It’s that time of year again. The time when little girls go door-to-door selling the most delicious cookies in the world. And while I am sitting over here in Germany, all I can think about is how amazing a Samoa (or Caramel deLites as they were called when I was a Girl Scout) would taste right now.
This has got me thinking about what American foods I miss most. Foods that were written on my grocery list week after week when living in the U.S., but since moving to Germany, I have never bought once. Foods that I used to consider myself addicted to, but since leaving the country, I have been forced to go cold turkey. Foods that are so delicious, that when I wake up each day, I think about how much the people here are missing.Okay, maybe I am starting to exaggerate a little bit. So, here is a list of my favorite American foods that are not available in Germany:
Girl Scout Cookies
Let’s kick off this list with what we have already discussed. No doubt about it, Samoas are where it’s at. Although, I have to admit that Thin Mints are a close second. This is mainly because of how delicious they are when frozen, which then allows you to eat them throughout the whole year.
Mac and Cheese
Growing up, my favorite meal was always the one that came out of the blue box. There were many years, in fact, that I would ask for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as my birthday meal. In my eight-year-old eyes, there was simply nothing better. Now, I am 23, and I can honestly say that these feelings really have not changed much. Although, I have come to prefer the Three Cheese variety with shells instead of macaroni noodles. What can I say, I am a gourmet.
Red Licorice
Germany is the king of licorice (Lakritz). The problem, however, is that licorice is inherently black here. And black licorice is, in my opinion, the absolute worst candy ever made. Recently, a woman in a sweets shop offered me a sample of a chocolate covered candy. I spit it out in front of the poor woman after one bite when I realized it was chocolate covered black licorice.
But do you know what is amazingly delicious? Red licorice. My personal favorite are Red Vines, but I grew up in a Twizzlers family, so I love them too. Germany, why haven’t you figured this one out yet?
Cheese Popcorn
I miss getting my fingers stained orange from eating O-Ke-Doke cheese popcorn. As a kid, I was never allowed to eat straight from the bag. So, we would always pour some into a bowl, and then eat it. I would always save the pieces that were coated in so much cheese they did not resemble popcorn at all anymore for last. I think I really just miss fake cheese…
Root Beer
I don’t like most brown colas. In fact, the only kinds of pop I like at all are root beer and Dr. Pepper. Well, guess what? Germany doesn’t have root beer or Dr. Pepper. Just my luck, eh?
This is actually a slight lie, because I was able to find Dr. Pepper in a drink store recently. Do you want to guess how much a 1-liter bottle cost? 3.99 Euro. That is about $5.50! One liter in the U.S. costs $1.99 (yes, I just looked this up on the Walgreens website). Although this price makes me mad, I still might cave in one of these days and buy it. I still have not found root beer, though.
Reese’s
Or actually any peanut butter candy for that matter. I am a peanut butter addict, and that has been a strange thing for me since coming to Germany. Although grocery stores here usually have at least one brand of peanut butter (that tastes like off-brand Jif), they do not carry any other peanut butter related products. I could really go for some Reese’s Pieces right now.
So, there is my list of my most missed American foods. What foods would you miss most if you moved abroad? Or, if you already live abroad, what foods are you missing?
Courtney is an American expat living abroad in Germany. After studying abroad in Germany during college, she immediately knew that she wanted to go back. So after graduating, that’s just what she did.
She now works as a freelance writer and is pursuing her Masters degree in Germany. To read more about her experiences and adventures, check out her blog at Courtney the Ami.