I have a friend who always asks for something very specific when her friends go overseas. She wants candy. Any kind of candy suits her, as long as it's not the same thing that is sold in the United States.
Some candies are odd, chewy, meringue monstrosities that just don't make sense to American tastes, while others are sorely missed the second the last bite is taken. Why are we still a nation without the sublime Lion bar (a cross between a $100,000 bar and a Snickers)?
The Lion bar is not the only food product we're missing out on. Not exactly a candy bar, but in Australia, Cadbury has released its Viking chocolate bar with guarana as an energy milk drink product. It claims to be the first energy milk drink to reach consumers, and is designed to appeal to young, active adults. While in Italy, Nestle has introduced a new candy based product—La Festa Smarties, a birthday party cake targeted at children, packaged in a not too partylike cardboard box. The package includes the cake, stuffed with cocoa cream and topped with frosting and multi-colored Smarties (not our version of Smarties—think M & Ms) and 'party novelties,' the definition of which is anybody's guess.
Not sweet enough for you? New in Norway, Danisco has introduced Dan Sukker Okologisk, organic sugar in either paper bags or boxes, and, supposedly and earthshakingly, marks the first time organic sugar has been introduced in Norway.
I like my sugar turned into dessert, preferably ice cream in variations of vanilla and chocolate, but I'm not averse to a good strawberry. Apparently, in Austria they like their ice creams a bit less mainstream. A company called Eskimo-Iglo has introduced Joghurt Traum Mildes Joghurteis & Feine Fruchte, which is a milk kiwi and green apple yogurt ice cream. It is packaged in what is referred to as a 'plastic pot.'
But what about lushes who are also fond of dessert? Finally, the cry for a tasty alcoholic dessert is answered. In Italy, Nuove Distillerie Vicenzi has introduced Mousse Liqueur, a 15% alcohol by volume lemon mousse liqueur. Wait, that's not dessert. It is, when it's served ice cold in cups and eaten with spoons. It can also be poured over ice cream and fruit salad. Their suggestions, not mine.
Speaking of frozen drinks, recently released in France, Frigecreme has broadened their Orangina line of frozen novelties. Inspired by the carbonated beverage, Orangina Glace are orange-flavored ice drops, packaged in a pot with a dispensing cap which allows the drops to be poured into the mouth like a drink.
Candy and desserts aren't the only snacks across the Atlantic that can't be found here. In England, Cottage Delight, a gourmet food manufacturer, has decided to get into the colorful food business. They have just launched two unique snack products, appropriately called All Blues, and Blues & Whites. These french fries are made from the distinctive blue Congo potato, grown in Scandinavia. The potatoes' natural blue pigmentation and dense texture result in very crunchy fries. And what kind of ketchup does one use with blue fires? Recently introduced in the Philippines, under the UCF brand, is 2-in-1 Tomato Sauce, which sounds perfectly sensible—so far. The 2-in-1 sauce is a combination of rich, red tomato sauce and a sweet and spicy blend of 'banana catsup' with Lycopene. It is packaged in an appetizing metal tin.
New in the United Kingdom, is Camembert de Caractere, a Camembert cheese that, to the consternation of cheese connoisseurs everywhere, is fully matured from the day it is made. It is made using exclusive technology, which is said not to affect the taste, aroma, strength or shelf-life. Luckily, we will not be able to sample Camembert de Caractere to decide for ourselves.
Riskakor med Smak au Kola. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? In Sweden, it does. This riskakor is really just rice cakes with a toffee flavor, that contain only 40 calories.
So, what do we get back here at home? Kraft is introducing Manchego Processed Cheese Slices to its Kraft Slices line. The product claims to be targeted toward Hispanic consumers and is described as 'a mild, creamy-flavored cheese that is ideal for melting and is delicious in quesadillas, sandwiches, or just as a snack.' It's already available here, in Los Angeles, and San Antonio/Houston, and Chicago.
Let's face it—the options are just more, well, if not enticing, certainly more innovative elsewhere. Even the beverages are more exciting. In Austria, a company with the unappetizing name, Rauch, is launching Yippy. Yippy is a line of fruit drinks with a 'superior taste''—their phrasing, not mine. The flavors are the usual suspects (Peach Paradise; Cherry Banana; Orange Ocean; Kiwi Berry; Apple Circus, whatever the hell that is), but they are all enriched with vitamins and calcium. The new Yippy is aimed at children, thanks also to its trademark character, the Yippy bear, that has been specially designed to attract young children. The company also claims that the packaging for this drink has been developed in cooperation with child psychologists and extensively tested in market research. Why, exactly, they don't say.
Rio Beverages is about to launch its own beverage, called Ikon, in the United Kingdom. Ikon comes with an effervescent vitamin and mineral tablet in the cap, which drops into the beverage, when you poke the straw through its hole. Yes, there is a diet formula.
New in Japan, Kabaya has introduced Low Temperature Condensed Juice 100. Doesn't sound so special after the others, does it? Well, this juice product is condensed at a lower temperature than conventional methods, to prevent the breakage of nutritions by heat. In case you happen to find yourself in Tokyo, the Japanese product name is Teion Noshuku Kaju 100.
Slightly less common is the concoction from France, called Ethno Bar Inde Orange Mangue Curry, an exotic blend of fruit juice and curry inspired by traditional Indian recipes. The preservative-free beverage is recommended as an aperitif.
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Not to be outdone, in the U.S., Country Pure Foods unveils Soy Juicy Soymilk and Juice Blends. Flavors include Sunburst (soymilk with orange juice), Berry Breeze (soymilk with strawberry, raspberry, and cherry juices), and Peach Dream, (soymilk with peach and white grape juices). They retail in 64-oz. cartons, and make you proud to be an American.
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