# Incredibly common products which the store clerk never heard of **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225 "2021-09-23T21:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/283 "2021-09-30T11:55:57Z")
OH! A strimmer! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/284 "2021-09-30T12:09:45Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Apple butter is just something your mother or grandmother makes… As I said, my mom used to make it. I’ve also bought it in supermarkets, I think in the peanut butter/jelly section. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/285 "2021-09-30T12:15:48Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > (Interestingly, I was surprised when I moved here to not be able to find plum jam in Chicago supermarkets.) I grew up with Lowell brand plum jam here in Chicago (they’re a Franklin Park company.) Mostly found in Eastern European groceries and supermarkets, or in major supermarkets in/near neighborhoods with a significant Eastern European population. Apple butter is one of those things I only know from kitschy country gift shops and fairs. I probably didn’t even hear of it or encounter it until I was a teenager – just not a common item in my circle. And if you like apple butter, plum butter is quite nice, especially Hungarian and Balkan versions. Lots of great plums in that area. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/286 "2021-09-30T12:21:25Z")
Our neighbors/friends have an apple orchard and farm store. Apples, cider, juice, butter, are all easily available. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/287 "2021-09-30T12:52:01Z")
My husband used to eat apple butter regularly. It was a staple in our fridge. We bought it at the supermarket. Apples were a hugely important food stuff in early America. I’m not surprised to hear that apple butter is less common in other places. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/288 "2021-09-30T13:07:21Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > > [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > > > A friend in Germany made a big batch of apple butter last year, so I thought it was a commonplace food item on both sides of the Atlantic. > > I’ve done a bit more research and have found that there is a regional specialty called _Apfelkraut_ which is made of apple juice boiled down to a thick syrup. Do you recall if that’s what your German friend called it? Apple butter isn’t syrup. It’s not liquid. It’s not as thick as peanut butter, but it’s not far from it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/289 "2021-09-30T13:07:21Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I wonder what they call a can of tomato sauce then. And I wouldn’t call a plain ol’ can of tomato sauce “marinara.” Pasta sauce. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/290 "2021-09-30T13:09:02Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > OH! A strimmer! A whipper-snipper. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/291 "2021-09-30T13:09:16Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > When I was in Australia I asked for ketchup at a fish and chips joint. The young waitress looked at me like I was asking for a grass whip or a cotter pin or something. An older worker stepped in and said, “he means tomato sauce”. > > He then went into the back for a minute, then emerged and handed me a thimble-sized paper receptacle containing about a teaspoon of inferior ketchup. > > mmm Good luck getting even a teaspoon of ketchup by any name with your fish and chips in the U.K. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/292 "2021-09-30T13:11:53Z")
> Growing up in the deep south, that’s what we always called a sling blade or swing blade. In fact, there’s a Billy Bob Thornton movie from 1996 by that very name. I call it a kaiser blade. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/293 "2021-09-30T13:12:44Z")
Well, maybe that wasn’t quite the right word for me to describe _Apfelkraut_. I’ve only ever seen pictures of it, and only just today. I suppose it could be more like a spread than a syrup. Powidl, the plum-based analogue I’m familiar with, is more like a spread, but only just barely. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/294 "2021-09-30T13:20:29Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Good luck getting even a teaspoon of ketchup by any name with your fish and chips in the U.K. Um, what? Not true ([pic from my local chippie for evidence](https://www.bestofbristol.co/listing/salt-and-malt/)). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/295 "2021-09-30T13:23:21Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Apple butter isn’t syrup. It’s not liquid. It’s not as thick as peanut butter, but it’s not far from it. It’s like applesauce, but thicker, sweeter and darker. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/296 "2021-09-30T13:32:52Z")
^perfect description! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/297 "2021-09-30T13:37:34Z")
I described it to a friend as “applesauce jam”. I didn’t know it was so geographically-limited. This will impact my future expatriations. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/298 "2021-09-30T13:55:33Z")
Sorry - missed the post where you said that. > [@panache45](#): > > It’s like applesauce, but thicker, sweeter and darker. Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/299 "2021-09-30T14:01:56Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It’s like applesauce, but thicker, sweeter and darker. In fact, you make apple butter by cooking down apple sauce until it just begins to caramelize. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/300 "2021-09-30T14:06:44Z")
Then things have changed since my visit, when all that was offered was vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/301 "2021-09-30T14:08:25Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > > [@Asuka](#): > > > > Went to buy beer from a convenience store and the clerk told me because it was expired he couldn’t sell me alcohol which made no sense, you’re checking my age not checking my driver’s license status. > > I’ve heard this complaint many times before and I don’t really understand it. The whole thing was expired, not just your driving privileges. Non-driver ID cards expire too, even though there is no other status attached to them. Maybe the regulations are too strict and they should just not be asking as many people for ID at all, or there should be a grace period of a few weeks in states that do this by mail, but I’m not sure why people get mad when they’re not able to use an ID card that _literally says it’s not valid_. Yeah, and as mentioned, there are plenty of states that you can renew online and they just send you a brand new license and get to keep your old one. So, if you are relatively young enough (say under 30), you could just loan your expired license to someone who looks relatively similar to you, like a brother or cousin. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225/302 "2021-09-30T14:15:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Then things have changed since my visit, when all that was offered was vinegar. You must have been somewhere pretty unique. I’ve been eating fish and chips for 50 years and never had an issue getting ketchup (and tartar sauce, and curry sauce). Vinegar (and salt) may be the only bottle on the counter, but other sauces are available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-common-products-which-the-store-clerk-never-heard-of/951225.md?page=16)