American Items (In K-Market): Requests?

[sinikala]

American style *sharp* cheddar cheese

Kerrygold Dubliner is probably the best one here; available in most K CityMarkets... they sell it in the US so it should be suitable for Merkin tastes too http://www.kerrygold.com/usa/product_dubliner.html

Cheez Whiz

Similar jars of processed cheese gloop can be found next to the Nachos in almost every supermarket.

DORITOS nacho chips (is anything like this in Finland, anywhere?)

Behnfords.

JELL-O everything... particularly Jell-o gelatin, and pudding mixes. I cannot make so many of my favorite recipes at ALL without pudding mix, and I can't make Jell-o Shots (ever tried these? the best!) at all. (Behnford's sells something similar from England, but not cheap, and I don't want to cheat on Jell-O, or else Bill Cosby might come after me....)

Your loss, Rowntree's jelly is fantastic, unfortunately contains dead animal so I've bought the powdered stuff from the Asian shop in Hakaniemi Metro station (I don't even know if they are still open, it's several years since I was last there)

garlic salt (this might be in Finland, but I haven't seen it.)

I haven't seen it here either, but not so hard to make your own.

KRAFT parmesan cheese, or parmesan & romano

Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese is from Italy, it is widely available here. It has protected status in the EU http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_ ... _of_origin which is probably why you don't find a fake US copy on the shelves here http://www.liketocook.com/50226711/kraf ... rtcuts.php

THOMAS' ENGLISH MUFFINS !!!!!! I've also wondered what these are called in England... if they're even there.

= muffins
= 'Merkin Muffins
= Crumpets

Happy to clear that up for you.

SKIPPY or JIFF peanut butter. The Finnish stuff is a joke. I think they have Skippy at Stockmann's, but would be nice to see elsewhere.

They have Skippy at Stockmann, few Finns eat the stuff. So buy a few jars the next time you are there ... put it in your cupboard, eat it. If you don't buy it then they won't stock it.

CAPTAIN CRUNCH/CRUNCH BERRIES cereal! And cereals, in general, are awful here. I can't buy Frosted Flakes here, they say something about having less sugar? What is the point??

The point is that eating bowlfuls of sweets / candies with milk on top for breakfast is generally not very healthy. People wouldn't buy it so they don't sell it. It's no coincidence that there aren't as many fatties here either. That said... Crunchy Nut Cornflakes would be a welcome addition.

cake mixes and icing. Icing is different here, nothing like the rich, indulgent icings we use back home.

See the comment about less fatties too.

REESE'S PIECES & KIT-KAT bars (glad they finally got M&M's here at R-Kioski. I've been buying them everytime I'm on a boat to Stockholm.)

KitKats appear to have vanished from the shelves. Strange.

so. those would be my requests. Poor, needy American I am.

I suggest you take an occasional Ryanair shopping trip to England, almost everything you seek can be found in your average Asda / Sainsbury / Tesco.

[karen]

To be honest, I can't think of a single "American" product that isn't junk in some form. Several years ago I wished for a better selection of fresh fruits, but we have those now. Yes, I'd love to have a steady supply of Nestle's Tollhouse Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels but they are still junk. I can see a seasonal demand for canned pumpkin and cranberries, but not really much else.

[EP]

garlic salt (this might be in Finland, but I haven't seen it.)



I haven't seen it here either, but not so hard to make your own.

I sometimes used garlic salt 20+ years ago, so at least it has been here. Nowadays I prefer garlic and salt separately, so I haven´t checked if it is still sold. Valkosipulisuola.

Osbi´s list looks (how to put it?), hmm, "very processed".

[JimmyBang]

Doritos...refried beans...and cheddar

and why can't somebody PLEASE open a Taco Bell!!!

Refried beans and cheddar you can get from any Citymarket and from K-Kamppi.
For a heck of a long time now.

I've seen doritos too, but I can't think of where.

-enk

I beg to differ....i have seen NO refried beans anywhere!! not "mexican style" beans...I mean REAL refried bean,kinda like a can of mushed-up beans,
and BTW...whats the deal with little "top ramen" noodles...why are they so expensive? In america their like 10 packs for a dollar!

[Kupcake]

I beg to differ....i have seen NO refried beans anywhere!! not "mexican style" beans...I mean REAL refried bean,kinda like a can of mushed-up beans

Saw some today in K-Citymarket in Iso Omena

[Osbi]

American style *sharp* cheddar cheese

Kerrygold Dubliner is probably the best one here; available in most K CityMarkets... they sell it in the US so it should be suitable for Merkin tastes too http://www.kerrygold.com/usa/product_dubliner.html

Will have to try that, thanx!

DORITOS nacho chips (is anything like this in Finland, anywhere?)

Behnfords

Not any of the times I've visited there. Although, last time I was there, I was very happy to find salt & vinegar chips, not too expensive either. Mouth is watering now.........

KRAFT parmesan cheese, or parmesan & romano

Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese is from Italy, it is widely available here. It has protected status in the EU http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_ ... _of_origin which is probably why you don't find a fake US copy on the shelves here http://www.liketocook.com/50226711/kraf ... rtcuts.php

I still love my Kraft products, and my love of cheese is outweighed by my love of processed cheese. Used to be that I'd turn my nose against any non-processed meat or cheese product. Just my upbringing, but it always seemed safer, like it's going to taste EXACTLY as smooth and the same as I expect it to, every time.

THOMAS' ENGLISH MUFFINS !!!!!! I've also wondered what these are called in England... if they're even there.

= muffins
= 'Merkin Muffins
= Crumpets

Well, I now have something to thank England for! Other than for giving us a language to butcher.

CAPTAIN CRUNCH/CRUNCH BERRIES cereal! And cereals, in general, are awful here. I can't buy Frosted Flakes here, they say something about having less sugar? What is the point??

The point is that eating bowlfuls of sweets / candies with milk on top for breakfast is generally not very healthy. People wouldn't buy it so they don't sell it.

But daily beer & smoking is healthier? I don't think healthy is the concern. I try to get my husband to eat all my sweets with me, and he just gags on how sugary they are. Must be a lot different growing up with salmiakki as one's favorite candy. On our cereal commercials, our favorite sugar-coated honey-glazed caramelized flakes of glucose are always advertised as "part of a healthy breakfast".

To be honest, I can't think of a single "American" product that isn't junk in some form. Several years ago I wished for a better selection of fresh fruits, but we have those now. Yes, I'd love to have a steady supply of Nestle's Tollhouse Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels but they are still junk. I can see a seasonal demand for canned pumpkin and cranberries, but not really much else.

That reminds me, has anyone seen chocolate chips for sale here? I'm not much of a baker, probably the only thing I ever baked in the U.S. were chocolate chip cookies.... wouldn't even know where to start on making that here. Nowadays I only use Finnish language recipes, because it's the only way I know I'm using the right products, and that they're all available without digging through several different stores or waiting a month for mom to send them.

We are relative fatties in the U.S., without researching, I can assume we don't live as long either, probably arterial diseases and such lower our lifespan. But it's a GOOD life, being fat and happy. But I guess I do feel a lot healthier here, without trying I lost 15kg of my American fat since last year when I got to Finland. Had to learn to eat veggies, too. Hope I'm not doomed and vein-clogged already though.

[enk]

I beg to differ....i have seen NO refried beans anywhere!! not "mexican style" beans...I mean REAL refried bean,kinda like a can of mushed-up beans,

Beg all you want, they're there. This picture is one of the ones with chipotle in them,
but they also have regular refried beans:



They also have quite a selection of San Marcos goodies; for instance I buy a lot
of nopalitos, which they have (which is also one of the things I'd been missing).

And please, no need to be condescending, I think I know what refried beans are

-enk

[raamv]

I concur with Enk that we got lots of San Marcos brand Chipotle sauce, Salsa, beans etc.. which are pretty close to genuine..
Only thing I have not been able to find reliably is the Taco bell sauces..!!

[JimmyBang]

no condensation implied, just that ive looked (i thought), everywhere...ok im going to brother in laws tommorow in Olari...so Iso Omena here i come!

[sinikala]

And please, no need to be condescending, I think I know what refried beans are

no condensation implied...

Cruel I know, as English obviously isn't Jimmy's mother tongue ... but I laughed out loud at that one.
(a bit late to ask if I can be condescending?)

Like Enk, I've also seen refried beans in quite a few places here, usually made in the USA as opposed to Mejico and always seem to contain lard in the list of ingredients = useless to me.

Sorry to get sidetracked on a rant ... but why stick animal fat in a tin with beans? FFS! It pissed me off when I read the ingredients at home of a nice tin of French flageolet beans we'd bought from Stockmann ... one of the ingredients was goose fat!

My home made vegetarian frijoles refritos recipe is as follows...

fry a some chopped onions, garlic, some chilli flakes, pepper in a drop of olive oil
wash and liquidise (blend for our Merkin friends) a can of kidney beans ... add the kidney beans to the frying pan add a little water
add half a Mexican Oxo cube... Oxo looks like this...


except it says "Oxo Mexican" on it. you'll need to find your own substitute for that (I suppose some Knorr crap would suffice).

Fry - stirring all the time with a wooden spoon - until the water is boiled off and it all clumps together in a ball when you stir it...

Om nom nom.

[Millie]

This is a topic I'm overly passionate about, as I think that being an American means that I am ruled by my stomach, and some arrogant sense that I am entitled to have every variety of everything available to me. Having a bi-yearly shipment from my mother in Philadelphia isn't satisfying my food desires.

JELL-O everything... particularly Jell-o gelatin, and pudding mixes. I cannot make so many of my favorite recipes at ALL without pudding mix, and I can't make Jell-o Shots (ever tried these? the best!) at all. (Behnford's sells something similar from England, but not cheap, and I don't want to cheat on Jell-O, or else Bill Cosby might come after me....)
Poor, needy American I am.

thats probably why our butts jiggle like jello

This is so interesting to see what they don't have over there.

[Millie]

I beg to differ....i have seen NO refried beans anywhere!! not "mexican style" beans...I mean REAL refried bean,kinda like a can of mushed-up beans,
and BTW...whats the deal with little "top ramen" noodles...why are they so expensive? In america their like 10 packs for a dollar!

I lived on Ramen noodles in college. Yep you can buy a 12 pack for 2 bucks. Just take pinto beans & mush them up. Its the same thing. Thy are good for the metabolism

[Pauluss]

Anybody's seen mayonnaise here?
I've heard rumors that now and then Stockmann has Krafts Original, but haven't stumbled upon it. All others I've tried here are just pure sugar.

[Rosamunda]

Either make it yourself (very very easy) or buy Hellman's from Stockmann. Heino wholesaler has gigantic jars which work out cheaper, but you need the store card to purchase from there.

Sinikala said:

Sorry to get sidetracked on a rant ... but why stick animal fat in a tin with beans? FFS! It pissed me off when I read the ingredients at home of a nice tin of French flageolet beans we'd bought from Stockmann ... one of the ingredients was goose fat!

Nearly all processed foods contain animal fats of some kind ie: by-products of milk such as caseinates etc. It is a nightmare buying food for anyone who has a severe milk allergy. Even most industrial sorbets contain milk fats Not to mention biscuits and other baked goods, many tinned foods, nearly all ready-meals. As for the flageolet beans.... the traditional French recipe would use goose fat (they are eaten with cassoulet). The French food industry uses butter a lot too... it's almost impossible to find processed foods that don't contain animal fats in France.

[enk]

Anybody's seen mayonnaise here?
I've heard rumors that now and then Stockmann has Krafts Original, but haven't stumbled upon it. All others I've tried here are just pure sugar.

Mayo is everywhere; it's no trick to find it. If you're looking for
a specific brand, that's a different matter.

Personally, I use Kewpie mayo, which I get from Tokyokan.
Costs more, but I like the way it tastes.

-enk