Every summer since we’ve lived abroad, I come home. For a few weeks, I get to eavesdrop on conversations in my mother tongue, shop ’til I drop, eat copious amounts of chain restaurant food, and indulge my love of  a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait. There are things I look forward to (Rold Gold pretzel rods) and things I make lists to buy (new shoes for the boys, Goya black beans). But every year, there are things I forget how much I miss until I’m back, padding out my flesh and filling up my suitcase. Little things, big things, tangible and not. They are the things I forget how much I’ve felt their absence until I am surrounded by them again.

Iced Coffee. I like my morning coffee black/no sugar and just shy of blow your head off strong. Iced coffee is the opposite. I like it light and sweet, like…