What I miss...

I've been asked a few times if I miss the US and I don't hesitate to say, "No, I don't." There are some things, aside from friends and family, that I do miss but aren't enough for me to pack my bags. William Gibson calls Europe 'Mirror World' in the novel Pattern Recognition. which I think is an astute observation since you can get almost everything here as you can in the US, but it's just slightly off and from a different perspective. A few things I miss....

• Cheez-Its — Especially the spicy and the cheddar jack flavours.
  
  Oh Cheez-It! Cheez-It!
  Sublime cheesy snack cracker
  Finland would love you
  
  
• Midwestern thunderstorms — Nothing like the sky turning green and then watching the lightning for hours through the downpour. All other storms pale by comparison.
• Cheap shipping/postage — I hate shopping and became far too spoiled by shopping on-line with no tax and cheap shipping. The charges for shipping to Finland are very, very expensive.
• Apple pie. Yeah, I know.... — Yes, there is apple pie in Finland but it's more like a fruit torte with a thick crust and a thin layer of fruit on top. When apple season comes I will have to make pies for everyone :).
• Big bookstores — I have dreams about Stockmann having more than a few aisles of English books and all on sale for less than 30 euros :) I'm worried about being in London soon as I may just run through Foyle's giggling with glee and freaking out the staff. Well...bookstore people have seen weirder things.
• My Volvo wagon — We don't have a car here and don't really need one but I miss my Volvo.
• Bagels — Finland has something that looks like a bagel but don't be fooled by looks as it is not a fine New York water bagel. I think Finns would go nuts over a good New York Deli.
• The Daily Show — I don't watch much TV but Jon Stewart can always make me laugh. If WELHO is reading this, please add Comedy Central to your channel offerings.
• Blueberry Hill — A great pub I used to work at, hang out in and see Chuck Berry play in on a regular basis.
• St. Louis Blues — Living in the wrong side of St. Louis for a while gave me an appreciation for a culture more real than the tighty whitey side of town. Having drinks in MOBar on Christmas Eve brings the blues right to you.
• Ted Drewes Frozen Custard — On a 100+F degree night, the entire city of St. Louis goes to Ted's and hangs out in the parking lot while eating frozen custard. It's a tradition and not a bad one at that.
• Tower Grove Park — HB grew up in Tower Grove since we lived next to the park and I worked at the Botanical Garden adjoining it. It's a lovely park that I wish every city could have.
• Indy movie theatres — I would guess there are Independent movie theatres in Helsinki but I haven't found them yet. The movie offerings from the US have really, really sucked this year so it may become a mission to find them soon.