Imported foods

The term import foods conjures up images of shelves of fine wines, funny-smelling cheeses, unfamiliar chocolate and so on. There are import shops full of these hard-to-find delicacies, from Cadbury Flake to Marmite to vanilla sugar.

But what about export foods? Our biggest export is not airplanes or software, as the economists would have us believe: no, it's our popular culture, embodied in music, movies and junk food. A friend relates being stuck in a small village near Lake Victoria, enjoying a warm Coke while waiting for his ride out. A little girl approached him, and asked, "Do they have Coke where you come from?"

As an expat, there were a few familiar things I missed: tortillas (and the accompanying chips), peanut butter, and maple syrup. Twenty years later, these products are readily available overseas--for a price--in the Euro-equivalent import shops.

We are in the process of packing for another foray across the pond, to visit family and friends and even conduct a little business. One task is assembling not just the requisite number of undies and power adapters, but to gather goodies for these important people. So what do we export? Here's the list so far:

• blue Jello
• sushi nori
• Ziploc baggies
• Jelly Bellies
• peanut brittle
• cheddar popcorn
• Hershey kisses
• Land's End underwear
• How to Shear an Alpaca DVD
• Trader Joe's Vegan chocolate chip cookies

As you can see, our friends and family have eclectic tastes, from nori to chocolate chips, and could even be said to border on the eccentric (case in point, the Alpaca DVD). But lest we stand in judgment, remember that my luggage will not be empty upon my return!