“My family loves it so we would always wait for someone to travel to America and bring back a load of it. I’m still hoarding some.”
If you’ve ever lived abroad or even traveled internationally, you’ve probably noticed that there are certain quintessential “American” foods that you can’t always easily find in other countries. So Redditor u/ballroombritz asked, “Non-Americans, what’s your favorite American food you can’t get in your country?” Here were some of the responses.
1.
“Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. My family loves it so we would always wait for someone to travel to the US and bring back a load of it. I’m still hoarding some.”
2.
“Great Mexican food. I was visiting Houston from the UK and I went to a Mexican restaurant. It honestly ruined all Mexican food for me ever since. I can’t ever have it in the UK again. It just doesn’t compare to the pure culinary joy I experienced eating Mexican food in the states.”
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“This is the way I describe German ‘Mexican’ food: Badly describe a dish, give them only Italian ingredients, and don’t add any spice.”
3.
“Chick-Fil-A. Since visiting the states, it has become my definition of good American fast food. Those spicy chicken sandwiches, man.”
4.
“Mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping. Ugh, I loved that when I went to the states. Back home in Australia you cannot find them anywhere!”
5.
“Root beer. Sometimes you can find Sarsparella or maybe A&W, but it’s just not a commonly found flavor here in New Zealand.”
6.
“Maple syrup. It’s really hard to find outside of North America, and I missed it SO much.”
7.
“A friend of mine from the UK couldn’t get enough of gas station beef jerky when he was visiting the states. He talked about how good it was for a solid 10 minutes. It’s very hard to find in Europe and also very expensive.”
8.
“Those huge cans of Arizona Iced Tea that cost just one dollar.”
9.
“Jambalaya. I’ve haven’t been able to find it at any restaurants here in Ireland or when I visit the UK.”
10.
“Wendy’s! We don’t have Wendy’s in the UK. When I went abroad I tracked one down because I’ve always wanted to try it. The burgers are great and not overly expensive considering the size. If they had Wendy’s in London, I’d be there on a regular basis. Wendy’s: if you’re listening, please make this happen.”
11.
“Australian here. I dream about eating another everything bagel like the one I had on a trip to the US. 😭.”
12.
“As a Canadian who loves a good burger and fries, it is incredibly frustrating that we don’t have In-N-Out Burger.”
13.
“Peanut butter. When I lived in Seoul, South Korea, it was really difficult to find peanut butter unless you were able to get some from the US Army at Yongsan or off the black market.”
14.
“Americanized Chinese food. Even while living in Asia I would crave General Tso’s chicken and honey walnut shrimp because it’s just not the same abroad.”
15.
“I miss Pop Tarts! You can usually find them at a few specialty ‘American’ shops, but they’re usually marked up 3x the price.”
16.
“It’s almost sacrilegious of me to say as an Englishman, but I miss American breakfasts. I love my full English breakfast, but this meal is something the US does so well. I lived in Manhattan for a few months and I’ll forever miss the pancakes, bacon, and poached eggs with fried potato and onions I ate from the local diner all the time. We have restaurants back home where you can eat an ‘American-style breakfast,’ but it is not the same.”
17.
“When I lived in Switzerland, I missed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so much. Don’t get me wrong, Swiss chocolate is amazing (even superior to American chocolate), but chocolate and peanut butter is a combination they have yet to catch onto. My grandparents used to send me enormous packages of Reese’s, and I’d finish it all in no time.”
18.
“The cereal selection. I had my cousin bring me Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Bunches of Oats when she visited me in Madrid. The cereal selection in Europe just doesn’t compete.”
19.
“Dippin’ Dots. Holy shit, that ice cream is awesome and I miss it everyday after trying it in the US.”
20.
“Burritos. When I was living in the UK, I couldn’t find good Tex-Mex (and especially burritos) for the life of me. I went to the place that everyone claimed to serve the best burrito in London, but it was burnt, filled with dry meat and a half a can of shitty beans all stuffed into a softball-shaped tortilla. Terrible.”
21.
“Dr Pepper. Forget about the Coke vs. Pepsi debate. Dr. Pepper is far superior, and it’s hard to come by where I’m from.”
22.
“Sour Patch watermelons. They are honestly incredible. I wish they existed back home.”
23.
“Whenever I come back home, I always miss American BBQ. Very few countries have a BBQ tradition like the US, and none of them are in Europe. British BBQ means burnt, bland sausages and either over or undercooked burgers.”
24.
“Chicken wings with buffalo sauce. They don’t make ’em like that outside of the US.”
25.
“Not a specific food really, but I wish we had the sheer variety of foods and specialty ingredients you can get in the US, even by ordering them online. Try making Mexican food without the fantastic range of chilies that are so readily available in America…”
26.
“Fried Oreos. At first, I was horrified after hearing how they’re made, but after trying them, it was love at first taste.”
27.
“Taco Bell. I had it once and absolutely loved it. Bring it to New Zealand, please!”
28.
“I’m from the UK and when I went to America for the first time last summer I absolutely loved Cracker Barrel. Their fried chicken and honey mustard sauce were something else. You can’t get that at home.”
29.
“When I lived in Austria I had my mother send me taco seasoning. The need for Tex-Mex in Europe is powerful.”
What’s an “American” food that you seriously miss when you’re abroad? Tell us in the comments below.
