Saturday, September 27, 2008

Expat Shopping List

A week from today, I'm flying to San Miguel de Allende to visit my mom who lives there. She's asked me to bring down crunchy peanut butter and steel cut oats. It's funny what one misses living in a foreign country.

When we lived in Mexico and friends asked what they could bring us, I always requested Peet's coffee or California wine. Ten years later, good coffee and wine are available in San Miguel, but crunchy peanut butter and steel cut oats remain elusive or they're imported and crazy expensive at gourmet foods shops ("gourmet" should be in quotes, as these stores stock things like US$12 boxes of Hamburger Helper for desperate homesick expatriates).

I'm also going to pack some Berkshire Bark and horseradish mustard, both of which will be appreciated taste treats from el norte.

P.S. Those of you considering fleeing the country if Obama doesn't win might want to check out Expat: Women's True Tales of Life Abroad. (I contributed the opening essay.)

1 comment:

Kitt said...

Have fun on your visit! My mom's been wanting to do a trip with me to San Miguel. One of these days!

Peanut butter seems to be elusive everywhere. I traded a jar of it on the Trans-Siberian for John McPhee's "Looking for a Ship," photocopied from The New Yorker (it was serialized). We both thought wed gotten a good deal. (You try bringing enough to read for seven days on the train.)