The Stupid Things I Miss From Home
Posted on 10. Jan, 2011 by Poi in Blog
Every now and then something will pop into my head from back home and I think, I wish I had that with me right now. These are not the usual things people miss but something I just fancy at the time. So these are the ones that have attacked my thoughts in the last few days.
So here they are: The things I miss from home while travelling…
Brown Sauce – I know this stuff is available in certain places aimed at the English Breakfast crowd but it’s not the same has having it easily available and thinking – “ahh you know what, this would go good with some brown sauce”
Yummy Black Pudding
Black Pudding – There are plenty of disgusting things to eat in Asia but they never hold a place in my heart like the delicious black sausage made of pigs blood and guts, I used to buy this stuff at home just to eat on it’s own, how I miss the taste and smell. Goes good with brown sauce too…
McDonald’s Banana Milkshake – Yeah I know it’s McDonald’s and it’s shit but they sure do make a good banana milkshake. Unfortunately the McDonald’s here don’t sell them seeing as fruit shakes and smoothies are readily available everywhere, but when I really fancy one they just don’t compare.
Nando’s hot sauce – From the first time we ‘borrowed’ a bottle of this from a Nando’s restaurant me and my housemates lived on this stuff, it would accompany every meal. Again there are plenty of hot sauces available here but again they just aren’t the same, it seems I’m homesick for sauce.
I tried to fit it in my bag...
Boddingtons Bitter – Oh my tasty bitter, Boddingtons, John Smiths, Worthingtons I’d take any of you now but instead I have to drink cheap larger both because of availability and budget (I’ve found boddingtons but it’s twice the price it is at home and 4x the price of local beer.) Worth every penny but I guess there are more important things than beer?
My bicycle – Out of all the places I’ve been Chiang Mai is by far the most appealing cycling city we’ve come across, it’s bigger enough to get some speed up but small enough to feel fun. My Tesco’s lotus bike just isn’t as exciting to ride as the speed machine I have waiting for me in my parents garage.
It seems to be true that it’s little little things you miss the most (as well as friends and family of course – sorry Mum!) what is it you’ve missed from home or think you will miss the most?
61 Responses to “The Stupid Things I Miss From Home”
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About Poi & Kirsty
Hi, we're Poi and Kirsty and we've been travelling since August 2010. We explored most of South East Asia before heading back to England so Kirsty could complete a teaching degree. We are currently living in London and will be writing about all our new adventures!
Click here to read more
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Katrina
10. Jan, 2011
I totally understand! The lack of peanut butter choices here in Ireland (and before, in Italy — and yes, I know how completely American this makes me) makes me sad. Love Irish sausages and Full Irish Breakfast, but there are just some things you can’t get. Like barbecue sauce, Taco Bell, or microwaved burritos… Hmm. Funny how it’s mostly junk food!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
How many choices of peanut butter do you need haha? and microwaved burritos, are they actual nice?
Thanks for checking out our blog!
Lauren Rains
10. Jan, 2011
haha you have some very very specific things you miss!
As far as the bike – I couldn’t relate more. I LOVE my bike but I recently moved down to FL for the winter and that wouldn’t fit in my suitcase either.
But you know what’s the best about missing all these things? The day you get them again, you’ll never ever take em’ for granted again!
When I got back from living in China for a year I think I gained like 10 pounds because I couldn’t stop eating! Fortunately, I had my bike
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Whenever I make it home I think I’m gonna spend siz months eating followed by six months on the bike!
Thanks for checking out our blog!
Julia
10. Jan, 2011
Whenever I’m away I always crave proper fish and chips! You just can’t beat a good English chippie. And the foreign imitations can never compare.
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Ahh yes good call! I could go for some fish and chips and your right nothing compares to a proper chippy!
Thanks for visiting!
Erin
13. Jan, 2011
Agreed! I miss vinegar on chips too.
Poi
13. Jan, 2011
Yes! We came across some vinegar the other day for the first time and I drowned my chips in it! Heaven!
Laurel@ExpatGermany
10. Jan, 2011
Your list made me laugh because when I lived in Thailand for 2 years, surrounded by delicious food, I’d miss the stupidest things as well, like Hamburger Helper ( a horrible macaroni/cheese concoction in a bus), or gravy with my french fries. Homesickness can take strange forms!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
I had gravy with fries the other day – it was amazing! It is wierd the strange things we miss.
Thanks for visiting out site!
Camels & Chocolate
10. Jan, 2011
How did I never know McD’s made a banana milkshake? I have to make a trip to Sonic for such a novelty every time I’m back in the South!
And I’m with you on the brown sauce. I miss that most from my time living in the UK!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Well McDonalds in the UK do banana milkshakes, not sure about anywhere else – they are amazing!
That shows how great brown sauce is if its the thing you miss the most!
Annie
11. Jan, 2011
Seems to be a common theme this week! (or maybe last, I’m behind on my reader AGAIN!)
I guess I miss mostly Mexican food from the States (jeez imagine if I’d had the proper stuff??) and Thai food from Austrlia (ok seriously, I should rethink my choices of destinations based on food preferences!!).
I miss convenience stores, or mostly just things (like groceries!) being opened past 6pm and on Sundays. Makes it hard to eat sometimes. haha.
I miss the gym too and green parks!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
We have a couple of good mexican places here and about 5 24hr 7/11′s within 5 minutes walk so all good for you here in Chiang Mai!
and where we are living we have a rooftop gym and pool…. what are you waiting for?
Annie
11. Jan, 2011
Ok so sounds like I should change my plans and get to Chiang Mai!
As if you guys’ and everyone else’s posts hadn’t already inspired me! hmm… I got some thinking to do!
Kirsty
11. Jan, 2011
Do it Do it Do it!!!!
Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World
11. Jan, 2011
Lol, your so British! :p
Things I miss from home-home (Indonesia) is the delivery service. It’s amazingly hard to get non-fastfood delivery service where we’re at right now (California). Back home, everything can be delivered from chicken noodle, to rice soup, to… anything, really.
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Haha looking back at the list I guess I am!
It’s the same in the UK fastfood or nothing delivered, I was amazed to see over here you can get almost anything to your door!
Globetrottergirls
11. Jan, 2011
Totally agree with the McDonald’s banana milkshake!! We had some good milkshakes while we were in the US, but that’s so long ago!! We wish we had our bicycles, too – it’s just so much easier to get around and to see things that might be too far when walking
And we have to admit – even though we are not from England – after having lived there for 4 years, we miss more stuff from there than from Germany/US!!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Good to know it’s not just me then, the UK has a lot of good stuff I took for granted. If only I could have it all now….
Lauren
11. Jan, 2011
I’m still trying to figure out what brown sauce is.
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
Welcome to an exciting new world… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Sauce
Andi
11. Jan, 2011
But just think, when you return home you’re gonna be missing things from the road!
Poi
11. Jan, 2011
When I get home I’m going to be in deep depression haha
Mum and Dad
12. Jan, 2011
We will make sure we have plenty of bottles of HP brown sauce in our hand luggage in May Chris.
Nick Laborde
12. Jan, 2011
Can’t say the black pudding seems all that appetizing but I guess us Americans have our own staples.
Kirsty
12. Jan, 2011
It really isn’t that nice!! Poi’s just weird… not many people in the UK like it (I really really don’t!!) – it’s a kind of specialty like Haggis!
joshywashington
12. Jan, 2011
Black Pudding? Brown sauce!?! who are you people?
now the bicycle, I can relate to that 100%, as for the pig guts …
Kirsty
12. Jan, 2011
He He – It’s only Poi, I’m still normal and don’t like pigs blood either!
The main thing I am missing from home is Pork Pies
Turkey's For Life
12. Jan, 2011
Ha ha, spot the Brit! HP sauce, Boddington’s and black pudding. We can fully empathise with you!
We can get HP here but like you said, it’s just not the same. Costs a fortune and is specially imported for the Brits – that’s not what HP sauce is so we don’t buy it. HP is a British staple.
We’re originally from Wigan (we’re known as pie-eaters) and I have to say, I do miss the Saturday afternoon stroll to the pie shop for a meat and potato pie for lunch – topped with HP sauce! – and a slice of Warburton’s toastie bread. Pie butty! Could just eat one now!
Poi
12. Jan, 2011
Pie butty sounds damn good! That’s the problem with these posts, people like you come along and remind us about other amazing things we’ve forgotten about!
Good old british grub!
Eurotrip Tips
12. Jan, 2011
I totally see where you’re coming from. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make us miss home. I ended up missing my cat and my poutine more than I missed my parents!
Poi
13. Jan, 2011
haha I hope they don’t read this comment!
Jaime
13. Jan, 2011
Wow I love how it is so specific. I don’t even wanna know what I am going to miss once I am on the road. I know I have a lot of lil bad habits that I won’t be able to do on the road.
Poi
13. Jan, 2011
You’ll be suprised the strange things that pop into your head you never dreamed you’d miss!
Not long Jaime!
Dina
14. Jan, 2011
The black pudding looks gross and sounds gross. Oh wait! Do you think I will think differently if I put gravy on top?
Hmm… what do I miss from home?
From Indonesia home, I miss so many different food from there. The names will be too bizarre to be written down here.
From Canada home, don’t laugh, I miss sushi. Sushi from …. Canada? Weird, right? But there’s this “crispy spicy salmon roll” sushi that I haven’t encountered anywhere else than in my hometown and around here. It has tempura skin and spicy mayo. Maybe not Japanese original at all (I didn’t see it in Japan), but it’s heavenly.
Kirsty
14. Jan, 2011
haha gravy and black pudding – that could be a new specialty! I can’t eat it just because the thought of it is WRONG!
We met two Canadians who said that their major thing they miss was also Sushi, so I guess maybe Canada is the place to go (after Japan!)
Deano
14. Jan, 2011
Branston pickle for me. I’ve just returned from the UK with three big jars of it
And some minstrels and mini-eggs but they seem to have disappeared already!
Poi
16. Jan, 2011
Again something else I miss! I realy shouldn’t write these posts.
Anthony
18. Jan, 2011
Black pudding….oh you MONSTER haha
Good shout on the brown sauce though, in fact I may take sachets when I leave haha!
Poi
20. Jan, 2011
What is with all the black pudding hate?? It’s amazing!
That’s a good idea, I would say keep one in your pocket at all time, just as important as cash…
Anthony
20. Jan, 2011
Haha, I guess it’s one of them things that people love or hate Poi. There’s no indifference when it comes to black pudding.
On the other hand, I’ve been telling people for YEARS that brown sauce is mightier than the red, keep spreading the word
woodward
23. Jan, 2011
Funny how the things people usually miss are food related.
Black Pudding won’t be missed in Chile since there is something similar here called Prietos. Just how similar they are I have no idea since I haven’t tried a true Black Pudding from the Northern Hemisphere.
I’m from New Zealand (living in Chile since 1997) and I miss Fish in Chips (don’t laugh) and jaffas (a type of orangey-chocolate ball thingy). Yum!
Poi
24. Jan, 2011
No laughing at fish and chips at all – I’m with you and jaffa cakes?? we have them too but not a big fan!
Michael Churm
07. Mar, 2011
Guys, you won’t believe the excitement I felt when I walked around our local Morrsions for the first time since being back, it was almost embarrassing. I wanted to buy everything!! However this soon wore off, and all I wanted was some street food! As you were based in a single location you should have had some sent out!
When we were living in Sydney we had Yorkshire tea bags, a big bar of Galaxy, and HP sauce sent over! Was perfect!
Poi
09. Mar, 2011
I had some nando’s hot sauce brought to me by a friend – made my week! I would go into overdrive walking round a supermarket back home!
mmmm yorkshire tea…..
Honeypenny
11. Mar, 2011
Well, you can get nando’s spicy sauce i Malaysia! We have nando’s there and they have all the flavours!
I’m in Spain now, and I miss asian food sooo much! I was in a grocer today and they didn’t even sell GINGER!!!
I also miss my cat
Poi
13. Mar, 2011
I was lucky that one of my friends came to visit and brought me some nando’s sauce – he’s a good chap.
Does your cat not fancy travelling more?
Steph
30. Apr, 2011
Goldfish Crackers, Combos, Lucky Charms and my favorite magazines (Luckily, my mom is great at sending me care packages full of goodies
)
Oh, and my bathtub for late night bubble baths. Unfortunately it’s too big to post
Poi
30. Apr, 2011
I haven’t had lucky charms for ages even when I was at home, they have to be imported to the UK and cost a bomb, how I would love some of those right now.
Alix
30. Apr, 2011
I haven’t seen peanut butter here (Turkey) at all so totally miss that.
And baked beans! Why can’t I find a can of Heinz baked beans anywhere? I haven’t had beans for breakfast since Oliver’s Travels in La Paz, 11 months ago.
I miss good Asian food, especially Thai food.
Oh, and being Aussie, I have to say I miss Vegemite. I had it for the first time in a year on the weekend (went to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day with a million other Aussies & Kiwis) and it was like a little piece of home.
I also miss bacon, but that’s just because we’re in a Muslim country. The speck in Germany, Slovenia and Serbia was great, so it hasn’t been that long.
Poi
30. Apr, 2011
I’m going to upset you and say I have both beans and peanut butter in our kitchen right now and we live in Thailand so we have all the amazing street food as well.
Vegemite makes me think of Marmite, I’m pretty desperate for some of that as well.
I hope you get all your fixes soon and thanks for checking out our site.
Steve
15. Jun, 2011
I’ve been away too long and had forgotten about the McDonalds banana milkshake – now I’m craving one.
Also missing Horseradish sauce. I can make roast beef, but it’s not the same without the right condiments..
Becki
24. Jun, 2011
This truly made me laugh- black pudding?! Are u friggin’ kidding me?! It’s truly foul
But as a fellow Brit abroad, I sooooo know where you’re coming from. Random stuff hits me at the weirdest moments too. British chocolate has to be top of the list. I dunno what it is- even Cadburys, the SAME MAKE, tastes different here. I went so far as to post a whole load ahead of myself to our halfway point..spot the chocoholic, anyone?!…
What else, hmm. I miss wafer thin honey roast ham. I don’t even normally eat it that often! But can’t find it for love nor money here in CA. My normal facewash, too- had to get my SIL to bring it with her when she flew across!
The most ridiculous has to be nappy sacks. Only a parent can appreciate this I’m sure… it sounds pathetic!!… but ive looked and asked,&most people look at me like I’m off my head. “Nappy sacks? Bags to put nappies in? You mean a diaper bag? No? Well, why would you want to put diapers in a plastic bag and then put it in the trash? Won’t sandwich bags do the trick??” – it’s hard to make people understand that these are important to us. Lol!!
I miss cheap fizzy water, Asda’s own brand ‘smart price’ foods, I miss wearing pyjamas. I miss being able to charge things up wherever and whenever without having to ration our single converter plug. I miss proper duvets (sleeping bags have now been replaced with sheets and blankets- which I HATE!!) and I miss having a dressing gown.
If I continue much longer, I fear nostalgia will get the better of me…
But I do agree- having the chance to miss these things will just make you appreciate them all the more on your return
Becki x
Poi
24. Jun, 2011
Wow thanks for the great reply.
Honey roast ham! You’re on to a winner there, I didn’t even think of that, the ham we can get here is pretty terrible so I would love some of that now.
And talking of own brand stuff and chocolate, morrisons fruit and nut chocolate, huge bar for about 30p!
As for the nappies I can’t really relate but I’ll take your word for it how important the bags are haha.
You’ve made me very hungry now for all the stuff I cant have but I’m sure your feeling the same!
Thanks for commenting!
Poi
24. Jun, 2011
and also black pudding is amazing!
Kelly @LifeOptimist
25. Jul, 2011
Ha ha! This is a fun article!
When I travel I miss poutine and hearing Quebecoise.
Poi
25. Jul, 2011
Thanks – I am so desperate to try this poutine you all speak of, it looks amazing!
Sam - FoodTravelBliss
24. Oct, 2011
Just came across your blog, this post made me laugh. It is so true, we have just been in Italy and France – home of some of the best food in the world. Yet I spent a month craving an Indian curry! I actually found one in Nice and god it was GOOD.
Poi
29. Oct, 2011
Its funny the weird things you miss when travelling like you say despite being around some amazing food. Still yet to get my hands on any black pudding!
Emma
13. Apr, 2013
I’m totally with you on the Brown Sauce! If I ever see it on my travels it’s a very welcome treat!!