Bangers is home to a very active market in expat gold dust. Those exotic treasures which to those some way from home are so valuable. Items which maybe common place in our homelands but are not readily available in Bangers. For different folks from different parts of the world these treasures are vastly different - different shades of gold dust!
When we first arrived here I decided I would avoid panning for gold and make do with what was on the shelves. If it wasn't in Hypercity we would do without. However, I have mellowed on this front. I do now go further afield to buy specific food stuffs and do keep my eyes and ears open for gold dust.
This time of year, as the school year draws to a close, many folks are packing up to return to their native land or are off to another overseas assignment, to pastures new. Many of these folks have things to sell - be it surplus foodstuffs imported during their time in Bangers or household items bought here and not needed back home (surge protectors being a big one!!). So the OWC yahoo group and housing community web portals are loaded with for sale notices. Some folks give stuff away for free, others sell at cost and some are in to make a few bucks. You'd be surprised at the market cost of western brand diapers, especially swim diapers, in the expat new - moms market!! and as for Capol or Tylenol - liquid gold indeed!
Anyway yesterday I spotted real gold dust at a good price......chocolate chips - not any chocolate chips but real Ghiradelli ones. I responded by text immediately and today walked to another Ozone villa to collect my prize!!
I like to cook but am not really a baker. In the US we usually bought our cookies or at least a pre-prepared cookie mix. I imagined on arrival here my kids being half English could switch happily to McVities chocolate digestives......but no, they miss their gooey, thick chocolate chip cookies. Although they never really took to American Hershey's, as I have always managed to persuade them that Cadburys rule, Ads has had too many visits to Ghiradelli's in San Francisco and is partial to their chocs.
So I am now the proud owner of one huge bag of choc chips and one nearly full bag........yep....there was an immediate demand for cookies!!
Keeping my eyes and ears open for more sparkles of gold.....................
When we first arrived here I decided I would avoid panning for gold and make do with what was on the shelves. If it wasn't in Hypercity we would do without. However, I have mellowed on this front. I do now go further afield to buy specific food stuffs and do keep my eyes and ears open for gold dust.
This time of year, as the school year draws to a close, many folks are packing up to return to their native land or are off to another overseas assignment, to pastures new. Many of these folks have things to sell - be it surplus foodstuffs imported during their time in Bangers or household items bought here and not needed back home (surge protectors being a big one!!). So the OWC yahoo group and housing community web portals are loaded with for sale notices. Some folks give stuff away for free, others sell at cost and some are in to make a few bucks. You'd be surprised at the market cost of western brand diapers, especially swim diapers, in the expat new - moms market!! and as for Capol or Tylenol - liquid gold indeed!
Anyway yesterday I spotted real gold dust at a good price......chocolate chips - not any chocolate chips but real Ghiradelli ones. I responded by text immediately and today walked to another Ozone villa to collect my prize!!
I like to cook but am not really a baker. In the US we usually bought our cookies or at least a pre-prepared cookie mix. I imagined on arrival here my kids being half English could switch happily to McVities chocolate digestives......but no, they miss their gooey, thick chocolate chip cookies. Although they never really took to American Hershey's, as I have always managed to persuade them that Cadburys rule, Ads has had too many visits to Ghiradelli's in San Francisco and is partial to their chocs.
Keeping my eyes and ears open for more sparkles of gold.....................
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