Just a glimpse...

[CHAZ]

After 6 months in Luxemburg, I have discovered Little Britain! A kind of corner shop that specialises in goodies that remind you of home. They even have Sunday newspapers that are driven in in the wee hours of the morning. Soem guy leaves UK at 3am and the papers are there about 10am

But what's really nice is that you can find those special things...Branstons, Jelly, Hovis bread, Cheddar Cheese, Stilton,
Cider, a host of chocoloate goodies (Frys Cholcolate Cream...mmm), custard, HP sauce...the list goes on...

I was owndering if our other expat friends have been able to locate such an Ali baba shop wherever they live (Philip, Michael..) and if so what are the musts that they buy. Equally what do we miss most?

[Jo]

I may have posted before that when I used to go abroad on business (before I worked for the NHS, obviously ), some of the Brit expats used to ask me to bring stuff over for them. The weirdest (and most inconvenient) one was a chap in Italy, who asked for six supermarket sliced white loaves. In Italy, for god's sake, with all their lovely bread.... They weren't heavy but they were very bulky to carry across for him. I think he also asked for some of the old-fashioned cube jelly (can you still get that?)

Even earlier, when I was in France as an English Language Assistant during my degree course, the English teachers asked for things that they had got addicted to whilst living in England previously as French Language Assistants. Heinz Baked Beans and custard were two things I remember.

A friend who has emigrated to Canada misses proper Cadbury's chocolate, as it's all sweeter over there, and proper talcum powder. Also, rather strangely, she has smuggled Canadian Cheddar back into Canada after visits to England, as their export stuff is stronger than they make for the domestic market, apparently.

[jhopgood]

The Costa Blanca seems to have more foreigners than Spanish, and the local supermarkets have taken this into account. Most stuff is in the freezer section, sliced bread, sausages and bacon, meat pies etc, as well as the usual frozen items, but we can also get English Marmalade, including Ginger Marmalade, ginger biscuits, stronger than the Dutch equivalent, etc etc.
What we can't find in all supermarkets is Quaker Oats, as they tend just to do Ready Brek.
The local newsagent has the Sunday Newspapers by about 10.00 a.m. on the same day.
All that and sun as well, no wonder the local Old Peoples Home is full of Brits.

[J.R.]

After 6 months in Luxemburg, I have discovered Little Britain! A kind of corner shop that specialises in goodies that remind you of home. They even have Sunday newspapers that are driven in in the wee hours of the morning. Soem guy leaves UK at 3am and the papers are there about 10am

But what's really nice is that you can find those special things...Branstons, Jelly, Hovis bread, Cheddar Cheese, Stilton,
Cider, a host of chocoloate goodies (Frys Cholcolate Cream...mmm), custard, HP sauce...the list goes on...

I was owndering if our other expat friends have been able to locate such an Ali baba shop wherever they live (Philip, Michael..) and if so what are the musts that they buy. Equally what do we miss most?

We live on a fairly large Housing Association estate with the customary 'corner-shop'. We've noticed lately, it's selling slightly less of traditional British fare, with one whole aisle now taken over to Polish (the country- not the cleaning agent), products, some of which are delicious on experimentation, especially their dried sausages and deli products etc.

[Angela Woodford]

Not very interesting, JR, but having recently gone to Yorkshire (that wedding...) on a bus for economy, it stopped for a leg-stretch break in Birmingham. I hopped off, fancying a bottle of Diet Pepsi, hoping to find a corner shop, but instead strayed into a whole medium-sized Polish supermarket - everything a Pole could need. Fascinating!

I browsed happily - the shampoos looked rather fun! - until the enormous ferocious-looking guys behind the counter began to give me terrifying looks from in front of their truly vast selection of vodka and cigarettes. So I gave what a hoped was a cheerful wave and fled.

Then I remembered the Diet Pepsi.... bother!

[J.R.]

Angela. I hadn't realised just how many Poles were living on this estate. We have two large, (12 floors; 4 flats to a floor) tower blocks on this estate and I hadn't realised how many immigrants have been housed in them over the last couple of years.

One occasionally comes into or estate drinking club. Keeps himself very much to himself and is always polite, unlike some of the home-bred members.

Yes - They all seem to look fierce, but believe me, they're not. Almost always very charming even if struggling with the language.

On a similar note, some of us footy management pop into our local Cafe Rouge for a lunch-time meeting when needs must. 90% of the waitresses are Polish. They are always so polite and attentive - Something sadly missing in most shops and restaurants today with the usual crop of Sharon's and Tracey's, innit ??

[Katharine]

I was wondering if our other expat friends have been able to locate such an Ali baba shop wherever they live (Philip, Michael..) and if so what are the musts that they buy. Equally what do we miss most?

No longer expat, Charles but I was for many years. Different things were missed in different places, but Marmite in most places! In Islamabad there was a small Embassy shop which was supplied by lorry from Britain 2 or 3 times a year. Cheese was one of the things we missed most there - you could only get buffalo milk cheddar in two varieties raw and tinned. It was almost impossible to get any pig products of any kind there and we did miss ham, bacon and sausages. That was the only place where we could get cooking apples something I've missed elsewhere.

I think I've probably told both these stories of life in Islamabad, already but they fit here! British Airways would fly hampers to their overseas staff each Christmas and the staff could specify what they would like - our friend chose Heinz Baked Beans and Wall's Pork sausages. We all had a fantastic Boxing Day treasure hunt ending up at his house for bangers mash & beans, we were in heaven! At the Queen's Silver Jubilee Fortnum's flew hampers to Embassies, again they could choose. Ours had ham on the bone and whole Stilton. How we gorged that night! Many people reported strange dreams after suddenly eating blue cheese after months of abstinence. The leftover Stilton was auctioned for charity! yes there were leftovers by the end of the evening we couldn't force another morsel down! The Commonwealth Celebration of the Jubilee, hosted by the Indians was far more restrained!

[sejintenej]

I was owndering if our other expat friends have been able to locate such an Ali baba shop wherever they live (Philip, Michael..) and if so what are the musts that they buy. Equally what do we miss most?

As others have discovered, our local supermarket (and remember this is a small town) has the usual range of cereals on its "normal" shelves so I can get my Weeta *x (tm) and SWMBO can get her Kelloggs (tm)cereal. Their range of "own brand" equivalents is more limited that (for example) Tesco (tm). The supermarket does have a section with a Union Jack on top and a good range of UK goods but very expensive; we might get a tin of H***z Baked Beans a month but that is about it.

I'm told that there is a retired UK butcher living nearby who, when he has enough orders, makes a batch of English / UK style sausages - I do miss them but haven't bought from him. About the only thing I do bring out is large (440+) bags of teabags and SWMBO brings Redbush (tm)teabags plus flour (but when I bake - which is far more frequently that her - I bake with French flour!!!!!). I simply go to the mill and order a 5kg bag of wheat plus 15% rye flour - a trick from a local retired pattissier. We can get loose tea and redbush but it is not the same. I hate Marm**e but there is a jar in the cupboard - probably bought somewhere over here.

Otherwise we are more than happy with French food or what we make ourselves - our tomato products give those Italian sauces a run for their money and ours are free! SuperU (tm) own brand icecream is just as good as any regular UK brand and has far more varieties though to be honest I think Jusr*ll (tm)puff pastry is better than the local equivalent!

There is a British owned English food shop in town - I know the owner but have never needed to buy there.

Something worth Googling is American introductions to various cities. The huge site for Toulouse (evidently written by a Toulouse resident) is equally applicable to UK subjects in that it gives US and UK and metric equivalents and names; apart from local customs, regulations, school details, even French hand signs, etc etc. it also has a list of foreign (mainly US) goods and which stores stock them.

[matthew]

There are several "British shops" around here. I've wandered into a few of them out of idle curiosity. I've yet to be impressed. There are the British chocolate and crisps that you'd expect, week-old copies of the Daily Mail, sometimes a shelf full of PAL VHS tapes that was last restocked around the turn of the millennium, that sort of thing. One of them not far from here carries a selection of Masonic regalia.

Imported chocolates aren't hard to come by elsewhere, though. Any candy store worth the name has a British section.

Now, if somebody could tell me where to find Mr. Kipling apple pies...

[Ajarn Philip]

This is a subject that is probably completely incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't spent a long time away from home. I was in a supermarket the other day and became absurdly over-excited when I saw a load of plastic bottles of Ribena. I was tring to explain to Mrs Ajarn what a major part Ribena had played in my childhood, and she, quite rightly, was looking at me as though I was a papaya short of a som tam.

Sadly (for my figure, such as it is), I have recently found a source of Cadbury's Fruit 'N Nut. Even more sadly, I left the last purchase in the car for an hour, by which time it was a puddle of unrecognisable smudge on the floor of the pick-up.

But I'm posting for a slightly different glimpse.

It's a glimpse that will almost certainly be politically incorrect by most posters' standards, and it goes against the grain with me, if I'm honest. I'm not looking for approval or disapproval, but feel free to supply either. They'll be ignored in equal measure!

It involves a bird. In a cage. A minah. On the verandah of my house.

It appeared about a month ago, having fallen from its nest (so I'm reliably informed), and was provided with temporary accommodation, which is rapidly becoming more permanent. It is handfed by Mrs Ajarn on what seems to be a ridiculously regular basis, although I refuse to be even mildly jealous of a bird...

My initial reaction to all of this, even though I've been here for 5 years, was typically 'modern European'. "You can't keep a bird in a cage, it's cruel!" Mrs A pointed out that the only option was to stick it in the street and watch it die. Fair point, I thought. What she didn't tell me, and, to be fair, may not have been aware of, is that the damn thing would think she was its mother. She appeared with it on her shoulder today. I keep leaving the cage door open now, hoping it will fly away, but it seems to have more sense than you might imagine and invariably just sits on top of the cage squawking to be fed. Until next door's cat turns up, then it seems to have mastered the art, not only of getting back into the cage (not startlingly brilliant) but of closing the door!

Mrs A assures me it will speak. I'm not convinced. I remember talking minahs from pet shops in my South London childhood, wolf-whistling (but only at the girls - how did they know?), and they were all black. This one is a common minah (brownish, but let's not get too hung up on colour...). If it ever does talk, it's first phrase will undoubtedly be "For eff's sake, shut up, I'm trying to work!"

Back to political correctness and animal welfare in general. I know I've been a bit flippant here, but I'm trying to be pragmatic. This is a country where songbirds are worth a lot of money; the subject of regular competitions on which large sums are gambled. This is also a country where dogs run semi-wild and are left to fend for themselves. You can imagine the results. Unfortunately one of those results is not an innate road sense, and one thing I haven't been able to accustom myself to is the daily sight of a mangled dog carcass or 5 on my way to work.

So when it comes to Charlie Minor, I just remember I'm not in the UK any more and smile.

[Mid A 15]

What's better a life in a cage or no life at all?

The bird is well fed and has the opportunity for exercise as you frequently leave the cage door open.

If it was a genuine nestling without your intervention it would almost certainly have become a snack for the cat next door.

If you look at it from that perspective which is the "least cruel" option?

[Ajarn Philip]

Another glimpse - it's all action this week...

About a year ago we found a lovely lady to come to the house and give us a massage. I felt so rejuvenated that this became a weekly arrangement. That sounds terribly hedonistic and self-indulgent, but isn't really. It works out at about 3-4 quid an hour. Mrs A and I have an hour each.

Anyway, Bua the massage lady disappeared about 5 months ago to Australia or somewhere, and the weekly treat stopped.

Now she's back, and all is well with the world.

I remember my first real Thai massage about 20 years ago. A toothless, scrawny old lady with an alarming cackle walking up and down my spine grabbing limbs and manipulating them into positions they had no business being in. Well, 20 years on that is not my idea of fun, so Bua and I have compromised with a less energetic oil massage that loosens up everything very nicely, thank you, without needing therapy afterwards. My only rule is don't touch the soles of my feet unless you want to peel me off the ceiling afterwards. As a finale, Bua sits me up, links my hands behind my head, sits behind me with her knees in my back, links her arms into mine (I think it would be a full nelson in wrestling terms...) then suddenly launches me up and backwards so that I'm stretched over her in a semi circle. Fortunately she seems to know what she's doing!

Then it's back to the computer to gradually undo all her good work.

Bua has fingers of steel and a heart of gold.

I trust you are all suitably envious...

[englishangel]

I am, but I have two live-in masseurs, son no 2 does the massage (including the feet in my case, it's fantastuc) and son No 1 does the back bending thing.

[Angela Woodford]

Fantastic Mary - lucky you!

However, when they leave home, you'll have to hire in new guys!

[midget]

It all sounds much more interesting than a bronchoscopy, which was my relaxation last week (we'll give you a sedative and you won't remember it afterwards) LIES LIES LIES