Hey all, I am going back to Canada (Ontario) this weekend on my AP and I am trying to think of some cool things to bring back with me to show everyone here in the US.
After talking to my mother-in-law today, we established Nutella and ketchup chips are a must.
I don't want to spend a fortune, but can you think of anything else, small, that would be good to bring here that they don't have in the US?
Oh, add to that a coffee crisp.

I want to bring a little care package of foods they don't have. I only want to spend about $20 though.

What do you guys think are the best things??

Thanks

I agree with the coffee crisp. It's my husband's favourite! My friends & stepson also love Smarties.

moose droppings!!!!!

My friends have also liked getting a box of 'timbits'. Not really my thing, but there's a Tim Horton's in the Vancouver airport so it's easy.

wine gums. I got moose and polar bear droppings for Caseys daughter.

Smarties, Kinder Eggs, REAL Cadbury chocolate

Gravestein Apples

They don't have wine gums here?? Now I'll have to look next time I'm in the store.

Ok ok, what about non candy stuff?? like freschie, and the nutella I mentioned.

Timmy's...you can get the individual portions

I can't find the Maynard's wine gums either, or Ju jubes

Butter tarts and 222s.

Nope wine gums are in Canada and the UK not in the US. Sucks cuz I love those little suckers.

And yeah it's gotta be Maynards!

Definately things they don't have....Smarties, ketchup or all dressed chips, wine gums, macintosh toffee (the stuff in slab form).....

POUTINE FIXENS!!!!

I've got my american friends hooked. Umm. Timmys, Maple Leaf cookies. Hmmm

On a side note I miss Timmys, Poutine and Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips.

My husband [Canadian] wanted me to add Nanaimo bars. I've had them before... they're pretty good.

Also, there is a candy in the US called Smarties... but after talking to my husband, it sounds like the US smarties is different from the Canadian smarties. Oh, and nutella is technically a German thing... i still like it though!

US smarties are what we call Rockets. We learned that at Christmas lol

My southern family loved the buttertarts I made for Thanksgiving (BTs are quite similar to chess pie ), and I can't live without a huge bottle of 222s (especially with all this immigration stress).

Another thing I brought for friends was Clamato, for gin Caesars, but you can buy it in some US grocery stores now.

I brought the HUGE a$$ jar of cheese whiz, (all I can find here are dinky little jars) bicks pickles (wayyy crispier than vlassic) robin hood nanaimo bar mix (although if you google the recipe you can make them from scratch), vim cleaner (the blueish liquid ocean fresh kind, it just smells like clean should smell), shreddies, coffee crisp, smarties, crispy crunch, all dressed up ships, and a couple large tins of tims coffee.

O and only bring one copy of your AP. I handed them both copies and they gave me ######, told me that I should leave one behind in case I lose one and i can have someone fed-ex it to me in canada. It took about an hour to process me at the border....the border guy actually told me that if I would cross over late at nght its better because there are less lines ofpeople needing processing. WHen I cross with my son next month (he is activating his visa for the first time) I am crossing after nmidnight, cooler to travel, less traffic and less people at the border.

I need to use this list to remember what to bring with me. Can't bring Pizza pops ...my son will die lol

My fiance (USC) loves Fudgee-Os, so I'll be taking some with me if there's enough space in my luggage

Brings tons of packages of allergy pills.. especially Allegra and Reactine (Zyrtec). Then they can see how ridiculus it is to pay over $100 for the same allergy pills that you can get for $9.99 on sale at Zellers...

Good idea zyggy seeing as I seem to have developed allergies in my new location. Must be different trees or something. I never had allergies in Canada.
These are great additions folks, thanks.
Wooooooo

I can't find any sort of hot cross buns or raisin buns anywhere around here, or English crumpets, which I love. I have found wine gums though, but not Maynaurds which are definitely better. Ovaltine is different in Canada than here as well - it has a lot more sugar here and all you taste is the sugar rather than the malt. Wish they have Vim here too because it works so well. Big Lots here occasionally has some specifically Canadian made foods on sale but not on a consistent basis.

zyggy's right. Bring Allegra. The over-the-counter allergy meds here are awful. Either too weak, or full of pseudophedren, which makes you jumpy, and you have to sign for them. Also, bring Robaxet. Good muscle relaxants for the back are also by prescription only here.

ugh...when I first moved here I was totally stocked up on some Tylenol product that I can't remember the name of now...its for muscle relaxant and back pain...like Parafon Forte but stronger. Anyhoo, can't find anything of the sort here, and I don't have medical insurance so can't go to a doctor.

Also Gravol.

Bring on the drugs. Robaxacet, Allegra, Gravol...wooooooo
I knew about the gravol but not the others. Thanks for the tips.

Dettol, They dont have that here either. So dont cut yourself or twist your back. It will be iodine and morphine if you do.

You're my girl. 222s and now this. I had to get my brother to drive across the border to send me a few boxes of Robaxet last time I visited my husband. (Too much time at the computer crunching data... )


This cracks me up from the OPs point of view: "Here friends / inlaws / whoever, try our Canadian drugs: they're awesome! Cheap, too!"


----
I REALLY miss having crumpets & hunny when I'm in the US. I'm going to fill my suitcase next time and freeze them.

I got my fiancee hooked on Maynard's Wine gums while she was here ... Also she was surprised that we have full Nibs and not just the bag of pieces ... Apparently she can't find either and that I am to bring her some when I move in July ...

Other things I sometimes take for my husband & friends: a nice bottle of BC wine, Merridale cider (high alcohol content!), and a selection of beer. (The big bottles of Unibrou are quite popular!)

The best was when I tolf my mother-in-law what poutine was and how it was made and how absolutely delicious it was. She was so completely grossed out.
And trying to explain what cheese curds are-sweet mother that was a chore.

The drugs are for me-they can have the food. haha.
2 more days till I visit.

And I have seriously made a list on a piece of paper from this post!!

I will be stocking up on Tim Horton's coffee and Fleecy Lily of the Valley dryer sheets!

I always stock up on Reactine, Blistex Lip Conditioner (in the white tub), and President's Choice fig bars.

These kind of threads make me homesick for Canadian candy.

I made Nanaimo bars for a party at work and everyone loved them.

I have another....my fiance had never had Swedish Berries before he met me....taking lots of those with me when I move....

Knock yourselves out.

http://canadianfavourites.com/index.html

WHAT??? No sweedish berries!!

I think the Swedish Fish candies you find at Walmart down in the US taste the same ... I might be wrong though ...

What about Good Host iced tea. The good iced tea not the American tea kind. Can you get that in the US?

Canucker, I envy you that you can go back and visit. I'm just starting my AOS and AP. Can't wait til I can visit my family & friends. And my husband will be in Newfoundland with me.
Don't forget Maple Leaf bacon. And somebody mentioned Cheez Whiz.................I can't find any like at home. And Vim........they looked at me pretty strange in Walmart when I enquired about it. How about Sour Cream and Bacon Chips...........my favourite...........we get them at home (they're either Lays, Hostess or Humpty Dumpty but they're hard to get other places in Canada!!) And Pineapple pop..............yum........
I've already started a list of things I'm taking back with me.........but then again Newfoundland has things I've never come across in other provinces...........but most of it is made right there in good old Newfie.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip......................Joan {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}

PS............Shopping is a whole new ballgame here. I'm not familiar with some of the products and sometimes I feel lost

omg thanks!!!!!

Cheese Curds incomming

and and Humpty Dumpty chips

and and Maple Beans

and and <get's the husbands credit card>

I just got back from a visit back to Alberta. I brought with me:
coffee crisp
cherry blossom
Mr .Big
Big Turk
crispy crunch
wonderful, good ol, fantastic OLD DUTCH chips
and from Calgary: Cheechas (kinda like chips)
Bird's custard for making nanaimo bars
eatmore !!! I love em
real Canadian maple syrup
and tons of Canadian things from the Dollar store with more

Bird's custard! that's right, I had to make the custard part of my trifle by scratch this past Xmas.
and Cherry Blossom...mmmmmmmm

All this food makes me want to get back there ASAP and I am the USC. However, when I go up to visit Darcy, I am required to bring American candy with me because my fiance likes some of the candy down here better.

One of my favorite things when we were visiting his grandmother in Erickson, MB was the butter tarts. I think I ate them until my stomach hurt.

Okay, will somebody please explain to me why no one has become a millionaire shipping butter tarts to the U.S.? I mean, Americans love sugar. It's in everything from toothpaste to tomato soup. The butter tart is quintessential Canadian cuisine and guaranteed to make your teeth hurt. So why is nobody making them down here or importing them?

because you'd need a business license and approval from the FDA and some really really good shipping containers! Those things are fragile. Better off to just make them yourself here in the States.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ButterTarts.html

My fave butter tarts are made by a Korean guy who runs a cafeteria on Sheppard Ave. near Vic Park. mmmmm yummy runny butter tarts...

something else to add to my list now!

Hearing about all of these Canadian goodies is making drool! I always try to bring 3-4 cans of Tim's, assorted chocolate bars like coffee crisp and crispy crunch (I'll never get used to calling them "candy bars!), and my new obsession - j-cloths!

They were a must in my kitchen back in Canada, and they can't be found south of the border! Am I the only one who loves these things?

Reba, thanks for the recipe, which looks like the real deal: serious butter and sugar. There have been many successful food businesses that did one thing, but did it extremely well. A butter tart kiosk in every mall would make us millions. Hey, it's something to do while waiting for the visa!

maybe once I have a kitchen where I can roll out some pastry dough I'll try making some. I've never made them before.

heh...just dont let anybody accuse you of causing diabetes

I head to Saskatoon in 13 for a 2 week stay!! Only thing I miss food wise is Tim Hortons coffee, and the can stuff one brings back, just doesnt taste the same!! I usually stop in at the airport and try to find me a nice Canada Coffee mug!!

My mom used to own a catering company, her buttertarts were famous around here. People would drive for miles to get them. She is the pastry queen! I am going to miss her baking!

I need to keep a list of stuff for her to ship us...maybe for Christmas

I checked that link but I don't need a case of chocolate bars...1 or 2 would be good.

I always take a big bag of bulk Callebaut bittersweet chocolate for baking. It's really high quality and melts perfectly. I haven't found anything like it in the US.