The Fishers in La Paz, Bolivia

Many of you have asked what I miss about the States, especially foods. Well, it’s very weird what you start wanting when you can’t have it! For instance, the before mentioned brown sugar. I had been warned that it’s very hard to find here and that I might want to bring some with me. I scoffed at that, thinking I could certainly could get by a few months without brown sugar. Then I got here and started looking at the recipes I brought for baked goods, casseroles, Sloppy Joes, sauces, etc. – you name it, it called for brown sugar! I went into a brief depression, thinking about how I really, really wanted to make all those things. Then I mentioned it to Tom, who does a lot of our grocery shopping. He casually says, “Oh, I saw a whole section of brown sugar at Ketal (our grocery store) the other day.” I could have cried! I quizzed him to make sure it was authentically, truly brown sugar, then I sent him to buy some. I bought another large bag a few days later, so we should be set until I return to the States for Christmas. I asked friends who have lived here much longer about the brown sugar section, and they confirmed that all of it will likely be gone in a week or two, and that another shipment might not come for six months or more.

Other items I would rejoice to see in our grocery store.  . .

Condensed tomato soup

Condensed cream of mushroom soup

Condensed cream of chicken soup

Heck, even condensed cream of celery soup!

Shredded cheese in a bag

Turkey

Rootbeer to make ice cream floats

Baked beans (yes, this is a weird one)

Frozen food of almost any kind

Biscuits in those refrigerated tubes

Toll House chocolate chips

So there you have it, those are things you miss when you are in Bolivia!