Foods I'll miss when I'm back in Australia
I never thought there'd be things from the US I'd miss - and the number is still minimal compared to the foods I miss from Australia, and the things and people I miss from Australia are even more. However, there are some foods from the USA, and the Gulf Coast region of Texas, more particularly, that I will be sad not to see anymore.
- Bolthouse Farm's chai soy milk (other chai soy milks don't measure up - and I've tried 'em)
- The broadest range of tortillas I've ever seen (yay for a 46% Hispanic population!) - including these gorgeous fresh ones they make on hand in the shop
- Glory's frozen sweet potato casserole (OMG... so good!)
- Mrs T's frozen pierogies (I don't think you can get frozen pierogies in Australia, and it's so much easier than making them from scratch)
- Root Beer (so I can't drink much of itdue to it's sugar content, and Sars is similar... but root beer's still good)
- Tomatillos
- Silk Soy nog (available around Christmas time)
- Annie's bunny grahams - especially the chocolate chip ones
- The most fantastic fried green tomatoes with roasted red pepper goat cheese ever (from Central Market in Houston)
- Tamarind soft drink (sweet, but with this really tasty tang - also too sugary for me right now)
- Sourdough English muffins (I don't think (at least, not that I've seen) you can get sourdough ones in Australia - wah!)
- Morningstar Farm's frozen corn dogs (although Ykillamoocow's dagwood dogs at the West End markets are better, it's nice to have frozen ones for anytime you want them)
- Fresh mango pico de gallo
- Mozzarella sticks (basically, sticks of mozzarella, battered in herb-y breadcrumbs, and deep fried. So bad... but so good... if you don't eat too many)
- Jalapeno fries - I miss these already as they were only available for a limited time from Sonic, and now they're gone. Boo hoo! - Cheap berries
- Cheap frozen fruit
- A half gallon (about 2 litres) of soy milk for the price that 1 litre will be in Australia
- Really really nice strawberry soy yoghurt - it even has chunks of fruit!
- Silk soy yoghurt smoothies! (especially mango-peach - mmmm)
- Pre-cooked bacon that you just reheat in the microwave - I don't eat bacon, but this is a much nicer way for me to deal with cooking it for J. Ick.
- Cheap craisins
- Strawberry cream cheese danishes - the mini kind from HEB, and the really yummy kind from Dunkin' Donuts (which isn't a franchise in the South, so I've not had the really good kind since I was up in Connecticut)
- Really cheap beans (they're cheap in Australia, but they're so cheap here)
- Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho from the Health Food Cottage
- Tien Ren - all the food from Tien Ren! (vego Asian restaurant in Houston)
- Tostitos scoops (little scoop shaped tortilla chips - never seen them in Australia)
- Cornbread muffins from this organic food shop in San Antonio (already missing these; we were only in San Antonio for four days)
- Super cheap, super huge magaritas (I got decidedly tipsy on one margarita when I was in San Antonio - and I'm not a Cadbury)
- 1 litre bottles of wine - all for sale in the supermarket
- Reese's peanut butter cups - especially the mini ones
- Tamarind lollies - sweet sugar, tangy tamarind, spicy chile pepper; all in one
- Dried chile peppers - haven't eaten them, but every time I'm in the supermarket, I sniff them like a junkie getting their high - so smoky and gorgeous
- Sopapillas, with honey, especially from that restaurant on the bottom floor of the Galleria in Houston
- The broadest range of shaved ice (sno cone) flavours in the history of world
- Cheap Lindt balls
- Really awesome ice cream; wide variety of flavours, cheap, no gelatine
- Glazed sour cream donuts (although I'm not eating them at the moment anyway - too much sugar)
- Cheap avocadoes
- Deli sliced cheese - (I don't think we do deli sliced cheese as much in Australia - you usually buy it pre-packaged)
- Heartland granola - the best granola ever (we mostly have muesli in Australia)
- Rye, sourdough and pumpernickel bread available cheaply and baked in house at the supermarket
- Good, cheap sangria - right in the supermarket
- An excellent range of salsa
- The vegetarian stuff from Mi Peublito (Colombian restaurant in Houston) - in particular; corn fritters, fried plantains with tomatoes and onions, and stewed figs with plain white cheese and the best caramel in the universe - and it's not like Australians don't do good caramel - but this stuff is unrivalled
- Vegetarian black bean chilli bowl from IHoP - really yummy! (but never have the cheese blintzes, because they're beyond disgusting)
- Tofutti cuties
- Amy's meals - there's a much wider range here
- Morningstar Farm's stir fry strips - both faux chicken and faux beef, but especially the faux beef (then cook them in thick hoisin sauce... mmmm)
- Jumbo pasta shells - for making stuffed shells (like canneloni, but in giant pasta shells)
- TGI Friday's spinach and artichoke dip
- Frozen bean taquitos (great for dipping in guacamole - after you cook them, of course)
- Frieda's soyrizo (vego chorizo sausage - awesome stuff, especially in scrambled tofu)
- I have yet to try them, but they could be good - get this: okra pickles! So Southern! But they kinda sound good. Hmmm...
- Bolthouse Farm's chai soy milk (other chai soy milks don't measure up - and I've tried 'em)
- The broadest range of tortillas I've ever seen (yay for a 46% Hispanic population!) - including these gorgeous fresh ones they make on hand in the shop
- Glory's frozen sweet potato casserole (OMG... so good!)
- Mrs T's frozen pierogies (I don't think you can get frozen pierogies in Australia, and it's so much easier than making them from scratch)
- Root Beer (so I can't drink much of itdue to it's sugar content, and Sars is similar... but root beer's still good)
- Tomatillos
- Silk Soy nog (available around Christmas time)
- Annie's bunny grahams - especially the chocolate chip ones
- The most fantastic fried green tomatoes with roasted red pepper goat cheese ever (from Central Market in Houston)
- Tamarind soft drink (sweet, but with this really tasty tang - also too sugary for me right now)
- Sourdough English muffins (I don't think (at least, not that I've seen) you can get sourdough ones in Australia - wah!)
- Morningstar Farm's frozen corn dogs (although Ykillamoocow's dagwood dogs at the West End markets are better, it's nice to have frozen ones for anytime you want them)
- Fresh mango pico de gallo
- Mozzarella sticks (basically, sticks of mozzarella, battered in herb-y breadcrumbs, and deep fried. So bad... but so good... if you don't eat too many)
- Jalapeno fries - I miss these already as they were only available for a limited time from Sonic, and now they're gone. Boo hoo! - Cheap berries
- Cheap frozen fruit
- A half gallon (about 2 litres) of soy milk for the price that 1 litre will be in Australia
- Really really nice strawberry soy yoghurt - it even has chunks of fruit!
- Silk soy yoghurt smoothies! (especially mango-peach - mmmm)
- Pre-cooked bacon that you just reheat in the microwave - I don't eat bacon, but this is a much nicer way for me to deal with cooking it for J. Ick.
- Cheap craisins
- Strawberry cream cheese danishes - the mini kind from HEB, and the really yummy kind from Dunkin' Donuts (which isn't a franchise in the South, so I've not had the really good kind since I was up in Connecticut)
- Really cheap beans (they're cheap in Australia, but they're so cheap here)
- Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho from the Health Food Cottage
- Tien Ren - all the food from Tien Ren! (vego Asian restaurant in Houston)
- Tostitos scoops (little scoop shaped tortilla chips - never seen them in Australia)
- Cornbread muffins from this organic food shop in San Antonio (already missing these; we were only in San Antonio for four days)
- Super cheap, super huge magaritas (I got decidedly tipsy on one margarita when I was in San Antonio - and I'm not a Cadbury)
- 1 litre bottles of wine - all for sale in the supermarket
- Reese's peanut butter cups - especially the mini ones
- Tamarind lollies - sweet sugar, tangy tamarind, spicy chile pepper; all in one
- Dried chile peppers - haven't eaten them, but every time I'm in the supermarket, I sniff them like a junkie getting their high - so smoky and gorgeous
- Sopapillas, with honey, especially from that restaurant on the bottom floor of the Galleria in Houston
- The broadest range of shaved ice (sno cone) flavours in the history of world
- Cheap Lindt balls
- Really awesome ice cream; wide variety of flavours, cheap, no gelatine
- Glazed sour cream donuts (although I'm not eating them at the moment anyway - too much sugar)
- Cheap avocadoes
- Deli sliced cheese - (I don't think we do deli sliced cheese as much in Australia - you usually buy it pre-packaged)
- Heartland granola - the best granola ever (we mostly have muesli in Australia)
- Rye, sourdough and pumpernickel bread available cheaply and baked in house at the supermarket
- Good, cheap sangria - right in the supermarket
- An excellent range of salsa
- The vegetarian stuff from Mi Peublito (Colombian restaurant in Houston) - in particular; corn fritters, fried plantains with tomatoes and onions, and stewed figs with plain white cheese and the best caramel in the universe - and it's not like Australians don't do good caramel - but this stuff is unrivalled
- Vegetarian black bean chilli bowl from IHoP - really yummy! (but never have the cheese blintzes, because they're beyond disgusting)
- Tofutti cuties
- Amy's meals - there's a much wider range here
- Morningstar Farm's stir fry strips - both faux chicken and faux beef, but especially the faux beef (then cook them in thick hoisin sauce... mmmm)
- Jumbo pasta shells - for making stuffed shells (like canneloni, but in giant pasta shells)
- TGI Friday's spinach and artichoke dip
- Frozen bean taquitos (great for dipping in guacamole - after you cook them, of course)
- Frieda's soyrizo (vego chorizo sausage - awesome stuff, especially in scrambled tofu)
- I have yet to try them, but they could be good - get this: okra pickles! So Southern! But they kinda sound good. Hmmm...