uncommon

it can be a bit frustrating trying to use north american (or any other country/region) cookbooks in oz because not all the ingredients are available here. i have learned to omit things or alter recipes to fix this problem but sometimes it would be nice to just be able to get what i need.
i decided to make a stir fry for dinner last nite using a teriyaki sauce in one of my cookbooks (eat, drink and be vegan). the sauce called for molasses. i went up to the supermarket to get a few things including the molasses. i assumed the molasses would be in the baking isle since the only times i've ever used it was for pumpkin pies and cookies. i searched the entire isle. no molasses. then i thought maybe the sauce isle. not there either. then i wandered the store trying to find an employee. that took a while. i found 2 employees together and asked them. the guy just looked at me blankly. the woman thought about it for a few seconds then said "i know i've heard of it. what do you usually use it for?". when i said baking she said to try that isle. i told her i did. i decided just to give up. i knew i'd seen it somewhere in oz (and zac's mum uses it when she makes vegan pumpkin pie) but obviously not at safeway. i decided to try pedimonte's since i needed to go that way to return a library book anyway. i found it!! and they had 2 or 3 brands!! it was in the sugar area of the baking isle (i also learned that molasses is made from sugarcane). i might just have to re-check safeway near the sugar to see if it is actually there (not that i'll need any more for a LONG time).