Canadutch
If you grew up in Canada, chances are you love Kraft Dinner, just like me.
If you are an expat in the Netherlands, you know it’s not easy to find here and when you do find it it’s expensive (but always worth the buy).
Recently, Albert Heijn has started carrying an assortment of imported items. Among these items are Tesi Bon mustard and Tesi Bon Macaroni and Cheese.
I couldn’t help myself, I bought both.
The mustard is great… just your run of the mill down home yellow mustard. This makes me happy because most grocery stores here only carry English mustard or French mustard, which are spicy and gross when used on things us North Americans would normally slather mustard on.
I have been holding off on the Mac and Cheese because I kind of knew deep down it couldn’t be the same, but I hoped it was. My hopes were slightly diminished when Penny told me it pretty much tastes like shit. I thought it might be because she prepares her KD differently than I do, using milk.
I was wrong. Oh I was so wrong.
Today was one of those need groceries, eating whatever is left in the cupboards days. What was left in the cupboard was the this Mac and Cheese, so I decided to give it a try. I thought it would probably help that I hadn’t had breakfast and was completely famished by lunch time, figuring the abundance of appetite would compensate for the supposed lack of taste.
It looked … pale. The noodles were different… shorter than the Kraft version and the powder that comes with it is very fine and doesn’t have that really orange color. I knew then that I was in trouble.
When I tasted it I got exactly what I was expecting. A mouthful of tasteless mush. UGH! I even tried loading it up with ketchup like I do with KD and it only made it worse. You might think this would make it worse with KD too but it doesn’t, I swear.
I then tried adding some pepper, that was a big mistake because that was all I tasted. It was like putting pepper on oatmeal. YUM!
I only ate the one mouthful, but thankfully it was gross enough to kill whatever appetite I had left.
So if you are thinking of buying it. Don’t bother. You’ll just be disappointed.
Hi! I saw this is a super old post, I’m dutch and went to the us for the first time laat year.
I tried mac n cheese from popeyes and I absolutely loved it! A few months earlier I had seen mac n cheese from mcennedy at lidl, after trying one I went back and bought every box they had left :0 Lidl works with themes so they only have them I think 4 times a year and they’re selling out so fast!
I personally love cheese, salt and spicy food so I always add aromat (u can buy it at ah the one without the blue tag) and something like sambal oelek.
Maybe you could try the ones from lidl when they have m again and tell us what you think! It’s in the freezer section and you make it in the microwave :D
Hi Tammy,
What I’ve done is to add a half a package of Kraft Cheddar slices which my AH does have so that kinda gives it that ALMOST Kraft taste. They’re also claiming on the box that’s it’s now Cheesier, I’m not sure if it is or not I never bought it in 2008. But this does make it more palatable :)
Also I finally found a Beef hotdog at Jumbo ( Limco ) which is pretty good, then of course Jumbo stopped carrying it :)
Beste!
I bought a box of the stuff there too. Pretty damn bad indeed, but I did find a way to give it at least a bit of taste. I sliced up a dutch ‘rookworst’ (smoked sausage) and mixed that in. Still no gourmet cooking, but at least it makes it edible.
ok, I’m neither Canadian/American nor actually ever been on that side of the world but due to the overdose of the American TV series in my life (shame, shame:p) where this Mac&Cheese is like the master of every table I keep wondering what’s the fuss about it :)
OK, as I never tried it I can’t comment on how it tastes but if it is so good and it’s hard to get those pre-made versions in Europe, why don’t you just cook it? I mean it’s basically pasta with cheese on it? You can get it in any shop in the world nowadays…
You need somebody to send you a good care package from home! To be honest, I’m surprised that there aren’t more favourites from Canada/USA in the NLs! Hotdogs in a bottle? LOL!!
Brendas last blog post… Use your brains/veins
oops, a bit of milk too! :)
Hiya!
A friend once brought me back some orange-glow powder from a Canadian store called ‘Bulk Barn’. It appeared to be the same powder used in the original Kraft mac&cheese. Adding this to butter and macaroni, I had some yummm mac&cheese.
Maybe you could try this? http://www.bulkbarnfoods.com/
Good luck! :) Sure wish we had BB in the states!
Boy, do I miss my blue box (Kraft Mac n cheese). Based on your description, Im not going to even bother with these knock off brands here. Even if you make it yourself, just doesnt tastes the same. From now on, if I see something labeled “American”, I just laugh.
Decoras last blog post… Catching some waves
We just ate the last two boxes I brought from canada. But I had mailed over a huge bag of the powder stuff from bulk barn, thank god that stuff doesn’t go bad! :P
Granted I’m not a huge KD fan to begin with, the kids like it more then I do so I usually just make it for them.
Melissas last blog post… Ears like a little bat.
@Sonya – I agree. Some of the things that are marked “American” here aren’t American at all! They just say it is so the Dutch will want to try it. That bugs me. Like “American Hot Dogs”. HELLO! IF they were American they wouldn’t come in a BOTTLE! haha
@Terri – I used to order from American Goodies back when they had free shipping for orders over €50. When they changed that it turned out that the shipping was 3x as much as what I was buying, so I refuse to order from them anymore. A ticket to Amsterdam is cheaper and there are shops there I can get all the same things from hehe
@Isabella – I think as time goes on it will get better. I remember a time when I couldn’t even find Oreos in the specialty shops. Now they have them EVERYWHERE! It’s just a matter of time before other things show up too.
@Zhu – I can only imagine what it must be like for someone from Holland / France to try to find decent cheese in Canada! haha Oh LORD! I remember before I came here my cheese consisted of Cheddar and Mozarella, and the mozarella wasn’t even the real kind, it was just white cheese!
Oh, I see, it’s like me trying Canadian blue chesse for the first time! No offense though :lol:
It’s hard to be an expat/ immigrant sometimes. Some things never taste the same abroad.
Zhus last blog post… Old Beijing (老北京)
Thanks for the warning! I’m happy to see the stores are beginning to carry more of these items.. But they [the people who do the ordering/buying at the headquarters] really ought to consider the main brand in North America [and elsewhere].
Isabellas last blog post… Episode 3: Westerman’s Nieuwe Wereld
I’ve been there done that also… I bought Tesi Bon from Jumbo here in Tilburg, I was so excited thinking finally something like KD here…. OMG I did the same thing as you, one forkful and it went in the garbage. Never again! From now on I order from American Goodies…. expensive but in the end worth it for a little piece of home…
Well crap that sucks. I’ve noticed whenever I try something thats labeled “american” I am almost always let down by the taste. It doesnt taste anything like home. I found doughnuts once and they were just nasty..stale,weird texture and nothing at all like I am used to. Thanks for the heads up. If my AH ever gets it I will pass it on by.
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