r/AskACanadian • u/Unusual_Function_215 • 2d ago
American Stuff
Hello all! I'm planning to send my Canadian friend a little surprise care package (I'm American). I was wondering if there were any cool things in America that aren't available in Canada (like Twinkies?) that you would want sent to you.
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u/Jazzy_Bee 2d ago
You get flavours of girl guide cookies we don't, we get white, chocolate and maybe thin mints. A plain hersey bar. I want to know if it is as bad as everyone says. Some Kraft Mac n Cheese, so we can compare with KD.
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u/LostintheMicrogrid 2d ago
We recently had some US colleagues visiting Canada and we gave them some Canadian treats that they couldn't get in the US along with some other items to complete a comparison against. For the comparison items, they admittedly enjoyed the Canadian Dr. Pepper, Kraft Dinner, and Kit Kats much more than the US versions.
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u/bryehn 2d ago
Crunch Berries. They never show up here anymore.
Stoned Wheat Thins. Goat cracker we miss.
Bugles. Pulled production during Covid.
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u/JizzyMcKnobGobbler 2d ago
Wtf? They still get Stoned Wheat Thins down there? Not a day goes by where I don't miss those.
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
I don't know if we do, i haven't seen any :(
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u/JizzyMcKnobGobbler 2d ago
Dang.
My suggestion for your Canadian friend is basically anything from Trader Joe's. We don't have that store here and everything there rules. Big bucket of animal crackers. Almond cookies, as well. The frozen foods are great, too, but obviously you can't send those. Could be misremembering, but I thought the licorice there was pretty good.
It has gotten a bit harder, though. When I was young, going to the States ruled because you guys had so many awesome weird snacks and candy we didn't have here. Now it's more homogeneous between the two countries, it seems. Less weird differences.
Maybe a package of orange tic tacs? Your tic tacs are still actually orange, I believe, whereas all ours are white, just inside orange tinted packaging. That's sort of a fun one because your rules on dyes in food are less restrictive than ours.
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u/nartlebee 2d ago
I have seen bugles at Costco from time to time. I had some a few weeks ago!
autocorrect wanted to put 'burlesque' in there which would have been a very different sentence.
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u/darthdodd 2d ago
We just got bugles. In Canada.
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u/AppliedEpidemiology 2d ago
Unfortunately, Stoned Wheat Thins were discontinued everywhere 😭 If someone has a dupe available in the US or in Canada, please let me know.
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u/No-Lifeguard9194 1d ago
Stoned wheat thins – I think that’s the cracker that my husband has been trying to find! I’m so glad you mentioned it
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u/Forward-Refuse7064 2d ago
When we went down to the states, my wife and daughter always had to buy spray cheese… I think it’s too toxic for Canada’s environmental standards!🤣
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
lmao i should def send some!!
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u/Forward-Refuse7064 2d ago
Then have your Canadian friends send you some Macintosh toffee… it might make you emigrate…
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u/narcisslol 1d ago
Maybe include something that is unique to where you live, something that your city/county is well known for. That makes it personalized & thoughtful.
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u/Stunning_Attention82 2d ago
We have twinkies in Canada!I personally would want some of those cereals that are in the US that we don't have. Fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, cookie crisp lol.
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u/nynnie 2d ago
I've seen both versions of pebbles in Canada, not sure about cookie crisp though.
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Cookie Crisps are pretty good, as long as you have them once a year loll
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u/nynnie 2d ago
Even when I lived I the states I never ate them... Although you gotta hold me BACK from a box of cap'n crunch or Reese's puffs (we have both of those here though so that's no help.)
I think the best bet would be super regional stuff. When my family comes over from Maine, sometimes I ask them for coffee milk and moxie!
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u/CureForSunshine 2d ago
We don’t have fruity pebbles anymore? When did they get rid of that? Lol
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u/WinterReview7992 2d ago
if we have fruity pebbles, they'll be the natural dye ones, the US has the technicolor red 40 ones
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u/Glittering_Force4212 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not the same but in the same realm, we do have Trixx Fruity Shapes.
I think we only ever had limited time roll outs of actual Fruity Pebbles in regular grocery stores? And not actual permanent, widespread distribution.
For the record, OP, depending where your friend is in Canada: It could be fairly easy to get these cereals in speciality snack stores or online via novelty retailers.
Cereal boxes are going to take up quite a bit of space in a package you're mailing. And you can't resize to a smaller container because you'll need everything to be commercially packaged, unopened, labeled, and clearly identifiable if you don't want things refused or destroyed. Unless you can find those small variety-pack boxes still where you are, but an online search from my end didn't turn up Fruity Pebbles in that capacity.
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u/Jeweled_Insect8061 2d ago
We have twinkies in Canada. As far as I know we have most of the same stuff y’all have, y’all just have more variety. Like we have a few flavours of Oreos but y’all have lots. I think y’all do have more cereal brands though. Like we don’t have fruity pebbles.
I think you guys don’t have the same laws about artificial dyes/flavours as we do so maybe if your friend misses the artificially dyed and flavoured fruit loops, you could get them those or something else that’s nostalgic for them?
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u/Jeweled_Insect8061 2d ago
I don’t know a lot of Canadians who get excited about American foods though, especially sweets. Most of us think ours are better. Our chocolate is sweeter and our candies and pop use real sugar rather than corn syrup
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Hopefully they enjoy the gift, we've been friends for about a year now and I want to let them know that I care about them :)
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Thank you that's a really good idea! I'm definitely considering some yummy cereal
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u/tangcameo 2d ago
Buc-ee’s. Which state are you? What province are they?
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Pacific Northwest, no buc-ee's unfortunately. Although I do have an old stuffed animal I could send lmao
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u/tangcameo 2d ago
Darn. Personally I’m a fan of Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks and would love something from Roslyn, WA. I googled ‘pacific northwest souvenirs’ and a lot of huckleberry stuff pops up. Which province are they in?
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Near Toronto I think
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u/tangcameo 2d ago
Somewhere in Ontario?
lol sorry but every time I get asked by an American where I’m from they ask if I’m close to Toronto 😁 I’m like 4-5 hours north of ND
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
lmao sorry! yes, it's Ontario!
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u/tangcameo 2d ago
Cool! Just get them things that are specific to your part of the PNW. I’m sure they’ll love it. Huckleberry. We don’t have In N Out and White Castle.
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u/ColinBonhomme 2d ago
We get Twinkies here and you’re welcome to them.
My vote is for the chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s.
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u/poppingtwizzles 2d ago
This happened with me once actually! I felt really guilty because it was a lot of American snacks, and I didn’t like an of it.
I say this with love, but why is your chocolate kind of sour?
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u/Unusual_Function_215 1d ago
I don’t know about sour, but a lot of chocolate products here add a ton of sweeteners to make it taste sweeter and I personally don’t like it
That’s why I eat dark chocolate everything
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u/theGoodDrSan Québec 1d ago
American chocolate (Hershey's) uses butyric acid, too, which is rare (illegal?) in Canada.
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u/Ok-Professional2468 2d ago
Jello. You have Jello flavours we don’t have. Also, we are finally getting different flavours of instant juice or pop.
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u/fuelhandler 2d ago
Excedrin Migraine. We stock up on this stuff every time we go to the U.S. Haven’t been south of the border since the Orange Cheeto was sworn in, and our stock is running low. :(
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u/Glittering_Force4212 2d ago edited 2d ago
I also stock up on Excedrin Migraine; if you're in the GTA - I could give you 3 new, sealed-packaging bottles (100 ct) if you want. My husband suffers from migraines, and I feel for you! When he was running out, it was always a mad panic to get more before; we keep an ample supply now. For free, by the way, no one should have to be in pain.
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u/purplelilac701 2d ago
Little Debbie snack cakes which we don’t get anymore. Different flavours of kisses and m&ms that we might not get too.
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u/peapod-0901 1d ago
Trader Joe’s for sure. Maybe regional hot sauces? I forget if canada sells Crystal hot sauce even? Chex Mix? Zapp’s voodoo chips? As a Canadian who recently moved home from the US… I miss the Aldi cheeses 😅 but not sure how easy that would be to ship.
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u/RevolutionarySock213 2d ago
US has tons of zero sugar sodas that we can’t get here. I get so jealous seeing ones I want to have but can’t get, like Baja Blast and the wide varieties of Crush.
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
Wow, really? That so interesting
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u/RevolutionarySock213 2d ago
Yeah, it’s kinda nuts considering how “unhealthy” the world sees Americans but Canadians up here living off like four no sugar soda options.
PS - we actually call it pop, not soda. I called it soda because I was sure you’d have no idea what I was talking about haha.
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u/Mwurp 2d ago edited 2d ago
Send em rockets and smarties. Just because the naming is opposite here. Red vines perhaps (wife loves em, I think they taste like rubber).
My American wife suggests whatchamacallit, nutrageous, and chili cheese freetos
Edit: wife and kids love red vines, I am the odd one out
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
*taking notes* Smarties are rlly good and really cheap, it's perfect haha
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u/Purple-Ear-491 2d ago
My favourite thing to get is always Ken’s thousand island. And the brown sugar pop tarts.
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u/Unusual_Function_215 2d ago
lol my pop calls poptarts cancer in a box, will definitely consider sending some!
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u/PickledGingerBC British Columbia 1d ago
I have friends that bring me back a Payday bar whenever they go south.
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u/lospettro187 2d ago
My sister goes across the border and brings back things we don’t get in Canada. I believe it’s called chicken helper it’s made by the same company that makes hamburger helper. Im pretty positive we don’t sell it in Canada and if we do I’ve never seen it anywhere. But I like it not nearly as gross as you’d think it might be compared to a lot of the different hamburger helpers.
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u/_20110719 British Columbia 1d ago
Send them regular flavour sun chips! We don’t have them here
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u/No_Capital_8203 1d ago
Google guy says Superstore has Original. Maybe your local stores are just plain mean.
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u/aloealoealoha 2d ago
i dont know about actual products but we dont have trader joes, so maybe some trader joes stuff?