Living in the UK for so long, and in a rural English village for the past five years, has caused me to forget about a lot of the food I grew up with, because it's so uncommon.
Whenever I visit the US, I try to go to an (East) Asian supermarket just so I can have a happy trip down memory lane, and also get some tasty food to eat. The closest one to my parents' house is Vietnamese.

Me with a guava-flavoured soda.
Guava is such a common flavour in Hawai'i, as are the fruits themselves. I guess they don't export well from the tropics. Whenever I have it, I'm reminded of how much I miss it. I used to eat them fresh every day from the tree in our garden.

This is a sticky sweet rice dessert wrapped in a banana leaf. The black/purple things are sweet beans (optional; my aunties usually didn't put anything but sugar in theirs.) I don't know what the Vietnamese name is, but the Filipinos call it suman. It is usually served warm. I would behave like a little angel all day as a child if I was told I would be given suman for dessert that evening.

Here's another thing that doesn't seem to be popular with those from temperate climes: Jackfruit. It's very sweet. The Filipinos put this in halo halo (a dessert).

Anyone who tries to tell me that Spam (or any other tinned meat) is gross is likely to get a bop on the nose, or at least a stern look with raised eyebrow. Spam is fine. Spam belongs in saimin (noodle soup), and in fried rice. SO THERE.

Coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut gel, coconut flakes, and of course...coconuts. COCONUT. YESSS.

Ube, or purple sweet potato, is used as an ice cream flavour included in halo halo and also as a spread (jar on the left). My dad has promised to make halo halo with the fruit mix and coconut gel (jars on the right) before I leave. The ube jam is coming back to England with me.
Whenever I visit the US, I try to go to an (East) Asian supermarket just so I can have a happy trip down memory lane, and also get some tasty food to eat. The closest one to my parents' house is Vietnamese.

Me with a guava-flavoured soda.
Guava is such a common flavour in Hawai'i, as are the fruits themselves. I guess they don't export well from the tropics. Whenever I have it, I'm reminded of how much I miss it. I used to eat them fresh every day from the tree in our garden.

This is a sticky sweet rice dessert wrapped in a banana leaf. The black/purple things are sweet beans (optional; my aunties usually didn't put anything but sugar in theirs.) I don't know what the Vietnamese name is, but the Filipinos call it suman. It is usually served warm. I would behave like a little angel all day as a child if I was told I would be given suman for dessert that evening.

Here's another thing that doesn't seem to be popular with those from temperate climes: Jackfruit. It's very sweet. The Filipinos put this in halo halo (a dessert).

Anyone who tries to tell me that Spam (or any other tinned meat) is gross is likely to get a bop on the nose, or at least a stern look with raised eyebrow. Spam is fine. Spam belongs in saimin (noodle soup), and in fried rice. SO THERE.

Coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut gel, coconut flakes, and of course...coconuts. COCONUT. YESSS.

Ube, or purple sweet potato, is used as an ice cream flavour included in halo halo and also as a spread (jar on the left). My dad has promised to make halo halo with the fruit mix and coconut gel (jars on the right) before I leave. The ube jam is coming back to England with me.
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You'll find guava juice at least in multi ethnic groceries in the UK.