Supermarket Surprises: What's MIA in the AU Aisles...

Today I went grocery shopping. There isn’t a shocking difference between grocery stores in Australia and those in the US. A grocery store here is essentially the same as a grocery store there. However, there are a few essential items missing from the Aussie supermarket shelves (at least from the one I was at, Coles) that I must disclose with you.

•  Peanut Butter: I’m talking about real peanut butter. The kind made from just one ingredient- peanuts. My personal favorite is Teddy’s Smooth Peanut Butter (preferably sodium-free), but any brand that grinds up peanuts until they are a thick, smooth and buttery spread works just fine for me. The “peanut butter” here fall into the same category as the Jiffs and Peter Pan Brands back home, you know, the ones contaminated with salt and sugar.  Don’t get me wrong, I would take a spoon to those and eat a whole jar in one sitting, but it’s not the same.

• Snack Packs: You will find no 100-calorie snack packs here. Which is fine, I don’t even like those. But my point is that most products come in one size and one size only. You don’t get a choice between snack size bags, normal size bags and extra large bags. This only affected me in the pop-corn department. No mini, personal size popcorn bags for me to nosh on. Darn.

• Wheat Bread: As in the kind made from whole wheat. All I can find here is Whole Oat bread, which simply is not the same. So when you bite into your whole wheat toast, remember that it is a rare luxury.

• Gum: No Orbit. No Trident. No Stride. I need gum in my mouth like my body needs water. It’s hard for me to function without it. And I am now without it. The little, over priced chicklets they sell here just aren’t cutting it.

• Frozen Veggies: In the states there is an entire aisle dedicated to frozen vegetables of all shapes, sizes, colors and varieties. I personally love the microwavable kinds because they are easy to store and even easier to prepare. I thought these would be perfect to stock up on because there is limited space in the fridge to store veggies. But alas, Coles only had frozen green peas and corn to offer me, or ginormous bags of vegetable medleys that are far too large to fit in my freezer.  Does this mean I have to turn to vegemite to get my daily dose of veggies? I shutter at the thought…

• Tampons: Sorry boys, but it is true. And it is my duty as a woman to inform my other female comrades considering to voyage to Australia that the Kotex multi-pack box I so desperately depend on to get me through that hormonal, hell-week each month does not exist down under. Neither does Tampax. Nor any of the other brands we know and love (or loathe). I have no idea what I’m going to find when I open this box. All I know is that it is about the size of a deck of cards and claims to hold 12 “super” tampons. I just don’t see how that can be, unless the Australians have developed some advanced, top-secret tampon technology that hasn’t made it to the states yet. Somehow I doubt that. Hence, I am stumped…and a tad concerned.