Top 10 Things that We Miss from the United States – this blog post is all about the top things that we miss from the United States.
updated: august 2023
Hello all! If you have read our previous posts, you know that we are a vegan family of 4 that moved from Austin, Texas to Portugal in July. Check it out here: WE MOVED TO PORTUGAL. We spent the first 2.5 weeks in Cascais, then 8 days in Porto and now we are in Lisbon, where we are living full-time.
Portugal has been amazing! What people say about how nice it is and how friendly the people are is definitely true, in our experience. Even though a place can be truly fantastic, sometimes you miss the creature comforts of where you came from. In my case, I love to cook and bake so most of the items that I miss are related to those activities. Here’s my list of things that I miss:
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What we (ok, mostly what I) miss from the United States:
- Vitamix blender – my sweet baby, I miss you so much! I used our Vitamix 3 times per day for my daily breakfast of smoothie bowls, for sauces, dressings and the best vegan mac n cheese recipe ever. I’m debating if I should spend the money to get a Vitamix here. Or buy a more affordable blender, but that isn’t as powerful. Stay tuned to see what we do! We didn’t bring our Vitamix from home as we were warned that it would likely blow up or stop functioning after using it with a converter. I definitely don’t want our precious baby to blow up! UPDATE: WE GOT A VITAMIX SHORTLY AFTER MOVING TO PORTUGAL. I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT MY DAILY SMOOTHIE BOWLS!
- Immersion blender – We recently bought a Bosch immersion blender at Worten, but the food processor unit broke after the first time using it while making pesto. So, we had to return the immersion blender. Now, I’m searching for an immersion blender that is good quality and won’t break the first time I use it! I love all of the attachments for these blenders. UPDATE: As soon as we moved into our long-term apartment, I started making my vegan + organic soaps again and bought this immersion blender!
- Fine mesh strainer – I used this item daily while in the U.S. It’s perfect for washing grains and beans before cooking them and washing fruit and veggies. I’ve heard that there are some great Chinese shops in Lisbon so I’ll be checking out these shops for a fine mesh strainer! UPDATE: WE BOUGHT TWO OF THESE STRAINERS AS THEY AREN’T THE BEST QUALITY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU BUY A GOOD QUALITY ONE SUCH AS THIS: HIGH QUALITY STRAINER
- Kitchenaid mixer – I love to bake and make homemade bread so I definitely miss this workhouse of a machine. Plus, we had the ice cream attachment, which helped make the most delicious, creamy vegan ice creams! I probably won’t get one while here as Portuguese kitchens are a lot smaller than a typical US kitchen. UPDATE: WE BOUGHT A MIXER AS WE REALLY MISSED MAKING COOKIES AND MUFFINS.
- Vegetable peeler – we love our Oxo vegetable peeler so much that we brought it with us! We use it almost every day and are seriously happy that we brought it!
- High quality kitchen knives – we also brought 3 of our Henkel knives from the set that Fernando and I received at our wedding 19 years ago. They still function super well. After staying at many short-term vacation rentals over the years, we know that most places don’t have high-quality knives. We are so happy that we brought our 3 favorite knives! All of the places we’ve stayed at in Portugal have IKEA knives that work decently but definitely aren’t as sharp as our Henkel knives. UPDATE: WE BOUGHT A SANTOKU KNIFE AND USE IT FOR EVERYTHING NOW. DARE IS SAY THAT IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN OUR HENKEL KNIVES?!
- Trader Joe’s – oh how we miss you, Trader Joe’s! As you can tell by now, we are huge foodies in this household! We definitely appreciated Trader Joe’s for their high quality, but very affordable food. And, we reveled in the fact that they always have a large selection of vegan items. While we have found a few stores that are great here in Lisbon, they just don’t compare to the amazing Trader Joe’s!
- Affordable OTC medication – medication costs more in Portugal. If you are moving to Europe, definitely bring your favorite OTC medication. Sadly, we forgot to bring our huge Costco-sized containers of allergy medication and ibuprofen.
- Bar soaps – don’t worry, I’ll be working on this soon! Most people seem to use liquid soap here and it’s difficult to find bar soap that isn’t full of awful chemicals. UPDATE: As soon as we moved into our long-term apartment in 2021, I started making my awesome handcrafted vegan + organic soaps!
- Root beer – Fernando and the kids miss root beer. Not like A + W root beer, but the more natural, artisanal ones, such as Virgil’s, Maine Root Beer, and Abita. A vegan root beer float sounds so wonderful right now! So far, we haven’t had any luck finding a natural root beer in Portugal. Maybe we will start making our own?!
Have you lived or are you currently living in another country? What things do you miss from your home country (other than people)? We’d love to hear about it!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
OUR MUST-HAVE ITEMS:
- Merrell women’s light hiking shoes – these are amazing because they are lightweight, but are extra grippy and helpful for all the hills in Portugal! I also have this pair that I always get compliments on: Merrell Rainbow shoes. Fernando loves his Asics trail runners which are also grippy and perfect for walking in Portugal.
- Thermoflask water bottle – like a Hydroflask, but more affordable! We don’t go anywhere without these water bottles full of purified water.
- North Face Aphrodite 2.0 capris – I seriously wear these pants every.single.day! I couldn’t live without these ultra-comfy, lightweight pants that dry so quickly. They are 100% worth the money!
- Osprey Day Pack – this is an awesome lightweight backpack. We can easily put the belongings we need at hand for traveling around the city and on public transportation.
- N95 face mask – we bought a 50-pack of these before moving to Portugal. Until Covid is under control, we will continue to use face masks.
related posts:
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Haha! For years I heard people talking about their deep love of their Vitamix. I thought how amazing can a blender be, really?! Then I got one. And from the first smoothie, my world Kilmer up, rainbows, etc…I hope you find an equivalent!
When I lived in Mexico, I would have these weird random memories pop up of walking around Lowe’s hardware. I couldn’t figure out why! I guess I was maybe missing convenience and having a home to work on. Definitely missed my garden. But also didn’t miss a lot of things I thought I’d miss.
Yes, the Vitamix is really the best! I miss it a lot, especially my daily smoothie bowls! I remember when I lived in Mexico, I missed peanut butter because it was impossible to find there. Now, peanut butter is everywhere and I couldn’t care less. LOL It’s interesting how the things we deem really important change throughout the years. And these are just “things.” What’s really important is that our family is together, experiencing this new way of life. 🙂
We also moved to Portugal in July of 2022 (from Michigan) and currently live in Estoril. I have an almost identical list! Including packing my Oxo vegetable peeler and our good knives! Too many Airbnb’s with horrible knives! We are living parallel lives! I bought a cheap blender for smoothies. I’m going to burn out the motor soon and plan to buy a “proper” one when we move into our long term house next summer. Good luck to you!
Hey Lisa! Very cool – congrats on the move to Portugal! Are you planning on staying in the Estoril area? After living in Lisbon for over a year, we now live in Almada, just across the river from Lisbon. 🙂 And yes, I agree about the knives issue at short-term rentals!
Doesn’t Portugal have the Internet, or access to Amazon? Any of those items can be procured (with the proper electrical connections) anywhere in Europe.