If she’d come up north at Easter time she could have found pigeon peas, but they would have been called carlins instead. Don’t know if they are sold at any other time though
I think it’s because theu aren’t beer heathens.
They… dammit.
WotNot. As a Brit that now lives in Canada, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what you call a Muffin is indeed what is known in North America as an English muffin.
Like you said, available all over the UK, right next to the crumpets.
Here in Dubai, they sell the wonderful Bundaberg Ginger Beer from Australia, which is the traditional variety.
However, it’s called “Ginger Bev.” When I first noticed this, I thought perhaps it was different - maybe still not sparkling. But it’s nice and fizzy.
Now I think it’s been done so as not to offend (or confuse?) muslims with the word “beer”. Very stupidly, they sometimes describe wine as “grape beverage” on menus here. I nearly ordered it once, thinking it was grape juice (I don’t drink alcohol).
Why they can merrily print the word “alcohol” on the same menu that they shrink from printing the word “wine” is anyone’s guess…
What is Mexican/Salvadoran hot chocolate?
Actually, Cheez-Whiz (sp?) is a jarred processed cheese spread. Much like Easy Cheese, but Easy Cheese is the aerosol equivalent.
Aha! Cheez Whiz!.
:rolleyes:
It comes in the form of round disks about 1" thick and 3" wide, which break into six pie-shaped tablets; each tablet makes 1 cup of hot chocolate. It’s the kind that you have to dissolve in hot milk. Unlike American/regular English hot chocolate, it is flavored with cinnamon and sometimes a bit of vanilla and/or nutmeg.
In Mexico, traditionally the heated chocolate is beaten into a froth with a * molinillo,* a traditional wooden utensil that works something like a wire whisk, except that you roll it rapidly between the palms of your hands. Most people use a whisk these days, or even a belnder (especially for larger batches). Try it sometime; it’s yummy and very aromatic! The two main brands are Abuelita (Grandma) and Ibarra.
There’s an Irish pub/restaurant in Evanston, the first suburb north of Chicago, that has an absolutely mind-blowing sticky toffee pudding. I seem to recall seeing it a couple of other places, but you won’t find it in supermarkets or bakeries. Bannoffee pie: I’ve heard of it, but never seen or tasted it. But the ingredients were nothing unusual, so if you lived in the U.S. and needed a fix, you could certainly make one or convince someone to make one. (Same for sticky toffee pudding.)
I’ve got recipes for both, and if my books weren’t still packed up in boxes, I’d post them for you. I’m sure you can find a recipe online, though, if you’re really curious.
Mountain Dew was introduced to Britain with a huge marketing campaign in the mid-90s , but for some reason it was withdrawn after a couple of years. I really like it as well.
Graham Crackers aren’t sold here either.
Is there seriously still a General Question here?
seems the question is “UK Dopers: What Foods Do We Have in the US That Youd Don’t Have Over There?”
American cheese…is that just a US thing, or is it available elsewhere?
Do Americans have rhubarb/apple crumble? Much nicer than pie.
Yes, but I’ve never seen it in a store. Everyone I know just makes it themselves.
What is honey butter?
Take butter, add honey, whip. Very tasty.
Ostrich meat is unusual, but not impossible to find in the US. Oddly, a fast food joint in my town advertises it’s ostrich burgers like mad. Likewise Marmite, although I can’t think of why this qualifies as food. 
South African red tea is easy to get, but I never saw it before a few years ago.
How 'bout Crab Cakes? Of course, in the US they’re difficult to come by unless you’re near the Chesapeake Bay, or Pamlico sound, or some such, but I believe they are something truly “american” in origin.
I’ve never had the American kind of crab cakes anywhere but the Chesapeake and fancy seafood restaurants in the US, but there are other versions of crabcake scatter across various cuisines. The Thai kind are very good.
Please tell me that the abomination known as American cheese has never left this country?
I hope not. The UK has Kraft Cheese Slices, which similarly bear little resemblance to cheese, but you will never get them unexpectedly in something that advertises itself as containing cheese, unlike two recent experiences of mine here in the US.
Last weekend I stopped at a Waffle House and had a cheese omelette and they made it with American “cheese”. I still literally shudder at the memory of the taste. I also once ordered a loaded baked potato from O’Charley’s and the cheese was American. Yeeuck! I sent that back and it reappeared with cheddar. So why didn’t they use proper cheese in the first place, as they obviously had some?
Say what you will about American Cheese, but it’s damn good melted in a grilled cheese sandwich and served with campbell’s tomato soup (and don’t give me that “but REAL cheese and home-made tomato soup would be better!” yes, it would, but this is something I and a lot of other American kids grew up with so it’s a comfort food that brings back a lot of pleasant associations for me.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.