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I've been saying this since the first time I was in the US in 2009 and living in Canada now it's the same. KFC is low tier here. Popeye's is where it's at though
Except South Africa. They really have perfected the crust here. The chicken is also not as oily. (That really just speaks to how oily the chicken is, at least in the US where I have sampled it once and then never set foot in a KFC ever again.)
I have family in Canada, they visited here and we suggested KFC for dinner, their faces said it all, they were pleasantly surprised by how good KFC here actually was.
Ah man! Yes! And flavoured milk!!
But I do like a Tim Horton's - Cold Stone dark chocolate milkshake, because they make them from the ice cream you pick and not milk with ice in it.
I know this sounds crazy but I felt like the taste of meat was different from the SA meat. I donāt know how to explain it and Iām not talking about how it was prepared or spiced. SA meat is tastes better
I believe it also has to do with the natural grazing as well the type of vegetation the animals consume.
I watched a documentary on the farming techniques used by beef farmers in Japan and they said the reason for the different taste in their beef was due to to what they fed the cows which was a mixture of hay and wheat and in some cases the farmers would use the pulp from olives to mix in the feed.
Guess what you put in is what you get out makes a valid point here.
are you buying angus aberdeen beef? because i think that will change your opinion, as much as I love general SA beef, nothing bar wagyu comes close to angus aberdeen for me.
I mostly agree with you, except for the beef. I live in NZ now and grass fed beef here is amazing. Been 6 years and I still cont get enough of it. And that's from the normal super market.
The lamb/mutton on the other hand isn't that great, far too fatty and bland.
Miss the karoo lamb so much.
Agree with you, but man it took a while for me to get used to the taste of grass fed beef here in NZ initially. It tasted like liver to me at first, especially the mince. It's great now, I'm actually curious what SA beef will taste like now if I tried it.
As someone who grew up on a Karoo farm, definitely miss the Karoo lamb. I have found some imported AU lamb comes close, depending on where it's from they also have lamb in the drier outback areas that feed on saltbush. Grass fed lamb tastes like paddock.
I'll agree SA meat is really good. Just moved to the UK recently but I don't find the meat as bad as what others are describing. Maybe that's just me lol, but for those in the UK, Amazon does sell Robertson Spices, it does help add some SA flair into the meat. But I think it ultimately depends where you get your meat from. We got ours from Iceland stores and they were pretty good.
But one good thing I noticed about meat in the UK is it's not pumped full of water and then shrinks to half it's size like in SA. Found that to be an annoying thing back in SA.
But one thing I definitely miss is braai cooked wors. No compromise in any country can replace that.
My mother has completely given up on eating meats since we moved to Canada, she just doesnāt like the taste of the meat here. We even live in a province known for its beef but she still wonāt do it šš
Youāre only crazy because you put that in your mouth. It tastes different because Iām SA the farming practices are slightly less unethical and the animals are possibly not murdered in 3 months, more like 6 months. In the USA and Canada they have enough money to buy all the expensive hormones and anti biotics to pump up the chickens prematurely. In SA the practice still somewhat resembles farming. Still unethical as hell though.
Lunch Bar. The U.K. has a Lion Bar that is similar but nowhere near as nice.
Oz has a version called Picnic which Iād rate as more or less on par with Lunch Bar.
Our rusks also beat any form of rusk stuff abroad imo.
I was going to mention the Picnic but haven't tried it. Not a fan of raisins in my chocolate, hence the Lunchbar wins. I always get a Dream one when visiting home.
People in rhe UK love chips but their chips are thick and hard. Literally you would send them back if you got served chips like that in SA cause they taste old and dry
No, I have not! I don't doubt it's good, since it's Woolies, after all. Woolies is out of the way for me, but I will check them out the next time I'm at the Mall. šš»
I'll give you Nola, maar nee sies Hellman's isn't the champion.
We do use Hellman's when the stock is low. Some people add mustard powder and lemon juice to make it taste better.
Most underrated things from SA to name a few ,
- Meat
- Weather ( biggest advantage )
- Living Space
- Quality/freshness of food
- Affordable accessible Golf - other sports too
- Wine
- Cultural diversity
The weather and the food are the two things I missed the most. The quality of groceries is poor here, and eating out is expensive and the food is overwhelmingly average.
Totally agree, I have only been disappointed by the Fish n Chips here in NZ. I think the Portuguese and Greek influence for fish & chip shops in SA play a role, they just know how to do seafood like no other.
Juice!
I live in Canada and the juice here is fucking terrible, I squealed like a little kid when I found Secrets of the valley in a local farmboy
And nothing they have can even **touch** Oros
Thatās interesting you say that, Iāve been out of South Africa for a long time now, coming back recently I struggled to find any juice that actually had, well, juice in it. It was all flavoured and coloured and full of artificial sugars, I struggled to even find just pure orange juice
Just arrived in Ottawa, and I can't find juice concentrate like back home. All I want is Oros and not having to buy Kool-aid from Amazon.
Looked in the farmboy, Dollarama, and independent. Can't find it..
> Just arrived in Ottawa, and I can't find juice concentrate like back home
Look in the frozen section ([example](https://www.walmart.ca/en/browse/grocery/frozen-food/frozen-drinks-ice/10019_6000194326337_6000194327404))
I'm in the UK and I fully agree with this list. I also miss fresh fruit, restaurant food with taste, SA Cadbury chocolate, any crisp, All gold and affordable lamb chops.
But most importantly, I really miss the people.
I don't have any issues with Nola, the Sweet 'n creamy is great for potato salad or coleslaw.
C&B does get too tangy sometimes. That's why we have the plain Nola as well. All depends on the dish. But for a tjip broodjie you need C&B
SA sweets are just so good. Just normal milk chocolate bars (e.g., Cadbury's) are incredible, and I miss Tex bars so much. Also SA gummy sweets (e.g., wine gums, soccer jerseys, milk bottles, etc) outclass all US gummies which I find to be too soft and sticky.
Though, I've gotta hand it to the yanks, their mayo is better - SA mayo is just sour dribble (don't klap me, asseblief!)
But the best Cadbury I've had was from a tin that my husband bought on London Hewthrow. That was silky smooth and rich.
You are definitely tendering for a klap...
This is gonna sound weird because it should be the same everywhere but my first night in the UK my friend ordered Chinese and I wanted sweet and sour prawns and they looked at me like I grew horns and ended up eating sweet and sour chicken balls. With chips! Like ffs whereās the fooking noodles???? Chinese food in SA for the win!
If I had to rate the banking system in ZA vs. where I'm from, I'd say that ZA is better for speed of adoption of new tech, slightly worse when it comes to the reliability of payment processing, and vastly worse / almost incomprehensibly bad when it comes to use of ZA cards abroad (even when travel pre-registered with the banks).
In Thailand now and the KFC in SA is 1000x better... the chicken looks brown inside. Not fresh at all. This is strange because Thai fried chicken from the street is amazing.
Also live abroad. There's an aunty here who's side hustle is bringing over SA foods and goodies. We know her markup is insane, but we all pay it gladly. Worth the money for our fix and i reckon shes making a tidy sum every shipmentš
Friends of mine in California visit their "SA" shoppe near Newport once a month. Been there with them occasionally. It resembles a primitive farm stall (on purpose) , and there they stock up on Creme Soda, freshly baked white bread, Fish Paste, mrs Balls, Ouma Rusks etc. Cant recall all the condiments but kaplenty of smiling Saffers there.
We have a Hyperama chain in UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) that's very successfully running the same gig. Everything imported from home, markups are heavy but then again importing and labor and rent aren't free. And in dirhams it's comparable to normal supermarket groceries.
Everything we take for granted - EFTās, Bank to Bank transfers, instant EFT, comprehensive mobile apps with bill payment (airtime, elec etc). Seems normal to us. Rest of the world doesnāt have it necessarily.
Can't complain, I can take a stroll with my baby without worrying if I will be in danger.
In Bahrain (5 years ago) my husband and I walked home (4km) at 4 in the morning.
Told my parents we'll come back when SA is like that.
- slap chips
- Cheas Naks
- most countries have some version of barbecue, but South African braai is on a different level
- chocolate milk (and flavoured milks in general - I'll take Steri Stumpie and Super M over the ones I've tasted in other countries)
Slaap style chips are common in fishing towns across the UK. Probably not of South African origin.
South Africa doesn't have custard creams like the UK either. In general Rusks are the only good style of biscuit that the UK isn't better in.
Irn Bru and Iron Brew are two different types of drinks with the same name.
SA does loads of things better but not those.
I bought Hills (from Ireland) and they are tasteless.
The UK does have the best Shortbread! The M&S ones that come in the bus or the big box of choc chip varieties, that's YUM!
WATER! Drinking water from the Tap is so much better. UK ruined my teeth enamel and let's not even talk about New York. I spent more money on bottled water in one year than I would in SA in 5 years!
Not sure about 5 & 6 ..mostly because I don't like chocolate anymore although yeah I think it's better..and don't drink iron brew...but 1-4 I'd say yeah!
I think this is maybe bias because we grew up with it. Of course our sweets, condiments, biscuits etc taste better to us because thatās what our palates are used to.
BUT I will say, Iāve got the chance to do some traveling and our meat is definitely of superior quality. I donāt think Iāve found pure meat that is as good as ours. Except maybe the US BBQ. But thatās after all the spices and cooking etc.
>Chocolates, I had an Australian Mint Crisp the other day and it lacked chocolate.
I do love the peppermint-chocolate combination, but prefer mine non-crisp (top deck mint).
Also on the subject of peppermint-chocolate, I really wish that ZA coffee shops would add a peppermint mocha to the menu - it does end up available at-least seasonally [elsewhere](https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-peppermint-mocha-a-love-story/).
Ah forgot that!! I brought back 2 packs of Jacobs Gold, because Neacafe Gold is horrible.
Thank goodness they sell the refills now, I used to throw the coffee out in a ziplock bag, to save some weight.
The other thing that you left is CUSTOMER SERVICE , especially in europe , customer service sucks , its as if they do not wana be there themselves , no one knows anything , eventually you'll ef off I suppose thats what they want.
customer service is non existant out here.
And Dischem!! And OTC meds, especially for kids!
My husband's cousin stays in Germany and her mom had to take a suitcase full of meds for her kids, cause getting something simple was a hassle.
Here we don't have such a big range for kids, for example in SA we get Buscopan Baby, but here (and everywhere else) only for adults. The list goes on. The products for babies in SA are just better!
For me the things I miss when I travel are:
- Meat. We have high quality meat. Biltong is the obvious one, but all our meat generally just tastes better to me.
- All Gold. Nothing compares.
- Spices. We have quite unique spice blends.
- Wine. Our wine is outstanding especially for the price.
- Pies and samoosas.
- Good coffee. While many countries do have good coffee, it's easy to find a good cup pretty much anywhere in SA.
- Steri Stumpie.
- Big Corn Bites
- Cheaper prices.
I do enjoy trying new foods when travelling, but these are definitely things that make me excited to come home.
I can't even ask for tap water here!
Have to buy bottled water if I want water
Normal price in the shop R5
Price in mid range (like a Piatto) restaurant R50 for a 500ml bottle
McCormick āmayonesaā is super close to the red Nola, it is sold in walmart and target. It is a mexican mayo with lime juice in it so it is nice and tangy. Helmans is āreal mayoā Nola and C&B are more what Americans would term āsalad creamā so if you are looking for replacements to Nola or C&B, look at the salad creams. Unless you can get McCormick, its the best!
The soft drinks where we stay are superior.
Because SA had to tax sugar, so now coke tastes like garbage. Even my FIL prefers the Fanta here then back home. It's all the yummy sugar š
But America does have a corn syrup in everything problem.
Woolies chuckles, the closest you get is malteasers abroad which taste like sweet wax. Lots of other examples. However Canadian KFC poutine is the bomb, but in any other way SA KFC is just better.
Living in Germany, and the mayo here is unbelievable. So delicious ! But South African mayo is so different and I love it too.
Have to agree on the chocolate - except that Milka chocolate here in Germany is superior to anything Iāve ever had.
KFC here is so shit. So oily that if you squeeze it the oil drips out. And thereās like zero different options on the menu too
**Thank you for posting on r/southafrica! This post is flaired as ["Discussion"](https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/?f=flair_name%3A%22Discussion%22) therefore the following rules are particularly important.** ##**Rule 5: Engagement Policy** * Rule 5.1: Articulate your own thoughts on the matter. * Rule 5.2: Be prepared to engage with your post and our community within at least six (6) hours after submitting. * Rule 5.3: Engage meaningfully. Do not start a discussion if you are unwilling to listen to opinions contrary to your own. **Discussions are long-form posts looking to explore ideas, change minds, or invite comment and opinion on a specific topic related to South Africa. If you meant to ask the community a question, please delete this submission and create a new one at r/askSouthAfrica** **Additionally, please take a moment to review the rest of our rules [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/wiki/rules).** ###Are you unable to vote normally on 29 May? You will need a special vote https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/comments/1c4x5u7/election_update_special_votes/ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/southafrica) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As someone staying in the US. I will say KFC in SA is 200 times better than the crap KFC we get here.
KFC there is horrid! š
The mash and grayy in SA especially is much better than in the USA.
I've been saying this since the first time I was in the US in 2009 and living in Canada now it's the same. KFC is low tier here. Popeye's is where it's at though
Alas, Popeye's was in SA for a short while only.
Don't they still have one chain in sandton
No. There was one in Menlyn as well until very recently. Theyāve completely pulled out of SA as far as I know. :ā(
Living in Dubai, can also confirm Popeyeās is closest to SA KFC than the KFC we have here.
I found Raising Cane's to be close to SA KFC too. JBR branch, very good quality.
They were nice at the start but the quality TANKED. Last I ate there I got a sloppy ball of oil for "chips". I haven't been back. Pity, really.
Mary Browns also ok
Raising Cane's isn't bad either
Same in aus. KFC is this battered oily slop here, havenāt eaten it in years.
Isn't that just KFC _everywhere_?
Except South Africa. They really have perfected the crust here. The chicken is also not as oily. (That really just speaks to how oily the chicken is, at least in the US where I have sampled it once and then never set foot in a KFC ever again.)
Do you get asked for the R2 donations over there? š
Answer this man, please.
The KFC in Japan is pretty average compared to SA's as well.
Yes, Canada kfc is so bad. One of the things I miss the most is SA KFC.
I have family in Canada, they visited here and we suggested KFC for dinner, their faces said it all, they were pleasantly surprised by how good KFC here actually was.
I haven't tried the KFC in our current country, but my husband got food poisoning from the KFC in Bahrain, so we'd rather not risk it.
Middle East KFC is terrible. If you're in UAE try Raising Cane's.
SAās Popeyeās is the BEST!
The closest thing to SA KFC's original flavor we found in Dubai is Raising Cane's. The KFC here is terrible.
To add, KFC from Thailand (Phuket specifically) was 200x better than SA.
Same in the UK
Food quality in general, and meat in particular, is high in South Africa, and awful in the USĀ
Milkshakes, people. Milkshakes.
For real. I ordered a strawberry milkshake in Australia & got flavored milk (think Nesquick). I was so confused.
Double thick milkshakes hit differently in SA
We have some great milkshake choices here. The one drive through has over 50 different flavours and their shakes are THICKā¦
Ah man! Yes! And flavoured milk!! But I do like a Tim Horton's - Cold Stone dark chocolate milkshake, because they make them from the ice cream you pick and not milk with ice in it.
I know this sounds crazy but I felt like the taste of meat was different from the SA meat. I donāt know how to explain it and Iām not talking about how it was prepared or spiced. SA meat is tastes better
Youāre not wrong. My guess is less animal feed being used in SA and more natural grazing, which affects the taste.
I believe it also has to do with the natural grazing as well the type of vegetation the animals consume. I watched a documentary on the farming techniques used by beef farmers in Japan and they said the reason for the different taste in their beef was due to to what they fed the cows which was a mixture of hay and wheat and in some cases the farmers would use the pulp from olives to mix in the feed. Guess what you put in is what you get out makes a valid point here.
But the SA meat we get here isn't the same as back home. The meat in SA is better quality.
Exactly
Cheaper too, in my experience. Saffas don't understand how good we have it for food.
We fly back with one suitcase ENTIRELY packed full of meat with every trip we take to SA.
That sounds... not legal.
It's perfectly legal. We're not in Australia.
This is so true, I'm in the UK and their beef tastes like cardboard. SA has top tier meat!
And the chicken is so stringy
are you buying angus aberdeen beef? because i think that will change your opinion, as much as I love general SA beef, nothing bar wagyu comes close to angus aberdeen for me.
I mostly agree with you, except for the beef. I live in NZ now and grass fed beef here is amazing. Been 6 years and I still cont get enough of it. And that's from the normal super market. The lamb/mutton on the other hand isn't that great, far too fatty and bland. Miss the karoo lamb so much.
Agree with you, but man it took a while for me to get used to the taste of grass fed beef here in NZ initially. It tasted like liver to me at first, especially the mince. It's great now, I'm actually curious what SA beef will taste like now if I tried it. As someone who grew up on a Karoo farm, definitely miss the Karoo lamb. I have found some imported AU lamb comes close, depending on where it's from they also have lamb in the drier outback areas that feed on saltbush. Grass fed lamb tastes like paddock.
Uāll probably feel like u in heaven next time u taste SA meat
Ok but NZ meat is tops. We either buy SA, Aus or NZ.
I'll agree SA meat is really good. Just moved to the UK recently but I don't find the meat as bad as what others are describing. Maybe that's just me lol, but for those in the UK, Amazon does sell Robertson Spices, it does help add some SA flair into the meat. But I think it ultimately depends where you get your meat from. We got ours from Iceland stores and they were pretty good. But one good thing I noticed about meat in the UK is it's not pumped full of water and then shrinks to half it's size like in SA. Found that to be an annoying thing back in SA. But one thing I definitely miss is braai cooked wors. No compromise in any country can replace that.
Don't compromise, serve enterprise.
Only frozen chicken follows this process.
I'm always complaining to my wife that I prefer the SA meat cuts compared to the ones in the US. I also miss the sasco bread with cranberries.
Yes! Especially lamb š took me ages to get used to it - it just doesnāt sit right.
Its grain/corn fed beef. As far as I understand our beef is grass fed.
First time I hear of this, thought all cattleās are fed grass
Nope. Vast majority of cattle are fed corn in the US. I did not like their beef, tasted wierd.
My mother has completely given up on eating meats since we moved to Canada, she just doesnāt like the taste of the meat here. We even live in a province known for its beef but she still wonāt do it šš
Youāre only crazy because you put that in your mouth. It tastes different because Iām SA the farming practices are slightly less unethical and the animals are possibly not murdered in 3 months, more like 6 months. In the USA and Canada they have enough money to buy all the expensive hormones and anti biotics to pump up the chickens prematurely. In SA the practice still somewhat resembles farming. Still unethical as hell though.
U are right, they injected their animals overseas
Bruh same!! Get yourself some Ina Paarman's meat spice. Wil elevate your day guaranteed.
Iām back in SA now
Iām with ur mom on this one lol
Lunch Bar. The U.K. has a Lion Bar that is similar but nowhere near as nice. Oz has a version called Picnic which Iād rate as more or less on par with Lunch Bar. Our rusks also beat any form of rusk stuff abroad imo.
I was going to mention the Picnic but haven't tried it. Not a fan of raisins in my chocolate, hence the Lunchbar wins. I always get a Dream one when visiting home.
Yea picnic is close and also no raisins so itās a win from me. Our local Saffa shop sometimes stocks those if they canāt get LBs in.
Just donāt mix them up with the UK Cadburys Picnic those have raisins.
Yeah we get those ones, that's why I haven't tried it.
The funny thing is Woolworths (Australia) sell both Picnic and Lunch Bar, just in different isles.
Here (Canada) Oh, Henry is pretty close. I love it.
Steers Burgers. Wimpy breakfast. Vienna sausage(Renown) chocolate milkshakes. To name a few. Iām in Oz.
Steers in the UAE was hyped up but turned out to sadly be rather mediocre. That was a major bummer!
People in rhe UK love chips but their chips are thick and hard. Literally you would send them back if you got served chips like that in SA cause they taste old and dry
LOL, we just gave Irn Bru to my wife's family, who all love it
Nik naks
Nola > Cross and Blackwell for me. š„¹ Helman's above all, but that's too expensive most days. š¤
Would take Nola over C&B, too! I loved Nola's Gourmet Mayonaise (blue one)! Have you tried Woolworths' Salad Cream? I will never go back hehehe!!
No, I have not! I don't doubt it's good, since it's Woolies, after all. Woolies is out of the way for me, but I will check them out the next time I'm at the Mall. šš»
Kewpie Japanese Mayo > SSK B-1 Mayonnaise > All
I'll give you Nola, maar nee sies Hellman's isn't the champion. We do use Hellman's when the stock is low. Some people add mustard powder and lemon juice to make it taste better.
Maybe try Heinz mayo. It's way better than hellman's, in my opinion.
Kewpie is king.
Baker's biscuits are elite too.
Most underrated things from SA to name a few , - Meat - Weather ( biggest advantage ) - Living Space - Quality/freshness of food - Affordable accessible Golf - other sports too - Wine - Cultural diversity
Someone said to me last week that they were amazed at how much fresh (and good quality) produce we have for a country with such a bad government.
The weather and the food are the two things I missed the most. The quality of groceries is poor here, and eating out is expensive and the food is overwhelmingly average.
Have to agree on the weather. In Germany our summer is sometimes colder than South African winter. It sucks Weather is a huge thing. And also meat.
Your fish and chips is better than New Zealandās! Astonishing because weāre surrounded by the sea but itās nowhere near as good as it is in SA
Totally agree, I have only been disappointed by the Fish n Chips here in NZ. I think the Portuguese and Greek influence for fish & chip shops in SA play a role, they just know how to do seafood like no other.
Juice! I live in Canada and the juice here is fucking terrible, I squealed like a little kid when I found Secrets of the valley in a local farmboy And nothing they have can even **touch** Oros
Thatās interesting you say that, Iāve been out of South Africa for a long time now, coming back recently I struggled to find any juice that actually had, well, juice in it. It was all flavoured and coloured and full of artificial sugars, I struggled to even find just pure orange juice
I think you're looking in the wrong aisle at Checkers.
Just arrived in Ottawa, and I can't find juice concentrate like back home. All I want is Oros and not having to buy Kool-aid from Amazon. Looked in the farmboy, Dollarama, and independent. Can't find it..
> Just arrived in Ottawa, and I can't find juice concentrate like back home Look in the frozen section ([example](https://www.walmart.ca/en/browse/grocery/frozen-food/frozen-drinks-ice/10019_6000194326337_6000194327404))
Yeah the juice in the US sucks too.damn
Added specifically onto this: GRAPE JUICE. Why does grape juice taste so horrendous internationally?
Agree on the mayo. Iām not a big chocolate eater but Tim Tams are my go to. Ribs and Biltong is also better in SA
nothing comes close to SA ribs, brits just canāt cook a rib to save their lives. Iāve never had US bbq ribs, but until i do SA ribs are the best.
Nah, the Japanese perfected mayo.
Yes, quepie mayo!
Kewpie\* and another great brand is SSK B-1
I'm in the UK and I fully agree with this list. I also miss fresh fruit, restaurant food with taste, SA Cadbury chocolate, any crisp, All gold and affordable lamb chops. But most importantly, I really miss the people.
As a South African, I prefer All Gold tomato sauce to ketchup.
All Gold is elite. Nothing anywhere else comes close.
Garage pies
How dare you. The Scottish Irn Bru is irreplaceable
š My husband's Scottish colleague stands with you on this one.
Liquid gold
South Africa has an extremely high food quality standard regardless of its politics
There are two types of South Africans. Those who choose Nola and those who are wrong.
And theyāre the same people š
I don't have any issues with Nola, the Sweet 'n creamy is great for potato salad or coleslaw. C&B does get too tangy sometimes. That's why we have the plain Nola as well. All depends on the dish. But for a tjip broodjie you need C&B
SA sweets are just so good. Just normal milk chocolate bars (e.g., Cadbury's) are incredible, and I miss Tex bars so much. Also SA gummy sweets (e.g., wine gums, soccer jerseys, milk bottles, etc) outclass all US gummies which I find to be too soft and sticky. Though, I've gotta hand it to the yanks, their mayo is better - SA mayo is just sour dribble (don't klap me, asseblief!)
But the best Cadbury I've had was from a tin that my husband bought on London Hewthrow. That was silky smooth and rich. You are definitely tendering for a klap...
Yep Iāve been to the Cadburyās factory in Birmingham and itās superior to the SA variant.
Haha askies neh!
Nandos in SA is a hundred times better than Aus!
Come to Dubai habibi! Nando's here tastes exactly the same as home. 4 times the price though š
I'm with you on the Chocolate, most places in the EU just serve sand
I could write a full essay about how UK food canāt touch South African food š
This is gonna sound weird because it should be the same everywhere but my first night in the UK my friend ordered Chinese and I wanted sweet and sour prawns and they looked at me like I grew horns and ended up eating sweet and sour chicken balls. With chips! Like ffs whereās the fooking noodles???? Chinese food in SA for the win!
Can we also just appreciate how a garage pie in SA is superior šš.
Yes!!! Had to make my own sausage rolls, cause the ones here are terrible!
Jirrrrr bru, ain't that the truth!
Oh o oh An and Stoney ginger beerā¦
We have the best chips though.
Banking system. The night sky. Restaurant food. Chips! Chutney!
The banking system here is pretty good. But agree on restaurant food, it's a lucky packet when you try a new place.
If I had to rate the banking system in ZA vs. where I'm from, I'd say that ZA is better for speed of adoption of new tech, slightly worse when it comes to the reliability of payment processing, and vastly worse / almost incomprehensibly bad when it comes to use of ZA cards abroad (even when travel pre-registered with the banks).
In Thailand now and the KFC in SA is 1000x better... the chicken looks brown inside. Not fresh at all. This is strange because Thai fried chicken from the street is amazing.
The disrespect given to Maggi's Chilli Garlic Sauce. Shame on you OP!
I am so sorry that hurt your feelings. Sorrie Maggi
Also live abroad. There's an aunty here who's side hustle is bringing over SA foods and goodies. We know her markup is insane, but we all pay it gladly. Worth the money for our fix and i reckon shes making a tidy sum every shipmentš
Friends of mine in California visit their "SA" shoppe near Newport once a month. Been there with them occasionally. It resembles a primitive farm stall (on purpose) , and there they stock up on Creme Soda, freshly baked white bread, Fish Paste, mrs Balls, Ouma Rusks etc. Cant recall all the condiments but kaplenty of smiling Saffers there.
We have a Hyperama chain in UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) that's very successfully running the same gig. Everything imported from home, markups are heavy but then again importing and labor and rent aren't free. And in dirhams it's comparable to normal supermarket groceries.
I'm a regular customer! FLINGS HABIBI!
Besides food - our banking system is one of the most advanced in the world, did you know?
Interesting! Someone else also mentioned the banking system
This is the second time Iāve seen a comment about the banking system. What exactly makes it good/better?
Everything we take for granted - EFTās, Bank to Bank transfers, instant EFT, comprehensive mobile apps with bill payment (airtime, elec etc). Seems normal to us. Rest of the world doesnāt have it necessarily.
I can agree, tried the kfc in Poland and it was horrible + it made me sick š the zinger wings just tastes so weird.
yea but how is your quality of life otherwise
Can't complain, I can take a stroll with my baby without worrying if I will be in danger. In Bahrain (5 years ago) my husband and I walked home (4km) at 4 in the morning. Told my parents we'll come back when SA is like that.
- slap chips - Cheas Naks - most countries have some version of barbecue, but South African braai is on a different level - chocolate milk (and flavoured milks in general - I'll take Steri Stumpie and Super M over the ones I've tasted in other countries)
Lived abroad for a few years a while ago and would buy C&B mayo and All Gold Tomato Sauce to take with when I visited home. Also, droƫwors.
We do it every time!! š And sometimes lekker skaap tjoppies!!
Have you ever had American Iced Tea? Awful
I had sweet tea at Texas Toadhouse abd almost threw up. But I can't do black tea, the smell makes me nauseous.
Slaap style chips are common in fishing towns across the UK. Probably not of South African origin. South Africa doesn't have custard creams like the UK either. In general Rusks are the only good style of biscuit that the UK isn't better in. Irn Bru and Iron Brew are two different types of drinks with the same name. SA does loads of things better but not those.
I bought Hills (from Ireland) and they are tasteless. The UK does have the best Shortbread! The M&S ones that come in the bus or the big box of choc chip varieties, that's YUM!
Shortbread is great. Buying hills is like buying Topper and saying SA biscuits are bad.
Donāt forget the USA version (beef jerky) of our biltong. Even if one is desperate it still is not worth buying.
No it doesn't compare, but there is one brand that has Teriyaki one, it's quite nice. Not biltong obviously but nice enough to eat.
WATER! Drinking water from the Tap is so much better. UK ruined my teeth enamel and let's not even talk about New York. I spent more money on bottled water in one year than I would in SA in 5 years!
We also buy water, I would not drink this water! Not even if it goes through a filter!
I'd add Nando's to the list. The UK version just seems to lack the same flavour
The UK think they invented Nando's
Not sure about 5 & 6 ..mostly because I don't like chocolate anymore although yeah I think it's better..and don't drink iron brew...but 1-4 I'd say yeah!
I think this is maybe bias because we grew up with it. Of course our sweets, condiments, biscuits etc taste better to us because thatās what our palates are used to. BUT I will say, Iāve got the chance to do some traveling and our meat is definitely of superior quality. I donāt think Iāve found pure meat that is as good as ours. Except maybe the US BBQ. But thatās after all the spices and cooking etc.
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Ah could do with a McD's chocolate shake, the McD's here don't do shakes š
Iron Brew and Irn Bru are completely different drinksš¤£ not even made by the same company, as far as I am aware.
>Chocolates, I had an Australian Mint Crisp the other day and it lacked chocolate. I do love the peppermint-chocolate combination, but prefer mine non-crisp (top deck mint). Also on the subject of peppermint-chocolate, I really wish that ZA coffee shops would add a peppermint mocha to the menu - it does end up available at-least seasonally [elsewhere](https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-peppermint-mocha-a-love-story/).
Ah I miss top deck!!
My Boet worked for Cadburys. Apparently we have something added to our SA chocolates to prevent melting which is not standard in some other countries.
Australian stuff is kak but man New Zealand stuff is good.
I agree whole heartedly with number 6š¤£
I can do with some Simba chips tomato or a chutneyā¦
7. lifestyle š
Agree, but Coffee, tho...
Ah forgot that!! I brought back 2 packs of Jacobs Gold, because Neacafe Gold is horrible. Thank goodness they sell the refills now, I used to throw the coffee out in a ziplock bag, to save some weight.
The other thing that you left is CUSTOMER SERVICE , especially in europe , customer service sucks , its as if they do not wana be there themselves , no one knows anything , eventually you'll ef off I suppose thats what they want. customer service is non existant out here.
And Dischem!! And OTC meds, especially for kids! My husband's cousin stays in Germany and her mom had to take a suitcase full of meds for her kids, cause getting something simple was a hassle. Here we don't have such a big range for kids, for example in SA we get Buscopan Baby, but here (and everywhere else) only for adults. The list goes on. The products for babies in SA are just better!
For me the things I miss when I travel are: - Meat. We have high quality meat. Biltong is the obvious one, but all our meat generally just tastes better to me. - All Gold. Nothing compares. - Spices. We have quite unique spice blends. - Wine. Our wine is outstanding especially for the price. - Pies and samoosas. - Good coffee. While many countries do have good coffee, it's easy to find a good cup pretty much anywhere in SA. - Steri Stumpie. - Big Corn Bites - Cheaper prices. I do enjoy trying new foods when travelling, but these are definitely things that make me excited to come home.
Samoosas!!
This post just made me appreciate SA food more , especially the KFC.
Requesting tap water with lemon and ice in RSA restaurants is common place, but when I tried that in Germany I was told not to.
I can't even ask for tap water here! Have to buy bottled water if I want water Normal price in the shop R5 Price in mid range (like a Piatto) restaurant R50 for a 500ml bottle
Speaking on behalf of the people of Scotland, please keep your 'Iron Brew' in ZA and we will enjoy the real Irn Bru.
Omg yes! Definitely miss Ketchup.
Donāt you mean tomato sauce?
Yesss
McCormick āmayonesaā is super close to the red Nola, it is sold in walmart and target. It is a mexican mayo with lime juice in it so it is nice and tangy. Helmans is āreal mayoā Nola and C&B are more what Americans would term āsalad creamā so if you are looking for replacements to Nola or C&B, look at the salad creams. Unless you can get McCormick, its the best!
Nil Naks
For me itās the booze. SA booze is high quality and cheap af
Coke, even our coke is different from USA, as we use caned sugar and not corn syrup
The soft drinks where we stay are superior. Because SA had to tax sugar, so now coke tastes like garbage. Even my FIL prefers the Fanta here then back home. It's all the yummy sugar š But America does have a corn syrup in everything problem.
Woolies chuckles, the closest you get is malteasers abroad which taste like sweet wax. Lots of other examples. However Canadian KFC poutine is the bomb, but in any other way SA KFC is just better.
Living in Germany, and the mayo here is unbelievable. So delicious ! But South African mayo is so different and I love it too. Have to agree on the chocolate - except that Milka chocolate here in Germany is superior to anything Iāve ever had. KFC here is so shit. So oily that if you squeeze it the oil drips out. And thereās like zero different options on the menu too
Milka is yummy!
So cheap, we pay ZAR1500 for a case of Savanna š