Homesick Foods & Thoughts on Immigration
A list of foods we miss because we live aboard.
I’m Back From The U.S… Again.
My two trips to the U.S. are complete. I went to California in March for Alt Summit (with a quick stop in Utah, too). Then I went to Florida last week to speak at another conference. On both trips I made sure to leave space in my suitcase (the first trip included a checked bag, the second was carry-on only) to bring home American treats. No doubt because of these recent travels, “homesick foods”, and how our list of homesick foods has changed over the years, has been on my mind lately.
Homesick Foods
When we first lived in France, from 2011-2013, the number one thing we loved to bring back from America was Reeses Peanut Butter Cups — preferably in the mini wrapped size. Reeses of any kind just didn’t exist in France at the time, and even tracking down a jar or can of peanut butter felt like a challenge.
When we moved back to France in 2019, we were surprised to see many more familiar brands on the store grocery shelves than even six years earlier. And since 2019, the list of familiar American brands and products in France has grown even more. Some examples: We can now find Reeses (the original 2-cup size) at most grocery stores. Jars of peanut butter (small jars, I admit) are easy to find; we even have the choice of creamy or chunky. Bottles of Tabasco sauce are consistently stocked. And maple syrup is pretty much always available now too!
Some of these things we buy regularly (like peanut butter), and others we only buy occasionally (like maple syrup), but it’s nice to know they are available when we’re feeling homesick or are craving something familiar.
Today, we were at the grocery store and saw cartons of Haagen Dazs Strawberry & Cream, and Haagen Dazs Cookies & Cream, and it was so unusual that we took a photo to share on the family chat, knowing the kids would all appreciate what a find that was. Yes, Haagen Dazs cartons have been available in France since we can remember, but for whatever reason, Strawberries & Cream and Cookies & Cream (our favorite flavors) are not part of the standard options stocked here. So to see them on the shelves in our regular grocery store elicited a full-on gasp of surprise and delight. It’s not like we even had ice cream on the grocery list — it was just seeing them available, you know?
Other American items we’ve seen stocked once-in-awhile (but not consistently): boxes of macaroni & cheese, cans of refried beans, and bottles of yellow mustard.
And there are a few instances where we’ve found good alternatives. Like, there’s a chain store here called “Normal” where we can find Sour Patch Watermelons (the packaging has a language I don’t recognize, but happily the product is the same!). And I read about A&W powdered Rootbeer Mix that you add to sparkling water, and asked Olive to bring some home last year, and it’s been perfect whenever I have a rootbeer craving.
Our List of Homesick Foods in 2013
Thinking of these homesick foods reminded me of our move from France to Oakland. As we were prepping for the move, we hired a friend in Oakland to stock the fridge for us, so we would have foods that we had missed waiting for us when we arrived.
This is the list of requested food that the kids made back in 2013: