Nicola

I'm living in the US but from Ireland and I really miss crisps (potato chips), Cadburys chocolate (and not the stuff made by Hersheys), Irish soup, and of course the pubs. There's nothing like going for a few quiet pints mid week to catch up with your friends. I also miss the lifestyle--you work to live over there, and not live to work.

jason

Definitely 24 hours baby...why can't I get Famous Amos Cookies and a Coke at 3am in Belgium?

expat

MEXICAN FOOD. And not those crappy taco shells they sell at Sainbury's either.

Sjoerd

So it seems if we Europeans open some 24-hour shops selling American (fast)food you guys are all happy!

pimp

Europe has better, cleaner, and prettier prostitutes(Especially Amsterdam). Not like the dirty hags that walk the streets of New York, LA, Detroit, Washington DC, and Miami.

sss

My best friend lived in Oxford for a time and she said that she missed the box stores like Walmart, where you could just go and quickly purchase something like a shower curtain if you needed it.

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jhm

When I lived in England, I missed: <BR> <BR>Sunday NYTimes in print <BR>real bagels (not "beigels" like in England) <BR>cold beer <BR>non-PAL VCRs <BR>inexpensive dry cleaning <BR>dollar bills (as opposed to heavy pound coins) <BR> <BR> <BR>Back in the States, I miss: <BR>ease of travel through Europe <BR>clean subway cars <BR>the cool way the phone rings <BR>football fans singing in unison at a match <BR>pollen-free spring! <BR>

Rachel

I really don't understand when people talk about the "warm" beer in England. It's not warm! Maybe it was back in 1943, but it is not warm. I'm an American married to a Brit, and have lived in both countries. The beer temperature is the SAME!!! Of course, trying to get more than one ice cube with a mixed drink will take an act of God, but that's another topic.

Art

While living in Europe what I missed <BR>ROUND DOORKNOBS <BR>

sarah

I MISS SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY!! <BR> <BR>As an american living in paris, I miss being able to strike up a conversation with a total stranger in the grocery store or having a pleasant conversation with the bank teller. When I'm on the metro, I'm like...if we were in the US, this place would be so loud you wouldn't be able to hear yourself talk. <BR>Other things I miss: <BR>1. Mountain Dew <BR>2. Outback Steakhouse <BR>3. Breugger's bagels <BR>4. Gallons of Tropicana Orange Juice <BR>5. Wrightsville Beach(Baja Grill) <BR>6. Gold's Gym <BR>7. Family Gatherings with good food!! <BR> <BR>What I will miss when I leave paris: <BR>1. strolling <BR>2. reading in Luxembourg Gardens <BR>3. traveling to Africa for a weekend <BR>4. the view out my apartment window <BR>5. chapel bells <BR> <BR> <BR>

david west

when I lived in the US (NYC &LA) I missed: <BR> <BR>Proper bacon <BR>English Pork Pies <BR>Twiglets <BR>Generally, food that tasted of what it was supposed to. <BR>Our big Sunday Papers (although you could get them on monday - sort of misses the point) <BR>British telly, not just the stuff on PBS <BR>Radio 4 <BR>Football!!!!! <BR>Cricket!!!! <BR>being able to walk to places. <BR>Beer <BR>Pubs <BR>the spontineity of male realtionships, ie not having to book an appointment to have a drink with a pal. <BR> <BR> <BR>And in reverse <BR> <BR>Easy Cheese in a can! <BR>big flats etc <BR>American ladies (the accent certainly helped) <BR>The general "can do" feeling of the place. <BR>32 oz stakes (tasteless but big) <BR> <BR>

ralph

Hey Sjoerd - <BR>It is well established based on your previous posts how much you irrationally despise AMericans - so why don't you just shut up and let this perfectly innocent post continue without it turning into an American bashing fiasco.

toO

Ralph <BR> <BR>You seem to be the one doing the bashing by being so offensively defensive. <BR>Every poster mentioned missing 24 hr American fast food, and sjoerd made a funny comment about keeping them happy. You PRESUMED he was being sarcastic and anti-American. <BR> <BR>Now you will probably tell me to Love it or leave it , right?

pippip

I'm on Ralph's side on this one (and I'm not an American). Everyone in this forum was tooling along nicely, explaining what they missed, and along comes that idiot Sjoerd to criticize American choices -- note that Sjoerd didn't answer the original question. <BR>And please note that not everyone said they missed 24-hour shopping in the US, nor did they place it at the top of their list. <BR>Summary: Sjoerd is a fool.

snorkelman

I am an American and I lived in Holland for 6 months while i studied. I had to ride a bike to the grocery store and i missed being able to just buy big 2 liter bottles of Pepsi and load them into the car. It really sucks having to carry your groceries back home via bicycle (i put them all in a big backpack) and then climb the 3 flights of narrow, circular stairs. <BR> <BR>Also, although I had access to NBC, I am a Florida Gator and wanted to watch some of my college's football games. Well, NBC had some kind of contract and in Europe the only college games that you could see were Notre Dame. I would have had to travel to Amsterdam to watch the games via satellite. The local Irish pub in Leiden (my town) did show professional american football, but since the pub closed at 11pm and the time difference, i was never able to watch more than the 1st half of the football game. Also, if there was ever a conflict between an American football game and any type of Soccer game, you can imiagine which one won out! <BR> <BR>I missed the free refills and receiving ice in my sodas. Also, the only type of spaghetti sauce available in jars (in many areas) was crushed tomatoes (ragu and prego type sauces were not always available). <BR> <BR>I missed being able to make a local phone call and talk forever for free! In Holland I had to pay for each 10 seconds, and the further the distance, the more expensive it was (even local calls). <BR> <BR>In America, I missed getting beer at the movie theatres.

Stephen

I've been in the US since 1990 (originally from Ireland), and there's a lot less that I miss now than when I first arrived. With the advent of the Internet, it's so much easier to keep in touch, both with individuals and what's going on in the news and sports. With satellite TV, I get to watch 2, sometimes 3, England Premiership matches a weekend, which is more than I would get to at home. Phone rates have dropped dramatically. It used to cost me around 50 cents per minute to call home. Now I pay about 9 cents. And I basically can get any of the food from home here, as there are a couple of stores in my city that sell it. Guiness in the U.S. has also vastly improved since 1990. It's now nearly, but not quite, as good in many bars here as it is at home in Ireland. <BR> <BR>That said, I still do miss my family and friends, and just popping down to the pub for a couple of drinks during the week. And I only get to about 3 live Premiership matches a year now. Even though I love living in America, I am looking forward to retiring back home in about 15 years. This way, I think I get the best of both worlds: spend my prime earning years in the country where there is the most opportunity and earning potential, and retire to the country where I can relax in the nice, easy pace of life.

ingrid

After 17 years in the US, I still miss decent bread, rolls, and pastries. No super-fancy bakery/gourmet store in the DC area can accomplish what an average corner bakery can accomplish in Germany. Wonder why?

dpat

What's all this stuff about missing food? Nah Nah, I missed twinkies and steaks and all that...I guess we really are a fast food nation. Maybe I wasn't in Europe long enough, but I don't see how you could miss all the junk food.. <BR>I would expect to miss things like friends or warm weather, but I can't believe how people are spoiled by modern convenience, based on the postings here.

mimi taylor

This is for Raechel: I think I hace mispelled her name, but anyway, I agree with her, English beer is not warm, I think because we serve such awful beer like Budweiser and Pabst, and I will include Coors, They must be icy and they taste like razor blades. Carta Blanca and Dos S. from Mexico are much better than our beers. We love Stella Artois. Too many to go into.