Junk Food Comforts

One niche that I have always enjoyed exploring whilst in new countries is junk food.

In some ways, junk food is comfort food. The term “comfort food” seems to most often be used to describe staple home-cooked meals such as lasagne, mashed potatoes, casseroles, etc., etc. And yes, clearly those types of foods do serve to soothe the soul.

But how come junk food offerings are so often left out of that category? It seems as though no one wants to admit how much they have become a part of our modern lives.

Chocolate and ice cream are the go-to soothing agent for most women – be it PMS, a nasty breakup, or a bad day at work.

Chips and popcorn are the go-to compliments for movie, sport, and TV-watching.

Sugary drinks are what many turn to boost their energy, while salty French fries and greasy burgers seem to be the perfect end to any type of stressful day.

And who doesn’t love the prospect of indulging in a buttery, creamy dessert while catching up with an old friend?

Like it or not, junk food IS comfort food. Which makes sense considering how DIScomforting it feels when you are in a situation where you can’t get your hands on the one junk food craving that you absolutely NEED at that moment.

This is all to say that when travelling internationally, it is worth looking into their most popular junky food options. It’s neat to see how they differ and speculate as to why this is. What comfort do they extract from those foods that we do not? And vice versa.

The first difference I noted in South Africa relates to junky breakfast cereals. Back in Canada (and especially the States!), it isn’t rare to walk into a Superstore or Sobeys and be faced with a double-sided hallway of sugary cereal that stretches the entire length of aisle. Multiples of the same brand abound. There are 5 types of Cheerios to choose from; 3 types of Corn Flakes, 2 variations of Rice Crispies, 4 selections of Special K, and so on and so forth. And then you have to factor in that each brand-name cereal (usually) has a no-name equivalent.

That is a whole lot of cereal, my friend.

Here, the cereal section in supermarkets is decidedly less populated. There is normally a modest section of shelving allotted to the boxes, with only the most basic of cereals to choose from (i.e. Bran Flakes, Rice Crispies, Frosted Flakes, etc.). Which begs the question, why the hell do we need so many cereal options back home??

The interesting thing about chocolate bars in SA is the misinterpretation I first placed upon them. During my first week in Cape Town, I was shocked to see how few names I recognized. I thought surely that SA carried many of the ones we do in Canada.

Then I realized that they ARE the same. But, oddly enough, they are named differently. Can anyone explain this? Why would the companies willingly drum up such brand confusion?

Case in point: Mr.Big has become Lunch Bar.

And Mars bars are Bar-Ones.

This labelling switch-a-roo extends to chips as well. When I first spotted the familiar yellow and red Lays logo in a sea of other foreign chip bags, I breathed a little sigh of relief, confident that I would be able to enjoy a bit of junk food familiarity from home.

Then I began reading the packages. Outside of “regular” flavour, nothing was the same. Which isn’t necessarily bad; in fact, I was excited to try the new flavours.

Turns out the new flavours aren’t new at all. They are all familiar tastes even though the bag suggests otherwise.

  

Sticky BBQ Marinade is Mesquite BBQ.

 Caribbean Onion & Balsamic Vinegar is All-Dressed.

In fact, Thai Sweet Chilli and Sweet & Spicy Chutney are all versions of All Dressed. TSC is slighty spicier than the norm while S&SC is slightly more salty.  

Again I must ask, why is a name-change necessary? The South African names do sound more exotic versus the decidedly more plain and Westernized versions that are provided for North Americans. This seems to suggest that the suits at Lays feel that their flavour designations must be tailored for the geographical region they are sold in.

I find this fascinating.

You would assume that something such as flavour does not need specific marketing. That a flavour simply relates to taste buds, which are fundamentally diverse and defined by its unchanging ability to be universally equal when it comes to mass appeal. In theory, chip flavours could be labelled as 1,2,3, or 4, and sell somewhat equally worldwide. But interestingly enough, this is not the case.


Companies such as Lays seem not to bank on the flavour, but the name, to sell the product. Hmm.

Other small differences include the French fries at KFC. I cannot tell you how much better they are here in comparison to home. In Canada, they are coated in a bland-tasting flaky batter and are never salty or fresh enough. But here, they rock. They even come with mini packets of chilli salt! And are also packaged in nifty containers that close up at the top so no stragglers are left bouncing around at the bottom of your take-out bag.

Oh, and yes – Mc.Ds tastes exactly the same. But two interesting differences include the fact that they call the Double Quarter Pounder a “Mc.Feast” and they have a Double Mc.Chicken (yup, TWO chicken patties on one bun).

Sadly, there are a few chocolate bars and treats that are not available in SA. I can’t find Coffee Crisp or Glossette Raisins for the life of me and that makes me sad. Mrs. Vickies chips are also M.I.A, as well as Old Dutch. There is no A&W, no Lib Pub burgers, and no Dairy Queen (Travis, try not to hyperventilate).

On a positive note, I managed to scrounge up a Reese’s the other day at the mall. Imagine my HORROR when Justin tells me that he has never eaten a Reese peanut butter cup. Shocking.


So I promptly force-fed him one and he loved it.