The rise of American Snacks in Ireland

I don't understand the popularity of Oreos. If they were part of any of those Christmas tins of biscuits they'd be the last ones left after all the good ones are eaten. Are they even all that cheap?

I thought it was just me. Incredibly bland. Ten years ago an Oreo was something in an American movie - now it seems like they’re in **** everything.

All my American family plunder the supermarket when they are back here to bring back Irish chocolate… you think it’s heroin they way they go for it. Same if we visit them… “don’t forget to take us Cadbury’s and King crisps ”

had a Hersheys bar recently, not great. Not fan of a lot of their confectionery, found it very artificial tasting. Their chocolate has the texture of plastic in many cases.

I was a child in the 90's/00's. When I was watching Americian programs. You'd see American Candy(as they'd call it).

It sounded interesting and of course you'd want to try it but it wasn't really an option.

Now with the Internet, online shopping parents buy it for their kids and you've fellas my age trying to cling onto their childhood.

So, I suppose there is a market for it.

I tried a few things in SuperValu but it wasn't anything special.

The eternal Irish fascination with all things Yank.

Apparently there will be a Wendy's opening at some point, yet again insane queues for what is basically junk food.

As ex-pat USA here, it's tricky. It's what you were raised on; I've tried quite awhile to find local 'equivalents' for the sweets (!) I enjoyed in the US, like York Peppermint patties and obscure chocolates like Scharffenbergers, to no luck. Really tried to learn to enjoy maltesers and various Cadbury chocolates, but just couldn't abide them.

As for crisps, just not going well. Sure, i can choke down a bag of taytos once in awhile, but bizarre flavours (prawn cocktail? Gag.) or even more amusingly named things like Buffalo chips just don't work. Keoghs sea salt is a fair equivalent to some US brands like Lays and Wise, but still not quite a match. I guess Walker's ready salt is probably the go-to crisp for me these days, it's thin and greasy like US crisps.

Krispy Kreme donuts are vile. Unless eaten warm fresh from the oven, they're grease bombs with cheap sugar frosting. Couldn't abide them in the US at all. In Ireland, really haven't looked into donuts beyond the occasional foray into the local bakeries, which have been really underwhelming, but most store-bought Irish pastry is crap, what with its boring flavorless British roots.

The same. They’re like bland bourbon biscuits. Don’t get the obsession with them at all

Aside from Reeses peanut butter cups, American confectionery that Ive tried is crap, the Reeses though, they are crack to me.

A lot of those american sweet shops are/were apprently fronts for money laundering, especially in London, was in the news a few months ago.

The sweets themselves though, absolute cack, with the few rare exceptions (The snyders pretzel pieces mentioned above being one). Cadbury's being bought by US conglomerate Mondelez 10 or so years back was a travesty, and you can see the deterioration in quality with them since, wouldn't touch a dairy milk any more now. Same cheap powdery crap that you get in most american chocolate.

I was in London recently and couldn’t get over the amount of them. In really high profile locations- nobody seemed to be buying anything and the prices laughable tbh. Must be at least 3 on Oxford Street

Ahh, that explains Cadbury's. When I lived in the US years ago (90's), whenever a coworker or friend got a trip to the UK, we all begged them to bring back Dairy Milk bars and they were just... amazing.

Then, fast forward to a few years ago, moved here, dairy milk - Yuck! Dairy milk bought in the UK - disgusting! Might as well eat garbage like Hershey's.

We have ordered from an online US candy store here in Ireland for things like Reese's chips for baking as well as butterscotch chips, which are weirdly impossible to find outside the US.

Graham crackers are approximated by Digestives, a good enough substitute.

US soft drinks don't contain sugar as a rule, certainly not Coke or Pepsi. Seems like they do outside the US and imo taste better (though, I'm old enough to remember when they used to contain sugar in the US, then came the horror that is High Fructose Corn Syrup.)

Yes noticed that in London last year, makes the area look awful with glaring neon and horrible colours. They stand out a lot even when passing on the bus tour. Selling all types of crap junk food and cereals. Kids thought it was great of course…

American sour skittles are so much nicer than the ones we can pick up here, they are actually sour

Unfortunately Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my favourite cereal ever, so I indulge a few times a year. And I do love a Twinkie from time to time.

Weird and yellow, with a white filling that withstands most forces of nature. A caver friend described inadvertently leaving a bag in a cave, coming back some years later, bag's gone, yellow cake is gone, but the filling was intact and perfect looking. I haven't touched one since. Terrifying.

I got a box of Lucky Charms for old times sake (they used to sell these here in the 90s didn't they?)

I was thinking I'm probably looking back at them with rose-tinted glasses, but no. They are delicious! Tasted as good as I remember!