in preparation for my first trip to taiwan at the age of 9, i tagged along with my mom on multiple trips to Costco as she agonized over what presents to buy for our relatives on the island. i puzzled over the things she picked out: huge packages of ferrero rocher chocolates, anti-aging creme, 90-day supplies of osteoporosis supplements, vitamin E gel capsules that could be squeezed open and slathered onto the skin.
Things I've requested (living in Lithuania): marmite from people coming from the UK, spices (zaatar) from people coming from Israel, a specific polish vodka from people coming from Poland. Getting something you absolutely cannot get in your country is amazing
Also I think while we can get sone same brands here, sometimes they’re made differently - like I think your Haribo gummy bears are made without corn syrup!
Your compassion for your mom all these years later is lovely. When we’d go to Germany as a kid, I was obsessed with Ritter Sport....now I can get it at grocery stores and pharmacies haha!
I always request Niederegger marzipan when my German friends visit. You can get it here in specialty stores but it is very expensive.
Things I've requested (living in Lithuania): marmite from people coming from the UK, spices (zaatar) from people coming from Israel, a specific polish vodka from people coming from Poland. Getting something you absolutely cannot get in your country is amazing
Also I think while we can get sone same brands here, sometimes they’re made differently - like I think your Haribo gummy bears are made without corn syrup!
Your compassion for your mom all these years later is lovely. When we’d go to Germany as a kid, I was obsessed with Ritter Sport....now I can get it at grocery stores and pharmacies haha!