Er, I just re-read my title and realized it might sound like I was soliciting a box of Honeycomb.
Finding our favorite American foods in South Africa, as I’ve told you in previous posts, can be difficult, and sometimes impossible.
But it really hasn’t been a big problem for us. We’ve adapted pretty well, I think. Not having American food doesn’t make life miserable, and makes us appreciate even more the conveniences and goodies we’ve taken for granted living in the states. But of course I have my moments, like missing Starbucks like a good little spoiled American girl. And so I get pretty excited at small things like finding bottles of Starbucks Frappuccinos in a store:
There are a couple grocery stores in areas around Pretoria and Johannesburg which carry more American products than others, since the demand is higher: Woolworths, and Spar. One Spar in particular is dubbed “American Spar” for their higher-than-average number of imported US products.
I’ve only been there twice, and both times got a little carried away with my purchases. Occasionally I come across something that I don’t normally find here, and I go a little bonkers. The weird thing is that I don’t normally crave it. But since I can’t have it, suddenly it becomes an obsession. This happened with a box of Honeycomb. I’m very embarrassed to say that I absolutely had to have that box of Honeycomb. It’s not my favorite cereal. I actually switched to a lot more healthful cereals in my late twenties and rarely have the sugary stuff, and when I do, I go for Crunch Berries.
As I reached for the shelf, I saw the price: R93.4
At a rough exchange rate of 11 to 1, that’s almost $8.50 (!!) for one box of cereal.
I scanned the other imported cereals and discovered some were reasonably priced:
Others were equally outrageous:
And still…I bought the Honeycomb. Because that darn cereal was like a big box of America; of nostalgia; of happy, childhood contraband. And I can use a little childhood contraband…every once in awhile.
Love, Marla
