For example, Marmite Crumpets don’t exist. You cannot buy them at the supermarket. To be clear: you can buy crumpets, you can buy marmite, you can buy butter; but you have to assemble them at home.

If you walk into a breakfast cafe, they will happily serve you sausage / egg / bacon / french toast / bubble / squeak (whatever that is). But no marmite crumpets. If you ask them to make it, they will give you a very strange look. It’s not typically offered. It’s something you just have to make at home.

It is unbuyable. Any tourist who comes to the UK to try a Marmite crumpet would need to bring a toaster or an oven with them, or quickly befriend a brit and hope that they have all the ingredients at home.

It’s not a secret. You just can’t have it.

*munches into crumpet thoughtfully, and salivates at the juicy savory delight, whilst staring at you pityingly and condescendingly*

Anyway, what’s something that I could never experience unless I made it myself in your local?

  • Moonguide@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    Coffee. I used to be a coffee fiend, I drank up to 12-13 cups a day, and only stopped because it was worsening my anxiety. I live in a coffee producing country and learnt how to make a good cup in an espresso machine, even got all the doodads to make the process standardized and get the exact same cup every time.

    I can only drink coffee made by select hands now. Everything else tastes like jet fuel, and it’s worse when travelling.

    • tetris11@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 months ago

      That sounds like an intense relationship you have with coffee. I have to admit, 2-3 a day and I get palpatations and am unable to sleep. I rarely drink it for the flavour

      • Moonguide@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        Oh I needed it for college. I was impatient and pushed myself too hard during my last 2 years, some weeks I slept fewer than 10 hours collectively.

        I’ve since cut it almost entirely, and because of that my usual cup gives me the jitters. I still love coffee and would like nothing more than having one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but my body can’t take it anymore (nor can my mental health honestly). Aging sucks, lol.

    • JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      I make sure to never get attached to one brew so I can drink it anywhere, anytime. I’ll drink instant without hot water if I need to (and not just frappe.)

    • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      Don’t ever, under any circumstances, drink motorway service station coffee in France. It tastes like battery acid even if you’re used to shitty coffee.

      • Moonguide@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        Or america. Non specialty shops sell the worst cups I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to bottom of the barrel shops where I live.

    • kugel7c@feddit.org
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      1 month ago

      The sad thing is that it is buyable but not in places below like 200k population. In Europe idk how far third wave type coffe got everywhere else but I’d imagine in international cities it’s largely available all over the world.

      It’s frankly insane how different a specialty coffe place is from a Caffe. And how many specialty coffe places there are in big cities/ university towns.

      The provinces seem to not be able to sustain good coffe unfortunately. Unless there is someone who doesn’t care about the balance sheet.

  • Papanca@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Decent fitting clothes with deep pockets and quality fabrics with the colors i like

      • Papanca@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        True, but it’s an important reason for many people to start to learn how to make their own clothes. It takes effort, but one can learn how to do this. And it used to be a very common skill. With today’s junk on the market, we have a good enough reason to start learning.

        • tetris11@lemmy.mlOP
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          2 months ago

          I patch my old socks with older socks, if that helps. And I fix armpit tears with a rough stitch. That’s about it.

        • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          I can sew, but finding decent fabrics is hard. Back in the 70s I made all my own clothes and I can still remember some of the fantastic fabrics I used: a ming blue paisley sateen cotton; a red denim (for a duffel jacket with a toning floral for the hood lining); a soft purple lightweight wool; a dark green raw silk; glorious Chinese rayon florals in rich colours. So much choice!

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        But they do?

        I had to buy a lewis pair because tall people doesn’t exist, and my stuff gets lost in the pockets.

        To be fair, my monoprix jeans pockets are exactly 1/2 smartphone deep.

      • Papanca@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Me neither; after all, complaints about pockets are around everywhere. But at least i’ve learned how to deepen existing pockets. Next step will be how to create pockets

    • GraniteM@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I’ve only ever found one zip-up hoodie with decent insulation and pockets deep enough that my phone won’t fall out of them if I’m not careful, and you better believe I’m taking good care of it.

    • Euler_eix@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I had the same issue until I discovered MTailor. It’s all I wear now. A bit more expensive but totally worth it.

  • ManOMorphos@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Speculoos and jelly sandwiches. It’s possible they serve that in Europe somewhere, but you could never find that served in the US.

    I’d like to be proven wrong though.

      • ManOMorphos@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Sorry for not being clear, I meant the speculoos butter spread, most commonly Biscoff butter.

        Chunky speculoos spread and strawberry spread is the way to go. I need to try it on brioche one of these days.

        • tetris11@lemmy.mlOP
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          1 month ago

          Ah yeah. I bought a jar of that once, and it’s uh, still in the cupboard as I’ve found the taste just too strong

  • oo1@lemmings.world
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    1 month ago

    Some cafes will do it - not as standard, but a few - maybe try the ones trying to be 1-up from a greasy. https://seahousescafe.co.uk/the-breakfast-menu

    As will many hotel breakfasts, there’s often little single serving marmite things in with the single serving jam packets. I’d say about half the hotels i’ve stayed in with decent cooked breakfast have had it on offer.

    I’ve also seen it in little roadside food van / trailer type things too.

    Anyway, you want sainsbury’s yeast extract instead of marmite, it’s way gloopier and nicer tasting.

  • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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    1 month ago

    The Cannibal Sandwich, which doesn’t actually use human flesh, but is also not a sandwich. Anyway, you take a slice of rye cocktail bread, spread on some raw, ground beef, then top it with some sliced onion, salt, and pepper. You can’t get it ready-made, because nobody likes e. coli or salmonella poisoning. In fact, you have to make special arrangements to get the beef ground by a butcher in a clean grinder, and pretty much eat it the same day.

  • Delphia@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    While you can go to a restaraunt/cafe and buy pancakes. I havent found a premade packet version that just needs warming up that isnt absolute shit.

    Give me fresh or give me death!

  • BmeBenji@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    A Twinkie weiner sandwich.

    1. Cook a hot dog
    2. Slice a twinkie halfway through the bottom longwise to get something like a hotdog bun
    3. Insert the cooked hotdog into newly created bun
    4. Squirt easy cheese along the length of the hot dog
    5. Dip in milk
    6. Eat

    Weird Al invented this in 1989 in his movie UHF and it’s still not available in stores for some reason