What's the most surprising thing you can't find?

[origami]

I knew going into this it would be hard to find certain foods and toiletries. But I did not know it would be nigh on impossible for me to find letter-size envelopes that sealed. I don't even care about the kind with the easy seal strip you pull off. I mean there is nothing to lick on their envelopes. Including the ones at the post office. (They have regular bubble mailers and stuff for packages.) WTH. So what are you most surprised about being unable to find (or unable to find easily and at a reasonable price)?

[dorothyinAus]

Usually I don't notice it until I need something.

Like I was surprised I could not find hinge-pin doorstops when I needed one to stop the closet door from banging into the newly installed A/C in the bedroom.

It was nearly impossible to find cloth napkins. I could find tablecloths and paper napkins, but not cloth ones.

And I find it very strange that I can't find unsweetened baking chocolate, not cocoa powder, but the squares of chocolate for melting. Also, it's been only recently that I've been able to consistently find cornmeal (dried polenta). I could find tubes of prepared polenta, but had difficultly finding just the cornmeal for making it, or cornbread, myself.

[gibbylod]

Here it's impossible to find boxes for packages. I asked the attendant at the post office once where I could find one and she had no clue and looked at me like I had asked the strangest question ever. I've asked around and have yet to find anywhere that sells boxes. So I save boxes from things I buy, keep the brown paper they wrap my bottles at the grocery store with, etc. I guess it forces me to recycle?

[mrsukyankee]

gibbylod - I don't remember where you are...but are there storage places where you live (long-term storage)? They might sell boxes if you have that sort of place.

In London you can pretty much get everything at this point, between it being international and Amazon. That has changed over the years from when I first got here. But I don't remember what I couldn't get easily.

[GilliC]

Solid deodorant. Seriously, World! Get with the program and stop trying to force me to use roll-on. I don't have space in my liquids bag for that.

But that's a pretty obvious and general one. More unusual and specific: Baking soda. Okay, technically I did find it by doing Google searches in Norwegian that landed me on a local baking blog, where I learned that you can purchase baking soda at the pharmacy. Wha-? Sure enough, further Google searching revealed a Christmas post from one of the pharmacy chains reminding you to stock up on certain ingredients for your holiday baking. Sometimes this place is just plain weird.

And most recently? Index cards. I checked a few stationery and office supply shops, and they didn't carry any. At all. I checked the local Staples website, and they do carry a few, but they're $10 for 100! I thought maybe that was inflation, since I haven't bought them since university, but a quick check in the US shows them as $5 for $500. So pretty much 1/10th the price. That can't even be chalked up to the crazy cost of living here.

[Grimmy]

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

[pittpurple]

May 29, 2015 9:42:53 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

In England? I am sure they use yeast though it might be somewhere surprising. I think we found it in the cold aisle.

likewise to london, they have pretty much everything here, including an ever increasing selection of American groceries at our grocery store. There's no Jewish population at all so I can't get most Jewish foods that I'm used to using. My biggest issue is just figuring out what they call stuff (powdered sugar vs icing sugar), etc

[gibbylod]

May 29, 2015 1:22:14 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

gibbylod - I don't remember where you are...but are there storage places where you live (long-term storage)? They might sell boxes if you have that sort of place.

In London you can pretty much get everything at this point, between it being international and Amazon. That has changed over the years from when I first got here. But I don't remember what I couldn't get easily.

Good idea. I hadn't thought of that. I'll have to check.

[mrsukyankee]

May 29, 2015 9:23:51 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Solid deodorant. Seriously, World! Get with the program and stop trying to force me to use roll-on. I don't have space in my liquids bag for that.

But that's a pretty obvious and general one. More unusual and specific: Baking soda. Okay, technically I did find it by doing Google searches in Norwegian that landed me on a local baking blog, where I learned that you can purchase baking soda at the pharmacy. Wha-? Sure enough, further Google searching revealed a Christmas post from one of the pharmacy chains reminding you to stock up on certain ingredients for your holiday baking. Sometimes this place is just plain weird.

And most recently? Index cards. I checked a few stationery and office supply shops, and they didn't carry any. At all. I checked the local Staples website, and they do carry a few, but they're $10 for 100! I thought maybe that was inflation, since I haven't bought them since university, but a quick check in the US shows them as $5 for $500. So pretty much 1/10th the price. That can't even be chalked up to the crazy cost of living here.

Do you have a Chinese food store?  I found baking soda (aka bicarbonate soda) in bulk in London.  Best find ever.

[Grimmy]

May 29, 2015 10:23:59 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

May 29, 2015 9:42:53 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

In England? I am sure they use yeast though it might be somewhere surprising. I think we found it in the cold aisle.

likewise to london, they have pretty much everything here, including an ever increasing selection of American groceries at our grocery store. There's no Jewish population at all so I can't get most Jewish foods that I'm used to using. My biggest issue is just figuring out what they call stuff (powdered sugar vs icing sugar), etc

Cold aisle? How strange! I know I can get it on Amazon.

[anna7602]

I couldn't find crayons in France. I had to ask friends to bring them to me from other countries. This was truly surprising. 

[dorothyinAus]

May 29, 2015 9:23:51 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Solid deodorant. Seriously, World! Get with the program and stop trying to force me to use roll-on. I don't have space in my liquids bag for that.

I agree!  Why can't I find solid deodorant?  And not that rock crystal soils either.  That does nothing for seriously sweaty pits.

[dorothyinAus]

May 29, 2015 13:44:32 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

I couldn't find crayons in France. I had to ask friends to bring them to me from other countries. This was truly surprising. 

I was shocked when I was looking for crayons for a gift and DH told me that Australia doesn't have and never had the Crayola box of 64, with the built-in sharpener.  Boxes of 8 or 16 only.

[rupertpenny]

Maybe I should have known, but ibuprofen. It is by rx only and people think it's equivalent to taking OxyContin or something.

Not being able to find any infant Advil when my baby was teething was AWESOME.

I stocked up on that shit when we were home for Christmas.

[anna7602]

May 30, 2015 5:44:56 GMT -5 rupertpenny said:

Maybe I should have known, but ibuprofen. It is by rx only and people think it's equivalent to taking OxyContin or something.

Not being able to find any infant Advil when my baby was teething was AWESOME.

I stocked up on that shit when we were home for Christmas.

This rx for Ibuprofen bullshit happened to me in Belgium when I was having the menstrual cramps from hell.

[Grimmy]

OH! That's one that I can't find! OTC sleep aids. I bring boxes of Zzz-quil tablets back from the US. I Love the Zzz-quil because it's not habit forming and doesn't make you feel like death in the morning.

I also bring Nyquil back. Screw these tablets that supposedly treat your symptoms so you can sleep. If I'm sick, I want to be knocked out until I'm better lol.

[poisonkisses]

Clumping kitty litter that actually clumps. I don't know if it's the litter or something about my cats, but we tried a bunch of different brands and nothing really worked.

I also can't find antiperspirant. It's all deodorant and 99% of them are roll on. Basically all my life I've used extra strength antiperspirant and had been using it so long I forgot how much I needed it. Oh man, trying to use deodorant was not pleasant.

I tried a whole bunch of German kitty litter and deodorant saying "I can adapt! I can use whatever the locals use!". Yeah, no, I'll just drive the extra distance to the American base and buy them there.

[mrsukyankee]

May 29, 2015 9:42:53 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

Do you mean live, solid yeast?  Cause they have tons of yeast packets in England.

[GilliC]

May 29, 2015 11:11:43 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

May 29, 2015 9:23:51 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Solid deodorant. Seriously, World! Get with the program and stop trying to force me to use roll-on. I don't have space in my liquids bag for that.

But that's a pretty obvious and general one. More unusual and specific: Baking soda. Okay, technically I did find it by doing Google searches in Norwegian that landed me on a local baking blog, where I learned that you can purchase baking soda at the pharmacy. Wha-? Sure enough, further Google searching revealed a Christmas post from one of the pharmacy chains reminding you to stock up on certain ingredients for your holiday baking. Sometimes this place is just plain weird.

And most recently? Index cards. I checked a few stationery and office supply shops, and they didn't carry any. At all. I checked the local Staples website, and they do carry a few, but they're $10 for 100! I thought maybe that was inflation, since I haven't bought them since university, but a quick check in the US shows them as $5 for $500. So pretty much 1/10th the price. That can't even be chalked up to the crazy cost of living here.

Do you have a Chinese food store?  I found baking soda (aka bicarbonate soda) in bulk in London.  Best find ever.

We don['t have much Chinese, but we have a lot of south Asian markets. I'll check next time I'm there.

[Deleted]

May 29, 2015 9:42:53 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

Yeah I am looking forward to spaghetti squash when we move back this summer. I guess they don't grow it in the UK?

Stoned wheat thins crackers.

Umm... a peri bottle for postpartum. Midwives had never heard of them. I tried to get my sister to bring one from home but she didn't have time.

[Grimmy]

May 31, 2015 5:04:27 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

May 29, 2015 9:42:53 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

Yeast! I can't find it anywhere! I'm going to have to order it online.

Also, although I'm not that surprised, I can't find spaghetti squash anywhere. I miss it.

Hmm, there have been other things, I just can't remember them right now.

Do you mean live, solid yeast?  Cause they have tons of yeast packets in England.

I've looked in the baking section at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Co-op and haven't found it. I haven't tried Waitrose yet, though. I haven't looked on any of their websites though.

[mrsukyankee]

May 31, 2015 12:50:06 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

May 31, 2015 5:04:27 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Do you mean live, solid yeast?  Cause they have tons of yeast packets in England.

I've looked in the baking section at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Co-op and haven't found it. I haven't tried Waitrose yet, though. I haven't looked on any of their websites though.

The dried yeast (active) is near the flour- it's what I use for pretty much all recipes & have never struggled with finding it unless trying in a 'express' store.  Active live yeast is really only something that I have found online.

[pittpurple]

May 31, 2015 12:50:06 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

May 31, 2015 5:04:27 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Do you mean live, solid yeast?  Cause they have tons of yeast packets in England.

I've looked in the baking section at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Co-op and haven't found it. I haven't tried Waitrose yet, though. I haven't looked on any of their websites though.

As long as it's not an express store, they will have it at most of those, we are sainsburys and waitrose shoppers and have a bread maker so buy it a lot!

www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplayView?msg=&catalogId=10122&langId=44&storeId=10151&krypto=bLl7ElY1FAROhQbF4J3%2Bfhtp7xpXChL1GCuJGD6VLyhTYw%2FhVgCKXG5nqtU%2BOH7YsSJBDN6qE9q9%0AeDxRLFgZLctiubNh1C3aM3mAUHibdY8LzMTyFk3lAzThU3Tj5vNQvHvxYKWmdEU3tgFeijBst1An%0AnAf6egivEddg8txlIOLmP9TdFKG5%2FvpRlgU6p7zq4pwIXKEDXfBMCVNlgvReDh7Mn6G88%2Ft8003G%0A%2BsRdSbTyFJR0uDhCGtG%2FC9vtRpvf#langId=44&storeId=10151&catalogId=10122&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=&top_category=&pageSize=30&orderBy=RELEVANCE&searchTerm=yeast&beginIndex=0&categoryFacetId1=

[GilliC]

I have another one to add: English muffins.

The only place you can find them is McDonald's! Not only are they not available in the groceries, but even in cafes that serve eggs Benedict they just use toast instead. (I tried making my own once. It was a bit of work and not terribly successful.)

[origami]

May 31, 2015 18:18:04 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I have another one to add: English muffins.

The only place you can find them is McDonald's! Not only are they not available in the groceries, but even in cafes that serve eggs Benedict they just use toast instead. (I tried making my own once. It was a bit of work and not terribly successful.)

oh that's a good one. I can't even get those at Costco, where at least there are bagels.

[UnderProtest]

May 30, 2015 9:23:21 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

OH! That's one that I can't find! OTC sleep aids. I bring boxes of Zzz-quil tablets back from the US. I Love the Zzz-quil because it's not habit forming and doesn't make you feel like death in the morning.

I also bring Nyquil back. Screw these tablets that supposedly treat your symptoms so you can sleep. If I'm sick, I want to be knocked out until I'm better lol.

Supposedly they do have Benadryl here which is the same as a lot of sleep aids.  I haven't looked for it though.  And although I do have my Nyquil imported they do have OTC cold medicines with codeine here.  That can be fun.

I can't remember what I miss.  I know I haven't seen large boxes of baking soda or vinegar but I haven't looked in Asian markets.  I found malt vinegar online.  Press n' Seal isn't popular here, but apparently it isn't popular in a lot of the US.  My lovely MIL sent me that for Christmas.  I miss knowing how to do things and where to find things.  

[anna7602]

May 31, 2015 18:18:04 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I have another one to add: English muffins.

The only place you can find them is McDonald's! Not only are they not available in the groceries, but even in cafes that serve eggs Benedict they just use toast instead. (I tried making my own once. It was a bit of work and not terribly successful.)

If you travel to France anytime soon, they have them at the Carrefour. DD used to make Speculoos & Nutella sandwiches with them.

[Grimmy]

May 31, 2015 13:31:17 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

May 31, 2015 12:50:06 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

I've looked in the baking section at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Co-op and haven't found it. I haven't tried Waitrose yet, though. I haven't looked on any of their websites though.

The dried yeast (active) is near the flour- it's what I use for pretty much all recipes & have never struggled with finding it unless trying in a 'express' store.  Active live yeast is really only something that I have found online.

Well I stand corrected

I'm not shocked to hear that I've just completely passed it over. What a mug, eh?

[Grimmy]

Jun 1, 2015 11:27:38 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

May 30, 2015 9:23:21 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

OH! That's one that I can't find! OTC sleep aids. I bring boxes of Zzz-quil tablets back from the US. I Love the Zzz-quil because it's not habit forming and doesn't make you feel like death in the morning.

I also bring Nyquil back. Screw these tablets that supposedly treat your symptoms so you can sleep. If I'm sick, I want to be knocked out until I'm better lol.

Supposedly they do have Benadryl here which is the same as a lot of sleep aids.  I haven't looked for it though.  And although I do have my Nyquil imported they do have OTC cold medicines with codeine here.  That can be fun.

I can't remember what I miss.  I know I haven't seen large boxes of baking soda or vinegar but I haven't looked in Asian markets.  I found malt vinegar online.  Press n' Seal isn't popular here, but apparently it isn't popular in a lot of the US.  My lovely MIL sent me that for Christmas.  I miss knowing how to do things and where to find things.  

Yes, sometimes I find that annoying as well. Like, trying to find rubbing alcohol was difficult because it's called something different. Surgical Spirit, I think. Nobody knew wtf I was on about lol.

[Grimmy]

May 31, 2015 16:33:36 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

May 31, 2015 12:50:06 GMT -5 Grimmy said:

I've looked in the baking section at Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, and Co-op and haven't found it. I haven't tried Waitrose yet, though. I haven't looked on any of their websites though.

As long as it's not an express store, they will have it at most of those, we are sainsburys and waitrose shoppers and have a bread maker so buy it a lot!

www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplayView?msg=&catalogId=10122&langId=44&storeId=10151&krypto=bLl7ElY1FAROhQbF4J3%2Bfhtp7xpXChL1GCuJGD6VLyhTYw%2FhVgCKXG5nqtU%2BOH7YsSJBDN6qE9q9%0AeDxRLFgZLctiubNh1C3aM3mAUHibdY8LzMTyFk3lAzThU3Tj5vNQvHvxYKWmdEU3tgFeijBst1An%0AnAf6egivEddg8txlIOLmP9TdFKG5%2FvpRlgU6p7zq4pwIXKEDXfBMCVNlgvReDh7Mn6G88%2Ft8003G%0A%2BsRdSbTyFJR0uDhCGtG%2FC9vtRpvf#langId=44&storeId=10151&catalogId=10122&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=&top_category=&pageSize=30&orderBy=RELEVANCE&searchTerm=yeast&beginIndex=0&categoryFacetId1=

I want a bread maker, but we don't really have the room for it.