Well, here's a brief update on American products of a different category: things that you actually can find here in Spain and that I miss enough to pay ridiculously exorbitant prices for every once in a while.
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The cake mixes are perhaps the most overpriced - €6 or €7 a box! |
2. Brown sugar. The concept of brown sugar just doesn't exist here. They've got "azúcar moreno," which sort of is brown sugar (and is what that translates to), but in reality, it's only what we call raw sugar. Not the same as our probably extra-diabetes-enducing molasses-sugar mixture. Obviously this isn't something I use all that frequently, but I do like it on oatmeal and making certain baked goods, such as the good old chocolate chip cookie, is impossible without it. I also buy this at Taste of America - where it's generally about €1,50 - because I've never seen it in regular grocery stores either.
3. Peanut butter. The funny thing is, I'm not really even much of a peanut butter fan. I love love love peanut butter cups or any other form of chocolate and peanut butter together, and I love it with apples, but I never eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, for example. I think it's the texture - it's just way too much between the stickiness/thickness of the PB and the bread. Anyway, I remember when I studied abroad here I brought a jar of PB, knowing that it was hard to find, and I went through that thing with lightning speed. I don't buy it often now, but I've found it in a couple of grocery stores and I therefore don't bother bringing it from the US. The latest regular-sized jar I bought cost me €4,50...which I do think is a lot for peanut butter...
Baking soda is also sort of a weird situation here - they sell what I think is the chemical equivalent here in grocery stores, but I think it's used more for cleaning than for baking. Normally it's only baking powder here. I've never tried this supermarket equivalent because I bought a box of way overpriced Arm & Hammer at Taste of America a couple of years ago and obviously I haven't even gone through a quarter of the box. I'm more likely to have to get new baking soda because this box is going to expire, rather than actually run out.
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Sesame, onion, and plain bagels! |
One last thing that is hard to find here in Spain, and when you do find
it, it's usually not that great, is bagels. They actually sell them at
Taste of America and also some specialty bakeries, but I've found it's much more cost effective (and
let's face it, much more FUN) to make my own bagels. Mmmm.

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