[What grocery items do you miss from home?]

Often, it's not the item itself, but the brand. For example, my toothpaste preference is Arm & Hammer's Peroxicare. I have never found any in Thailand. I also miss minor items, such as certain spices. I like Lawry's spices, and there are none in Thailand. I like Maxwell House coffee, and if any is sold in Thailand, I have yet to find it. I like to use the packaged Lipton Onion Soup for cooking, but I've never found any in Thailand. I like corned beef hash, but have never found any of that here either.

 

Sometimes certain items can be found in Thailand, but because of import costs they are prohibitively expensive, so I only buy them once in a great while. For example, imported fresh fruits such as peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries can be had in Thailand, but they are quite expensive here. Don't expect to get real Georgia peaches in Thailand, though.

 

There are also restaurant types I miss. I'd love a really good New York style deli to open in Thailand, but I doubt that will happen in the foreseeable future.

 

Certain types of appliances can be difficult to find in Thailand. I used to have a bread machine when I was still living in the USA, one of those machines with which you can bake your own bread simply by adding the ingredients, turning it on, and leaving the rest to the machine. I have been trying to find one in Thailand, but have had no success locating any. I wish I had brought mine with me, but I didn't.

 

I have often been surprised, though. It is not unusual to be looking for a certain item for months, sometimes even years, and suddenly you find a place that has it or find someone who knows where to get it.

 

In most cases I have been able to find adequate alternatives that can substitute for what I miss, and there's really not that much I miss in the first place, but I'd still rather have the actual item than a substitution.

 

I think in most cases you'll be able to find most of what you're looking for in Thailand, but you'll probably have to shop around for some items. There will probably be some items that you won't find at all, not even substitutions, but you might be pleasantly surprised at how few those will be.

 

 

Two types of bread machines are available in the Siam Paragon Department store in BKK