Name 1, 5, Or 10 Of The Foods You Miss The Most From Home

[Jingthing]

OK, here's the deal about this thread. Think of it is a salivation-athon. Stuff we can't get in Thailand but wish we could. Things we jump on when we visit our home countries.

Some rough suggestions to keep this on topic --

Name the foods you miss the most from home. Be as specific or as general as you want in naming the food. For example, specific would be the chips and curry at Bobos in Liverpool. General would chips and curry in the UK.

Restaurant food of course good to mention, but so are general ingredients

Try to keep it about foods that you used to eat fairly often, rather than a once in a lifetime meal

Try to avoid mentioning anything Chef Snobola cooks, that won't make us salivate, we don't know the chef.

It does not need to be from the last city you lived at in your home country. Just food from your home country that you miss.

Try to make this about your home country but of course serial expats will have more varied roots

Name one to ten such items as they come to mind. Spread them out over several posts if you wish.

The idea here is not to name your number ONE favorite, though go ahead if you wish. That's why the invitation to name as many as 10 foods. If you really feel the need to mention 20 or 50, go ahead, nothing to stop you, just thought a limiting suggestion was reasonable.

OK, I will start with two of my own that come to mind to get this rolling --

1. Vietnamese pho in the US using good beef served with the proper side sauces

2. Carnitas burrito loaded with rice, refritos, hot salsa fresca, and guacamole from Pancho Villa Taqueria, Mission District, San Francisco. (Yes I like a lot of different kinds of burritos from different places and not saying they are the best, but I practically lived on Pancho Villa burritos for 10 years so the memory sticks!)

http://panchovillasf.com/

(As you can see, there is one general and one specific.)

I will post more of these later assuming this thread takes off. I hope so, as I am curious to hear what other expats crave.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Jingthing

[bkkjames]

Pea soup. What no poll?

[suegha]

Irish potato cakes, fried not baked, like my mama used to make. I try to make them but they are just not the same!

[lovelomsak]

a Tim Hortons cinnamon raisin bagel toasted and smothered in butter. A few montha ago one night i coldnot sleep my tastebuds craved one so much.

[Nio]

Maine Lobster and Fried Clams from the Clam Bake in Old Orchard Beach, Maine

There is a reason they have been in the same location for 75 years!

Prime Rib Breakers Restaurant Panama City, Florida world famous

And crispy Taco's and enchirito's from Taco Bell

Might as well throw in any real New York Style Pizza from America. Colantina Pizza, Bradford, Vermont been in same location over 35 years. Pizza served with homemade apple butter for the crust. The crust breaks off the splice like the tastiest bread stick in the world.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Nio

[sangfroid]

Tunnock's Caramel Wafers (Scotland)

[Jingthing]

Tunnock's Caramel Wafers (Scotland)

Made me look!

http://www.tunnock.co.uk/index2.htm

As a reminder, the foods from your home country do not need to be native foods of your country, just foods you enjoyed there and miss here. So an Aussie who craves the Ethiopian doro wat in Melbourne, its all good if you think it is.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

50. Blackened redfish (thank you, Paul Prudhomme)

49. Root beer float

48. Pimiento cheese sandwich

47. Scrapple (although I'm not particularly fond of this, many, many Americans swear by it)

46. Frito pie (I'm particularly fond of this staple from my childhood)

45. Bundt cakes (any flavor, sour cream coffee cake is the most popular)

44. Green goddess dressing (over any kind of lettuce, perhaps romaine is traditional)

43. Chicken & dumplings

42. Maryland crab cakes

41. Whoopie pie (yippee!)

40. Jambalaya

39. Cioppino (San Francisco would be hurt if I left them out, they're sensitive that way)

38. Shoofly pie

37. Iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing

36. Pecan sticky buns

35. Denver Omelet

34. Peach cobbler

33. New England clam chowder

32. Buttermilk pancakes

31. Brunswick stew

30. Philly cheesesteak

29. Chicken fried steak with cream gravy (don't forget the biscuits)

28. Fried rice (of course we fry the rice, we'll fry anything)

27. The Po'boy (oyster, shrimp or even roast beef for purists)

26. Shrimp & grits (I personally like the New Orleans style but the South Carolina version rocks, too)

25. Brown Betty

24. Cedar-planked salmon (Seriously? Only one Northwestern dish? I need to go to Portland)

23. Cobb salad

22. Meatloaf

21. King Ranch chicken casserole

20. Kansas City spareribs (notice I didn't say BBQ — remember, I'm from Texas and we think we invented BBQ)

19. Succotash

18. Fried catfish

17. Soft shell crabs, fried of course

16. Black-eyed peas

15. Seafood gumbo

14.Wisconsin cheese soup

13. Collard greens (or mustard greens)

12. Grilled cheese (fancy schmancy or plain)

11. Mashed potatoes

10. Chicken pot pie

9. Bowl of chili (red, green, white or even Cincinnati-style with spaghetti)

8. Steamed Maine lobster

7. Chimichanga (yes, it was invented north of the border, although who was first is still in dispute)

6. Chocolate chip cookies

5. Mac & cheese

4. Shrimp cocktail

3. Southern fried chicken

2. Texas BBQ beef brisket

1. Turkey & dressing

[tutsiwarrior]

Knudsen's full fat cottage cheese...I useta take the top offa quart tub and just look, savoring the anticipation...'perfect, pure, crystalline...'; Kurtz had just had some when he had his wartime epiphany of slaughter...

[klfopera]

Steamed Maine lobster

Fried clams

hamburger from Barley's Burger, Harvard square

Indian Pudding from Durgin-Park

Aged sirloin from Capitol Grille

[burgerqueen]

pheasant with Belgian endive (witloof)..

[burgerqueen]

pheasant with Belgian endive (witloof)..

[NADTATIDA1]

I hope this counts?

Traditional English cream tea.Unbeatable!

http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/tea.asp

Edited January 23, 2010 by NADTATIDA1

[Yoknapatawpha]

hot cracklin' bread with buttermilk.

for the uninitiated:

Cracklins=pork skin, fresh, with the lard cooked out.

add a handful of cracklins to your favorite cornbread recipie, and bake as usual.

take it out, cut it while it's hot, and dump it in a bowl.

add some fresh buttermilk over that, and enjoy!

Nearly everything else I missed, I can cook in China; the fact that nobody has proper ovens here, makes cooking cornbread (or any sort of breads/cakes) next to impossible.

peace y'all,

Yok

[lioness]

From Australia:

Fresh Apricots and freestone peaches from my garden.

Good Quality Eye Fillet steak for Fillet Mignon

Kangaroo Rissoles

Mrs Macs Beef, Bacon & Cheese pies for when I want a snack.

From England:

Suet Dumplings

Yorkshire Puddings like they make in Yorkshire.

Parkin, the best from Manchester area.

Cod, Chips & Mushy Peas from my favourite shop in Fleetwood.

And from Scotland:

Stovies, the best made by Irene at the Dolphin in Eyemouth.

Not only am I now hungry, but I am missing all the places mentioned.

[xen]

1. Real Tasmanian sea scallops (deep fried in batter)
   
2. King Island Yogurt
   
3. Fresh Olives and Field Mushrooms ( i know i can buy them in BKK from Emporium but not a affordable price for everyday consumption)
   
4. Salted Macadamia nuts .
   
5. Decent T bone steaks
   
6. Turkey
   

But then again there are so many foods that i can buy in LOS that i can't find in Oz - for example , coconut yogurt, Hershy and Dove chocolate ( because Nestle seems to contol the market now) and tropical fruits at an affordable price. Difficult to find good Durian , Salek fruit and a Magosteen is 60 THB each.That is why i like to spend my time in both countries.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Jack Link Beef Jerkey

[Jingthing]

3. Mexican grilled chicken feast with all the fixings and huge salsa bar

I hope this counts? Traditional English cream tea.Unbeatable!

Of course it counts. I had a tea like that at the famous Empress hotel in Victoria (island) British Columbia. Unforgettable.

BTW, thanks for the responses in this thread. I find a lot of the items quite interesting.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Jingthing

[IanForbes]

Kow pat gai

Kae te ow

Kae hut Sai

Oh, wait, that is what I eat every day! I'll just have to wait until I return to Canada to check my freezer for prawns, crab, salmon, smoked salmon, halibut, tuna and some venison.

Is it okay to mention venison? I'd hate to hurt anyone's tender feelings that a omnivore like myself actually kills and eats things when could more easily buy some beef steak that miraculously appears on a butcher's shelf.

[IanForbes]

I hope this counts?

Traditional English cream tea.Unbeatable!

http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/tea.asp

I'm personally offended by all those photos of western debauchery, NADTATIDA1!

[Jingthing]

Is it okay to mention venison?

Even cannibals are welcome here. We ain't picky. There is an open door mouth policy here.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Jingthing

[zzaa09]

Red licorice

[NADTATIDA1]

I hope this counts?

Traditional English cream tea.Unbeatable!

http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea/tea.asp

I'm personally offended by all those photos of western debauchery, NADTATIDA1!

Yes i must apoligise for my gluttonous thoughts Ian!

Its just that most things you can actually get here in LOS nowadays,but to get it at the quality you want and enjoy, is a another matter?

A good old English cream tea is an occasion worth savouring....Homebaked warm scones,homemade strawberry preserve and thick Cornish or Devonshire Clotted Cream,it just melts in the month and then wash it down with a fresh brewed pot of your favoured Tea.

ENJOY!

Now then its Saturday and the word debauchery as woken my sinful nature....you bad man!

[KhaoTan]

Chick Fil-a chicken sandwiches and their Lemonade (Southern U.S. chain)

Diner Hamburgers

Greasy spoon breakfasts

Chicago Deep dish pizza

[Jingthing]

4. Southern fried chicken platter: Fried chicken, collard greens (cooked with pork), black eyed peas, mac 'n cheese, cornbread, sweet tea (about as far from KFC as you can imagine)

5. Lox and bagel "Californio". Real Nova Scotia lox, real New York style poppy seed (or "everything") bagel, cream cheese, sliced tomato, sliced onion, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeno pepper (my own recipe to add the cado and pepper)

Edited January 23, 2010 by Jingthing

[rgs2001uk]

Is it okay to mention venison?

Even cannibals are welcome here. We ain't picky. There is an open door mouth policy here.

For those missing venison.

If you take the 305 out of Bkk and head towards Nakorn Nayork, there is a deer farm right beside the hospital at Klong 14.

Tender steaks available, will even sell to you on the hoof if you want.

[PoorSucker]

Dried reindeer meat.

[PoeDogg]

- A real cheeseburger that requires both hands to hold and has grease dripping from our fingers, served in a “country basket” with real home-made fries and cole slaw (The Hop, Cleveland, Texas).

- Pecan pie with Blue Bell “home-made” vanilla ice cream (Mom, Huntsville, Texas).

- Green bean casserole (Mom, Huntsville, Texas)..

- Tex-Mex (wish Tequila Reef from Pattaya would open up in Hua Hin!) –Mamacita’s, La Porte, Texas.

- Arabic food....multaba, taboula, hummous, flat bread, lebnah, shwarmas.

- Taco Bell: Gorditas, bean & cheese burritos.

- BBQ beef brisket and ribs from a tiny roadside mom & pop shop with sawdust floor….same for the cheese burgers above. (Leroy’s in Willis, Texas).

- REAL Chinese food made in America . I have no idea what this stuff they try to pass of to me as chinese food here is.

- Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, both covered with cream style gravy with lots of black pepper, and fried okra and fried squash – Kelly’s, Deer Park, Texas.

- Ranch style beans.

- Flakey buttermilk biscuits with cream style gravy with ground pork and lots of black pepper.

- Jimmy Dean pork sausage patties.

- Broccoli and cheese soup at The Black-eyed Pea.

- Salad and bread sticks at The Olive Garden.

- Grandma’s butter beans and cornbread.

- Fried (wild) venison sandwiches (taste better if you actually slayed the poor bambi or hit it with your truck).

- Philly Cheese steak with cheezwhiz.

- Oyster or shrimp Po’ Boy’s in Louisiana.

- Southern fried catfish, fried hush puppies, fried oysters, home-made fries, sweet bread and butter pickles, sweet sun tea (or can substitute with a diet coke:) )

- Arby’s roast beef sandwich.

- Beef or deer jerky.

- Dunkin’ Doughnuts….what is served here in Thailand are not real doughnuts.

- Home-made Mexican breakfast burritos.

Screw it, I’m going back home….ahhh, never mind, with just make due here.

[dmax]

ulster fry with cookstown sausages, potatoe bread, black pudding, mothers pride soda bread.

Edited January 25, 2010 by dmax

[tigerfish]

1. welsh spring lamb from smithfield market london.

2. real cumberland pork sausages.

3. proper smoked back bacon.

2/3 included in a full works greasy spoon slap up breakfast, fried egg(runny yolk) sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding, chips, 2xtoast, and a mug of coffee. can i just check my order, im sure ive missed something out. oh bugger this, im going to have to go to the nearest 7/11 in a minute and get some kind of substitute. even the wife misses a good old fry up.

4.fullers beers on a friday night out with the lads in one of their pubs. followed by the great british past-time of an indian. both if possible, the food type followed by the female version. ah this is an unfair poll(jingthing) this is cruelty. popadoms, with not 3 dips but 4. lime pickle, minted youghurt, sweet red coconut and mango chutney. followed by garlic nans, pilau rice, king prawn chingri masala, lamb pasanda, gobi aloo, ladies fingers(okra) a couple of onion bajis, with a couple of bottles of bangla beer and to top it off an irish coffee.

im going to have to call my best mate up in sydney(australia) in a minute, and see if he fancies catching a flight back to the u.k. im sure hed be up for it.(sundurban restaurant) 1 in sudbury town and 1 in pinner if anyones interested. the best indian food in london, i swear by it. been going there for 25 odd years.

5. steak and kidney pies, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, rollmop herrings, anchovies, smoked salmon(real scottish smoked salmon) smoked makeral, french pate.

6. cheese! rouqfort, brie, camebert, gambazola, stilton, cheddar.

7. proper bread! french baguettes.

8. mussels in white wine and cream sauce.

9. mums roast beef and yorkshire puddings, cooked by a real yorkshire lass.

10. golden palace chinese restaurant for dim sum on saturday or sunday lunch time(have to be there at 11.30am sharp though, or you wont get a table).

11. real turkish shish kebabs, cooked over a charcoal fire. although the shawarmas that you get in bangkok are reasonable.

ill have to get back to with the rest, its 3am and ive got a touch of the munchies. ahh... those where the days, sitting around getting totally off our faces, watching fawlty towers and black adder. pissing ourselves with laughter, running off to the nearest off-licience to stock up on cider and chocolate hobb-nobs.