Canadian vs. American PB, and grocery stores

[Darnell 8,478]

Heinz good lord . i leard a few years back - it's all regional - they 'make it' for the local tastebuds.

So what you might have in Canada, rarely found in USA, unless at an 'import' store.

Same thing for Liverpool cs Canada, Singapore vs Canada - same label, same name (mostly), totally different taste.

Heinz makes a 'chili sauce' that's out of this world, but i struggle to find it in the regular supermarkets - always in the ethnic chinese and vietnamese stores here.

maybe you can find more of what you miss, in the ethnic stores? (indian, chinese, pakistani, vietnamese, etc ) . maybe...

[mike777 0]

Down the street from my wifes house in Canada you can buy Heinz Ketchup in glass bottles. I was so excited. you can't find that anywhere I know of in NY.

It was like being in a time machine...or a restaurant.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

The first time I heard about KD I was laughing... I mean KD for Mac N Cheese? How in the hell can you sophisticate something like Mac n' Cheese by calling it, "Kraft Dinner?" lol..

And yes, Velveeta is far superior indeed.

Kraft.

Crappy dinner is the high class name we use at our house - lol

[warlord 73]

Seeing as Heinz is an american company, wouldn't that make the canadian version the facsimile? I'm just saying......

I don't get the facination with canadian KD. It's ok, I prefer the U.S. version because that's what i'm used to, but beyond that, velveeta and stouffers make faaaaaaaar superior products.

Yes like most things, Canada will take the product or tv show from Britian or the US and tweek it a tiny amount to claim as their own. This is quite common.

I can't tell the difference between Kraft Mac and Cheese and Canadian Mac and Cheese. Tastes the same to me. I don't know though if they have the Kraft Sprials in Canada, those are my favorite...

[Ontarkie 14,220]

We found ketchup chips here in Fred's and at Walmart they don't always have them and they are not as good as lays or even as good as the no name chips we could get back home. But they do work when I'm really missing home and my chips. We save the good ones for emergencies hehe. We loaded up on popcorn seasoning and the ketchup flavour one works nice even on chips hehe.

I did find yogurt at Kroger with no HFCS its about the only kind that doesn't make my mouth go numb, its the Kroger brand and I only like the strawberry vanilla one, but the kids don't mind the other favors. You do have to be careful which one you grab cause their lite version has HFCS and i think the fruit on the bottom does too.

Fruit sucks plain and simple at least here, it cost more for less and I had a bigger variety back in Sault Ste. Marie. bulk items in general suck unless you go to Sam's club and buy a membership. Yet again they don't really have the stuff we would buy to make it worth it.

Danielle

[mike777 0]

I find interesting that there's an exact same commercial for DiGorno pizza in the states, as the one in Canada, but in Canada it's called Delisio. And it tastes totally different.

The same goes for McDonalds, the BBQ sauce in the states at mcdonalds is entirely different than in Canada. The only reason I can think why is different government regulations, or McDonalds just found a different mfg for its sauces in Canada and said, "ok, its not exactly the same...but we'll use it."

[Ontarkie 14,220]

Oh ya I speaking of fast food. Back home wether you went to Wendy's, McDonalds, or BK the burgers where actually cooked not microwaved. how on earth do they get away with microwaving precooked frozen burgers here. Has anyone else seen this, we really don't eat fast food often but traveling we stop at some and I noticed its not just an Arkansas thing. It was all over.

[TimandJoyce 1]

Wegmans? Zehs? Good Basics?

No Frills? Loblaws?

I've never heard of these places....oh wait thats because I grew up in the prairies....and moved to the midwest USA

Heyyyyy I hear ya!!! I was on Vancouver Island. I had Save On Foods, (till they closed) Safeway, and Superstore. Sometimes Walmart, but it wasn't a"super" store, and I didn't like a lot of the selection anyway.

Save On Foods in my opinion was superior over any of the others. ( Well, I could have gone to Thrifty's, but the store was too small and crowded for me) Save On had great produce. And the deli department? wow...so much to choose from. You want cheese??? That's where to go. I really missed it.

Had to shop at Safeway. The produce was much better than Superstore. And there were a few other things I preferred. Over all, I didn't like Superstore much, but it was a lot cheaper.

Most the "Canadian" items you can't find in the US, I don't miss anyway. Not a ketchup, (catsup) fan. I've adapted. Breyers makes a nice yogurt, although I miss the bigger containers. Here is just a couple flavours or so. The cheese isn't too bad. I buy sharp or extra sharp chedder. Real good with scramble eggs!! The milk isn't dairyland, but I like it.

And you can't beat Blue Bell ice cream!!

I knew there would be differences, ( and lots of them!) and if I didn't think I'd like them...then I wouldn't have moved. I like SC. Ok...so it doesn't have the view of the mountains, and ocean I'm used to, but it has it's own beauty. Once I find that out, I'll let you know.... J/K!!!

Oh! forgot to mention. I have Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion, and Bi-Lo to choose from. Not bad. Produce is better in Food Lion and Bi-Lo though.

Edited February 24, 2010 by TimandJoyce

[The_Dude 1,142]

Heyyyyy I hear ya!!! I was on Vancouver Island. I had Save On Foods, (till they closed) Safeway, and Superstore. Sometimes Walmart, but it wasn't a"super" store, and I didn't like a lot of the selection anyway.

Save On Foods in my opinion was superior over any of the others. ( Well, I could have gone to Thrifty's, but the store was too small and crowded for me) Save On had great produce. And the deli department? wow...so much to choose from. You want cheese??? That's where to go. I really missed it.

Had to shop at Safeway. The produce was much better than Superstore. And there were a few other things I preferred. Over all, I didn't like Superstore much, but it was a lot cheaper.

Most the "Canadian" items you can't find in the US, I don't miss anyway. Not a ketchup, (catsup) fan. I've adapted. Breyers makes a nice yogurt, although I miss the bigger containers. Here is just a couple flavours or so. The cheese isn't too bad. I buy sharp or extra sharp chedder. Real good with scramble eggs!! The milk isn't dairyland, but I like it.

And you can't beat Blue Bell ice cream!!

I knew there would be differences, ( and lots of them!) and if I didn't think I'd like them...then I wouldn't have moved. I like SC. Ok...so it doesn't have the view of the mountains, and ocean I'm used to, but it has it's own beauty. Once I find that out, I'll let you know.... J/K!!!

Oh! forgot to mention. I have Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion, and Bi-Lo to choose from. Not bad. Produce is better in Food Lion and Bi-Lo though.

S.C. grows on you like Kudzu.

OMG, I remember the first time I saw a piggly wiggly. I seriously thought it was a joke store or something. I always went there over Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie!!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

And you can't beat Blue Bell ice cream!!

TRUTH!

Blue Bell is the cream of the crop when it comes to Ice Cream.

I love the fact you can get pints for $1.50 still when you have to pay $6 for ####### Haggan Daas or Ben & Jerrys...... (maybe they're not #######, but they are in comparison to Blue Bell)

[Marilyn. 340]

i use to not like the fact that the mac and cheese tasted different down here but now not so much.. I always add extra real cheese to it so it isn't to bad..

the only things I really miss now are Mr Big Bars, Coffee Crisps and Cheese Whiz ... I plan to stock up on those things when and if i go to Canada in July...

as for Ketchup I found a brand that uses no HFCS and it tastes pretty similar to Canadian Heinz

Edited February 24, 2010 by Marilyn.

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

as for Ketchup I found a brand that uses no HFCS and it tastes pretty similar to Canadian Heinz

What is it?

[Marilyn. 340]

What is it?

well it is a store brand, Fresh & Easy... this store is only in California, Nevada and Arizona though

i was so excited when I found it though.. I had been sorely disappointed with the ketchup down here until then.. I had tried all kinds of brands but I wasn't crazy about any of them..

Edited February 24, 2010 by Marilyn.

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

well it is a store brand, Fresh and Easy... this store is only in California, Nevada and Arizona though

Ahh. Drat.

Well, I'll have to check out the Organic Heinz that someone mentioned earlier. I'm sure I'll find something passable!

[TimandJoyce 1]

OMG, I remember the first time I saw a piggly wiggly. I seriously thought it was a joke store or something.

LOL yeah, I wasn't sure what it was either..

I did forget to mention one thing that I DEARLY miss when it comes to grocery shopping....BULK FOOD!!! Most of the veggies are that way, but not the mushrooms I have to buy a basket of them. Then I'd have to use them up fast because they'd go bad. At least through Safeway, I could buy 3 or 4 and chop them up for my dinner. I quite enjoyed being able to buy just how much I needed with certain food items.

But other than that... on the choices.