Available Food??

I'm cleaning out kitchen cabinets because Frank wants to paint the pantry.
Can I buy pancake syrup at Lidl? There is one close to where we are going in Sicily.
Can I find popcorn kernels? I'm not crazy about microwave popcorn.
I was going to bring all of my spices but I changed my mind. I know I will need to bring cumin and chili powder, but what else?

Should I pack the gazillion boxes of Jello I have?

Lidl is good for syprup and they sometimes have theme weeks like american week where they sell cookie mix, popcorn stuff etc.

I cant remember seeing jello at the local supermarket but im sure they must have it!

This might be helpful http://www.bestofsicily.com/links.htm

I would bring jello, I have never seen it anywhere here. I have seen tons of spices in the supermarkets though, same with syrup. Not really food related, but if you use things like pepto or tums bring them as well. I am always stocking up on these things when I visit the US/UK. Ditto for any over the counter meds that are hard to come by here or really expensive.

I had heard that OTC meds are expensive over. I just need to get some Childrens motrin and maybe another couple of bottles of ibuprofen.
We don't really use anything else. Is that weird?

No, it's not weird at all! Even though I don't use pepto all the time, I freak out if it's not ready available!

Definately bring Ibroprofen. I found apart from the cost, that at least for kids you can only get it on prescription. also good old fashion paracetemol tablets are expensive here, at least compared to the uk. another thing I found is that they don't have the same allergy tablets for hay fever. My OH finally found piriton in the Uk which works for him (After suffering 35 years!) but you can't get anything like it in Italy.

If you run out you can always have a weekend in the UK an stock up if they havent got the things you want here or im sure you can order it online as well

I haven't been around for a while, so sorry for the delay:). Some things that I like to bring.... dill weed, chilli powder, cumin, corriander, shake and bake, ziploc baggies, tylenol, cold tablets, pepto bismal, baking powder for sure (if you like to bake), it is available, but.. is usually flavored with vanilla. If I can remember any more, I will update. Yes popcorn is available just about anywhere. Actually microwave popcorn is not widely available as microwaves don't form an integral part of the Italian kitchen, like they do in America. If you like popcorn toppers, I would bring that as well:). Any spice mixtures/and or packets of seasonings that you enjoy, as packages or not widely available. Yes Lidl is good for a lot of things if you have one near you. I missed green relish for my "Wurstel" haha, how strange is that! Well, can't think of anything else at the moment. So hope this helps. Cheers

Yes, in the US you can buy 500 ibuprofen tabs for like $8. Here you will pay €5 or so for about 20 tabs.

Regarding children's motrin and stuff: This depends on how old your kids are. If your kids are very young and it's hard getting syrups down them, i would strongly recommend bringing the concentrated versions of both motrin and tylenol for infants. If your kids are older and able to take syrups, there is a great strawberry tasting ibuprofen for kids called Antalfebal (or something like that) available here. As far as the cost, it is relevant because it's a bottle of syrup and kids don't take it as often as we do, so it doesn't matter how much it costs... i mean, it might not be worth taking up your suitcase space. On the other hand, the children's tylenol here (called tacchipirina) is horrible tasting... so that is up to your own judgement. My two yr old will take a 1/2 tsp of this if it's mixed in 8 oz. of milk. Otherwise, she won't get near it.

I have never seen maple syrup at Lidl, but I have seen it at E.Leclerc and Conad... you can find it surely. It's not cheap, and it's always the real syrup, never the aunt jemima's style. In any case, this all depends on what city you live in. In Florence and Rome i know there are lots more things available than on my side of the country...

Here are some things I always bring with me:
1. Marshmallows
2. Corn Syrup
3. Pecans
4. Dill Weed
5. coriander seeds for planting, if you like asian food, you can grow your own cilantro
6. bbq sauce
7. good old baking powder (they have something similar here but it doesn't work the same in your american recipes)
8. molasses
9. vanilla extract (not an essential - again they have something similar but it's not quite the same)
10. ziploc bags of all sizes. italians do not ziploc.
11. those disposable thermal heat packs for your sore muscles or cramps.
12. dried cranberries. you can even reconsitute these and make cranberry sauce at thanksgiving.
13. flavored coffee cream

I don't use Crisco or Miracle Whip, but just an FYI these do not exist here.

Here are some other notes, which I have copied from a previous post I put on expatexchange.com
Enjoy

Some tips for living here, especially if you are in a small town:
1. Realize that lots of things can be done without, lots of foods can actually be made by hand (e.g., pumpkin puree, coconut milk, curry paste, chicken broth... all things that US expats are used to finding in a can).

2. Learn how to drive like an italian. they are scary, but they are good drivers. They are defensive drivers (always looking out for possible danger), and they are offensive drivers (always creating a possible danger). Get used to it and don't cringe. Rules rarely apply.

3. Nothing can be accomplished in just one day. Do not make yourself a long to-do list and expect to get it all done in a day. You will find that bizarre shop hours, unexpected closures, long lines, total inefficency and just plain red tape will slow everything down and you will have to do some of it another day. You will not leave messages and have people call you back. You will call and call and call again until you finally find them. This will take up lots of your precious time.

4. Customer service has just recently become a concept in Italy. If your phone or internet gets cut off unexpectedly, don't expect a repair in less that 5 days, and don't ever expect a refund.

5. You may have to wash yourself without water in the summer, especially if you live in a tourist town by the beach. The hotels will get all your water every evening.

6. Doing laundry will take you 2 days instead of 2 hours.

There is lots to enjoy in Italy, but most things are not based on comfort, convenience, or service. It's another world.

Rachel

I have found ziploc style bags here at ikea!

yes, you are right Jessica! I remember seeing those now!

To tell you the truth, i actually don't NEED ziploc bags as much as I used to. Living in Italy trains you to do without some things, huh?

All this talk of syrups and kid's tylenol/tachypirina reminds me that here the paediatrician made us give our daughter tachypirina suppositories (yep up the bum ) when she had a fever and said that that was the only option. Is this normal here? Do they even have syrups? Poor thing was so traumatised. I might have to buy some kid's tylonol/paracetamol next time I'm OS. She's almost 16 months BTW.

piccolina wrote:All this talk of syrups and kid's tylenol/tachypirina reminds me that here the paediatrician made us give our daughter tachypirina suppositories (yep up the bum ) when she had a fever and said that that was the only option. Is this normal here? Do they even have syrups? Poor thing was so traumatised. I might have to buy some kid's tylonol/paracetamol next time I'm OS. She's almost 16 months BTW.

the only reason they give them suppositories at 16 mos is they think there is a greater chance of getting all the meds in them.

All the paracetolmolo (tacchipirina) syrups for kids here in italy are horrendous tasting. however, as i mentioned in my last post, they are well hidden in a large bottle of milk. About 180cc of milk for 3ml of tacchipirina... my daughter can't taste it at all. Experiment, or try to buy some more concentrated syrup abroad so you have a better chance of getting it down her. the concentrated infant ibuprofen was well-tolerated by my baby, but the concentrated infant tylenol always made her vomit. it is nasty.

I have noticed that Italians are obsessed with suppositories and I have fought them every step. I only give my children meds orally and anyway what little I have tried anually has always been pushed out into the nappy, and sometimes you only realise ages afterwards. When I gave birth in Rome I was allowed 2 paracetemol tablets for pain, but the next nurse on duty refused, claimed there were non, I tried to use the suppositories but they kept coming out..and u can imagine how they ended up, it was such a mess and I was desperate...so I was in agony and had to get my husband to bring tablets in.(That was after having been stitched up without anesthetic...the most pain I ever felt in my life...but that is another story...)
Anyway contrary to everyone else's experience my 3 kids have no problem guzzling down the paracetemol syrup, as this week testifies..they must have drunk a litre between them with all the fevers in my house!

Surely in Sicily you won't find everything you need. But after 10 months I have pretty much found everything in Rome that I was missing. Except for some very particular Belgian things. If you really miss something in Sicily you could also always ask someone in Rome to send you a package, surely it will be cheaper (and it might actually arrive through post) than if sent from the US.
And as AKAbruzzo says, after a while you will become so creative in substituting these things by whatever you can find here.

*Belgian wrote:Except for some very particular Belgian things.

Just out of curiosity, what very particular Belgian things do you miss?

yes they do tend to give supposte for children, but you can opt out for the syrups or better still try to keep ones children healthy .
You would have thought with me having 9 from the age of 28 to the age of 6 that there would be constantly someone ill, but thank God really its not like that.
I will be honest I do give them vitamin supplements from the GNLD permitting me to work even on a part-time basis how when and where permitting me to meet lots of different people.
Well you can always check out their web site GNLD an international company permitting you to earn money with very good financial advantages.
Bye to all
Have to start thinking what to do for dinner time and for the evening meal seeing as we will be around 15.

I think I'll opt out for the good old shephards pie ovviously slightly modified.
Have a nice day everyone

I forgot you might find jelly at castrone in rome but its not an italian thing at all and not really apreciated so if you are coming over and can't do without jelly then bring a stock over.

Yeah, we had to give those awful tachypirina supposte (suppositories) to our baby when she was sick a few weeks ago. I was so angry that the doctor made us do this to an already miserable child. Didn't know that they had syrups here - next time I'll go for those.

yeah i remember once asking my BF for an ibuprofin and he handed me a suppository, i was like what the h*** is this?? seriously people? he says they work faster? umm.. no thanks..

where can you get molasses? I wanted to make apple crumble but they dont have brown sugar here, just cane natural sugar which you have to mix with molasses to get the kind of Brown sugar in america.. any ideas?

This is a bizarre thread now...suppositories, molasses, jelly, shepherds pie (Yum I cook it too, Annarita)....
I am loosing track of which orifice we are dealing with...!

Ggnitaly84 wrote:
where can you get molasses? I wanted to make apple crumble but they dont have brown sugar here, just cane natural sugar which you have to mix with molasses to get the kind of Brown sugar in america.. any ideas?

I don't know about molasses, but I was able to find brown sugar in Rome (after a loooonng search) in a bio/fair trade store. Maybe there's something like that in Firenze? I think I might have even seen (dark) brown sugar at Castroni's.

they do fair trade stuff at Lidl..can't say I ever looked for the suger thou'

There is a brand called "alce nero" which they sell in some normal grocery stores... it's a healthy/fair trade brand... they sell a much better brown sugar than natural cane... it's called something like zucchero integrale di canna... i also found a wonderful one at some natural shop - it comes from brazil or some other SA country i can't remember anymore.

Regarding the molasses, I once was able to get some ordered through a woman at a parafarmacia who also sells health-food stuff.

It's called melassa - you may have to explain that it comes from the sugar making process or they might try giving you "mosto cotto" which comes from grapes.

by the way, mosto cotto actually works really well in crumble toppings! I use the cane sugar they sell everywhere, with some oatmeal (ground a little) and flour and butter and a little of this mosto cotto... it works fine.