How to Find Your Favorite Foreign Snacks in the US
You probably remember the tastiest snack you’ve ever tasted, whether you took it at a standard American gas station or a friend’s mom served it when you were a teenager. Most of the time, you can just go out and buy your favorite treat whenever you want. But what if you can’t do it because it’s not widely available in the US? If you’re new to the states and have missed out on a treat from home, or once tried something delicious for the first time overseas, you may be harder to track down.
Here are some ways to find your elusive favorite outdoors or try something new.
Find specialty stores or eateries.
It might seem obvious that you should look for stores that sell non-American snacks, but if you don’t know that these stores exist, it isn’t that obvious, is it? So yes, these stores do exist – and they may be near you. Search Google for specialty grocery stores or eateries in your area. Rafael Lullanda owns one such venture called NycExoticsnax with six branches in the northeast and another office in Los Angeles.
“My first store was in a very small alley, so it was easy to miss and I needed to change that,” says Lullanda. “I started by bringing different flavored ginger ales from Connecticut to New York, and then I started looking for other foods that weren’t in New York.”
He now orders foreign drinks and snacks in containers and sells them individually and as a wholesaler. If you’re not in the New York City or Los Angeles metro area, he ships his wares and encourages those looking for a snack to contact him with special requests. If available, it imports it here.
Need a recommendation? Lullanda offers flavored Doritos tacos from Japan, Dove chocolate with passionfruit from China and Fanta Dragonata from Bulgaria.
Try other shipping options
There are also subscription boxes with foreign snacks. No, you cannot guarantee that you will get your favorite. those, but you can explore some new possibilities this way. Try SnackCrate , Worldwide Treats, or Universal Yums . There are also sites offering direct selling like Exotic Blvd. which will give you free shipping on domestic orders over $ 35. Try eBay too – there are sellers there that specialize in exotic snacks.
You can also try searching for snack boxes on Amazon. The site has assortment boxes from Japan , Australia , Turkey , etc.
Find someone who can get you this
If you are really desperate for a special treat that you can’t stop thinking about, you can try visiting a travel forum and find an American heading to the country where your favorite snack comes from. Ask them directly if they are willing to pick it up for you. This may sound a little unexpected, but you can compensate for any perceived rudeness by offering them a reward.
While you’re on Reddit or your preferred website, try reaching out to someone who lives in that country and see if they’d like to send you your treat. Don’t be discouraged about this; if they live there, they probably know how delicious the dish is. They will probably regret you for not having access to it and, again, will be happy to take your money. Find out how much it costs to ship something from this country to your address in America, read any rules or laws, and then make an offer.
Or finally, if you really love this snack, we let you go and buy it. Okay, you don’t have to plan your entire trip abroad for a snack, but let your hunger influence your next vacation plan.