEmama]

Tacos.

I'm not sure I could survive without tacos.

[Selkie]

Iced coffee and all its components - coffee, almond milk, and ice cubes 

Castelvetrano olives

Really good salad greens

Frozen blueberries

Sriracha

[SKL]

On my first trip to India, I missed bland food of all kinds, and cold milk.

I think my eldest misses the liquid yogurt that she drinks in large quantities when home.

And my youngest might miss her Ramen noodles.

[SKL]

27 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

I'd miss a decent pizza and a juicy hamburger.

This thread reminds me of my honeymoon.  We went to the UK for 2.5 weeks.   By the end of the 2nd week, I was so tired of the standard English breakfast.  We asked the elderly lady running our B&B if we could have some pancakes for breakfast instead of the Eggs & B.  In a very heavy Scottish accent she answered "Well.. we only do pancakes on Shrove Tues.".. but she acquiesced.   They were the grossest pancakes, but at least it wasn't eggs and bacon.  

I agree.  I don't like the way they make eggs there.  Let's just say I didn't put on weight in Europe, LOL.

[mmasc]

Oh, so many things. 

Tillamook cheddar cheese

cucumber and good tomatoes and lettuce 

ice cream

pizza of all kinds

mexican food and salsa and chips of all kinds

[prairiewindmomma]

When I lived abroad, I missed pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving (could not find pumpkin anywhere) and cheddar cheese. I also had a hard time finding cumin.

As long as I have access to flour and butter and eggs and vanilla (or vanilla sugar) and yeast, life is pretty good for me. I can make my own tortillas or bread or pasta or whatever. I just travel with my own spices if I know I am going to have limited access to things. 

[maize]

11 hours ago, J-rap said:

I'd miss cheese and peanut butter.  Except I know cheese is almost everywhere, so I wouldn't even have to miss that.  Peanut butter is something I've missed a lot in other countries.  I think more countries have it now, but not the brands I like which are without anything added except salt.

Cheddar cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate chips were what my family always requested visitors bring with them we lived overseas in the 80's and 90's.

I think peanut butter is more available than it used to be in many parts of the world.

Edited June 15, 2019 by maize

[Rachel]

Dr Pepper!

[JennyD]

1 hour ago, Chris in VA said:

So I am getting ready to head back to the States for 6 weeks on our "vacation" and I can't wait to eat some of my favorite foods, not all of which are good for me (don't judge me! lol). 

I can get bacon here, but it is about $30 a pound. I miss good steak, russet potatoes (for baking), a decent burger (5 Guys?) and Mexican food. And Chinese takeout. And bread for sandwiches that doesn't have a hard, rye-bread-like crust. And box cake mix. And dairy-free ice cream bars. 

What foods would you miss, if they were hard to find or suddenly unavailable? 

 

Jerusalem doesn't have Chinese takeout?!   What does everybody eat on Christmas Eve, then?  

[gardenmom5]

 copper river sockeye

Himalayan blackberries (you can't buy them in a store.)

[Kassia]

Ice cream, cereal, chocolate, diet soda, cheese, and peanut butter.  

[athena1277]

Dr. pepper

chocolate

 

[Carol in Cal.]

I still live here and I miss Lipton dinners!  Can’t believe they are not on the market anymore!

[Guest]

Well, I have often said if I ever move away from the Chesapeake region, I would dearly miss the Blue Crab and crab feasts and crabcakes and Maryland Crab Soup. And Old Bay in general. Maryland Crab culture goes so deep into my heritage it’s fairly unimaginable to me to live far from it. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

3 hours ago, Rachel said:

Dr Pepper!

I've never tasted Dr Pepper. Is it cinnamon flavoured?

Our local grocery store has a small section for special imported products and Dr Pepper is one of them, so someone here must be buying it. Most of the US products for sale are things we've heard mentioned on TV or movies. Junior Mints, for example - isn't that what Kramer flicked into surgery? 😄

[Tanaqui]

No, it's not cinnamon flavored. As a child I was told it was originally made with prunes, though even if that was true I doubt it still is.

[HomeAgain]

When we lived outside the states the things I missed were silly:
-a good hamburger
-Arby's beef n' cheddar
-cheese steaks

........and I'm starting to see a running theme in the foods I missed. 😄  But really, everything else I was good with back in our other countries. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

3 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

No, it's not cinnamon flavored. As a child I was told it was originally made with prunes, though even if that was true I doubt it still is.

Prunes?? You're not exactly selling me on it 😂

[BarbecueMom]

Cream cheese.  When I was dairy free for DS5's first year due to eczema, the loss of cream cheese was the only thing that put me through the stages of grief.  It might have been easier living somewhere where no one had access to it, because just LOOKING at those beautiful silver boxes of rich and creamy joy made me want to throw things.

[Tanaqui]

26 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Prunes?? You're not exactly selling me on it 😂

 

My sister loves it and always has, I simply like it but not as much as root beer.

When we were kids they had a long-running promotion where some bottles had winning caps redeemable for a free Dr. Pepper. One day at dance class Jenn went out to get her customary Dr. Pepper during the break between classes, and I picked up a bialy. And when she got back she had won a free soda, so she gave the first to me and went to get a second... which also was a winner. So she gave that to my father and went out to get a third, and at winning cap number three she had to drink it or she'd miss the start of her next class.

[theelfqueen]

Green chili.

I need it. Good green chili is very important. 

When I lived in Russia ... it was pizza. We landed in New York on the way home and spent every bit of money we had left on pizza. Amazing.

 

[Rachel]

1 hour ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

I've never tasted Dr Pepper. Is it cinnamon flavoured?

Our local grocery store has a small section for special imported products and Dr Pepper is one of them, so someone here must be buying it. Most of the US products for sale are things we've heard mentioned on TV or movies. Junior Mints, for example - isn't that what Kramer flicked into surgery? 😄

Not cinnamon, I taste that in Coke though. 

It’s a unique flavor, I think originally it was a blend of 23 flavors. Some people say it’s like Mr. Pibb but as an addict of Dr Pepper I can assure you that they are nothing alike. I can’t think of what flavors are in it that would describe the flavor to someone who has never had it. It is sweeter than plain cola, it maybe has a hint of cherry and a hint of vanilla. I don’t care for fountain Dr Pepper at all, it tastes different than from a bottle.  Overall it seems to be more popular in Texas (where it originated) and the surrounding states and less popular the further north you go. 

[dsmith]

6 hours ago, sassenach said:

I'm doing whole 30 right now and I miss dairy. It's the only thing I've truly missed. A dollup of sour cream on my potatoes or tacos, yogurt, cheese in my salad, CREAM IN MY COFFEE... I will for sure be adding dairy back in and praying that I'm not sensitive to it.

 

Try Nutpods. It's Whole 30 approved and totally saved coffee and tea for me when I had to permanently eliminate dairy. Expensive, though.

[StaceyinLA]

Hmmm - all the ethnic foods. I love Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Latin, Italian, good Chinese (not Americanized buffet Chinese), etc. So, depending on where I would be, there would probably be something I like. 😜 

[73349]

It would depend on what there was to eat where I went. Lots of tomato/thyme/lemon/mushroom/oregano would be nice.

Looking in my kitchen right now, though... I might be a bit disappointed outside coastal metro areas even within the US. I buy Miyoko's products, Silk caramel almond creamer in my coffee, Siete almond flour tortillas, Dr. Praeger's various frozen veggie bits, Enjoy Life chocolate, Tinkyada pasta, Late July and Kettle chips, Sir Kensington and Organicville condiments. And I like the tap water here.

 

[Selkie]

5 minutes ago, whitehawk said:

It would depend on what there was to eat where I went. Lots of tomato/thyme/lemon/mushroom/oregano would be nice.

Looking in my kitchen right now, though... I might be a bit disappointed outside coastal metro areas even within the US. I buy Miyoko's products, Silk caramel almond creamer in my coffee, Siete almond flour tortillas, Dr. Praeger's various frozen veggie bits, Enjoy Life chocolate, Tinkyada pasta, Late July and Kettle chips, Sir Kensington and Organicville condiments. And I like the tap water here.

 

Naw, you’d be alright. I’m in the rural Midwest and I buy all of the brands you mentioned, with the exception of Miyoko. Haven’t seen that one in the stores here, but the others are readily available.

[73349]

5 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Naw, you’d be alright. I’m in the rural Midwest and I buy all of the brands you mentioned, with the exception of Miyoko. Haven’t seen that one in the stores here, but the others are readily available.

That and the creamer are the ones that make it tolerable for me to be dairy-free. My BFF in Texas has approximately nothing from the list. But good to know the Midwest is an option. 🙂

[happi duck]

Dr. Pepper, to my taste, feels like the soda version of amaretto.

I would miss giardiniera. 

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, happi duck said:

Dr. Pepper, to my taste, feels like the soda version of amaretto.

I would miss giardiniera. 

Funny, supposedly one of the 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper is amaretto!

 

[Garga]

5 hours ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

I've never tasted Dr Pepper. Is it cinnamon flavoured?

Our local grocery store has a small section for special imported products and Dr Pepper is one of them, so someone here must be buying it. Most of the US products for sale are things we've heard mentioned on TV or movies. Junior Mints, for example - isn't that what Kramer flicked into surgery? 😄

 

I want some Junior MInts now.  Might have to pop over to the Dollar store and get a box.  Mmmm.

 

This thread is eye-opening.  I guess I thought *everyone* had pizza and peanut butter and cheddar cheese.  

I’m in America and I miss Cadbury Cream eggs and Cadbury mini eggs because they only come out at Easter time.  My MIL got a bunch of them this last Easter and froze them so they’d last all year.  Clever girl, she is.  I’m going to do that next year.  Meanwhile...I wait for Easter to come back around.

Edited June 15, 2019 by Garga

[gardenmom5]

6 hours ago, Quill said:

Well, I have often said if I ever move away from the Chesapeake region, I would dearly miss the Blue Crab and crab feasts and crabcakes and Maryland Crab Soup. And Old Bay in general. Maryland Crab culture goes so deep into my heritage it’s fairly unimaginable to me to live far from it. 

when we were in Charleston - I had blue crab for the first time. I was surprised by how you really can eat the shell.  I'm used to Dungeness - the shells are very hard and require tools to extract the meat. (biting down on a piece of shell is not pleasant.  not. at. all.)

I loved the food though.

[theelfqueen]

Ha! I have a peanut butter story from my student time in Russia, too. 

Our group of American students found a tiny shop in Moscow that sold goods to American and British expats.  It was amazing. Chips and crisps and I dont remember what all. I remember bags of plain macaroni... but I do remember the peanut butter. I think we bought ever jar of peanut butter in Moscow. (I think that was about a case worth lol) Understand that the ingredients available to most people in Russia at the time were pretty poor. And students travelling around by train - well what was available...  it wasnt appealing to a bunch of American teens. And peanut butter seemed like heaven. 

A few days later we were on a train bound for Sochi. It was 106 degrees in our train car. We paid a fortune to rent sheets for our bunks. It was so hot.  We were all in our underclothes trying to cool off. And out came the peanut butter. Everyone was eating it off spoons. Eventually I developed a migraine from the heat and the closed space... Every scent and texture of that train car is burned into my brain. 

When I was in labor with my youngest son, many years later, my  husband had a peanut butter snadwich as a snack. The smell of the peanut butter gave me a sensory memory of that horrible train car. I told him to get out and wash... in Russian. I realized what I was doing and told him to go and brush his teeth, I couldn't stand the peanut butter! I've never shown an aversion to peanut butter before so he was pretty confused. But I was in labor and suddenly in that damned train. Lol 

I still eat peanut butter occasionally and havent had that kind of reaction again. 

[Chris in VA]

4 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

Ha! I have a peanut butter story from my student time in Russia, too. 

Our group of American students found a tiny shop in Moscow that sold goods to American and British expats.  It was amazing. Chips and crisps and I dont remember what all. I remember bags of plain macaroni... but I do remember the peanut butter. I think we bought ever jar of peanut butter in Moscow. (I think that was about a case worth lol) Understand that the ingredients available to most people in Russia at the time were pretty poor. And students travelling around by train - well what was available...  it wasnt appealing to a bunch of American teens. And peanut butter seemed like heaven. 

A few days later we were on a train bound for Sochi. It was 106 degrees in our train car. We paid a fortune to rent sheets for our bunks. It was so hot.  We were all in our underclothes trying to cool off. And out came the peanut butter. Everyone was eating it off spoons. Eventually I developed a migraine from the heat and the closed space... Every scent and texture of that train car is burned into my brain. 

When I was in labor with my youngest son, many years later, my  husband had a peanut butter snadwich as a snack. The smell of the peanut butter gave me a sensory memory of that horrible train car. I told him to get out and wash... in Russian. I realized what I was doing and told him to go and brush his teeth, I couldn't stand the peanut butter! I've never shown an aversion to peanut butter before so he was pretty confused. But I was in labor and suddenly in that damned train. Lol 

I still eat peanut butter occasionally and havent had that kind of reaction again. 

We have a store like that. It's called Automatic Grocery. They speak English and have all kinds of Brit/American foods, like kettle chips and Folger's coffee. It is expensive,  but I used to go every few weeks for things like tortilla chips and the aforementioned coffee 😁.

Edited June 15, 2019 by Chris in VA

[Guest]

7 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

when we were in Charleston - I had blue crab for the first time. I was surprised by how you really can eat the shell.  I'm used to Dungeness - the shells are very hard and require tools to extract the meat. (biting down on a piece of shell is not pleasant.  not. at. all.)

I loved the food though.

You must have had a softshell crab. When they molt, they are caught as “peelers” and can be eaten fried up, legs and all. 

Ordinary Blue Crabs do have hard shells, though. No respectable crab feast would be complete without crab mallets and knives and a crap ton of paper towels. 

[Melissa in Australia]

I have experienced this 

 for me it was BEEF. Yep Beef

 I years ago I went to Canada for a month to visit in-laws. they thought they were eating meat but it was all processed (garbage) stuff that really didn't have any resemblance to real food. it was like they didn't know what meat really was.

 I have anemia and if I don't eat beef at least 3 times a week I am completely washed out - even with taking iron. I don' t have to eat huge amounts just the size of the palm of my hand.

[gardenmom5]

3 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I have experienced this 

 for me it was BEEF. Yep Beef

 I years ago I went to Canada for a month to visit in-laws. they thought they were eating meat but it was all processed (garbage) stuff that really didn't have any resemblance to real food. it was like they didn't know what meat really was.

 I have anemia and if I don't eat beef at least 3 times a week I am completely washed out - even with taking iron. I don' t have to eat huge amounts just the size of the palm of my hand.

that was your in-laws, not Canada.   granted I haven't widely traveled (mainly BC/vacouver/victoria & alberta.  and around the great lakes), but there was real beef.

and I've found the same thing about eating beef. the iron sups aren't enough, and chicken doesn't do it.

[HS Mom in NC]

Chocolate
Green Tea
Camomile  Tea
Coke
Mexican (border food) MexiCali, Baja, Sonoran, New Mexican, but not TexMex.
Burgers and fries

 

[Kalmia]

When we lived in India for 6 months and three of us are very picky eaters who do not eat spicy food, we were dying for turkey, corn on the cob, dill pickles, sliced bread that tasted like bread with all the ingredients (not flour and water) though we were saved when a French lady in our neighborhood started selling baguettes and croissants right before we left, Cheerios, ice cream, and lettuce that would not make us sick. When we returned home the three of us ate and ate and ate and ate! My husband who loves Indian food more than anything was so depressed to leave it behind!

I went to an American chain restaurant in Bangalore (probably TGI Fridays) and ordered grilled chicken and fries. The waiter said, "But Madame, that is so bland!" I replied, "Bland? Bland! That's perfect! I have been searching for something bland for two months!" He laughed. 

[KungFuPanda]

 I like so many things that I don't think I'd suffer unless entire categories were missing.  Suddenly being meat free or dairy free would be uncomfortable.  I can't imagine going anywhere where I couldn't get some kind of tea.  If such a place exists, I'd definitely bring my own.  Everyone in my house requires some kind of tea daily.  I think I'd also want to have peanut butter as a safety net.  It keeps well and is very satisfying.  I love the stuff.

For me, shellfish and cream of wheat can keep the iron deficiency symptoms at bay as well as red meat, so I'd be ok without it. Dh, whose iron is fine, would REALLY miss it.  When he says "I NEED protein" what he means is "I won't be satisfied until I eat at least half a pound of beef."

15 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I have experienced this 

 for me it was BEEF. Yep Beef

 I years ago I went to Canada for a month to visit in-laws. they thought they were eating meat but it was all processed (garbage) stuff that really didn't have any resemblance to real food. it was like they didn't know what meat really was.

 I have anemia and if I don't eat beef at least 3 times a week I am completely washed out - even with taking iron. I don' t have to eat huge amounts just the size of the palm of my hand.

[Melissa in Australia]

16 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

that was your in-laws, not Canada.   granted I haven't widely traveled (mainly BC/vacouver/victoria & alberta.  and around the great lakes), but there was real beef.

and I've found the same thing about eating beef. the iron sups aren't enough, and chicken doesn't do it.

I am sure it was my inlaws . I didn't really get to actually see much of Canada just lots on inlaws 

 even their minced beef had "helpers' ( garbage ) added. it was not 100% beef like I am use to 

 they had funny round flat disks that didn't resemble meat in any way that they called hamburgers??? here a hamburger is a bread roll with a beef patty and salad . I am guessing they meant rissoles but they are made out of meat here

 and there was hot dogs in cans - that really shocked me  - hot dogs have so many preservatives why would you need to can them - 

[Tanaqui]

If you don't can them they're not shelf-stable, Melissa. Doesn't matter how many preservatives they have, they still do rot.

[Melissa in Australia]

57 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

If you don't can them they're not shelf-stable, Melissa. Doesn't matter how many preservatives they have, they still do rot.

here they are kept in the fridge part of the supermarket with other meat or in the deli section

 I read something once in an National Geographic magazine where they were doing an excavation of a rubbish tip in America somewhere. they had dug 20 years down. they found hot dogs that looked exactly like new - so many preservatives that they hadn't' decayed. Not that they would be safe to eat though

[Pawz4me]

22 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

here they are kept in the fridge part of the supermarket with other meat or in the deli section

 I read something once in an National Geographic magazine where they were doing an excavation of a rubbish tip in America somewhere. they had dug 20 years down. they found hot dogs that looked exactly like new - so many preservatives that they hadn't' decayed. Not that they would be safe to eat though

Far be it from me (a mostly vegetarian and hot dog hater in general) to defend them, but I really don't think that's possible. Hot dogs will mold if left in a refrigerator too long. So I don't think it's possible they'd survive in a dump for very long at all. My guess is that they' be molded/decayed/disintegrated within a week. Unless a scavenger animal ate them first (which is highly likely).