I remember a couple of years ago how overjoyed I was when I found imported gherkins at Tesco at Fairy Land mall. It was a relatively small store, since closed. But, for a while it was a thrill finding imported products like beetroot, muesli, Alpen cereals, sardines without chili sauce, and a few other products I've since forgotten.
Soon enough, Makro was stocking gherkins, beetroot, pickled onions and a good variety of imported cheeses. The biggie at Makro was finding Aromat - one would have thought I'd won the jackpot. Makro occasionally stocks imported feta which is very expensive and usually only available in big quantities. A salad isn't a salad without feta, but a 5kg container of it is just a little ridiculous for household consumption. I keep hoping for Redro Fish Paste, but so far no luck.
Subsequently, more and more imported products are finding their way onto the shelves at the Big C and the newer Tesco stores. New Zealand lamb is quite easy to find, and while not quite as good as SA lamb, it's worth it - nothing herbs and spices can't fix.
Sauces that we missed at first but are easy to find now, HP sauce, Tabasco, BBQ etc and of course (for those who like it) , tomato sauce of every brand which fills multiple shelves in the stores, Another YAY was finding balsamic vinegar, but dear old Mrs Balls has yet to appear.
Since I don't like Thai food, and only eat it when absolutely necessary, I sometimes cook and get very frustrated when there is a vital ingredient missing, especially when there isn't a tasty or suitable substitute for it. My kind of spices are not easy to find here, so I bring back a variety of Ina Paarman spices from SA every year.
For the fruit lovers, there is no shortage of delicious fruits. Besides cantaloupe, I don't usually eat fruit, preferring vegetables instead, and those I like are in very short supply. The only constants are pumpkins, awful potatoes, yucky tomatoes, good onions - white and red, and occasionally I'm lucky enough to find fresh lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and bell peppers. Cucumbers are either in abundance or completely missing from the baskets, and carrots are usually available. Peas (which I don't like anyway) and beans are hard to come by, fresh corn is sometimes available. There are many types of mushrooms, but not the "button" mushrooms which are my personal favourite. There are loads of Thai veges, but none that I would eat. In fact, I wouldn't know what to do with them. Since I've developed an allergy to cabbage I give all varieties a miss.
On the meat side, chicken and pork is about as good as it gets. Beef is very rare, and even if found, it's usually tough and sinewy. Thai people, I'm told, generally do not like lamb, but as mentioned, we do find imported lamb (legs and rolls) at Makro, and the smaller cuts at Tesco. There is a huge variety of meat or icky innards which I can't identify and wouldn't eat. Duck is usually available, but not on my shopping list. Pork or beef bangers are a distant memory, Chinese sausage is available but not my taste, and the rest of the sausages resemble variations of vienna sausages.
But, on the bright side, Bangkok is not too far away for a weekend of shopping, and we do sometimes stock up on cold cuts and other "wants" to bring back home. A biltong distributor or 2 has popped up more recently, and although it's "SA biltong" I still don't think they've got the recipe right, or they are using local beef and not the beef as we know it in SA. It's not bad, but I'm not likely to order it again.
More recently, Phitsanulok has become a good shopping option, it's a lot closer than Bangkok and the Tops Market at the Central Plaza has a great variety of goodies.
Despite the limitations of choice, we somehow continue to thrive and are certainly not losing any weight as a result.
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