Homesick Foods

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Despite the hilarious legitimacy of this Huffington Post article about Surviving Whole Foods, I love the place.  And since we don’t have the likes of it in Spain, every time I travel to the US, I must also make a trip to Whole Foods. Once inside, I am - mustbemustbe - selective.  Airlines have weight policies for luggage, after all, and so does my bank account.  The items that do make it into the shopping cart reveal my homesick foods, the likes of which are nowhere to be found in Madrid:

  • Peanut butter.  Good, old fashioned, organic stuff made from nothing but peanuts.  Spaniards don't pay much attention to peanut butter and, really, it's no wonder: the most available brand is Peter Pan peanut butter and it costs a small fortune at Cortes Inglés.
  • Maple Syrup. Once you are used to the taste of pure Maple Syrup, nothing compares – and it simply does not make sense to me to pour honey on my pancakes as is commonly done here in Spain, or caramel sauce, or even Aunt Jemima for that matter.
  • Toothpaste.  Like Crest?  Good luck to ya.  Outside of North America, it's a Colgate world.  But at Whole Foods, there is a whole other realm of toothpastes that taste like chomping on evergreens, delicious spindly branches and all.
  • Granola bars.  Cascadian Farms chocolate chip granola bars to be exact.
  • Spaghetti O’s and boxed Mac & Cheese.  No kidding.  I love this stuff and I miss it – but only Annie's Homegrown all-natural fare.
  • Cereal.  Nobody does breakfast cereal like the U.S. of A.  Rows upon rows upon rows in every grocery store.  Whole Foods happens to keep it good for you too.  (Sorry, Fruit Loops lovers.)
  • Tea. In Madrid, land of good coffee, there is a decent loose leaf franchise called the Tea Shop and entrepreneurs are popping up like Cómo Té Encuentras, from whom I bought delicious tea recently at Mercado la Buena Vida.  Yet, there is nothing quite like Whole Foods’ endless possibility of beautifully packaged teas.  How could anyone pass up The Republic of Tea's “Get Happy” or Steven Smith Teamaker's "Fez No. 39"?
  • Hot sauce and spices.  Only good can be said about Spanish food. But, let's be clear: nothing is spicy.  You will never reach for a glass of milk except for a hankering.  The Spanish palette just doesn't handle spicy food.  (Tip: don't give your Spanish teacher Altoids Curiously Strong Cinnamon Mints.)  And sure, some spices abound at their best in Spain (paprika, saffron, parsley) but others are frustrating to find. Thus, my JFK->MAD suitcase often includes a handle of hot sauces and good quality cayenne, turmeric, all-spice, cumin, and, clove.  (Vanilla and almond extract are also good buys.)

A most recent trip included Crushed Jalapeño Chili and Crushed Chipotle Chili.  Life was so incomplete before.  And these new chili flakes are particularly good on pan con tomate and tosta con aguacate – two things I could never leave Spain without.

So, if you're visiting Spain and can't quite figure out what to bring as a gift, try packing some of the above in your suitcase (throw in a bagel or egg and cheese sandwich if you're coming from NY?)  Surely you'll find a way to use that extra space when flying home from Spain...