Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/02/07/yum-and-double-yum-they-need.html
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what is the actual economic reason we can’t get such international goodies in the USA? Like, I remember when I was a kid - I was so bored w/ all of the ice cream (and soda) flavors we had…don’t get me wrong, there were a lot… but I always wanted things we didn’t get here… like mango, guava, lychee flavors…etc…sometimes you get them in chinese/japanese/korean/spanish/indian markets…and increasingly so now (I love you H Mart and Mitsuwa!) but how come they don’t have green tea ice cream and mango ice cream in the supermarket (and yes, that is even changing now w/ whole foods etc…but not in your typical supermarket…and I don’t want the super fancy made for America version…I mean I’d like the actual version people in Mexico (or the Philippines) eat. Like - why doesn’t McDonalds have peach topping on their Sundays all year all the time?
My basic understanding is that there is not enough market (ie - people who would buy it) to justify stocking it. But, isn’t there some website that can make real money offering global access? I mean…I am totally willing to pay double to get bottles of “Cheesy Bite” (the Kraft variant of Vegemite that is made of 1/2 processed cheese… so yummy!!) or those awesome Japanese Oreo/Kit Kat flavors (red bean oreos any one)? I suppose Amazon could do it (or ebay) but people are charging way too much…like 35$ for one box of oreos. India had mango flavored Kellogs cornflakes (actual Kellogs…not a fake brand)…I had bought a couple boxes when I last went there years ago…but I can’t find anywhere that has them now online…I’d pay up to 20$ a box they were so good!!
Also - McDonalds (and may burger places) don’t even offer 1 veggie burger option. McDonalds had 1 but got rid of it for lack of interest. but so often (admittedly in a blue state) there’s always 1 person in a group that would choose the veggie option. Burger king offers it - why did they think it made sense but McDonalds didn’t?
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Being Hispanic (and having an inherent love for flan) i find this both intriguing and abhorrent 
If i were to try it and it tastes good then awesome, i would not mind enjoying it. But if i’m going to eat flan i’d want it unadulterated. It’s like comparing a pizza to a pizza hot pocket. Both may be good, but generally you’d want a real pizza if given the choice.
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Now if the BoingBoing Store sold these for a magical 63% off, I’d order 12! Come on BBStore… get with the times!
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I don’t know about you, but my local Stop and Shop carries Mr. Green Tea ice cream: green tea, red bean, ginger, and black sesame flavors. Priced similar to Ben and Jerry’s. I live in a Boston suburb - far enough from the city to have big supermarkets, close enough for people to want these kinds of things, and not just from the 2 Asian supermarkets 2 miles further away.
And I think the website you’re looking for may be Amazon. Maybe not for ice cream - shipping cold for single unit home delivery is crazy expensive. But I have used Amazon for for things like weird grains, spices and extracts, that were hard to find or too expensive locally. If they aren’t available, it’s because the seller doesn’t want to deal with importing food or handling logistics or just hasn’t thought of it.
If Twinkies were filled with custard and carmelized sugar, but basically, yeah.
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福包了！
Bad Chinese pun, sorry.
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Amazon resellers often time jack up the price of food items because they can. Sometimes i can find them for really good competitive prices and other times they’re double or more than what it’s worth. So it’s kind of a craps hoot at times.
I haven’t done so myself yet, but i have friends that have bought candy and other non-perishable food stuffs from eBay with good success.
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I have a visceral dislike for flan, and it’s difficult to control the gag reflex when I see them… More for the rest of you.
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Who says we aren’t. I’ll look for it at Jungle Jim’s. http://www.junglejims.com/international/
The shopping carts have cup holders and pints of craft beer (choose from around 20) are $3. So even if they don’t have it, I’ll still end up drunk and happy.
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Flan as everyone knows it is fine, though in Venezuela there’s two variations of it. We have Quesillo and Torta de Pan, quesillo is pretty much the same but the Torta de Pan includes bread (some recipes call for raisins but that version is terrible), and the result is something much more creamy in texture. It’s akin to a cheesecake, not quite but it’s comparable.
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True, I’ve found both good and horrible deals too.
See, I like cheesecake. Maybe it’s the oozing caramel? I don’t know, but flan is most definitely not fine with me.
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[quote=“dfaris, post:15, topic:94535”]
I like cheesecake
[/quote]
I like cheesecake
[/quote]
but I see a glimmer of hope. maybe you’re not completely lost
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Right over here. 
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They Need to Sell These In the USA
No, they do not. 
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Say no to man bun!
Say yes to flan bun!
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I couldn’t even find butterscotch ice cream for years. I could buy all sorts of weird flavors but I couldn’t get just regular butterscotch since I left Boston, until I came to WA and found Tillamook makes it. I could buy green tea and lavender and amaretto boysenberry kale chip ripple*, but not what I considered a basic ice cream flavor.
Flan is like … half a dessert. It’s not quite thick enough, and not quite sweet enough. “Insipid” is how I describe it.
*probably not a real flavor
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