Good Old Canadian / American Food!

[brandie]

Hi everyone,

Just found out my family and I are moving from Alberta, Canada to Bangkok in 3 months. My 3 children are not really picky eaters, but tend to stay away from 'new', unfamiliar foods. I was just wondering if you could help me compile a list of some stuff that is not available or very hard to find in Bangkok, so I could bring some extras to get thru the first couple months. PLEASE!!! I've heard stuff like Cheeze Whiz, is hard to find! How about good old Kraft dinner, or peanut butter, or kids cereals?? I have never been to Thailand, and won't be until we move so i could use all the help I can get.

Thanks so much!!!

Brandie

[PadThaiGuy]

The super markets here are terriffic. 99% of what you need can be found though it can be expensive if you want imported stuff.

I see imported cereal going for $10usd in some places.

[Ulysses G.]

You can get pretty much anything that you want to eat in Bangkok, but you might have to pay a premium for some imported brands.

[OM3N]

Agree with the posts above, especially the fact that it can get pricey. Cheeze Whiz is one thing I have yet to come across, that and Dr. Pepper which I miss with my heart and soul.

[cathyy]

You can't get Fritos, either. And what they call a Milky Way here is a Mars bar without the almond.

It might be a good idea to try to wean your kids onto rice instead of potatoes as their staple. Potatoes are a good $1 a pound here, and that gets expensive in a hurry if you serve them daily. We have potatoes once or twice a week.

Do your kids like canned veggies? If they do, try to wean them off that as well as those will all be imported and expensive. The most common veggies here are broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, and corn. Bell pepper is a bit expensive, about a dollar each for small ones. Long beans are not real green beans. You can get good frozen green beans, though. Canned peas here are nasty field peas, not garden peas, unless they are imported. Look for frozen ones that specify "garden peas" and are imported.

Thais don't eat special foods specifically for breakfast. They eat any food at any time. Your best bet for cereals are the Nestle brand, although some US cereal is available. Again, it's imported, so expensive.

Beef tends to be expensive here, too. Chicken and pork are more common and much cheaper. You can use ground pork in most recipes that call for hamburger with perfectly fine results.

[onethailand]

You can't get Fritos, either. And what they call a Milky Way here is a Mars bar without the almond.

Villa has been known to carry Fritos, but not all the time. Definitely one of the things I miss. Just too big to carry back, though.

Thais don't eat special foods specifically for breakfast. They eat any food at any time. Your best bet for cereals are the Nestle brand, although some US cereal is available. Again, it's imported, so expensive.

Actually, it isn't difficult to find Kelloggs here at all, but only the most popular ones (Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes). Don't expect to find Special K, for example, nor Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, unless Villa has them on occasion. Fortunately, my kids prefer the Nestle brands.

Beef tends to be expensive here, too. Chicken and pork are more common and much cheaper. You can use ground pork in most recipes that call for hamburger with perfectly fine results.

Beef I mentioned before in the other thread that Brandie started in the Bangkok forum.

Rest of Cathy's tips on vegetables and stuff are right on the mark - maybe not surprisingly, however, this is the one thing I miss least about the US. On top of that, you'll love the wide selection of fruit available here, though some is imported and a bit expensive.

[tracer5050]

Usally you can get most anything at villa. If you cant find it at on Villa , check out a different one. sometime if one does not have it you can find it at a different one. I went to 3 different one before i found a jar if cocktail sause. But i did find it.

[JohnBKKK]

Hi,

as mentioned above, especially Villa Supermarket on Sukhumvit near Soi 33 offer just about anything imported from the USA. There you can also find a quite wide selection of our products which we make locally and which are not pricy at all, such as:

Smoked American Breakfast bacon

Canadian Loin bacon

Corned Beef - sliced

Breakfast Sausages

Kielbasa

Cajun Andouille

Bologna -various sorts

Frankfurters - smoked

Pate's Terrine's etc..

I'm not sure about the current Beef prices in the US/Canada, but you can get decent ground Beef at THB 250.00 or so a Kilo and local Steak from "Thai French' is not bad even though it can not compare to US prime, mainly because of the ageing process. Most of your usual veggies are also available at larger markets and you can get them quite reasonably priced. One of the most important things here will be your fridge - if possible get a large one, like the US style with 2 doors side by side since you'll have to store everything in it, even cheese.

Potatoes and other Veggies are quite reasonable at Macro (there are lots of them here) , just get a daypass and stock up on veggies, once a week.

Any particular questions later, I'm sure you will find answers and advise here,

John