Since moving to Denmark, I’m loving just about everything about it. Of course, I get sad and vitamin D deficient and sometimes I feel nostalgic for certain things. Most of these things aren’t good for me, I know, but in my weakest moments, I yearn for certain comforts I cannot find here.
I’m not proud, but I will share them with you:
Strong Chemical Cleaning Products
Dave was kindly scrubbing the sink the other day and asked me to get some Comet. I laughed and laughed. There is no Comet here. No SOS pads. No gallons of bleach. There are things resembling strong chemicals, but they’re all toned down and require a certain amount of elbow grease to actually remove grease. It’s a little exhausting, but it’s better for our health not to breathe in the fumes of Fantastik, and better for the environment, but man… I do miss those fumes.
Sudafed, Ny-Quil and Other OCMs
I swear, I never ever took Sudafed when I lived in the States. I also hardly ever took any Ny-Quil. But in the US, my immune system seemed to be more robust and my colds didn’t take me out like they do here. Needless to say, you cannot buy any over the counter meds here. I’m comforted on one level, knowing that meth production is most likely non-existent (no bleach either, remember?), but on another… I am weak. I am snotty. I have a head cold and all that the doctors and the pharmacists have to offer here are pats on the back and recommendations of their favorite teas.
Target, Marshalls, TJ Maxx
I hate consumer culture. I love the fact that people don’t “retail therapy” here, but there’s a part of me – a deep, shameful part – that wants to just browse for hours on a Tuesday morning and buy crap that I don’t need. I don’t like admitting this, but it’s true.
Amazon
Amazon is evil. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the history of the world. Amazon took over an entire city district in Seattle and made it its own. It imported employees from all over the country and the world. People who weren’t always “Seattle-people.” The demand for housing and the ability of the newcomers to pay, lead to skyrocketing home prices. Many long-time residents had to leave the city. Some ended up living on the street. But man… That Amazon Prime sure made online shopping a breeze.
American Supermarkets
Like so many other things in Europe, supermarkets here are quaint. They’re little, they’re usually haphazardly organized, badly lit and often there is no music playing. There is no sound of thunder just before the produce gets a shower. No one’s giving out free samples (unless it’s in the alcohol department, around New Year’s). No one bags your groceries for you. No one asks you if you need any help out. And as I type this I am remembering all the things I always hated about grocery shopping in the USA. The giant shopping carts, the same awful music on constant rewind and the small talk at the cash register. I don’t like being asked what I’m planning to do with all the stuff that I just bought (eat it and also, it’s none of your business). So, I take it back. Maybe I’m not missing American supermarkets all that much.
A…. Car?!
I hate driving. By sometimes I also hate lugging three heavy bags full of stuff. I just realized that I need these certain white sponges that I’ve only seen at Jysk and that would be an easy place to get to with a car. On a bus, it’s a day trip. I need those sponges. I also need a free day to go and get them.
Now, to be clear, the nostalgia I’m feeling isn’t really felt by me. As in, not the real me. Just the id me. The “I want it easy; I want it all” me. The Veruca Salt me. And that’s not really me.
Post-Amerikan 