Photo by dingbat2005
Although many of us make conscientious decisions to be less materialistic, some things at home just can’t be replaced.
We all know the feeling of homesickness. When we’re not at home, we’re often off discovering new places and making new friends. But home becomes such an engrained part of our lives, there are some things we can’t shake off entirely. Friends and family play a major part, but often we miss material items, or knowing everything is clean and in its rightful place.
For some of us, it’s hard to pinpoint our most favorite thing about home. Andy Jarosz, however, has discovered that most people from the western world share the same food passion and miss it while away: cheese. Expats living in Asia seem to feel particularly strong about cheese nostalgia.
Photo by Refracted Moments
Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil feel that our associations with home are not so much about materialism, but more of a realization that we take certain things for granted. Hot showers, comfortable beds and clean toilets are just some luxuries we expect to be available all the time.
When I moved away to attend university, I found myself craving my mother’s meals, even food I didn’t particularly enjoy while living at home. I’m sure being forced to cook for myself had something to do with it, but I longed for pea soup and dumplings, or a classic Sunday dinner. After being away for nearly seven years, I visit home and find myself missing the conveniences of my current “home.” The lines have become blurred. But always, as things change, we’ll find something missing.
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So what familiar comforts do you appreciate the most from home? Participate in our poll, or if there’s something we missed, share in the comments!
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20 Comments... join the discussion!
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Same with me, I invested in a good bed last year so I could get some proper rest and I’ve become so attached to it, I can’t sleep anywhere else.
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My favorite thing about home is our zoo of furry critters that we come home to. Nothing like a 16-pound cat sleeping on your head!
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Ineffable qualities – just being comfortable walking down familiar streets near your “home”
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I was just thinking about this today. i go thru stages. When the travel bug is biting, the same streets make me crazy. I almost hate them. When I’m content with being home, I love that I know where to go for the best coffee, know people because I say hi to them every day, etc.
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That’s EXACTLY what happens to me! Right now I resent the city. So much. On a normal day, ask me about St. John’s and I will rave my face off for hours.
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Target a.k.a being able to find all the things you want in one place.
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Target is one of the first places we visit whenever we go back to visit family in Atlanta.
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I’ve lived in many places have at least one favorite thing for each place.
Atlanta: My family and Mellow Mushroom pizza.
New York City: Friends and hot chocolate at D’Amico’s.
Bocas del Toro, Panama: The sense of utter freedom. Never having to wear shoes.
Buffalo, NY: Fulbright Knox, the community, endless weekend fairs in the summer.
Salta: Siesta, empanadas and the nicest people on the planet.
Israel: hiking↵ -
For me it’s food. My whole life, home has been defined by the aromas of traditional home cooked food.
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Everything in its place wins out for me, but food is a close second. When I went to college in New York City, I could almost froth at the mouth yearning for jalapeno peppers and a good green chile stew. Now that I live again in Denver, I seldom eat green chile, because I could at any time … but every time we go to New York, we rush to get my favorite Vietnamese dish that I’ve yet to find in Colorado. And the cheese craving, I can only imagine …
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In Asia, I miss cheese. In the States, I miss effective and affordable public transport.
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I second Neha on the food – I’ve definitely been one of those expats in Asia going on about cheese…
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I never thought I would miss fast food and multi-plex movie theaters. But I do.
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this might sound cheesy, but what i miss above all else are the smells of home: laundry at my parents’ house, the smell of the ocean drifting through town, the smell of my wetsuit and my dog…
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Ooh, I like Maya’s suggestions. I would add: English humour, daffodils, curry, green fields, book shops full of books I can understand easily without having to concentrate too hard, mum’s roast chicken Sunday dinners, Top Shop, scruffy metrosexual looking men, arthouse cinemas, Italian white wine and having the ability to go and see really good bands every night of the week should I choose.
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I totally agree with Joya–for me it is TOTALLY Target. I’ve made due with HomePlus and E-mart, and those cool stores by the side of the road that have EVERYTHING, but when I just want masking tape, I just want to go to Target.
And also book stores. That’s a big one too.
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I was going to say my bed, but then I saw primetime television… When home, I only watch a few series and didn’t realize how much I enjoy the occassional hour in front of the TV until I landed in Austria. I don’t have a good enough Internet connection to watch TV online, so all I have is TV shows in German, which isn’t quite the same. … And they don’t show all of my favorite shows, current episodes of Lost for example. Also, my apartment is really comfortable, so I don’t miss any/many of the home-y amenities.
But! the one thing I miss the absolute most is Mexican food =)
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I always having more control over the balance of invisible/ attention getting. At home, it’s like there’s a dial in my hands that I can turn up or down.
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Home is paid for and has been for almost twenty years.
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