Expats: What products do you miss from Ireland?

Hazys

Darren1o1 wrote: »

Picking a couple of loaves of brennans batch meself later today in Boston mmmm

Hey Darren, where in Boston do you go for Brennans?

I never knew you could get irish bread, i presume its frozen?

Darren1o1

Hazys wrote: »

Hey Darren, where in Boston do you go for Brennans?

I never knew you could get irish bread, i presume its frozen?

Yeah it is frozen. There are a few stores I go to (mainly in the Brighton area) but my favorite is Fanueil St. Market. It has batch, sausage, rashers, potato waffles and much more. They even do a mean, dirty, greasy breakfast roll! Mmmmmmmm

boarddotie

Mccambridge bread, ballymaloe relish, tae, proper cadburys bars,

No chance of buying any Irish stuff down South. So to rectify this I have started baking my own soda bread (does the trick), brought over some relish (it wont last much longer though), get the tae in the post or just buy Twinnings Breakfast and I just have to do without the choccie.

I miss a feed of chips and a burger after a night out too. A plate of jambalaya is fine but sometimes you just need the stodge.

Bulmers/Magner/any cider-neigh on improssible to get in any bars here.

Oooh fry up...

Darren1o1

boarddotie wrote: »

Mccambridge bread, ballymaloe relish, tae, proper cadburys bars,

No chance of buying any Irish stuff down South. So to rectify this I have started baking my own soda bread (does the trick), brought over some relish (it wont last much longer though), get the tae in the post or just buy Twinnings Breakfast and I just have to do without the choccie.

I miss a feed of chips and a burger after a night out too. A plate of jambalaya is fine but sometimes you just need the stodge.

Bulmers/Magner/any cider-neigh on improssible to get in any bars here.

Oooh fry up...

You need to move up north to Boston! Also try foodireland.com

boarddotie

Darren1o1 wrote: »

You need to move up north to Boston! Also try foodireland.com

Woah, they have Lucozade and Lucozade Sport-my flu and hangover cures respectively! And lots of crisps with 50% off, I cant eat 60 packets of Tayto before the Use By date, no bother at all :pac:

Why would I move to Boston when i can be a celebrity down here-the only Irish in the village

dave2pvd

boarddotie wrote: »

Bulmers/Magner/any cider-neigh on improssible to get in any bars here.

I take it you don't live near me then?

Marlay House

ciaran67

boarddotie wrote: »

Woah, they have Lucozade and Lucozade Sport-my flu and hangover cures respectively!

Simply get a glass of water. Squeeze a lemon in. Put 25 spoonfuls of sugar in and hey presto, Lucozade!

For the sport version, run on the spot while doing above.

ProudDUB

boarddotie wrote: »

Mccambridge bread, ballymaloe relish, tae, proper cadburys bars,

No chance of buying any Irish stuff down South.

Yes, there is. Where in the south are you? Cost Plus World Market has a great foreign foods section. It's imported from England mainly, but it does the trick if you need your fix of "real" Cadburys chocolate. They are great at Xmas time in particular. You can even stock up on Selection Boxes and Advent Calenders, if your mammy forgets to send you them from home.

Publix supermarkets also do Irish/UK food items. They are usually in with the Asian & Mexican stuff, in the foreign foods aisle. I don't think they are nation wide, but they are deffo in Florida and Georgia. A quick search on Google should throw you up your nearest ones.

sleepyescapade

I miss black pudding. If I reeeally crave it, I can get it in a breakfast in one of the Irish pubs, but dont know where they get it.

I also miss a good chipper!

Cost Plus World Market has everything else I miss (Barry's tea, McVities, Heinz beans etc)

Darren1o1

sleepyescapade wrote: »

I miss black pudding. If I reeeally crave it, I can get it in a breakfast in one of the Irish pubs, but dont know where they get it.

I also miss a good chipper!

Cost Plus World Market has everything else I miss (Barry's tea, McVities, Heinz beans etc)

Where about are you?

sleepyescapade

Darren1o1 wrote: »

Where about are you?

Seattle.

Darren1o1

sleepyescapade wrote: »

Seattle.

You might be able to get some stuff on http://www.foodireland.com or http://www.tommymoloneys.com/
They put it in cooler packs but shipping may be expensive. Luckily Boston is not to far from me and I can stock up on butcher quality stuff.

dave2pvd

Yesterday, for lunch I ate jerk chicken with red beans & rice, covered in a chipotle salsa. Last evening, I had beef, goatcheese and spinach enchiladas smothered in a really good mole sauce. I shared a pitcher of Terrapin beer (all while sitting outside on a patio overlooking the city).
Lunch today will probably be a chicken biscuit with bacon and cheese (on a health kick atmo). Dinner? Not sure. Perhaps a low country boil at the local fish shack? Accompanied by some Sweetwater.

I guess what I am saying is: I don't miss any food or drink from home. After 15yrs here, I am pretty well assimilated. In fact, the longings for things from home stopped after a year or 2. Don't get me wrong - food at home is great. But I've come to the realization that food (and beer) in the US is far better and a lot more diverse. It just takes time to find that out.

Darren1o1

dave2pvd wrote: »

But I've come to the realization that food (and beer) in the US is far better and a lot more diverse. It just takes time to find that out.

I eat a pretty diverse range of food here too. Given the population, geographic and ethic diversity it is not surprising to have that relative to home. Still there is some comfort, even nostalgic about eating food from home. I don't often (say once every three months) but I would not be critical of anyone who did.

ProudDUB

Food in the US is a lot more diverse than it is here. It's great. But the quality of a lot of the things that Irish people would consume every day growing up (sossies, sliced pan, chocolate, tea etc etc) is absolutely dire in the US. Hence most expats putting in a bit of effort to source out the real McCoy when they can.

If you are craving a nice cup of Barrys tea or a Flake, knowing that you have a bad ass Mexican restaurant with 200 different kinds of tequila, on your doorstep, is not going to be of much use to you. If you told a Mexican person living in Ireland, that horsing a dirty great big pint of Guinness and a plate of schpuds into him, is just as good as the enchiladas that his mama makes for him, if he only gives it a chance, you'd get the same reaction.

dave2pvd

Indeed, nothing wrong with the nostalgia of home - whether food, fun, family - even weather!
Certainly, when heading home, I look forward to cooked breakfast, Shepherd's Pie, Guinness, Taytos and so on. I guess I just don't miss all that while here - there's such a choice of comforting replacements that the loss of former favorites is not felt anymore. Sad, in a way.

OU812

Do you guys not have people at home send you stuff ?

I used to do it all the time for one friend, until his wife's family started doing it & am now doing it for another.

lil_lisa

I've had some people send me small things, or bring stuff when they visit, but nothing on a regular basis. I don't need any food items that badly. And its a good reason to stuff my face with tayto when I go home :P

InTheTrees

dave2pvd wrote: »

Indeed, nothing wrong with the nostalgia of home - whether food, fun, family - even weather!
Certainly, when heading home, I look forward to cooked breakfast, Shepherd's Pie, Guinness, Taytos and so on. I guess I just don't miss all that while here - there's such a choice of comforting replacements that the loss of former favorites is not felt anymore. Sad, in a way.

I agree. I tend to adapt and change over time.

Breakfasts for instance. Trying to recreate a proper breakfast here just doesn't work, everythings too different. Weird little eggs, odd "bacon" and funny bread.

For years after I got here I actually thought there was orange in "orange pekoe tea".

GradGirl27

IRISH SAUSAGES!!! OH MY GOD what kind of dirt sausages do they have over here they're rotten!! like sausage patties eugh its sick!!! I actually got irish sausages, mash, and onion gravy in an irish bar off times square a few weeks back! was 16 quid but so worth it. Also lucozade but I actually live near this small jamaican supermarket and saw bottles of lucozade on the shelves the other day was in complete shock! They work out at around 3 euro a bottle though which is way too steep to pay so I'll wait a bit and buy one another day

InTheTrees

I was trying to explain Ribena to my better half the other day.

:mad:

silja

InTheTrees wrote: »

I was trying to explain Ribena to my better half the other day.

:mad:

Ah yes, the first time I talked about squash they all thought I meant the vegetable....

clairefontaine

I miss marks and Spencer's.

InTheTrees

silja wrote: »

Ah yes, the first time I talked about squash they all thought I meant the vegetable....

Yes. "Squash"??? And the whole concept of adding water is alien to them. You have to stop them from drinking the stuff neat.

:pac:

GradGirl27

haha omg yeah they don't get 'mi wadi' or the whole (to use the posh word us irish never use) cordial... they're like oh....what...?? :S its like ok people you know those little bottles of mio fit that you squeeze into your water bottle yeah its like that but bigger! The whole quart size etc is bugging me too...like its usually small or big... not quart, pint etc!

Aprilmay

InTheTrees wrote: »

I was trying to explain Ribena to my better half the other day.

:mad:

We have this in Charlotte! They stock it Harris Teeter store along with Robinsons. World Market also has all things international but you'd have to sell your granny to buy McVities etc.I must take a photo the next time I'm in HT and post it.

little lady

I'm only here 5 months but I miss chipper chips!! I would kill for a bag with salt and vinegar. I live quite close to an Irish shop so I can get most stuff there, it even has red lemonade :-), plus the 7/11 near work has cadburys chocolate.

InTheTrees

I saw an ad on mainstream network US tv last night for Rolo's, presumably an american version.

New to me though.

Aprilmay

InTheTrees wrote: »

I saw an ad on mainstream network US tv last night for Rolo's, presumably an american version.

New to me though.

Yeah, we've had them not the same. The new thing here with Rolo's is putting them in between two pretzels and baking for a couple of minutes. Not good!

lil_lisa

You must be doing it wrong, oh they are delicious!!