Grocery Items Foreign Women CAN'T Live Without

Do you ever wonder what foreign women like to keep in their pantry? How have their eating habits changed since moving overseas? What food items are deemed essential to them? In this article, we’ll try to answer these questions and give you an idea of foreign women’s international diets.

Moving to a new country often leads to a substantial change in our eating behavior. If you think about it, food ingredients normally found in our home country may be rare and expensive, or in some cases, won’t be found in the new country. Its unavailability will leave us looking for other food options, ultimately swaying us from our accustomed food diet. Foreign women experience the same problem when moving overseas. They also need to change their diet and adapt to what’s available.

Did you know abrupt dietary changes can lead to serious health issues? Depending on which country you move to, you can either lose weight or gain weight. This is substantiated in a study conducted by LewMark on international students; many of them were complaining of gastrointestinal issues after trying to adapt to the American food diet. American food is typically high in fat and sugar content. This is why cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension are common health issues faced by people living in the U.S.

For foreigners, this phenomenon is quite alarming. The majority of those who move to another country will likely pay close attention to what food they put in their bodies; this especially holds true for foreign women. To put bluntly, gaining weight is not desirable amongst girls and being healthy is a top priority; hence, they are quite particular with what grocery items they keep in their pantry. If you’re curious about what food items they like to store at home, keep reading this article and we’ll tell you.

International Move: Adjusting to New Food

The biggest adjustment foreign women have to face when moving to a new country is having to change their diet and having to adapt to foreign food. Oftentimes this can be stressful especially when they want to keep a healthy diet. The transition from their regular local diet to international food may come as a shock to their bodies; and, it might not take the changes well. Weight loss is expected since there is a likelihood of losing appetite when introduced to the new food.

Local food, to some foreigners, may look strange and unfamiliar, making mealtimes unappealing to them. It’s not easy to develop a taste for international foods overnight; and, it may take a long period of time to take a liking to certain foreign cuisines. Hence, the best option these women can do to survive in the new place is to cook at home and make meals that suit their preferential taste. To make food at home, they’ll need to go grocery shopping and buy food items to stock in their pantry. Here are food items you can find in a foreign woman’s pantry:

1. Staple food items widely-eaten in their country of origin.

Staple foods are an important part of a person’s diet since it makes up the majority of what that person eats on a regular basis. Normally, these are plant-based food commonly grown and found in their native country.

Each country has its own sets of staple foods that constitute the majority of the population’s diet. For example, rice and noodles are a staple food for people in East, Southeast, and South Asian countries. In Thailand, Brazil, Myanmar, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and China, a meal is not complete without rice. On the other hand, noodles are common food dishes in the countries of Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam.

In European countries, pasta dishes, red wine, and bread are widely consumed; especially in France and Italy. Whereas, American staple diet is mostly wheat-based food like cereal, baked goods, pizza, noodles and pasta, etc.,

There are also spices which are a staple for specific foreigners. For example, Sichuan peppercorn in China; turmeric in India; wasabi in Japan; cumin and chili in Mexico; rosemary, parsley, and thyme in England; and Paprika in Spain.

Foreign women can’t live without these food items and will try their best to get a hold of them when they can. So, don’t be surprised to see an overwhelming amount of these food products stacked in their pantry. To them, these are considered basic necessities that will help them recreate the taste of home. You will definitely see them cook and eat these a lot!

2. Food and snacks from their home country.

Most people find it difficult to part with their favorite food and will go to lengths just to get a taste of it again. The most common snacks people love to munch on include: potato chips, cookies, crackers, chocolate bars, mixed-grain snacks, dried fruit snacks, and a variety of hard candies normally available and popular in their home country.

If these women are lucky enough to find an international food store in their area, they will surely grab these must-haves. You can find a lot of unique international foods in expat stores, which is why a decent number of foreign women visit these establishments in hopes of finding food ingredients and snacks from their home country. These special food stores are a genius way of introducing and bringing international food from different parts of the world to the new country. In addition, they help foreign women attain food items they normally cannot find in the local supermarkets.

3. Herbs, Spices, Seasoning, and Sauces

Another way where foreign women can eat and buy food from their home country while in a foreign land is when they visit an international food market. In these establishments, you can find a variety of foreign food displayed on numerous stalls. Aside from ready-to-eat food, some stalls also sell local products imported from their home country like sauces and seasonings.

A few examples of commonly exported herbs, spices, sauces, and seasonings around the world are sambal from Singapore, sriracha from Thailand, shrimp paste and fish sauce from Southeast Asia, Chinese chili sauce, Mexican peppers, coconut milk from the Philippines and Indonesia, saffron spice from Spain, Chutney from India, Chermoula from North Africa, Gochujang from South Korea, and Harissa spice from Africa.

Each culture has its respective unique sauces and spices that specifically complement its local cuisines. A lot of foreign people cannot seem to part with them even when living abroad. So, expect to find some of these items in a foreign woman’s kitchen.

4. Dupes of food from home.

An alternative option for their staple diet. These are local food or grocery items that taste similar to the food they have in their country of origin. Studies show that it’s actually not the food that we miss but the taste of the food. Hence why food dupes are quite popular with foreign women living abroad. The familiarity of the taste makes them feel like they’re back in their home country and this temporarily cures their homesickness.

An example of this are snack items like potato chips, crackers, candies, and other junk foods that taste similar to the ones back home. These are mere simple pleasures that comfort them being away from home.

5. Popular local food items in the new country.

At some point, a foreign woman will need to adapt to the new country’s cuisines. One way of introducing herself to foreign food is by trying its popular and world-renowned dishes and snacks. Over time, when this foreign taste becomes accepted by her palate you’ll find her buying and stocking up on snacks and essential ingredients to cook some of these dishes.

A few examples of popular food around the world that foreigners actually like are fries, burrito, quesadilla, tacos, pizza, pretzel, donut, nachos, curry, bibimbap, hot pot, ramen, bulgogi, kimchi, pho, Cuban sandwich, pad thai, spaghetti, lasagna, spring rolls, yogurt, miso soup, grilled cheese, churros, macaroni and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, tonkatsu, and tempura.

If you know she likes to cook or she’s a huge fan of food, don’t be surprised to find so many ingredients in her pantry to make some of these popular international dishes.

Moving and living in a new country will definitely affect and change one’s accustomed diet. In order to survive, foreign women have to adapt and familiarize themselves with the local eating trends. Grocery shopping might become a challenge to them at first, but once they figure out a rhythm, living and eating abroad won’t be as challenging.

Importance of Expat Food Shops and Supermarkets

It’s difficult to change your palate overnight; some may not be open to the idea of trying foreign food. Even when you do adapt to the new country’s normal diet, there will still be moments where you long for the taste of home. So how do these women cope up with this dilemma?

Fortunately, international grocery stores exist. These are stores that offer imported grocery goods; they specialize in selling food and drinks that come from a particular country. Both foreigners and locals often visit these shops to find food items not available in local shops. Examples are Asian Supermarkets, English Shops, Chinese Convenience stores, Korean Marts, and Filipino supermarkets.

Because of these foreign shops, foreign women no longer need to fly back to their country of origin to get a taste of home. Instead, they can just buy the food items they have been craving in these specialty markets.

A foreign woman’s pantry and the items found in it are a representation of her. Expect to find food from her home and the local food items in there.