You Can't Get That Here

[Darienne]

This is a restaurant thing rather than a grocery thing, but visitors from the South to the North in the United States are occasionally surprised to find that iced tea is not available year-round (or often at all) in restaurants up here.

And British ex-pats tell me you can't get a decent cup of hot tea period, all over the USA. (We don't drink tea, except for Chinese)

[liuzhou]

Here in sunny southern China the food is wonderful, but almost always unremittingly Chinese. When they do try to do "western" the results are usually awful.

What I can't get is a long list, but to cut it down:

Herbs. Chinese cuisine uses a very limited range of fresh or dried herbs. Coriander (cilantro) is about it. Thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary? Forget it!

Spices: The only spices I can get are cumin seeds, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns (of course). Few others. I want them all!

Dairy products: There is some sort of myth that Chinese people don't do dairy! Utter garbage. Every supermarket in the country has aisle upon aisle of milk products, especially yoghurt. BUT! It is all sugared into submission. And all is thin as milk. Plain yoghurt is sweet. I want Greek yoghurt! Thick and sour. The irony is that the Chinese for yoghurt directly translates as "sour milk" except it isn't!

Contrary to popular opinion, I can buy cheese easily. But only in the specialist shop.

I'd love to buy olives that didn't come from a can or a bottle but...

Despite living almost within spitting distance of Vietnam (about an hour away) and SE. Asia, I can't buy anything like lemongrass or lime etc.

The Chinese eat everything except anything they haven't seen before! I've never come across a culture with such a wide range of foods but a total disdain for everything not considered to be Chinese (despite half of their staples being introduced from the Americas.)

I'm sure I'll think of more later.

(And please don't tell me you can get all these things in Beijing. Beijing is 1,150 miles away! Long way for a bunch of basil.)

Edited June 7, 2012 by liuzhou (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Scoop - no odder than being in Canada and craving a roast cuy....

Or being in California and craving horse meat...

In the US you cannot get:

tonka beans or real bison grass vodka as they both contain coumarin which is banned by the FDA

raw (unpasteurized) milk cheeses aged for less than 60 days (FDA again)

scallops in the shell with the roe is illegal as well, as far as I understand

fromage blanc, petits suisses (not illegal but very hard to find)

amer picon and suze are not distributed here for some reason

[thirtyoneknots]

Scoop - no odder than being in Canada and craving a roast cuy....

Or being in California and craving horse meat...

In the US you cannot get:

tonka beans or real bison grass vodka as they both contain coumarin which is banned by the FDA

...

amer picon and suze are not distributed here for some reason

Tonka beans are available online. Suze is imported, but not widely distributed.

[SylviaLovegren]

I found condensed milk! It was in the Thai food section of the grocery store and I had to pay $4 for a small can, but at this point... The supermarket did have about 8 different kinds of evaporated milk in cans -- nonfat, 2%, house brand, Carnation, etc. -- and priced reasonably at about $2 a can, but condensed was exotic apparently.

Another thing that surprised me about Toronto was turkey. In the states, turkey parts and ground turkey have become ubiquitous and I'd developed quite a few recipes based on cheap ground turkey. The supermarkets in the downtown area here very occasionally have it -- very occasionally -- but it's an arm and a leg, price-wise.

On the other hand, every market, even the questionable corner ones, have 3-6 year old cheddar that is just outstanding and very reasonably priced.

[Darienne]

I found condensed milk! It was in the Thai food section of the grocery store and I had to pay $4 for a small can, but at this point... The supermarket did have about 8 different kinds of evaporated milk in cans -- nonfat, 2%, house brand, Carnation, etc. -- and priced reasonably at about $2 a can, but condensed was exotic apparently.

Another thing that surprised me about Toronto was turkey. In the states, turkey parts and ground turkey have become ubiquitous and I'd developed quite a few recipes based on cheap ground turkey. The supermarkets in the downtown area here very occasionally have it -- very occasionally -- but it's an arm and a leg, price-wise.

On the other hand, every market, even the questionable corner ones, have 3-6 year old cheddar that is just outstanding and very reasonably priced.

It's true about the turkey and it's delightfully true about the wonderful cheddar.

I cannot imagine where you are shopping that you can't find condensed milk and that you pay so much for it. I currently have in my stock three kinds: Perfection, Eagle and one more: Compliments which is a brand carried by FreshCo, Sobey's and Foodland. There can't be a grocery store in Peterborough (90 miles east and somewhat north of Toronto) which doesn't carry condensed milk. In the baking section. I am floored by your nearly fruitless search.

[Jaymes]

Flipping this the other way, bread chocolate, which is very, very popular in Denmark, apparently does not exist in the US (these are thin sheets of chocolate you put on slices of bread; when the bread is hot, it melts; serving this to all the delegates at a UN gathering might put a permanent stop to all future wars).

Interesting to me is that chocolate on bread isn't particularly popular in the US. Even spreading your toast with Nutella isn't something you see a lot. I don't know why....chocolate is certainly popular, as is bread. I have never seen the "bread chocolate" that you mention but often top my toast with good chocolate that I have grated or shaved.

[annabelle]

I found condensed milk! It was in the Thai food section of the grocery store and I had to pay $4 for a small can, but at this point... The supermarket did have about 8 different kinds of evaporated milk in cans -- nonfat, 2%, house brand, Carnation, etc. -- and priced reasonably at about $2 a can, but condensed was exotic apparently.

Another thing that surprised me about Toronto was turkey. In the states, turkey parts and ground turkey have become ubiquitous and I'd developed quite a few recipes based on cheap ground turkey. The supermarkets in the downtown area here very occasionally have it -- very occasionally -- but it's an arm and a leg, price-wise.

On the other hand, every market, even the questionable corner ones, have 3-6 year old cheddar that is just outstanding and very reasonably priced.

The evil Walmart (where I shop) stocks condensed milk at a very reasonable price. Carnation brand is about $1.50 a can on special around the holidays. Sometimes 2/$5 during the rest of the year.

[Shalmanese]

I'm sure I'll think of others later but the first thing that comes to mind in Australia is no canned pumpkin.

I also remember not being able to find canned black beans in Australia (just cannoli and kidney beans). In fact, a lot of essential Mexican ingredients are pretty hard to find.

[Dave Hatfield]

Thirtyoneknots, yes we can get creme fraisch. No problem. We can also get it in various types, low fat, Issngy and so forth. We can also get fromage frais and umpteen kinds of yogurt.

BUT! There are a few things such as blue cheese dressing that just aren't the same without sour cream. We've tried most of the types available here, but none of them quite do it.

Its a pity as we do love blue cheese dressing and do have access to a whole variety of blue cheeses.

Quell domage as we say here.

[CaliPoutine]

I found condensed milk! It was in the Thai food section of the grocery store and I had to pay $4 for a small can, but at this point... The supermarket did have about 8 different kinds of evaporated milk in cans -- nonfat, 2%, house brand, Carnation, etc. -- and priced reasonably at about $2 a can, but condensed was exotic apparently.

Another thing that surprised me about Toronto was turkey. In the states, turkey parts and ground turkey have become ubiquitous and I'd developed quite a few recipes based on cheap ground turkey. The supermarkets in the downtown area here very occasionally have it -- very occasionally -- but it's an arm and a leg, price-wise.

On the other hand, every market, even the questionable corner ones, have 3-6 year old cheddar that is just outstanding and very reasonably priced.

The evil Walmart (where I shop) stocks condensed milk at a very reasonable price. Carnation brand is about $1.50 a can on special around the holidays. Sometimes 2/$5 during the rest of the year.

Yes, but the poster is in Ontario. Wal*Mart is cheaper, but there is no way condensed milk is 1.50 in Ontario. When I lived there, I used to bring it back from Port Huron, MI. My store had it, but it was really expensive.

[liuzhou]

My problem here is not so much what I can't get, but whether I can get it reliably. Every now and again, the local supermarkets or smaller food stores stock something we've been craving. All the (small) expat community buy it like crazy then they never stock it again! I think it must mess up their shelving system.

"We're not stocking that again! People just buy it!"

Examples over the years have included avocados (available for one week in 2002), canned anchovies (available for a few weeks several years ago, then disappeared for several more. They have reappeared recently) and Dijon mustard (hasn't been spotted in a decade!) Recently we had capers for a month, but when they ran out, they never reappeared.

I even promised the manager of one shop to buy as many cans of anchovies as she could get and that I would pay in advance. She just shrugged. The same woman also remarked to me how popular the dried herb range they stocked for a couple of weeks was. "Our biggest seller, " she boasted. They never restocked that, either.

The local supermarket had a range of cheeses. Well, they had one cheddar cheese and a load of processed gloop which they imagined was cheese. As far as I could see, the cheddar was hotfooting it to the checkouts and the gloop was left behind. Guess what? Now they only stock the gloop which no one is buying.

[Jaymes]

Thirtyoneknots, yes we can get creme fraisch. No problem. We can also get it in various types, low fat, Issngy and so forth. We can also get fromage frais and umpteen kinds of yogurt.

BUT! There are a few things such as blue cheese dressing that just aren't the same without sour cream. We've tried most of the types available here, but none of them quite do it.

Its a pity as we do love blue cheese dressing and do have access to a whole variety of blue cheeses.

Quell domage as we say here.

Can you get buttermilk there? If so, you can make sour cream quite easily.

If not, you can make a pretty good substitute if you have cottage cheese, lemon juice, and a blender.

If neither of those methods produce what you're looking for, my advice to you would be to keep trying. There has to be some way for you to make delicious sour cream. After all, it ain't coming out of the cows that way.

Somebody has to be manufacturing it.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Jaymes (log)

[andiesenji]

In France (or at least the part of France we live in) you can't get:

-sour cream

-Shredded wheat (regular or spoon size)

-Cheddar cheese

- Spring onions (except for a very brief period & even those are too large)

-Fritos (but you can get tortilla chips)

There are probably more things if I think about it more, but those are the ones that spring to mind.

I've been making my own sour cream for decades. I use a yogurt culture that I add to half and half (half milk, half heavy cream). (the method is on my blog)

I grow my own spring onions (aka bunching onions or scallions) let just two or three go to seed and you will have enough for next year's crop. I grow them in containers and start a new batch every month. You can even leave some in the ground over the winter, with some deep mulch, and harvest them when you need them. They are extremely easy to grow, as are shallots.

Here's some I overwintered outside, harvested some, let these go to seed and have plucked off most of the seed heads and sewn the seed in other containers with fresh soil.

Edited June 8, 2012 by andiesenji (log)

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

I grow my own spring onions (aka bunching onions or scallions)

I do too, last year they went a bit mental and were almost an inch thick and made you cry as you chopped them...

[andiesenji]

I grow my own spring onions (aka bunching onions or scallions)

I do too, last year they went a bit mental and were almost an inch thick and made you cry as you chopped them...

You have to plant them close together and as soon as they are 1/4 inch in diameter, begin thinning them out in a progressive harvest. Meanwhile you start the next crop, etc.

[Dave Hatfield]

Jaymes & Andiesenj thank you both for your very helpful words of wisdom.

Unfortunately I haven't found either buttermilk or cottage cheese here so far. I do keep looking though. I can buy raw, unpasteurized milk easily & there are actually milk kiosks outside my favorite supermarket (there is a surplus of milk in France so they're trying this as a marketing ploy.) Most milk sold here is ultra pasteurized; only the larger supermarkets sell fresh milk. Yukky, but keeps well. I refuse to give up though.

I'll have a look at your blog, Andiesenj to see if I can duplicate your method.

Interestingly, I've just had my Niece in England send me some packets of spring onion seeds. I couldn't find any here. I'll be planting as soon as they arrive. This is part of our new garden. My wife has had scads of flowers, lavender and shrubs put in. I've got rosemary, thyme, sage, mint and marjoram as perennials and basil, cilantro, chives and, soon, spring onions as annuals. Lots of watering to do.

I suspect that much of my problem stems from living in the boonies of France. La France profund (deepest France) as they say. Wouldn't trade it though as its a wonderful place to live.

[liuzhou]

Suddenly thought of yoghurt. I could kill for some decent yoghurt. especially Greek yoghurt.

All I can get here is sweet, runny, yoghurt drinks. The supermarkets have mile on mile of shelving of them. Even the plain yoghurt is hideously sweet.

And pls don't tell me to make it myself. That would require milk with a reasonable fat content and a starter culture. Both impossible to obtain.

[Darienne]

I made yoghurt for years a long time ago, using powdered skim milk. Perhaps you can get that.

[Snadra]

Suddenly thought of yoghurt. I could kill for some decent yoghurt. especially Greek yoghurt.

All I can get here is sweet, runny, yoghurt drinks. The supermarkets have mile on mile of shelving of them. Even the plain yoghurt is hideously sweet.

And pls don't tell me to make it myself. That would require milk with a reasonable fat content and a starter culture. Both impossible to obtain.

When I was on holidays in Tonga the place we stayed at made their own yoghurt using UHT milk and it was quite good. But thinking about it that's probably all you have access to anyway, so i guessing full fat milk doesnt come in any form! Some things just can't be done easily, can they?

Where I am living now I can't access al kinds of things, including decent fresh fruit and veg, but that's part of living way west... In Australia in general, it's hard to get American products from either continent (unless you are willing to pay through the nose), but ifyou live in the city all manner of Asian, middle eastern and subcontinent goods are available. I personally miss northern and middle-european goods, as most delis focus on Greek or Italian products and they are often mass-produced and just okay. Finding a Polish deli was a godsend, because suddenly I had access to delicious smallgoods. Now I'm looking forward to my next Sydney visit so I can stock up.

Things I used to think were basic that are unknown here include frozen drink concentrate, plain marshmallows, canned pumpkin (pumpkin is eaten in such huge quantities visitors pre-WWI frequently commented on it, but now it's always either roasted or as soup), chicken breast bone-in and skin-on. Also, black currant is the predominant flavour in drinks or sweets that would be grape flavour in NA. Also unsweetened chocolate is unknown, as are flavoured baking chips (butterscotch, mint-chocolate, etc).

And partly skimmed milk is completely unknown. You can get whole milk, skim, or the horror known as light white, which contains skim and concentrated milk solids and tastes too much of powdered milk for me. There is a 'new milk' recently advertised, but it still has concentrated milk in it, I understand. I stick to whole.

[haresfur]

I also remember not being able to find canned black beans in Australia (just cannoli and kidney beans). In fact, a lot of essential Mexican ingredients are pretty hard to find.

Bendigo Wholefoods has a small Mexican section that includes canned black beans. They are pretty expensive but so are any canned beans at Coles or Woolies. I saw that they had Masa and dried peppers but yes Mexican ingredients aren't always easy to find. And even the Costco salsa comes in laughably small jars. Good thing though because I'd never be able to fit a gallon in the fridge.

[nibor]

When I lived in Berlin many years ago I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. I could not find chocolate chips, so I chopped up some bars of chocolate. My recipe also called for baking powder. I had to get it at a compounding pharmacy. They weighed it out like a drug into a little glassine envelope. Not for the cookies, but I was also unable to find peanut butter except for a few expensive jars of Skippy in the "American novelty" section of the food floor at KaDeWe.

[Annoula]

Since the original poster mentioned something about 'inexplicably' I'll stick to that -- there are a zillion other things I can't get here, but the reason for most is explicable (if that's a word )

However, here I am in citrus heaven and there are odd gaps: we have oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons, and even kumquats growing in our back yards. Why do we have to beg for limes? Why can't we get pomelos?

We have green avocados, but I haven't seen [the vastly superior] Haas variety in eons.

Nuts everywhere including knock-your-socks-off pistachios from the island of Aegina ... but no pecans.

I'm sure there's more, but these are the 'inexplicables' which occur to me now.

And, boy, I'd KILL for some berries -- anybody want to trade a souvlaki for some berries?!

[Jason Perlow]

This is a restaurant thing rather than a grocery thing, but visitors from the South to the North in the United States are occasionally surprised to find that iced tea is not available year-round (or often at all) in restaurants up here.

That's a lot less of a problem than it used to be. In Jersey, you can pretty much get it everywhere. What my problem with the South is that most places default to Sweet Tea, which I think is disgusting.

[ermintrude]

In the UK London fresh jalapenos are hard to find without a trek to a specialist store. It's either red or green chillis (these tend to be of unknown heat), birds eye and haranero can't even find them in the asian or turkish shops near me.

However want them pickled - no problem.