American Food: a Lucrative Commodity

Ever since we moved to England back in August we have been fairly convinced that compared to local cuisine American food is just…well…better. We thought a lot of this had to be subjective, since of course, you just like what you grow up with, but a recent trip to the upscale Selfridges department store in Birmingham proved our case once and for all. In a special section dedicated purely to American food (even decorated with stars and stripes) we found all of the classics: microware popcorn, fake macaroni and cheese, Reeces peanut butter cups, even Lucky Charms! It was a carefree wonderland of dancing, skipping joy until we realized how expensive they all were: converting to USD people here are willing to pay:

$4 – Small box of Kraft macaroni and cheese
$10 – Bag of Double Stuf Oreos
$12 – Jar of Skippy peanut butter
$14 – Box of Lucky Charms cereal

Unbelievable! We are thinking to quit our jobs and start importing macaroni and cheese, getting it for 20 cents in the US and selling it here. Now I know that Brits may say it is only crazy American expats who are buying this stuff, but basic economics tells us that these things must actually sell at these lucrative prices, PROVING their higher quality and general deliciousness. You can’t charge $10 for a bag of English tea biscuits.

On the other end of the spectrum, John spotted the following item in the store when he was here, decidedly absent from American supermarkets:

If you click on the picture you should be able to read the package…hilarious! The best selling point is its “surprisingly delicious chocolatey taste” following directly after “picked and regurgitated by a weasel”. Mmmm…I love the smell of weasel coffee in the morning. This was displayed along with the traditional chocolate-covered ants, shots of liquor with a big, juicy worm, and tequila-flavored suckers with scorpions at the center (a bit different from what you find in a tootsie pop!). Equally impressively disgusting were the prices - $20 for one of these suckers!