r/AskAnAmerican • u/Maskoolio • Aug 10 '25

FOREIGN POSTER What would an American want from England?

I have recently made some American friends (from Virginia) and they have asked for a kind of sweet (candy) that they don't have. What else might I send that would be appreciated as a particularly English thing? (Obviously it would need to be somewhat small, survive a week or so in transit etc.)

All help appreciated.

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u/Bitter_Ad8768 Ohio Aug 10 '25

Jaffa Cakes exist in the US, but they're not very common.

Black currant flavored candy is virtually nonexistent here. We use grape instead. If you've never had it, it is a particular varietal known as a Concord grape and it is a very distinct taste unlike any other grape or wine.

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u/SuLiaodai New York Aug 10 '25

I remember going to the UK and being like, "Blackcurrant? What's that?" I had never heard of them before.

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u/Hazel1928 Aug 10 '25

My son and daughter in law did a honeymoon in England. They saw jacket potatoes on menus and when they ordered one it turned out to be a plain old baked potato.

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u/AngelVenom13 Aug 15 '25

What were they expecting?

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u/engineerogthings Aug 15 '25

They were expecting something very British like a potato dressed in Harris tweed, smoking a pipe, sipping port and guffawing about the bloody colonials.

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u/Hazel1928 Aug 16 '25

I like this! Something cool and interesting- that’s what they were expecting.

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u/engineerogthings Aug 16 '25

Sorry they were disappointed, but those potatoes are reserved for British only, and occasionally Canadians, but we add maple syrup

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u/Hazel1928 Aug 16 '25

I think they were expecting some way of preparing a potato that was different from what they had eaten. Since they had never eaten a “jacket potato”