I finally made it down to USA Foods in Moorabbin yesterday. I know you can order from them online and have it delivered, but I prefer to inspect the product myself and make sure it’s actually what I’m after and that the use by date isn’t going to conflict with my cooking plans.
Anyway, it’s a pretty neat little store. It’s not very big, but they did have a lot of different items and they were pretty busy. I got the last parking space! I was able to get everything I wanted, except for honey graham crackers, which I only didn’t buy because their use by date was next week and I don’t need them til next month. Oh, and Three Musketeers. They didn’t have any of those. (Although Sugar Station in any mall seems to carry them, so it’s all good.)
It is a bit expensive, of course, but I think that’s to be expected since that stuff is probably not cheap to import. But if you’re just dying for some kind of American food item, chances are, they have it. They even had waxed paper, which I was thrilled about, because Australians don’t use waxed paper- they use parchment paper, which is not the same- and I have been desperately needing waxed paper for some of my crafting activities.
I also got all the different Chex cereals for making Chex Mix (a Christmas staple!), strawberry cake mix and cream cheese frosting for my birthday cake, butterscotch chips for oatmeal Scotchies, marshmallow creme for a kind of s’mores bar that I love, and giant marshmallows for some Christmas cookies. I’m going to get so fat. 😀 (I wanted to get angel food cake mix, too, but then I realised I probably would have a hard time finding an angel food cake pan to cook it in.)
My haul from USA Foods. All this was $59.
If you don’t want to go all the way down to Moorabbin or if you don’t live in Melbourne, Josephine over at Becoming Aussie recently told me that David Jones Food Halls usually have a section with American foods. So I also checked that out this weekend and went to the David Jones in the CBD. Their Food Hall does indeed have a few shelves of American items, though they are a lot more expensive than USA Foods. (For example, DJ is selling a small box of Lucky Charms for $17 and USA Foods sells a larger box for only $10.) They also seemed to be overstocked on different kinds of pancake mixes. I don’t know how much of this stuff might be on seasonal rotation or if the selection varies from store to store, though. I picked up some Crisco and some candy corn from them.
The selection of American foods at the David Jones Food Hall at the Melbourne CBD location.
So, yay! I have American foods now! Excuse me while I go pig out. 😉
Housewife Down Under 
Isn’t it great when you can find some food from home. When I lived in the US, I found an Aussie foods store out of Austin TX. Their prices were a bit expensive, but it was the feeling of eating something so familiar that overcame the financial pain. It was good to see your Chex — and I soooo miss good Chex mix. 🙂
Yeah, I can definitely live with the price if it’s just something I’m buying once in a while. I couldn’t afford to do my regular shopping there, of course, but for a special treat, I’ll pay whatever they ask just so I can have what I’m missing from home. I used the butterscotch chips for oatmeal scotchies a couple days ago. My husband really liked them, so I guess I’ll be buying more of those chips. But at $7.50 a bag, they are probably the most expensive cookies I’ve ever made!
$17 for Lucky Charms? Crazy! Of course, I did just pay $20 for a chicken sandwich at Hard Rock so I could have grilled chicken breast.
At least they cooked the chicken for you! For $17, I would expect someone to pour the bowl for me and clean up after me, too. 😀
OMG!!! I need those giant marshmallows!! 🙂 USA Foods sounds like such a divine place. I need one in my life right now. Costco and David Jones just don’t cut it. P.S. I think your DJ’s has more options than mine. Note to self: move to Victoria.
They do mail order! Just make sure not to order anything that is melty when it’s going to be hot the day they deliver it. I’m sure marshmallows would be fine. They weren’t very expensive, either. Only like $3 or $4, I think. I’ve noticed Aussie marshmallows are hard to find and don’t taste very good. They always seem to be coated with some weird powdery stuff.
Awesome!! Thanks for the tip! 😉 Also, totally agree with you on the Aussie marshmallows. LOL powdery + flavoured = yuck
We need an American store in Hong Kong. Most of the “American” food is British. The Chinese don’t seem to understand the difference.
Yeah, it probably all tastes weird to them, anyway. Maybe you should start an import business! I bet all the expats in Hong Kong would appreciate that. I remember there was a store in London that sold American, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese products and it was ultra popular.
We have a few places like this in Norway where we can buy American food/products. Very expensive, but sometimes when I’m feeling homesick its worth it 🙂
We all deserve to splurge on ourselves once in awhile! Especially when it concerns food cravings. 😀
I really want to check out this store. It’s quite a hike for me, but it sounds like it’s worth it.
You should definitely go! It’s worth a trip. And Southland shopping mall is only five minutes away, so you can always combine the trip with other errands.
If you are still looking for an angel food pan
http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/catalog/searchresults.aspx?search=Angel%20food%20pan
Peters is the best ever online store in Australia – will deliver Australia wide, have the best prices and no, I don’t have shares or own the company.
I just discovered your blog and am loving it, like having conversations with my friends in the USA. I’m English, been here forever, but still have my homesick moments.
Kate
I am, thank you! That’s exactly what I wanted! 😀
Glad you like the blog! There’s a lady I know here who is also English. She’s in her early 60s and immigrated when she was 16, but she says she still has homesick moments, too. I guess it never really goes away completely.