Oh How I will miss...

Sometimes I get asked "What do you miss most?" while I'm abroad, so before I actually GO abroad again (still, visa pending due to the slowness/laziness of the University of Bologna...) I thought I'd share some of my favorite American things that, if I could justify it, would bring an entire suitcase full of to wherever it is I'm going so that I can...
A. enjoy it myself and
B. spread the joy of these products to others

But alas, I have too many shoes, and while these things are AMAZING, they get eaten/drunken in a matter of minutes whereas my shoes will last the entire trip. So besides my family and friends (whom I clearly miss most while I'm away...), these are some things that I miss about America:

Really good American Beer. European, namely Belgian and German, beer is clearly amazing, but I must admit, I do miss my American favorites, such as Fat Tire and Blue Moon, as well as various random microbrews and Mexican beers. In general, we get a pretty good variety in America of various beers at comparable prices. In Europe, a Corona will cost twice the price of a "cheap" beer. so I do find myself missing the variety I get in my beer selection at home.

*Case in point: in Turkey, you can pretty much only get one beer....Efes! Now while Efes is a decent beer, 6 months of drinking only one beer gets tiring...

Vanilla Chai. I also think that this time I'll miss Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Lattes... I know, wtf. I've gone over to the dark side. But they are quite good if ordered just right...

The Burrito.
No explanation necessary.


Finally, let me profess my love for Trader Joe's....
I LOVE TRADER JOE'S!!!!
From "2 Buck Chuck" to the delicious Sicilian chicken sausage that makes my pasta sauces devine, Trader Joe's is by far my favorite part of being home. I fully plan on rocking my Trader Joe's pirate themed shopping bag during shopping trips in Italy in the next few months. I frequent this place at least once a week to stock up on goodies like...

White Chedder Corn Puffs!Dark Chocolate covered pretzel crisps!!!
Creamy corn and roasted pepper soup!! or the Tomato and Red Pepper soup!!! or almond milk!!! all sooooo good






I also miss my wiener dog...