Ooooh, remembered something else:
The Sharper Image.
… not that I ever bought things there. I just loved looking at all that awesome, useless crap.
I don’t know why they haven’t opened a franchise here. Israelis love gadgets, are constantly buying each other gifts, and have more than enough disposable income. Any business-minded Dopers feel like getting in on this?
[QUOTE=chowder]
Well I’ve been to Tesco about a billion times (there’s one just a short walk away) and a Morrison’s that’s about 5min drive away and they’re both the same. Tons and tons of cheddar then about 5 other types at the end each looking lonely in their single rows. I admit there’s more selection then I make out it just amuses me the mass of cheddar I encounter.
Those Farmer’s Markets though I do admit have tons of different types.
Bookstores
8 x 11 paper
Those nice packaged baked goods on the east coast. Entlemens?
Nice large roasting chickens
diet Mountain Dew (which I drink warm)
[QUOTE=Darkhold]
There are two Tesco stores near to me but no Morrisons but I also have ASDA and Sainsbury close by as well as an Aldi.
I assure you there are a darn sight more than 5 other types of cheese other than cheddar in all those stores.
Oooh Entenmann’s… drool. Had forgotten all about those - and probably spelled it wrong to boot. But their coffee cake is divine, in my opinion.
I’m American, the things I missed during:
My year in England:
Mountain Dew
Good Chinese food
My 6 months in Asia:
M&M’s
milk
steak
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
We have all of these in Thailand. In fact, there’s not much that I can find stateside but not in Bangkok. So far, Girl Scout cookies are all I can think of.
Pretzels. Especially the big, fat ones.
Same now in Taipei, though it wasn’t as much the case 10+ years ago.
More of a Texas thing, I suppose, but I r€eally miss the grocery chain called HEB. To me, HEB is the perfect grocery store: I like it so much I could go there even when I don’t need to buy anything, just to sit in the deli area or hang out in the parking lot. It’s everything good that Wal-Mart isn’t.
Central heating would also have come in handy in the past month or two. And drywall. And wall-to-wall carpets. I’m tired of living in a dank concrete/tile box, thank you very much.
I would miss good Mexican food more than anything else. Nobody makes a condiment better than salsa, and nobody makes an average quality cut of meat tastier than fajitas.
Other than that, I would probably miss “fitting in”. I would stand out awkwardly (more than I already do, I mean) anywhere else, being a 6’4" lanky blond white guy with a Southwestern accent.
I grew up in West Texas but never even heard of HEB. Are they new, or just specific to one part of the state?
We don’t have central heating. Don’t miss it either. 
Yeah, now there’s something. There are several Mexican-food restaurants in Bangkok, and a couple of them do a fairly decent job with what they’ve got. But the Mexican food of northern New Mexico was to die for. Forget that bland Tex-Mex crap.
Chowder:
hot showers that go on forever…We have these y’know…not where I’ve stayed!
front porches with swings…but very few of these
iced tea…Yup, got this. True enough.
lots of ice in my drinks…and this. 3 cubes is not “lots”
economy sized grocery products…these as well. Never found because never needed?
road signage I can understand…and these. 2 countries separated by a common language…
not having to pay to pee in a public place… :dubious: Several train stations in London require cash–a turnstile type thingy, with an attendant (or janitor)
cab drivers that just take you where you want to go instead of berating you about your country of origin’s foreign policy and wealth etc. ::cough, cough:: Cabbie in Dover–abused me (I was alone) and my country for the whole trip. I waited until he had unloaded my stuff to tell him he wasn’t getting a tip.
laundry detergent in English/Spanish instead of Chinese or similar…got this. Where? The only detergent I saw in London was English/some type of Asian writing.
flat or minimally rolling hills with wide open blue sky all day long…got the hills, not the sky. I miss the Midwest sky when I’m in NEW England…
violent thunder storms/hail storms/blizzards…Oooh, we get some stonking storms. My friend in Yorkshire says you don’t. 
barbeque…only in summer. Real BBQ, silly!
biscuits as a bread product at a meal…nope. But scones are heaven.
cookies–real American cookies, drenched with chocolate chips, nuts and loaded with refined white flour, sugar and nothing good for you…got 'em. Not easy to find. Digestive biscuit sounds like a homeopathic remedy, IMO.
Dairy Queen ice cream cones…nope Frozen yogurt would come close.
yes, even baseball news–at least news about the Cubs…nope (Thank Og)
Really bad small business TV ads: “I’m Homer Fudd and I sell cars!” sort of thing…we have crappy ads. But even your crappy ads I find fascinating.
newspapers with American focus…some American coverage is unavoidable. True.
Thought of another one: lemon wedges in table water. Heck, water provided at restaurants w/o asking. With ICE. 
Oh, and one more–a smile when checking in to your B&B would be nice. I don’t need to become your new best friend, but a small courtesy would go far. (this applies only to a certain landlady in Durham who was the most repressed person I’ve ever met. She made Lot’s wife post-glance back look animated!)
[QUOTE=eleanorigby]
Chowder:
hot showers that go on forever…We have these y’know…not where I’ve stayed!..YOU NEVER STAYED WITH ME 
lots of ice in my drinks…and this. 3 cubes is not “lots”… JUST ASK FOR MORE
…
not having to pay to pee in a public place… :dubious: Several train stations in London require cash–a turnstile type thingy, with an attendant (or janitor)…OVERLOOKED THE FACT THAT YOU ARE OF THE FAIR SEX
cab drivers that just take you where you want to go instead of berating you about your country of origin’s foreign policy and wealth etc. ::cough, cough:: Cabbie in Dover–abused me (I was alone) and my country for the whole trip. I waited until he had unloaded my stuff to tell him he wasn’t getting a tip…YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM TO SHUT UP AND JUST GET ON WITH TAKING YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION
laundry detergent in English/Spanish instead of Chinese or similar…got this. Where? The only detergent I saw in London was English/some type of Asian writing…AVAILABLE IN ALDI
violent thunder storms/hail storms/blizzards…Oooh, we get some stonking storms. My friend in Yorkshire says you don’t. …WE GET THEM, NOT OFTEN BUT WE DO
barbeque…only in summer. Real BBQ, silly! :smack:
.
I really missed books when I was in Korea. Foreign books were overpriced and hard to find.
I also missed breakfast/brunch diners. All the American brunch places in Korea were fancy places where you were expected to dress up. When I go out for brunch, I am usually tired and hungover. Certainly not in a mood to look nice.
(Lived for a few months in Davenport and Bettendorf while working with Mid-American Energy on their new computer system. Rather liked the place. Go Mallards!)
[QUOTE=chowder]
this is an interesting way to communicate!
Re the violent storms–we get them more often than not. The days that there is a soft gentle rain on and off all day are few and far between. Much more common are fast-moving deluges. We get the all day sleet in March and November like you do, though. Fog is rare here, and burns off by mid-morning or even early morning.
I’ve never seen an Aldi’s in UK. But remember, I’ve never had a car in UK–I’m either in London (Tube everywhere) or on a train to go to another place (tourist centered).
Ask for more ice and be thought a greedy American who must have things her way? Get away with ye!
Cheap books
Montery Jack Cheese
Mexican food that is actually mexican in origin (Mexican restaurants here are…very nice, but in no way actually mexican, or at least that I can find.)
My mom
Crisco shortening - not the oil, I don’t want it but maybe twice a year when baking anyway
Mike and Ikes
Jujubees
Turkeys that are bigger then pretentious chickens
Grape anything
Crystal Light
Garbage disposals and ice makers (yes, you can get them, but they aren’t usual)
What I would miss if I left Australia
Fish and chips
Thai and Vietnamese food (we live in an area heavily populated with both)
People’s attitudes (People are much more laid back here)
Four weeks vacation a year
Pub grub
Good coffee
Cheers,
G
I’m from Canada, and have travelled and lived in the north and overseas and there’s one thing I missed most of all.
Post Midnight Pizza Delivery
Things I miss from the US:
Things I prefer in the Middle East: