My dad is coming for a visit before he heads off on a business trip that has him travelling throughout Europe, so that means I get to stock up on all the stuff from home I normally bring back on my own. Whenever an American friend flies home, all his/her friends here in Vienna all hand over a shopping list of things they want. It’s tradition. I’ve not been home in a year now (today a year ago was the day I flew home to surprise my parents) and my friends that have been home recently never got a list from me, so now my dad’s going to have to stock up for me. Here are some of my favorite things to smuggle into Austria:
- Old Spice Red Zone “After Hours” - my favorite deodorant. If I ever want Old Spice, I have to travel to Eastern Europe to buy it and even then I can’t get exactly what I want - only normal Old Spice and the various scents they have. Still great stuff, but no where near as great as Red Zone.
- Reese’s Pieces - I’ve been eating this little candy for my entire life. Every one knows I love peanut butter and combining it with chocolate and making it portable? I’m there! Peanut Butter M&M’s can piss off, this is the OG peanut butter candy.
- Butterfinger - Anyone who remembers the early days of “The Simpsons” most certainly remembers the old Butterfinger commercials with Bart Simpson as the spokesman. “Don’t lay a finger on my Butterfinger!”
- Ballcap Washer - this isn’t something that I’ve ever ordered before, but they’re impossible to find here in Austria. Need to get Dad to bring a few of these for me and friends.
- Lollipop sticks - my girlfriend is requesting these now so she can experiment with “cake pops”. Another one we’ve never bought before but been meaning to for a while…
- Vanilla Extract - we ran out when I made my last batch of brownies and need to get a few more bottles this time around.
- Taco Bell seasoning - we usually buy a few assorted packages for when we do Mexican food nights and anyone that has been at our place for Mexican night (burritos, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas - we do it all) knows how awesome this stuff is.
- Ranch dressing mix - there’s nothing like Ranch dressing and making it yourself is the best. I’m sure that there are some awesome recipes to make it from scratch, so maybe we’ll have to try that out one day and cut the cord with Hidden Valley.
- Honey Mustard - again, probably could make it ourselves but it’s just so damned good straight out of the bottle. Lots of great memories connected to it. Outback Steakhouse has the absolute best, though, so I need to try one of these recipes the next time I make fried chicken.
- Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce - oh look, another bottle of American sauce. You say that at first, but until you’ve tried it, you have no idea. This stuff will make anything taste better and I mean anything.
Obviously there is a lot of junk food and sauces and stuff, but hey, you can’t bring a basket of Georgia peaches with you in a suitcase, can you? ;)
Tweet