h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That bit about the Yorkshire tea tasting different when you take a package to another country to make with the local water is absolutely right. And the corollary: I found when living in London that the UK version of Dr. Pepper (bottled in Uxbridge) tasted different from the Dallas-bottled version I had grown up drinking. It wasn't until a month or so ago that I heard that the drinking water in Dallas actually contains Lithium, which makes habitual drinkers of the locally-bottled soft drink extremely mellow in outlook. (The source of this info inclines me to take it with a grain of salt,- but it certainly would explain why one of my British friends described me as so extremely laid-back.) Of course, a friend in Germany pointed out that products marketed in multiple countries (Coca-Cola being the example she mentioned) taste different across the world because the formulas are slightly altered for local tastes. (Which would explain why London peanut butter never seemed to taste quite right to me.)

That's true. I'm looking in vain for an Indian or Korean restaurant here which will give me food spicy enough for that "kick" you get. Locally produced "cheddar" cheese tastes like soap - no wonder Germans think we're mad to eat it!

Whenever anyone goes to stay with my sister in Washington, she always asks for Calpol, and optional extras are Refreshers, Marmite and poppadums.

The soft drink differences are something I most definitely noticed when travelling! What bothers me the most though, is that products that have been banned in the US (e.g. saccharine) as dangerous and cancer-causing, are still used in third-world countries where there aren't as many regulations governing this sort of thing. The Coca-Cola bottling company in Trinidad certainly still uses saccharine (and has a warning on the can to not serve it to children). Think I'll take a pass, thanks anyway!
Back to food: I'm usually asked to bring bagels when visiting friends that have moved from the New York area. It seems they just can't make them the same elsewhere! Maybe it IS the water...
-Shea

Completely forgot about Calpol - Germans give their kids most things via suppositries (sp?) so Calpol is nice to have since I have never got the hang of those. Also cough mixture. And Feminax. Nothing works like those.

Suppositories?

The poor kids!!!!
No wonder people want Calpol!