The US food available here is the worst kind

Definitely Spain, Champions carry quite a large variety of OM products, as well as Fritos & Lay's chips. 

Okay gang...let's go! Gather at my place and bring your wellies and best camouflage (or just wear all black). I'll provide the black smudge for under the eyes.

We're going to storm Jemima's cupboards and list everything she's got for public viewing and ridicule!

Are you with me gang? Raaaaaaaaaaaar!


 

ok Lisa, we all know you have the perrrrrfect fridge!! (yep I am STILL jealous!).

Yes it is true expat food shops of all kinds  sell JUNK food cause that is what people crave - if you ever check out the Aussie/Kiwi/South African/Canadian shops you will see the same sort of thing - loads of sweets, biscuits and crisps, tinned rubbish, tomato sauce, peanut butter and not a lot else.  Besides anything else, it is harder to export/import fresh produce so it is not surprising that most US food you find here comes in packets and tins.  I doubt you can find Caerphilly cheese (for example) easily in the US for the same reason but I remember seeing things like Walkers crisps and Marmite in the UK expat shops.

And you don't have to go and live in another country to crave junk food from your youth. I still enjoy the occasional tin of Heinz macaroni cheese that I used to eat in my student days, not because I am incapable of making "proper" macaroni cheese but just because sometimes I WANT it, yes even at the age of 36, gosh I feel soooooooo immature now.

Not sure what healthy U.S. foods could be stocked here in the U.K.  Like Britwife said, it's tough to stock fresh U.S. produce.

However, I too am very disappointed with the crap that is here for expats.  Yuck.  Frequently, I log onto FoodFerry or SkyCo only to abandon my cart at the end of shopping b/c I realize I really don't want or need to eat that food. 

I wish I could get VitaSoy soy milk (hate hate the soya stuff here - blech), decent whole coffee beans, California Mexican food, and well, a Whole Foods Market would suit me fine.

At least SkyCo and the like could stock the VitaSoy though!  Maybe some TigersMilk bars, too.

I am currently doing some research to find out what people from the stated really miss as far as food items goes. i know one of the first things i missed was good coffee(not instant stuff) and mirecal whip, and most is the selection of salad dressing we can get in the states that you can't get here.
I am really interested to know what other people really miss the most.

In honour of this thread, yesterday when I was at Asda, I bought............POPTARTS.    wahahahahaha

In honour of this thread, yesterday when I was at Asda, I bought............POPTARTS.    wahahahahaha

You go girl!

My whole take on this is that, most countries have their own 'junk' foods. Many of them are part of our own personal or country based nostalgia - and it's easy stuff to export. As Britwife says, just look at the other ex-pat stores.

There are very few recipes I can't make here that I would in the States from scratch or with simple adjustments. But ya can't make an oreo or a s'more without the real ingredients. 

In honour of this thread, yesterday when I was at Asda, I bought............POPTARTS.    wahahahahaha

How very childish of you Mindy. I hope you are proud of yourself.
 

How very childish of you Mindy. I hope you are proud of yourself.
 

Indeed! 

In honour of this thread, yesterday when I was at Asda, I bought............POPTARTS.    wahahahahaha

What kind of example are you setting for your children?  They will never grow up to be mature, responsible adults if you're going to make them nostalgic in adulthood for that stuff.

 

The chocomallow ones are just like the S'mores ones in the US. YUMMERS!

BTW, my ex had my son's pediatrician write out a prescript for a "proper" breakfast because I once gave my son Poptarts for breakfast. 

BTW, my ex had my son's pediatrician write out a prescript for a "proper" breakfast because I once gave my son Poptarts for breakfast. 

Hahaha omg.  I've had a few brits comment on the fact that americans will often eat sweets for breakfast (pancakes, pop tarts)...  Haha, also once got told I was eating a pop tart wrongly because I hadn't toasted it and therefore it was RAW. 

Hahaha omg.  I've had a few brits comment on the fact that americans will often eat sweets for breakfast (pancakes, pop tarts)...  Haha, also once got told I was eating a pop tart wrongly because I hadn't toasted it and therefore it was RAW. 

What got my DF was that I would "combine" sweet and savory by eating my fry-up along with my jam-ladden toast, rather than waiting until the end of the savory bit to dig in to the toast.  Of course, once he tried it my way, he bacame a convert!  I'll turn him American yet!!

Ahem.  Please may I mention the fact that us Brits, during our Industrial Revolution (way, way before the American one) invented junk food and the factory production of it.

Please let everyone:

a) eat what at anytime they want to eat
b) consider what is a healthy diet for them
c) think whether they want to line the pockets of fat-cat bastard food monopolies
d) remember the small farmer/butcher/baker/delicacy producer - and how difficult it is for these people to survive against the big ones, and what a loss it would be to see them go
e) enjoy the preparation of ingredients, the choosing and buying, the preparation like chopping, the cooking , the serving - this phase is like a meditation or stress-releasing thingy
f) enjoy their food, and enjoy the company of those eating with them
g) remember that both Brits and Americans on the whole are lucky to have food at all


Howard

Ahem.  Please may I mention the fact that us Brits, during our Industrial Revolution (way, way before the American one) invented junk food and the factory production of it.

Please let everyone:

a) eat what at anytime they want to eat
b) consider what is a healthy diet for them
c) think whether they want to line the pockets of fat-cat bastard food monopolies
d) remember the small farmer/butcher/baker/delicacy producer - and how difficult it is for these people to survive against the big ones, and what a loss it would be to see them go
e) enjoy the preparation of ingredients, the choosing and buying, the preparation like chopping, the cooking , the serving - this phase is like a meditation or stress-releasing thingy
f) enjoy their food, and enjoy the company of those eating with them
g) remember that both Brits and Americans on the whole are lucky to have food at all


Howard

  Good thoughts Howbo 

Shopping List for the UK-Yankee Fluff Out - at my to-be-determined residence after I get a job

All 3 kinds of Nabisco graham crackers
Hershey bars ( Shall we eat well and switch to Cadbury?)
Kraft big marshmallows
Wonder bread
Jiff and Peter Pan peanut butters
Velveeta, plain and Mexican
Rotel tomatoes

MENU

Fluffernutters
S'Mores
Rotel dip

Am I missing anything?  I have 16 jars of Marshmallow Fluff here already and 13 more in the US.  I'll be going back for a visit and my visa at the end of the year, so we have time to create the perfect menu.

Chris