O Canada

I love talking about food. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been interested in all kinds of different foods. Birthdays often involved a trip to a special restaurant. I had my first lobster for my 11th birthday and brought the lobster claw back to school for show and tell.

So, yeah, I’m a foodie.

One wouldn’t think of Canada as a place for particular food items, but having lived there, I do find myself missing a few things that can only be acquired north of the border. Here are a few of my favorite things that I miss:

Mustard Pickles: There are these large jars of mustard that contain big chunks of sweet gherkin pickles. I always kept mustard pickles on hand – just a dollop of the stuff on the side really dressed up a meal for me. Leftover chicken, a sandwich or meatloaf was always so tasty with my mustard pickles.

I’ve tried mixing mustard and gherkins together but it’s just not the same. And I can’t find them on the internet anywhere. No more mustard pickles. We’re really missing out here in the States, let me tell you.
So sad.

King Cole Tea: I don’t know what it was about this simple black tea that made it so special. Maybe it was because the bags were big and round, thus making a good, strong, bracing cup of tea that could really stand up to a good dollop of milk. Maybe it was the tea they used. Maybe it was the fact that I first drank it during the snowiest winter in all of Toronto’s history. Walking home when the temp was minus 23, and the snow was above my head on the sidewalks sure made a big cup of strong milky tea awfully inviting. Whatever it was, I miss it.

I did find a place on the internets where one can get it. I don’t know. Shipping costs from Canada . . . hmmm. . . No, I’m too cheap.

Over-the-Counter Acetaminophen with Codeine: Not exactly a food item, but it could be. Yes, it was nice to get a little “something extra” to mellow out a headache. However, the amount of Codeine contained in the over-the-counter stuff was only half the amount as the prescription strength medication. Also, it contained a lot of caffeine so if you tried to take extra, it sort of negated the whole process. I think that’s why they made it that way.

But it made for great contraband gifts for my friends back in the States.

Illegal narcotics across the border.
Sigh. Good times. . .