What Do You Miss Most From Home?

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Our local SM was unreliable but now has a steady supply of quite a few cheeses (2 grades of cheddar, mozzarella, colby, feta).   The milk is still only the weird boxed stuff though.  We pretty much have everything available locally.  Except canned lima beans, and green beans.  But I am going to the US soon and will send myself a case of each  :)

Quality deli meats would be awesome but I have learned to live without.  We do have a store that sells an excellent pastrami... but not on my budget!  Ouch!

 

Since I am going back to visit the old country soon I have been trying to think where I want to go eat first.  I was thinking Mexican (Tex-Mex!) or Italian... then I thought of it... Mediterranean!   Dolmas, tabouli, couscous, felafel.... oh it sounds so good. 

 

I was instructed by one friend to put 2 boxes of grits in my BB box for him.  It is the simple things we miss most sometimes.  :tiphat:

[robert k]

I was thinking to fill any unused space in my luggage with Zatarans red beans and rice mix. I'm kind of worried that Homeland security might get alarmed with all those foil packages. Would anyone have seen it in the Philippines?

 

I am also bringing chocolate, Cadbury, Worlds Finest and Hersheys kisses to make weight. Might bring some beef jerkey too. :) 

Edited September 13, 2014 by robert k

[sonjack2847]

There is a small store just north of Cebu city on the north highway called Scheiffers. They sell foreign foods and they are quite reasonably priced. It is very near the road marker for kilometer 19 on the right side coming away from Cebu city.

[komments]

You don't have milk?  Don't they have cows in the Philippines?

[robert k]

You don't have milk?  Don't they have cows in the Philippines?

Sure they have cows but more people than not don't have a refrigerator, at least from what I have seen. Milk is also pretty expensive in comparison to the average wage.

[sonjack2847]

Milk in  a carton is around 90 peso a liter. We get cows milk straight from a farm at 60 peso a liter well I hope its the cow they are milking!

[scott h]

Milk...yep one of the things I miss,,,but I just get the carton milk really cold and can hardly tell the difference.

 

But what I really miss here,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,are girls in heels, lololol

[Larry45]

Oh yes, fresh milk and cheese....yum.  Mexican food, Tex-Mex, or even Taco Bell would be heaven.  Just being in a place where I am not dealing with prejudice and discrimination on a daily basis.  Meeting new people and not worrying about their motives.  Having fire, ambulance, and police support a few minutes away.  Having my personal rights protected by a mostly honest and fair judicial system. Too bad it's so darned expensive and there are so few jobs these days.  It's a great time to escape it all.    

[jon1]

I have seen Taco Bells in Manila.

 

I just recently did a trip to the US (3 weeks) and I definitely do not miss;

 

The rat race

The keeping up with the Jones'

I saw the customer service sliding. About 50% of the restaurants I patronized were spot on (we dined in some 5 stars that would only get an average in my book) The best service we got were from the small business/family owned restaurants. 

The constant barrage of the media.

The high cost of most everything.

 

Pros:

Convenience (reliable mail system/shipping)

High Speed Internet

Awesome highway systems

Traffic Discipline

 

Bottom line: I don't miss anything bad enough in the U.S. to warrant a return there.

Edited October 18, 2014 by jon1

[robert k]

+1 on the Taco Bell there is one in the Landmark Mall Manila around 937 EDSA, it's almost the same as in the US and always busy, unlimited soda so the kids can become nuclear powered.

 

+1 also on the deterioration of service in the US, it may be worse in the Philippines but I don't expect I will notice a huge difference. In fact I distinctly remember servers being less surly in the Philippines. I remember the big smile and call me sir and I would look behind me because obviously someone was standing behind me. :)