Why visiting supermarkets abroad is the most fun
One of my favorite things to do when I’m abroad is grocery shopping. I genuinely look forward to going to the supermarket abroad and really enjoy it. I sometimes wonder whether tourists feel the same way in the Netherlands; do they also walk around Albert Heijn or Jumbo in the best of moods?
I actually think they do; I always find it so much fun to discover products that we don’t have in the Netherlands, and I suspect the reverse is true too. All those different bags of licorice in our supermarkets!
From crisps to olives
Even when I’ve only just crossed the border into Belgium, I get excited about the supermarkets there, especially the gigantic Carrefours you find there, just as in France. I used to feel the same way; I would immediately grab my favorite crisps (Lay’s black Barbecue crisps, which they still have there and we still don’t—such a shame; it’s the best flavor ever!) and run over to the toys, because those big Carrefours have everything. By the way, Carrefour recently removed all Lay’s flavors from its stores.
But I still love browsing foreign supermarkets—these days partly because of TikTok; I get insanely jealous when I see drawers filled with every Buldak ramen flavor imaginable. The creamy carbonara still goes viral on the app, and we finally have it on the shelves at Albert Heijn, but now I keep seeing the curry flavor pop up too. And well, you can’t find that one anywhere here.
Taking it home in my suitcase
Last April I was in New York and had set aside part of my suitcase for supermarket purchases, so bottles of various Ranch dressings and the one and only Thousand Island dressing came home with me (for the nostalgic feeling). And that Ranch really hit the spot; it’s so delicious! It’s a shame we don’t have it in the Netherlands, although I do wonder: if we get it here, will it quickly lose its special appeal? Will it still be that delicious? And a longtime favorite among travelers in Asia: 7-Eleven’s toasted sandwiches.
Your favorite foreign supermarket
I think grocery shopping in foreign supermarkets is a hobby shared by many people, myself included. So if you have a recommendation for a particular supermarket, please let us know in the comments. My favorites are definitely American Ranch dressing and the spicy olives from the Spanish supermarket. I could easily eat a kilo of those every day. And here you can read what FavorFlav’s Sabina always brings home from the French supermarket.
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