US Food via eBay
 

Reading the Vegemite thread earlier, I picked up on the fact that you could order Vegemite via eBay. It prompted me to check eBay UK for food, and specifically American food.

Lo and behold it's there!

Although I'm sure there are many places to buy it from, I was lost when the mail order company I used back in the 90s closed, and I haven't ordered from the States since (without a credit card I never bothered checking online).

So basically I'm asking - is there anything anyone recommends from here? Or from another seller that will take postal orders - I'm not fussed but I assume you won't want to go shopping round on my behalf :)

I like spicy, I like savoury, I'm not overly keen on sweet unless it's REALLY special.

Nilla wafers for banana pudding
3 muskateers
Habanero hotsauce (NEVER EVER Pace)
Applejacks
Gulden's spicy brown mustard (not actually spicy tho)
A1 steak sauce is decent
Aunt Jamima Pancake is aiight
Mug Root beer!

Thats all I found that I think is good...have fun.

EDIT: Teddy Grahams...Those are awesome!

I second the Nilla wafers, they are subtle but tasty. Banana pudding should never be without them. Most of that stuff is crap though. Definitely stay away from the Pace salsas.

Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice is very good, sticks to your ribs, nice and savoury!

Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes are quick and pretty good (creamy potates, what's not to like?)

They're really pushing the Mt. Dew, aren't they? You might like it. Lots of caffeine.

NYC?! Get a rope!

Pace--ptui!

Have you tried peanut butter before? If not, try it. It's pretty good. Similarly, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are pretty good.

Root Beer is an unusual flavor, and is yummy. It's neither spicy nor savoury, but sweet. If you haven't tried it, you might want to.

I didn't see anything else at that link that seemed terribly special.

Nilla wafers
Reese's peanut butter cups. I like the minis the best
Tootsie roll pops
Nestle semi-sweet morsels for chocolate chip cookes from childhood
I use bisquik and potato buds, too
Jiff Extra crunchy peanut butter!!
Welch's grape jelly
Mike and Ikes (the green package, not the tropical)
Goldfish (chedder cracker)
York peppermint patties
Zatarain's Jambalya mix is good (keeping in mind I have never had authentic jambalya)
Swiss miss hot chocolate

That's what I normally use off that list. I can't really give any input on the hot sauces because I don't use them

Oh, I take it back, I found two other things I regularly eat off that list:

Old El Paso Whole Green Chiles - not too hot, good for mixing in with recipes.
Stove Top Stuffing Mix - much easier than making your own stuffing, for sure.

But I'm not convinced you don't already have very similar products over there, there's nothing quintessentially "American" about them...

http://www.panzers.co.uk/

too bad they don't ship to you...their ice cream is delicious! :drool:

Sundae hates peanut butter. I wonder, though, if she could love a Reeses? Coz they rock.

Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice

Cook some smoked sausage with it...yum!

Ooh, there are a bunch of things I like off that list:

Pop Tarts--unfrosted blueberry and strawberry
Hershey's chocolate syrup
Hershey's almond chocolate bar
Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars
Cream of Wheat
Stovetop stuffing
Honey Maid graham crackers
Charms lollipops
Life cereal
Kraft mac 'n' cheese--regular, not "deluxe"
Mott's apple sauce
Oreos--original

what the f*** is wrong with Pace salsa? g**amn salsa snobs.

that's a pretty sad list of 'american food'. i hope you foreigners don;t think that all we eat is overprocessed sugary white flour treats. I't important that you keep in mind that we also eat cheessteaks, hamburgers, french fries and things of that nature that won't ship well over seas. oh, and mayonaise.

I think most western cultures eat a lot of processed food lumber. I don't think US citizens are the only ones, although research would suggest you do have the highest intake of processed food.

I've had a few Americans as guests in my home and I've been told by every single one of them that we have far less 'junk' type food in our supermarkets and that the style of cooking they see in my particular home is very different from what they'd do in their own homes. Of course, my sampling is very small, but still it was 100%.

The thing that concerns me about packaged food that you could have shipped to you is that, like all other processed foods, it's not really a natural flavour is it?

Mountain Dew Code Red
Mountain Dew
Oreo Cookies
A&W Root Beer
Marshmallow Fluff (of limited usefulness if you don't like peanut butter, as it's half of what goes into fluffernutter)
Welch's Grape Soda
Heinz American Chili Sauce (add a jar of grape jelly and a batch of meatballs to a crock pot for a tasty slow-cooked treat)
Twizzlers
Tootsie Roll Pops
Toostie Rolls
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner
Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Spontaneous Combustion Very Hot Sauce (not for wusses)

There are a couple of things on that list that while American, are not in common circulation.

Under no circumstances should you, or anyone else for that matter, purchase the Skippy Honey-added peanut butter. Just don't do it.

One word, just one word.

Tastykake

This stuff used to be only available within a few hundred miles of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They've expanded so that you can buy it in stores 1000 miles away in Florida. Still, the cakes have a short shelf life, unlike most mass produced cakes out there, so it's not available in most of the United States.

..and yes it is special.

OK, in deference to our southern Cellarites, I will also add Moon Pies (with Goo-Goos). Goo-Goos I believe were associated with the Grand Ole Opry.

Because it tastes like brined sh*t. Next question, please.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Sadly Brianna is right and I cannot abide peanut butter in any guise, so the PB optins are out.

Am tempted by the Betty Crocker poatoes and Wolf's suggestion of what to do with Heinz Chili Sauce.
The whole green chillies appeal, but we can but Old El Paso here, so I will check my supermarket first.

Don't worry, I don't assume this list of processed foods represents America's total culinary output - I've been around here long enough to know you guys are great cooks too.

One wonders where this clearly unique taste sensation first made its decidedly memorable impression upon you, sir...?

Pace "salsa" is more like... bloody mary mix. Or spicy V-8.

Well, it wasn't the whale's penis.

I confess to some artistic license in my description. It was not intended as a mathematically accurate analysis (hehehe. anal... ) It's just very salty, and tastes bad. Better to go without.

If one desires some salsa, it requires the chopping up of about five ingredients... (hint: add some tomatillos for a little zzzing)

Have you ever tried peanut butter and honey sandwiches? I had a friend who couldn't even stand the smell much less the taste of peanut butter...but she loved peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I always had to bring extra when I came to school with one or else I wouldn't have enough for myself. Biiig glass of milk with it tho...it isn't complete without the milk. Also natural peanut butter is alot better than that proccessed crapp by Jiffy and other such peanut butter brands.

I like PB&H especially when the honey soaks into the bread and gets a little crunchy.

Peanut Butter and Bacon rocks too.

My husband and I argue about this one. He swears by Little Debbie, and claims that Tastykakes suck. I tell him he's an ignoramus from Ohio. (He really is! From Ohio, I mean.)
I love me a Tastykake. :yum:

Little Debbie is foul!

Peanut butter is the invention of the devil. No amount of suggested additives will change my mind.

>>>>>>>The Devil? >>>>>>> :stickpoke

PB&H& Apples! mmmmm
I tried it w/ bananas but i didn't like the mushiness...maybe apples and bananas(did anybody else sing song that phrase?)...but i'm kinda lazy and don't wanna have to go through all of that prep.
SG be more open minded (or perhaps I should say "mouthed") about peanut butter!

Just realised I'm back within striking distance of the physical shop that this eBay thread was about.

Spent a good, happy time browsing.
Then went to the ginormous Asda also in Milton Keynes and saw such disparate items as A1 Steak Sauce and Marshmallow Fluff there as well. I could probably have found more, but Mum shops in supermarkets, she doesn't go window shopping like Dad and me.

They have agreed to drop me off there next time they go to MK market so I can spend as long as I like.
Yay!

If anyone is interested in seeing if one of their personal favourites has been added to the list, the update is here.

For the record
So even the Aussies can join in. If you want to I mean.

This reminds me of how much I'd love to have a bag of Jumpys right now.

If I had planned ahead, I could have bought a few bags online for Christmas presents for my Dad (he loves them too) but it's too late.

If you're feeling brave, this is the cereal that I mentioned in another thread goes extremely well with Brie.

The Capn and Brie? Why do you lie, Clod? Why?

No way. I love peanut butter! I ate tons of it when I was pregnant. Very good source of protien. Delicious with chocolate, honey, jelly... in ice cream... on celery, apples, crackers...

MMMM MSG... wtf????

In the UK, Peanuts are on the "banned" list of foods for pregnant women. Or they were 11 years ago.

Meh. Now some studies are saying that it's the avoiding of the peanuts during pregnancy which is triggering the allergic sensitivities... they don't have a clue, we should all just do whatever the hell we feel like.

I thought peanuts were banned because they can get a particular type of mould which can be harmful?

Anyway, I've eaten plenty of them both naturally and in peanut butter. Actually, during the first 12 weeks, peanut butter on toast was one of the few things that stayed down easily. I think I had it almost every day.

Bleurgh - another reason I'm glad I decided not to have kids!

Exactly. For a bit there they were claiming that soy was so close to peanuts that it was soy formula that was causing the allergies. I don't believe any of it. :headshake

I never use anything but honey graham crackers for graham cracker crumb crust -- I don't particularly care for trying this with the cinnamon sugared variety.

Can't go wrong with Cheerios cereal. I'm very very fond indeed of Grape-Nuts -- think of these as a sort of cold hot cereal, as it's quite dense. They are very crunchy until soaked in milk a little while, or with some hot water from the teakettle splashed into their center to both soften and warm. Any variety of Life cereal is tasty. Cream of Wheat is a brand of farina, and very nice with raisins cooked in with it and brown sugar on it. Get the kind under Nabisco, in the red box, not the white. The red is the regular, the white the instant, and the regular has more flavor.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are about my favorite. The strawberry are among the first Pop-Tart flavors and are a classic. The S'Mores flavor, not so much -- real S'Mores, homebuilt, taste much more as S'Mores should. Whole-grain Pop-Tarts have just recently been introduced.

That's a pretty fierce price for a can of soda, but I do like A&W Diet Root Beer. It's very like its sugared opposite number.

I was raised on Skippy peanut butter. Smooth or chunky style, didn't really matter, though we found chunky style more fun in grilled cheese sandwiches.

Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup is okay. Not a patch on Grade B maple syrup, though.

In the Dills/Gherkins section, well, Bread and Butter pickles are neither, but are very tasty. They do have this faintly buttery taste and are a sweet pickle. Sounds a bizarre combination, but it's quite good. And the Squeezable Vlasic Relish on that page is another bit of the grilled cheese/peanut butter sandwich. Adds a piquancy and a bit of moistness.

Lawry's is a spices and seasonings outfit. Old Bay Seasoning is traditional on crab, every bit as good on firm-fleshed fish, and zippy as a salt for popcorn. Hamburger Helper is comfort food, combined with ground beef and baked en casserole. Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce is a traditional accompaniment to roast stuffed turkey. Often we open both ends of the can and push its entire contents out onto a long serving dish where it exhibits the rings of the can on its burgundy-colored cylindrical shape. Progresso's canned black beans are good. Many times I prefer black beans over pinto beans, as they have a bit more flavor. Old El Paso canned chilis are jalapeño peppers and if you like having chilis stashed for use whenever, this is a good way to go. You can even put them in cornbread. Rice-A-Roni is an orzo pasta coming in many varieties, pick your flavor. Chile Today Hot Tamale Chile De Arbol (they misprinted the last word) -- very hot peppers, dried. Good for high-octane, high-explosive chili. Use these as you would dried crushed red pepper. Bang 'em up in a coffee grinder. Wash your hands after handling, because if you rub your eye with that pepper's oils still on your fingers, you'll be pretty sorry. It will sting. Their Cascabel chile peppers -- medium hottish, maybe a little more. Habañeros, I think you know; likely hotter even than the de Arbol chiles. Bellycheer's Red Pepper Jelly -- that'd be sweet and hot together. Excellent as an instant glaze on baked chicken.

I don't recommend any instant hot cereal. They all taste a little too "engineered." Instant Grits are among the worst that way. I like Old Fashioned Quaker Oats -- oatmeal, rolled thick and not as parboiled. Takes a few minutes more to cook, and worth the wait.

Among the hot sauces, well, they're all good. I like Dave's and Blair's offerings. If the BEF had had these available at Dunkirk, they might not have had to evacuate. Effin' breakfast of champions, here. Oh, my... they have Endorphin Rush. This stuff is... is... Ay Dios mio, Jesús y Maria!! -- scary hot. The first clue is when you take off the cap and sniff the bottle and it smells of sawn wood. Veteran chilehead Mexicans have taken a spoonful of this pepper sauce and wept for twenty minutes. The directions on the bottle say use this a few drops at a time -- they MEAN IT. Try three drops sprinkled over a serving of fried or baked potatoes.

Nabisco's Wheat Thins are tasty little crackers about an inch on a side, and crisp.

Sauces section: well, what can you say about applesauce? Mott's is a national brand. Tastes like applesauce. I see this section is a catchall -- mayonnaise, applesauce, pepper sauce, A1.

Rubs And Blends: Jerk Seasoning, bottom of the page, is zippy and fun, for jerk pork and other Jamaicanness. Cut up a little beef jerky into tiny bits like bacon crumbles and mix it with a little jerk sauce and you've got jerky-jerk, good for topping baked potatoes.

What he said.

Tomatoes, an onion, fresh chile peppers (jalapeños are good, something hotter for something volcanic -- add such to taste), fresh cilantro, chop it all finely together, then a generous squeeze of lime overall. There's your salsa cruda. Optionally, some bits of green bell pepper for brightness, and a tomatillo or two. It's all vitaminaceous.

Coincidentally I just logged on to translate the quantities on the back of my Aunt Jemima Cornbread packet. I'm time-wasting here before cooking it.

Should get on really, although it won't take long I'd rather it was a nasal surprise for my parents when they get back.

I'd include the following terminally American items:

Tabasco saucce
Honey Nut Cheerios
Kraft Mac n cheese
French's French Fried Onions
Cambell's Tomato soup and the cream of mushroom soup
VELVEETA- can't leave that one off the list
Maple syrup- real and from Vermont
Woody's Cookin' sauce
Hooter's wing sauce
Chef Boyardee Ravioli
Franco American Spagetti O's
Oreos
Wolf brand chili ( great for making Tex Mex Enchiladas)
Grits (NOT instant... get the real stuff and smother them with cheese crumbled sausage and jalapenos or my favorite... Tabasco sauce)
Malt-O- Meal (the regular... not flavored, not instant)
Kool aid
Jello pudding snacks
French's mustard (the yellow variety)

I'm sure I'll think of more

We can already get some of the things you recommended Pooka (Tabasco is my all time favourite ingredient!) but I'm certainly considering buying Velveeta and Kraft Mac n Cheese, simply because they've been mentioned too many times on here and in books for me not to. For the same reason I am considering bread & butter pickles. My family adore all pickles, so I'd have some help with them.

The various hot sauces... Hmmmmm. Dad doesn't really do hot, and Mum only likes a little as she has various gastric problems. I am tempted, but I don't want to buy something that's too hot for me to enjoy.

I had my Ass Kickin Hot mustard in a cheese and turkey ham bagel the other day. You'd have laughed at the tiny amount I put on to start with - I was building myself up gently. When I couldn't taste it I went back and slathered some more on and got it just right - enough to spark up the taste buds, not enough to feel like there's an auto de fe in my mouth.

The cornbread went down very well I must say. By the time Mum & Dad came back it was out of the oven and cooling, and the few items I'd used were all washed up and put away (always a plus when cooking). I added Mature Irish Cheddar, Italian Herbs with Garlic and a few dashes of Tabasco (enough to give it a mild after-kick). Mum and I polished off half of it at lunch, and it made the house smell very yummy. Dad said he'll try some tomorrow, but he has a whole loaf of Tiger Bread to get through, so maybe not. I judge it a success anyway.

I still have my Kick Yo Ass Hot Cornbread mix to make as well. I might not even use the habenero pepper and just make it the same way I did this one. Well... maybe just a pinch.

Kraft Mac and Cheese is not actually food, but the cheese powder in it is symbolic of all American ghetto eating. I recommend adding real cheese to Kraft Mac n Cheese, to add actual nutrition and taste. Add half the fat called for in the M&C instructions, and then add a good-sized handful of real cheese.

Back in the day, many friends survived college on generic Mac & Cheese. For 25 cents a box, 1984 prices, it would fool people's stomachs into believing they had eaten something. I would not eat generic M&C under any circumstances.