Since we've arrived, I have been thinking a lot about different cultures' ways of doing things. Everyone on the planet has the same basic needs, and everyone has their own ways of meeting them. No two people are alike, which means there are as many ways to do things as there are people on the earth. When you take that into consideration, it's surprising how many things are similar about cultures and countries across the world. Aaaaand now I'm sounding too much like I'm about to break into an off-key rendition of "Heal the World", so let's move on.
One of the things we take for granted is the familiar food that surrounds us. We don't stop to question every thing we come across on the shelves at the grocery store, because we have seen those items for our whole lives. We know to look for a blue box if we want mac and cheese, or what to expect out of salad dressing. (Betcha didn't know you had expectations of your salad dressing! Well, you do.) There ends up being a lot of value in that easy relationship we form with the things around us. I never would have put it that way until I went food shopping here. It's like the twilight zone: everything is almost exactly the same, but just different enough to make you think way harder than you should have to about things like cheese and canned corn.
I had noticed this, but it didn't really hit home until I took a trip to The Food Company. They are a pricey store that sells a lot of foreign foods. (I'll do the exchange rate conversion for you and tell you the cost in US Dollars) Including...
American Marshmallows
$4.01 a bag
Cereal
$9.01 - $12.04 a box
10 packets Quaker Instant Oatmeal
$10.07 a box
(Are you couponers from the U.S. just dying at that?! I used to pick them up on sale, with coupon, for like 50 cents at Albertson's.)
Good ol' Aunt Jemima syrup
$8.56
Box o' Jell-O
only $2.65!
Reeses PB chips (my cookies miss these!!)
$7.50 a bag
Betty Crocker cake mix
$5.30
I didn't buy any more than Jimmy D's Father's Day Mt. Dew (it's like liquid gold!) and a bag of Goldfish crackers, but just seeing the familiar boxes and bags was enough to tempt me into being ripped off for the sake of the warm fuzzies they brought! I didn't expect to feel so emotional about those things! It's not like there aren't substitutes here that are as good (or better) than these products, but they are not mine. It's like rooting for the home team.
Still, I'm not gonna pay 12 bucks for cereal, even if I kind of want to hug the box and bask in its familiarity. So, send me some stuff. ; )
6 comments:
try www.americansoda.co.uk they are a bit cheaper :) x
Holy crap!
Okay. I'm takin' orders.
Ask the kids what they miss most and I'll send it. :)
P.S. I suppose you can too.
Thanks, Katie! Also- your blog is great- do you take the pictures? They're awesome. They all look like they should be the ones already in the frame when you buy it. You know, the ones where pretty people are having fun with their families in ideal scenery. ;)
Yes, Corriner, send us stuff! pffft! Or, maybe just help JimmyD find some of the things on the shopping list I'll send him with. The kids miss you! Send you. And maybe some sno cones or Bug Juices.
Holy Cow!! You must be dying. Okay I need your info!!!
Gee you must be in Hawaii or something! Milk is anywhere from $6.00-9.00 depending on how close to Waikiki you are. The closer the more expensive. You can even buy pineapple on the mainland cheaper than on the island, crazy huh?
How are Hawaiians so laid back when everything is so pricey?! You would think they would be really angry people. ;)
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