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jennifer rose

Jan 18, 2008, 5:43 PM

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What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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In the last ten and twenty years, the number of products available in Mexico has increased well beyond the imagination. Still, there are items which every foreigner seems to complain about not being able to find here at any price. Crunchy peanut butter is sometimes on the shelves of some markets, provided you look hard enough. Likewise, canned cranberry sauce. But what can't you find?

Rolly

Jan 18, 2008, 6:01 PM

Post #2 of 41 (2910 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Just a few minutes ago my English student was telling how he had searched all the expensive stores in Torreón looking for a Stetson hat like mine -- no luck anywhere.

My Soriana almost always has crunchy peanut butter, but they don't have real brown sugar in a box (not piloncillo). I miss turnip greens and yellow squash. I really miss lemons which I have not seen since I moved to Mexico. I can seldom find a pineapple that isn't overly ripe.

Rolly Pirate

judithnpups

Jan 18, 2008, 6:11 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Santa Barbara Jalapeño-stuffed olives. You'd think in Mexico one could find really good olives stuffed with jalapeños, but I've yet to find any as good as the Santa Barbara's. (They also make blue cheese stuffed olives. Yum.)
If anyone can recommend something similar to be found in Morelia, please let me know.
Judith in the DF (formerly in Morelia)

jennifer rose

Jan 18, 2008, 6:55 PM

Post #4 of 41 (2877 views)

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Re: [judithnpups] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I've bought canned olives in Morelia stuffed with tuna, almonds and garlic, and I'm sure I've seen jalapeno-stuffed ones. I wasn't paying attention to the brand.

But has anyone seen 100% high-thread cotton sheets in a variety of prints and Egyptian cotton towels at a decent price anywhere? Costco's linen aisle isn't the greatest.

scubabride

Jan 18, 2008, 9:55 PM

Post #5 of 41 (2853 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Since we live on an Island basically everything is imported from the mainland...never know what we will or will not havce available...but if something suprising shows up in Chedraui like Cranberry sause, we quckly stock up.

What I Miss....

Real cook and serve Chocolat pudding
Gram cracker crust pie shells
creamed corn
hamburger helper
good quality scented candals
skin so soft
instant gravy and marinades in packets.

I just returned from Atlanta and brought 2 over weight containers filled with the goodies that we either do not get here, or that are 10 x the price at the import store.

Bloviator

Jan 19, 2008, 5:49 AM

Post #6 of 41 (2829 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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For me, it isn't so much what I can't get as the price. Some items are so expensive here (Lakeside) that I rarely buy them. When I can get them NoB, I stock up. When they opened my brief case at the TJ airport a few months ago and found three packages of Hebrew National Franks (yes you can get them at Superlake for $800+ pesos for four franks) they gave me a rather strange look.

I used to bring back good CA wines each trip, but now I don't drink much wine and find the Chilean and Argentinean wines to be good enough that it isn't worth the effort.

Another reason to bring stuff from NoB, is quality. My next trip to San Diego, I will bring back garden hoses. You can get them readily here, but I have never found one that didn't kink and have weak spots that cause problems.

(This post was edited by Bloviator on Jan 19, 2008, 5:50 AM)

Don Moore

Jan 19, 2008, 6:00 AM

Post #7 of 41 (2828 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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A comment from one who still resides NOB. Most of the processed foods you mention, I would not want anyway, NOB or SOB. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. But I would be down and out if I could not fine good fresh fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't miss rutabagas or turnips, though, even though I am a Southerner, I don't go for them.

This is a very informative thread. Thanks for your responses.
Don Moore

davesteffes

Jan 19, 2008, 8:14 AM

Post #8 of 41 (2806 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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We've only been here in Coatepec Veracruz a few months and I've locat5ed most things mentionsed but I haven't been able to find two items of interest.
Three Way lightbulbs, and corn startch.

jennifer rose

Jan 19, 2008, 8:16 AM

Post #9 of 41 (2805 views)

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Re: [davesteffes] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Corn starch is all over the place, under the name of Maizena.

3-way light bulbs, now that's another matter.

MazDee

Jan 19, 2008, 10:02 PM

Post #10 of 41 (2677 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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In Mazatlán, the availability of products has really accelerated in the 5 years I have been here. But, I have to bring spices such as fennel, carraway, and anything Asian when I make my annual trip north. And I bring horseradish and sometimes mustards. Really sharp cheddar is so rare! They had some at our Gigante recently but I think it was an accident! I was buying it up and keeping the secret to myself and a few friends, but somebody posted the info on a local forum and well, all gone in no time! Gigante also sells rye bread from Chicago (almost 5 bucks a loaf) but often it is old, and probably wasn't that good in the first place. I miss good rye bread. I miss corned beef, too, but I am going to try to make some this year. Mostly, I have adapted to what is here. (Wait, I have never seen those canned tomatoes here, and you have them all over the country? It isn't a problem, I just wondered). But Maz is basically a beans, shrimp, carne asada and tortilla place, with no foreign accent whatsoever. (Except that it was founded by Europeans with little taste for the old country, apparently, except beer!) This is an interesting question, Jennifer. I was just going to post a similar question on the Lakeside forum. I will do that now! Dee

Tab

Jan 20, 2008, 9:27 AM

Post #11 of 41 (2635 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Tetley Tea! Atleast I haven't found it in Mazatlan yet. All I can seem to find is black tea but no orange pekoe.

Georgia

Jan 20, 2008, 10:28 AM

Post #12 of 41 (2622 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Diet foods are often difficult to find. I've been on a perpetual diet since I retired and moved to Mexico (down about 110 -115 pounds now). So, here is my, kind of odd, list:

Nature's Own 40 cal. per slide bread (yes, Bimbo makes a light whole wheat at 40 cal. but not as good)
Cabot's 75% fat free cheddar (does not taste like plastic)
Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry juice (10 cal. a small bottle)
Smuckers sugar free orange marmalade (all the other flavors except blueberry are available here)
Low fat ricotta cheese
Fresh skim milk
Laughing Cow Light Cheese
Breton low sodium low fat crackers (well, once in a while)
Egg Beaters Southwestern style (sometimes I can get Egg Watchers, plain)
Land O' Lakes fat free half and half

On the other hand, since we live near Jocotepec, we can get:
buckets of fresh raspberries
artichokes
fresh limes
turkey bacon
Bimbo whole wheat light bread
Most Smuckers sugar free jellies
Low fat cottage cheese
Boxed skim milk
Splenda
string cheese
Sugar free, fat free Jello pudding (I call it invisible pudding)

So, whever we have company coming and they ask what they can bring, I refer to List 1. When we drive north to see the kids, I stock up on items from that list as well. Big coolers full.

I guess as the US has come to a realization about its obesity problem, there are a lot more healthy, palatable diet foods available there. Now, if Mexico could just get a handle on its diabetes explosion, we might enjoy the same products here.

JohnnyBoy

Jan 20, 2008, 11:02 AM

Post #13 of 41 (2615 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I have not been able to find salted butter here, unless the Mexican butter, mantequilla (sp?), is salted. But it is too nasty to eat, for me. Our Costco has a brand of New Zealand butter, a huge block of it, but it is unsalted, and the Costco brand too is unsalted. There is also a 500 gr. log of French butter available at Costco, but a tad expensive and no indicators on the package whether it is salted or not. As I recall, most European butter is not salted. I really can do without the salt, though, and am taking this as an opportunity to decrease my salt intake, for the sake of my high blood pressure.

I am very disappointed in the paucity of fresh fruits and vegetables. There are no cute little fruit and veggie stores in this big city, or at least none that I have come across. Just the usual BHs, Leys, and Sorianas. Their fruit and vegetables are not bad, almost as good as what I used to find at Safeway and Albertsons NOB, but it was a part of my mental image of Mexico that little fruit and vegetable stores would be found everywhere. In the Mexican barrio in San Mateo, CA, where I lived just before moving to Mexico, there were several. In big cities in Italy one can still find such places. I suspect they are also to be found in other medium to large sized Mexican cities as well, just not this one. :( The central market has fruits and vegetables, now I recall. But it is miles away.

I have to say that right now, at this time of year, there are plenty of nice, fresh oranges available off the back of hundreds of pickup trucks around the city at very low prices. If only I knew what to do with 40 kilos of oranges.

bournemouth

Jan 20, 2008, 12:13 PM

Post #14 of 41 (2614 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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John - The New Zealand butter, Anchor, can usually be found salted in Walmart and Soriana. It has a blue blaze on the top of the label noting that it is salted. The unsalted has a red blaze. Lurpack, the Danish butter, can also usually be found in these locations, both salted and unsalted. I have to admit that occasionally there are periods when salted butter is hard to find - we stock up and keep it in the freezer as a reserve against those times. Even Bodega Aurrera, the low end of Walmart carries Anchor butter. Does this say something about Mexican butter?

Rolly

Jan 20, 2008, 12:32 PM

Post #15 of 41 (2613 views)

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Mexican Butter?

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Folks, bear in mind that most "Mexican" butter is produced locally. There are many creameries all over the country. Ergo, there is no such thing as a universal Mexican butter. The butter I buy at my Soriana is made by the LaLa creamery just down the road a ways from the store. It tastes just fine to me. It's unsalted, which is fine with me; I always bought unsalted NoB.

Rolly Pirate

bournemouth

Jan 20, 2008, 12:38 PM

Post #16 of 41 (2611 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Mexican Butter?

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Rolly - LaLa is pretty much a national company and even has a presence in the US these days.

www.lala.com.mx

Rolly

Jan 20, 2008, 1:54 PM

Post #17 of 41 (2599 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Mexican Butter?

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Yes, it is Torreón's gift -- founded here in 1950.

If you look on thier butter wrapper you will see, in fine print, where the butter was made.

Rolly Pirate

esperanza

Jan 20, 2008, 2:22 PM

Post #18 of 41 (2586 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Look for Lurpak butter. It comes either salted or unsalted and is excellent.

PS: What big city are you in? You mention one, but don't say where...

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

(This post was edited by esperanza on Jan 20, 2008, 2:23 PM)

jennifer rose

Jan 20, 2008, 4:09 PM

Post #19 of 41 (2570 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I've detached and moved some of the food-related parts of this thread over to the Kitchen Forum. Let's use that arena to talk about food and dining.

And let's continue this thread along non-food related items which can't be had in Mexico.

MazDee

Jan 20, 2008, 4:13 PM

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Re: [JohnBleazard] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I normally use Gloria brand salted Mexican butter, don't know where it is from, but it tastes good to me. The Danish and NZ butters are a little better, and sometimes worth the extra cost. Here in Mazatlán I never have trouble finding salted butter.

Ed and Fran

Jan 20, 2008, 5:08 PM

Post #21 of 41 (2549 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I've detached and moved some of the food-related parts of this thread over to the Kitchen Forum. Let's use that arena to talk about food and dining.

??? Why? Your own thread starting post referenced two food items. If you didn't want food responses, why did you phrase your post that way? Just seems strange to me.

morgaine7

Jan 20, 2008, 5:36 PM

Post #22 of 41 (2540 views)

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Re: [MazDee] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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I also use and like Gloria butter (comes in salted and unsalted). At the moment, I'm having trouble finding pure ammonia and wooden curtain rod components. For the latter, I can't seem to put together a complete system in any size ... some parts are for 7/8" rods, others for 1-1/4", etc. Hmmm, cat litter. Most brands available here are the horrendous fine clumping stuff that my cats toss out and track all over the house (yes, I clean it daily).

For the most part, though, I'm delighted with the availability of products here.

Kate

jennifer rose

Jan 20, 2008, 5:44 PM

Post #23 of 41 (2540 views)

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Re: [Ed and Fran] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Frankly, I had no idea when I started this thread that it would end up revolving around food and nothing more. So when that happened, I decided that it would be better to redirect the food-related discussion to the Kitchen forum.

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Jan 21, 2008, 12:09 AM

Post #24 of 41 (2498 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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In Reply To

Crunchy peanut butter is sometimes on the shelves of some markets, provided you look hard enough. Likewise, canned cranberry sauce. But what can't you find?

If memory serves me correctly, the above are food items. Perhaps you should have add blue jeans, safety pins, curtain rods, sewing machine needles, etc. to your list.
Getting older and still not down here.

Georgia

Jan 21, 2008, 7:02 AM

Post #25 of 41 (2475 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] What Can't You Get in Mexico?

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Aha, ok, then: ready made kitchen curtains.

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