Kookaburra’s Gum Tree

 

Or – Aussies Differences #2: Food

For the most part, Australians eat pretty much the exact same as Canadians. Of course, as all countries do, they have their own types of food that would be less likely to be found elsewhere such as Kangaroo or Crocodile. But that’s not really what I’m looking to talk about today, because every knows about those things. (Both of which I have tried btw. Kangaroo tastes kind of like deer, very gamey, and I had a bite of my sisters Crocodile Pie which mostly tasted like soggy bread so maybe I should give that one a try again if I get the chance). Or, of course, the ever famous and disgusting Vegemite. No, this blog is going to be more highlighting the smaller differences in food practices.

Beetroot – or, as known back home, beets. To my knowledge, other than home gardens or on the occasional menu back home, beets are really only ever seen as a condiment for Shwarma. However here in the Down Under, they are a constant companion on burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads. Personally, I have a strong aversion to beets. Never understood why people eat them. So it came as a shock the first time I was ordering a sandwich and it was tainted by the root. But it’s perfectly normal down here – I mean, who WOULDNT have beets on a burger? Seem tasty to me… or not. 

Eggs – speaking of odd things to put on your burger, lets talk about eggs. Now this isn’t one I have personally experienced, but you see it everywhere. Aussie like to put eggs where they don’t belong. Such as, as previously mentioned, burgers. Or pizza. Yes, they put eggs on their pizza. Or pasta. I’m sure the list goes on, but like I said, I haven’t encounter this one specifically. My parents have however (in fact, my dad ordered a burger the other night which happened to be topped with eggs and ham, so my mom took those toppings home for breaky the next morning).

Pizza – pizza is obviously not an odd Aussie food. However some of their ingredients are. Such as eggs. Or bbq sauce instead of tomato sauce (which I am sure is very good, but due to my dietary restrictions is not something I will be able to try this time around). My mom had a pizza with cranberries the other night, which I actually think sounds kind of good. Better than pineapple anyway .

Prawns – are shrimp. They don’t “throw some shrimp on the barby” down here, they “throw some prawns on the barby.” Fun fact.

 Pumpkin – Pumpkin is another one, like beets, which is everywhere. Of course, by pumpkin they are actually referring to butternut squash (unless they actually mean pumpkin. They don’t really differentiate). If you were to go to a restaurant and order something with a side of veggies, pumpkin would be included. Dishes such as pumpkin risotto or pumpkin linguini are commonplace in restaurants that serve Italian-type cuisine. I love this, it adds a different flavour and makes my plain food much more exciting and makes me less sad when everyone else can eat exciting dishes but I can’t. And always a bit of a surprise because I still haven’t got used to it yet, so I’ll order a dishes and be like “HEY! PUMPKIN! COOL!” Every time. lol.

Juice – Ok, so this isn’t a big one, but what the hey? Iced Tea and Juice have not a larger, but definitely a different range of flavours. For juice we have flavours such as apple-pomegranate or rhubarb-raspberry-apple or, my favourite, mango-anything lol. Iced Tea is much more flavourful as well, moving away from Green Tea or Lemon and towards things such as Peach iced tea. Which I loved (well, my mouth did. My stomach, on the other hand, had some major objections). I saw a sign at a restaurant for Mango Iced Tea, but after the gastronomic-objections (was that too descriptive?) from the peach, I decided it would be a bad idea.

Chips -  as in potato chips, not french fries. Again, not something I personally have experienced, but I was asking my dad and sister if they have any other food differences I should mention and my sister brought up potatoes chips. Apparently they have a much larger selection of chips flavours here. The ones my sister mentioned where – oh, ok she didn’t. “I don’t eat chips!” is her apparent explanation “I just know there’s more flavours!" Oh, wait, now she thought of one. Chicken flavour lol. Yeah, that’s a good one. I may update you further if I remember to take a look for more of them next time I am in the grocery store.

Pies – I guess I couldn’t get away without mentioning the beloved Australian meat pie. If you order a pie in Auz, unless otherwise specified, it will be a meat pie. Ranging in flavours from beef to chicken to curry to crocodile. My sister’s absolutely favourite food now that she is here. Barely a day goes by that she is not mentioning her craving for pie. The right pie. Not microwaved. Not from a pie chain. Fresh, hand-made pie. Apparently it is delicious. Unfortunately once again I cannot confirm that for you. I’d make a very poor food critic eh?

So, like I said, nothing too dramatic of a difference. But different enough that I decided, while sitting here on this plane pretending I’m not bored out of my skull,  are worth mentioning. Or perhaps a warning, to those of you out there who don’t like eggs or pumpkin or beets or bbq sauce. I’m sure there are more out there, but I haven’t discovered them yet. So you may or may not want to expect an update in the future. Only time and tasting will tell .

So, um, ciao belle ma Internets. Good eating to you all!