La Vida Idealist

These twelve months are the longest I have ever gone without setting foot on American soil, and life abroad couldn’t be better. Few things give me greater pleasure than buying fresh-squeezed juice in the market, it’s easy to stay connected with family via Skype, and even the wild, lane-less Cusqueñan driving has become a thing of endearment in my eyes. Overall, I rarely feel homesick. I have also come to realize, though, that nostalgia occasionally creeps up and rears its head in strange, subtle ways.

This phenomenon occurred most recently at the supermarket. I was scanning the pasta aisle for whole-wheat spaghetti or something equally mundane, when a blue box caught my eye. A jingle suddenly entered my head, and before I could even hum “I’ve got the blues,” the Kraft package was in the cart. Now, I can’t even remember the last time I’d eaten Kraft Mac and Cheese prior to this year; the electric orange powder has always repulsed me. In the supermarket and surrounded by foreign brands, though, I felt drawn to the familiarity of the item.

Based on experiences I’ve had with other long-term travelers, it doesn’t seem that my case is unique. In February I met up with my college roommate in Chile, who was halfway into a six-month blitz around the continent. I can say with confidence that it had been a number of years since either of us had stepped into a McDonalds establishment back home. However, walking past the big yellow “M” one afternoon, we both felt pulled towards the overpowering smell of grease emanating from its kitchens.

I’ll be the first to lament the fact that American brands, especially products like Kraft and McDonalds, have seeped their way into foreign markets and stamped their presence onto the streets of South America. Nostalgia manifests itself in strange ways, though, and sometimes the consumption of a familiar product, despite the repugnance it would normally induce in you at home, is just the craving you need to satisfy: trans-fat laden, cardiac arrest producing, and oh-so-comforting.

Kimberly is currently serving as Program Manager for GirlSportWorks, a US-based NGO that seeks to enhance the lives of Peruvian girls through athletics. For more on home comforts, check out “Paging Maintenance, We Have a Crisis in Aisle 4″ by Kent Green.

Latest posts by KFriedland

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• The Decline in Quechua Use Among Urban Cusqueñans: What Should be Done? - July 12th, 2010
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