Grocery Items Unavailable in the US

[Reba 2]

I wish we had a Trader Joe's. Or a Harris Teeter. Actually both.

we have Harris Teeter here in town. They suck they don't have hardly anything "international". Its probably a regional thing. They had Canadian cheddar cheese once. It was $10 for a small chunk!

[Carlawarla 1]

I'm really confused. Are you updating the spreadsheet Krikit? When I check on the link, there is no Nabob on there. I don't know if it's not been added, or something with my computer when I open the spreadsheet?

[Krikit 1,164]

I'm really confused. Are you updating the spreadsheet Krikit? When I check on the link, there is no Nabob on there. I don't know if it's not been added, or something with my computer when I open the spreadsheet?

Yes, I've been updating it. Nabob is on line 56. Would it help if I made it a separate item? I don't mind if people prefer it that way.

[warlord 73]

(I'm trying to modify the post below, and it won't let me delete this one)

Edited January 24, 2008 by warlord

[warlord 73]

Ugh Smarties were horrid things I remember. Used to have them in car rides and those things would leak their pigment all over the place. I did know a girl here from England and had a Smarties mug and was surprised they had them in Canada being that they are British. I had to tell her a lot of British things come across into Canada, just not into the US. She said you can get them at British Import stores, so you might want to check if you have one in your town.

Still I recall the Canadian M&M commercial when I was a kid and how true it was "M&Ms melt in your mouth not in your hands"...

[Carlawarla 1]

Hmmm, something must be wrong on my end. I open the spreadsheet, and firstly, there are no numbers, so I don't know how I can reference #56? Still shows few very things. I can see "Drinks", with Coffee, Tim Horton's listed, that's about it.

Yeah, I remember that melt in your mouth, not in your hand commercial as well. That's why I loved Smarties though! I loved that they melted in my hand as well. Actually, I don't know that I've had an M&M even melt in my mouth! Candy coating is too hard and thick for my liking.

Little girls loved Smarties (haha I'm projecting here because I DID THIS!), so that we could melt the Smartie coating and use it to pretend to put on lipstick! With the Red colour of course!

Edited January 24, 2008 by Carlawarla

[Krikit 1,164]

Hmmm, something must be wrong on my end. I open the spreadsheet, and firstly, there are no numbers, so I don't know how I can reference #56? Still shows few very things. I can see "Drinks", with Coffee, Tim Horton's listed, that's about it.

Yeah, I remember that melt in your mouth, not in your hand commercial as well. That's why I loved Smarties though! I loved that they melted in my hand as well. Actually, I don't know that I've had an M&M even melt in my mouth! Candy coating is too hard and thick for my liking.

Little girls loved Smarties (haha I'm projecting here because I DID THIS!), so that we could melt the Smartie coating and use it to pretend to put on lipstick! With the Red colour of course!

Ha ha. We did that too!

Okay, not sure what's going wrong with the spreadsheet. Must be something I'm doing wrong on my end. Let me work on it.

Try it now, Carla. I think it's maybe because I didn't republish it after I made changes.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Pearl barley I can find here no problem. But I agree about the bulk spices and grains availability.... or lack thereof. Where is a Bulk Barn when you need one? My husband tells me that the organic and health food stores, and great delis, are always found near a university in the US. The Whole Foods, here, is definitely in an upscale area. And also an hour away.

If I won the lottery I would open a beautiful indoor market with lots of windows and stone floors. It would have separate specialty shops such as a butcher, a baker, a wine shop, a cheese shop, a fruit & veg shop, a fish monger, a flower shop, a grains shop, a coffee & tea shop, a deli, a spice shop, a kitchen gadget shop, a pottery shop.... sigh. That would be my idea of heaven.

OMG - let me invest when you do. We have a Whole Foods Market in Fairfax http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ . Beautiful store, excellent organic produce etc etc. Pricey of course and yes it is in the 'up-scale' area. No bulk spices though, back in Kitchener, the regular grocery store (Zehrs) had that.

Does anyone else find it odd that as an average family with average income, if you're only shopping at the local grocery store, you really aren't getting the best quality stuff? Giant does have the Nature's promise brand for some things but it's just not enough. And yet there are aisle upon aisle of processed goods.

[Krikit 1,164]

Does anyone else find it odd that as an average family with average income, if you're only shopping at the local grocery store, you really aren't getting the best quality stuff? Giant does have the Nature's promise brand for some things but it's just not enough. And yet there are aisle upon aisle of processed goods.

I am extremely disappointed in the quality of the fresh items (meats, seafood, fruit & veg) in our local grocery stores. Not only that, everything is packaged in bulk format so that you can't pick and choose each item. Plus I have no need for 5 or 10 lb bags of anything. I like to purchase my ingredients as I need them so they are fresh. There are no butchers or delis in my area. There is a fruit & vegetable "market" a few miles from here, but the quality of the items is deplorable, and it's a dump. Honestly. If you're going to specialize in something you would think you would want the highest quality available, and display it in an appealing manner. And keep the place clean. I honestly think that people don't cook here. The restaurants are jam packed every day of the week, morning noon and night. And everyone's shopping carts are filled with pre-packaged food. It's scary.

I waaaant to win the lotteryyyyyy.

[Carlawarla 1]

Oh I SO agree with you guys! I would love to invest in a fresh market as well. There is a farmers market here, in Soulard. It's been going on since the 1700's. Very historical, and more like hmmm... Knob Hill Farms if you know what that is. The veggies and fruit are fresh in season, but there are like casings, dead leaves, rotten fruit, either on the ground or in the air. I have a meat market, butcher not too far that I go to. No bakeries that you can speak of. I miss my bakeries! The local grocery store I buy at, has a not too bad meat area, and the fruit and veggies are so-so. I mentioned to Gene once that I'd like to speak to the meat manager but I can never find anyone around. He said...the meat manager??? What the heck is that? I thought every food store had a meat manager. Not here! LOTS of prepared foods here, about 6 rows of frozen prepared foods. I never buy any of that stuff. I make my own things. Cheeses, well, not that many choices! I loved though when I vacationed in Wisconsin and there was like ROWS of cheeses! I know that Wisconsin is the cheese state, buy why doesn't Missouri get more selection of cheeses from Wisconsin then??

I'd prefer to buy fresh goods, go shopping several days a week. Maybe you don't need to win a lottery to open something like that. I'd be interested in doing something like that here, but truly, I don't know that there is the market for that where I live. I don't mean the specific area of St. Louis, I mean St. Louis in general. Fast food, frozen foods, seem to be a huge part of life here, and I don't know that will change anytime soon.

[Krikit 1,164]

Oh I SO agree with you guys! I would love to invest in a fresh market as well. There is a farmers market here, in Soulard. It's been going on since the 1700's. Very historical, and more like hmmm... Knob Hill Farms if you know what that is. The veggies and fruit are fresh in season, but there are like casings, dead leaves, rotten fruit, either on the ground or in the air. I have a meat market, butcher not too far that I go to. No bakeries that you can speak of. I miss my bakeries! The local grocery store I buy at, has a not too bad meat area, and the fruit and veggies are so-so. I mentioned to Gene once that I'd like to speak to the meat manager but I can never find anyone around. He said...the meat manager??? What the heck is that? I thought every food store had a meat manager. Not here! LOTS of prepared foods here, about 6 rows of frozen prepared foods. I never buy any of that stuff. I make my own things. Cheeses, well, not that many choices! I loved though when I vacationed in Wisconsin and there was like ROWS of cheeses! I know that Wisconsin is the cheese state, buy why doesn't Missouri get more selection of cheeses from Wisconsin then??

I'd prefer to buy fresh goods, go shopping several days a week. Maybe you don't need to win a lottery to open something like that. I'd be interested in doing something like that here, but truly, I don't know that there is the market for that where I live. I don't mean the specific area of St. Louis, I mean St. Louis in general. Fast food, frozen foods, seem to be a huge part of life here, and I don't know that will change anytime soon.

I wondered if there was a market for that here, also, but the Whole Foods here (an hour away) is always jammed so I'm "guessing" there is. You made me LOL at the meat manager. I looked for one too. LOL. Now I just buy all my meat and seafood at the Fresh Market (an hour away, but in the other direction from the Whole Foods). There is a lovely German bakery about a half hour from here. They sell the most amazing pastries. For good cheese I have to go to Whole Foods. But one of Emancipation's links lead me to a brand new gourmet cheese shop that opened up near the Whole Foods, so I'm thinking field trip.

But I have to ask.... see highlighted area.... rotten fruit "in the air"?

P.S. Does the spreadsheet display properly now?

[Carlawarla 1]

OMG, I am in hysterics here. LOL I meant the smell of rotten fruit in the air. LOL The dead dry outter leaves and mashed bruised fruit is on the ground. Gosh, this is even hard to type I'm laughing so hard and tears are streaming down my face. Yes, whatever you did the page is displaying great!!! Thank you Krikit, you're the best!

Looks like we are going to Charleston, then maybe Savannah, before heading over to St. George Island, so that means we'll be bypassing your area Kritkit, perhaps another time. I'd LOVE to meet you girl!

[Krikit 1,164]

OMG, I am in hysterics here. LOL I meant the smell of rotten fruit in the air. LOL The dead dry outter leaves and mashed bruised fruit is on the ground. Gosh, this is even hard to type I'm laughing so hard and tears are streaming down my face. Yes, whatever you did the page is displaying great!!! Thank you Krikit, you're the best!

Looks like we are going to Charleston, then maybe Savannah, before heading over to St. George Island, so that means we'll be bypassing your area Kritkit, perhaps another time. I'd LOVE to meet you girl!

Okay, that makes more sense now. I'm sure I sat here with one of these looks on my face while I tried to imagine a scenario where rotten fruit would be hanging in the air. Too funny.

I'll catch you on the next go-round, Carla! When are you heading down?

[trailmix 77]

That was one thing I really liked in New Zealand, there was pretty much a butcher in every little area of shops close by to the neighbourhoods - even in some of the malls.

I prefer steaks to not be thick, so a while ago I asked the meat guy at - Safeway I think it is if he could cut it in half (since that is what we normally do with a thick rib eye) - no, he can't do it blah blah.

So once again I go home and do it, which begs the question, if I can do it how come he can't!

[Carlawarla 1]

That's too funny as well trailmix! I always shopped at Safeway in Saskatoon, and the meat managers were great there. Don't know why he wouldn't do it, maybe he'd cleaned the cutting machine and was due to leave in 2 min. What a brat!

Maybe what we should consider is once trailmix and Emancipation move down to Florida, I'll fly down for a "girl's" weekend! I think we're leaving the 9th or 10th of February. The conference in SC is the 12th and 13th and will take a few days to get there. We'll probably stay an extra day, then maybe a day in Savannah? Then toodle on over to St. George Island. I'm looking forward to getting away. I've been a bit cooped up here in the city, and I"m looking forward to some warmer weather.