Have Bikini, Will Travel
Living Heart and Soul for Home and Travel, Food, Nature, Writing, Family, Friendship, and of course, a little Sand and Sun.
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You are currently Adventuring with Rebecca in New Zealand and Australia!
CURRENT MOON
Differences
Australia= Aboriginals Kangaroos, pub house culture, tropical fruit, killer reptiles, endless beaches, Aboriginals, Vegemite, bushmen and boaters, fishermen and surfers, beet root on burgers, Sheila's and Bloke's saying, "G'day Mate!" Or, "Howya goin, love?!"
These are just some of the things I've heard as as an American. But step into Australia (or perhaps any country these days) and you still see commercial American food chains and television shows. But that's no surprise.
What is surprising, is this list of things I've noticed in Oz that are different from the States:
1. Rolling the car window down, and traveling with bum or "arse" out the window, hands out the window is illegal (let alone, any other body part, like a hand).
2. In the state of Queensland, it is illegal to keep a pet rabbit.
3. 110 KM/H (kilometers per hour) is the max speed limit, which is 67 miles per hour. 100 KM is 62 mph.
4. On Mexican food: Tortillas are pronounced "tore-til-ahs." Jalapenos are pronounced "joll-uh-pin-oes" and of course, tomATEoes are prounounced "tom-OUGHT-oes." And oh, "Would you like some coriander with that capsicum?" (cilantro and bell pepper). Although, reports indicate more American pronunciation is catching on.
5. Aussies drive on the left-hand side. (DUH!)
6. I'm also a "Sheila," a woman.
7. "herb," like "urb" is pronounced like an old man's name, "Her-bh."
8. "Suspenders" are better known as "braces." Ha! Ha!
9. Jumping jacks are "star jumps."
10. The macadamia nut is NOT from Hawaii. It's originally from Queensland, or affectionately known here as "the Queensland nut."
11. Budgy Smugglers = speedo (budgy=an Aussie bird)
12. schooner= large glass of beer (alongside: pint and pot)
And although Vegemite still looks like poop in a jar, Aussies love the stuff spread on toasties (grilled sandwiches), maybe in a soup or stew for flavoring as an additive, saltine crackers with butter, on a stick of celery, and for heaven's sake, even by the spoonful!
You see, my dear friend of 21 years (since 1st Grade!), is Australia-born. "We've known each other a whole legal drinking age in the States!" she says. Laughs..again, Aussie drinking culture! I am living with her now in a remote, quaint fishing village ("A drinking village with a fishing problem!") My sheila friend reckons I could use vegemite as a mace pepper spray substitute in the States, as she recalls in Kindergarten my loathe-at-first-site with the stuff. She would bring her vegemite on bread to school lunch, and I would open up the sandwich and run up to my school mates and make them run away! I recently tried to apologize for keeping potential friends away. Was this some sort of selfish mechanism to keep the one Aussie in our class MY friend? She thought it was a funny act. In the long run, we both laugh, especially since I'm visiting vegemite's country of origin.
I think I'll try Vegemite again as an adult. It couldn't be worse than when I was 6 1/2, right?
VIDEO: sampling vegemite
These are just some of the things I've heard as as an American. But step into Australia (or perhaps any country these days) and you still see commercial American food chains and television shows. But that's no surprise.
What is surprising, is this list of things I've noticed in Oz that are different from the States:
1. Rolling the car window down, and traveling with bum or "arse" out the window, hands out the window is illegal (let alone, any other body part, like a hand).
2. In the state of Queensland, it is illegal to keep a pet rabbit.
3. 110 KM/H (kilometers per hour) is the max speed limit, which is 67 miles per hour. 100 KM is 62 mph.
4. On Mexican food: Tortillas are pronounced "tore-til-ahs." Jalapenos are pronounced "joll-uh-pin-oes" and of course, tomATEoes are prounounced "tom-OUGHT-oes." And oh, "Would you like some coriander with that capsicum?" (cilantro and bell pepper). Although, reports indicate more American pronunciation is catching on.
5. Aussies drive on the left-hand side. (DUH!)
6. I'm also a "Sheila," a woman.
7. "herb," like "urb" is pronounced like an old man's name, "Her-bh."
8. "Suspenders" are better known as "braces." Ha! Ha!
9. Jumping jacks are "star jumps."
10. The macadamia nut is NOT from Hawaii. It's originally from Queensland, or affectionately known here as "the Queensland nut."
11. Budgy Smugglers = speedo (budgy=an Aussie bird)
12. schooner= large glass of beer (alongside: pint and pot)
And although Vegemite still looks like poop in a jar, Aussies love the stuff spread on toasties (grilled sandwiches), maybe in a soup or stew for flavoring as an additive, saltine crackers with butter, on a stick of celery, and for heaven's sake, even by the spoonful!
You see, my dear friend of 21 years (since 1st Grade!), is Australia-born. "We've known each other a whole legal drinking age in the States!" she says. Laughs..again, Aussie drinking culture! I am living with her now in a remote, quaint fishing village ("A drinking village with a fishing problem!") My sheila friend reckons I could use vegemite as a mace pepper spray substitute in the States, as she recalls in Kindergarten my loathe-at-first-site with the stuff. She would bring her vegemite on bread to school lunch, and I would open up the sandwich and run up to my school mates and make them run away! I recently tried to apologize for keeping potential friends away. Was this some sort of selfish mechanism to keep the one Aussie in our class MY friend? She thought it was a funny act. In the long run, we both laugh, especially since I'm visiting vegemite's country of origin.
I think I'll try Vegemite again as an adult. It couldn't be worse than when I was 6 1/2, right?
VIDEO: sampling vegemite
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