Comments on: The Things They Carried…Back

By: starburst

starburst — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:02:05 +0000

i’d suggest befriending an american diplomat. a lot of this stuff is available at the embassy commissary.

By: desyl

desyl — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:47:54 +0000

I always crave Orville Reddenbacher’s microwave popcorn. Home made over the stove doesn’t work as there is too much moisture in the kernels and the popcorn always turns out chewy. And freshly made corn tortillas (although Atomic’s are supposed to be excellent, haven’t tried).

I second the Trader Joe’s vanilla extract and potato chip (cheese curl?) thing. But the ease of obtaining great french fries nearly makes up for it.

Not food but also I need deodorant that works- Dove solid antiperspirant, thanks, and Tom’s of Maine toothpaste.

By: Berlin Reified

Berlin Reified — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:33:50 +0000

By the way, here's a very nice guide to creating your own vanilla extract, for those who haven't yet begged it or carried it back: http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2007/10/9/project-vanilla.html

By: josh

josh — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:55:43 +0000

I recommend you take a look at http://www.lateinamerika-in-berlin.de/. It hasn’t been updated in a while, but it has a lot of stuff. My food recommendation is LatinoAmerika on Bundesallee. For info, go to that site, go to “Hadeln” and then “Lebensmittel.”

Thanks for visiting our site!

By: everydayBerlin

everydayBerlin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:07:55 +0000

You can get American-type brown sugar at many of the Asian markets … the biggish one by Alex-platz definitely has it. Has anybody seen a decent place to get Mexican or Latin ingredients?

By: Berlin Reified

Berlin Reified — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:35:53 +0000

I’ve also bought American-style (ie soft/moist) light and dark brown sugar at the Vinh-Loi’s near Wittenbergplatz.

It’s true that Toppits bags are ubiquitous but I find them extortionately priced, which is why I stock up on Ziplock bags when I’m home.

Hmm, I’ve been burned trying to substitute Rübensirup for molasses – I found the flavor very different – but it depends on what you’re making, I suppose.

An interesting discussion!

By: Ed Ward

Ed Ward — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 22:01:37 +0000

Well, on the salmon issue, there is a particular alderwood-smoked salmon that people who’ve lived around Seattle are very acquainted with and which has a taste unduplicable — probably due to the lack of alder trees — in Europe. But yeah, smoked salmon’s almost a culinary cliche around here.

And I agree on Hershey’s: the chocolate you can get out of U-Bahn vending machines is better.

By: bleistifterin

bleistifterin — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:37:14 +0000

I understand about “proper” and acquired tastes and the like, but who in their right mind would want to buy any Hershey’s in a country, let alone a continent, where you can substitute their cardboard crap for “real” chocolate?
And smoked salmon? are you kidding me? There is several good quality fishmongers in Berlin, at the very last in the KaDeWe where anybody should be able to find something decent. If you don’t like the already quite decent stuff they sell at any supermarket.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:31:47 +0000

I forgot to mention, re: the expensive pumpkin pie mix:

Do you mean the can of pumpkin goo? If so, hokkaido squash are on sale at every little sidewalk produce store right now. Scoop out the innards, cut the shell into cubes, boil until soft, then puree. I have made several pumpkin pies this way with great success. (I’ve read that most of the canned pumpkin goo in the US isn’t even really “pumpkin” anyway, it’s cheaper squash.)

By: Ed Ward

Ed Ward — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:56:05 +0000

The cornmeal available in Germany is either too fine (the Turkish kind) or too coarse (polenta) to make decent cornbread, sorry.

Plantains are available in shops catering to Indians, because they also cater to Africans. I can think of one on Mehringdamm, and another on (I think) Schleschisesstr., although there are doubtless a lot more. Also Vinh Loi has them most of the time and Asia Mekong some of the time. They’re called Kochbananen.

As for bagels, I find those from the Bagel Company chain better than Solomon’s. Not sure where these people operate, but there’s one by Friedrichstr. station and another on Rosenthaler Str., and they also do catering at the ICC. If you must have Solomon’s, they have a bakery in the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden. Neither is as good as Bagel Brothers (or is it Brothers’ Bagels?), which have locations in Leipzig and Lübeck, among other places.

Looking at the main post, Zip-Loc bags are widely available here, made exactly the same as in the States. Arm & Hammer is widely available in “Asia” shops, and any Brit who can’t find PG Tips, either at Broken English or at any Indian store, isn’t trying very hard. Broken English, although pricey, is a very good source for a lot of things. I’m wondering if the British Food Shop which used to operate in Wilmersdorf and Spandau still has its Spandau location open. They were an excellent source of “proper rashers” and other British meats, tinned savory pies, and a zillion kinds of potato crisps.