Food as souvenirs?

[Piccolina]

i've brought home:
lobsters from maine
chowdah from rhode island and boston
maple syrup and cheddar cheeses from vermont
apples, pumpkins, pears from upstate ny
live blue claw crabs from maryland and florida
mullet and sea trout from florida
tequila and kahlua from mexico
cuban cigars from canada
gosling's black seal rum and ginger beer from bermuda
oregano from jamaica (only kidding, in case customs is reading this)
buffalo meat, shoo fly pies, various artisan breads from the amish country, pennsylvania
cheddar cheese, whiskey, tea and brown bread from ireland
tillamook cheeses and jerkies, and smoked salmon from oregon
fresh frozen and smoked salmon from vancouver
kootenay and black tusk ales from british columbia, canada
river horse ales from southwestern new jersey/pennsylvania

I loved reading this post Bucky! It reads like it should be the lyrics to a song, perhaps a folky sort of tune. Lovely images, and enough to make anyone hungry. If you ever head back to BC let me know and I'll suggest some things for you to return home with

 

[buckytom]

i can't wait to start travelling again piccolina. just waiting for my little guy to get big enough (so as not to be the kid jeffrey from the bill cosby joke. "and everyone delighted in waking little jeffrey up as they exited the plane".)

it's interesting, i've always said that the 4 or 5 places that i would like to have homes, if i ever won the lottery would be b.c., co.'s leitrim, cavan, or mayo in ireland, vermont, florida, and of course here at home in the nyc area.
this is an interesting topic. i think i'll start a thread about it.

were you originally from b.c.? i think that the people up there were probably the nicest, coolest, most friendly and honest, and laid back people that i have ever met. even the cops, the rcmp, were cool about a lot of stuff, and they have neat uniforms. i wanna get one of those uniforms so i would look like dudley do-right, or desperate dan in ireland.

 

[CrémeBrulée]

More foreign foods

Duh! I’d forgotten about Britain.
I’ve bought shortbread in Scotland, always bring back a tin of tea from a different tea company whenever I visit England (Harrods is next on the list), and English butter creams.

I also remembered Turkey – I visited the city of Bursa, where one of the food specialities is chestnuts, and bought a jar of chestnuts in syrup. It never made it home – it was so good I finished it it in three days. Should also have bought some halvah.

Havarti cheese and salami from Denmark.

From the USA I usually bring back stuff like Jelly Belly jelly beans, which are very expensive here, and candy that’s not available here, liker Butterfingers (my mother loves them).

When travelling, whenever I come across an interesting cookbook in a language I understand, I buy one. I might even start buying them for the pictures even when I don’t understand the language.

 

[Piccolina]

were you originally from b.c.? i think that the people up there were probably the nicest, coolest, most friendly and honest, and laid back people that i have ever met. even the cops, the rcmp, were cool about a lot of stuff, and they have neat uniforms. i wanna get one of those uniforms so i would look like dudley do-right, or desperate dan in ireland.

Hi Buckytom, yes I'm from BC - born and breed as they say I love it soooooo much!!! I lived & worked in Alberta for a while too, and also loved it (Calgary rocks!) But as it's my home province I have a special spot in my heart for it! I adore people in BC too, and agree that for the most part they do seem to be wonderfully laid-back, easy going and friendly folks. Vancouve region) or even About the cops, I think you might be right, on the whole they're great too. I love BC for so many reasons, one of them being that it is like a micro-country unto itself in terms of climate and geography.

You can begin down on the "coast" (or even on Vancouver Island) and have the beauty of the Pacific ocean, the West Coast rainforest and all the greatenss and good eats that comes with Vancouver and the "lower mainland". Here you can eat food from dozens of world culture, local (incredible) salmon, fresh produce like corn, blueberries and raspberries, go skiing at any number of great hills or explore local artisan food products.

From there (one might say from the little town of "Hope" onward) the sky (or the provincial borders) is the limit. You can head north to the gorgeous (sun drentched) Okanagan with it's awesome, award winning wines, fruits, and beaches or you could head east to the Kootnies and go camping and eat some traditional Russian and Ukranian food from the area.

Further North to the Shuswap where you can get in some great fishing, go hiking, take a ride on a house boat and soak up more of that great BC sunshine as you eat peaches and freshly caught trout. Head over to the Cariboo region (one of my favs), a place that was once filled with cowboys and goldminers. Where the land takes a distinctively different look in terms of geography - you're clearly out of the Okanagan-Shuswap with it's arid dessert climate and sandy hills and in pine tree country. Here you can go dog sleding, visit the historical ghost town of Barkervile (I worked there for a summer!), head to one of the many local casinos, participate in a real live cattle drive, and eat mouth watering steaks or local game. These are just some of the areas of BC, and though I know I gush and rant about them here, it is only because I love my home province so much and miss it like a dear friend. If anyone heads out that way know that you are in for an amazing vacation!

(Three shots I took of Penticton, BC (in the Okanagan) in the summer of 2004, from the balcony of the house where I was living at the time.)

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/4107457dz31fc4e82/3335/__sr_/a3ea.jpg?phgaycDB4DpwXL1g

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/4107457dz31fc4e82/3335/__sr_/17b4.jpg?phgaycDB9862stV6

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/4107457dz31fc4e82/3335/__sr_/7614.jpg?phgaycDBPPpv5M8w

 

[buckytom]

wow! thanks for that piccolina. that was fun to read, so many beautiful images in my head now to start the day...

and cremebrulee, it's interesting to read about the things you take back from the u.s.. it would have never occurred to me that something like jelly bellies and butterfingers would be cherished items.

 

[CrémeBrulée]

and cremebrulee, it's interesting to read about the things you take back from the u.s.. it would have never occurred to me that something like jelly bellies and butterfingers would be cherished items.

I'm not alone in this. I have friends and acquaintances who go crazy shopping in the USA for everyday supermarket items like Spam, corned beef, drink mixes and Jello flavours not available in Europe. Some of them have been exchange students or au pairs in the USA and they miss American everyday food. One even tried to bring back Crispy Creme donuts to give friends and family a taste (didn't work out as planned - she and her seatmate ate them all on the 7 hour flight home)

 

[Piccolina]

wow! thanks for that piccolina. that was fun to read, so many beautiful images in my head now to start the day...

and cremebrulee, it's interesting to read about the things you take back from the u.s.. it would have never occurred to me that something like jelly bellies and butterfingers would be cherished items.

Thanks bucky, I'm something of a sentamental soul and I love to write...

It's crazy how many North American foods (and products) you can't get in Europe, well in Ireland at least, haven't lived in any other European countries. I drives me up the wall and around the bend at times...but hey, you get by with what you have and keep a mental candle flame of hope burning that a Safeway will magically appear underneath a rainbow

 

[buckytom]

krispy kremes never last that long. besides, they don't travel well. you should eat them warm from the store.

i have been asked to freeze and ship nyc pizzas and bagels to friends in ireland. i guess i could do the dry ice thing, like the gourmet steak and burger places do to ship, but i'm not sure about the laws regarding internationally shipped foods.