Day to day Down Under

I was asked to talk a bit about the day to day things here, food, shopping, people and how it is different from the US.

Let me start with some of the fun/funny things that are different, and so different that you really have to see it with your own eyes to believe it.

You know how you get carded in the grocery stores to buy beer or wine? No, not our kids, but 50-60 year olds who are obviously over 21. Well here you can get anything alcoholic in DRIVE THRU bottle shops. http://www.youngaustralianhotel.com.au/drive_thru.html

Yes, they're everywhere!

I have never been carded (stop laughing). And there is no tolerance here for what they call "Drink driving", so this easy availability for alcohol is puzzling. Drinking is part of their culture here, beer especially.

As Americans we think of Foster's Lager when talking Australian beer. I can't remember seeing Fosters anywhere, anytime. It's not on tap in restaurants, or in the bottle shops. It is brewed in Britain, and imported here. It has an international presence but not an Australian one. Go figure, it's owned by the same company that now owns Miller/Coors, SABMiller a South African Brewer. VB or Victoria Bitters is much more popular, or the XXXX brand. John's new favorite is XXXX Bitters. It was an exhaustive search but he did find one he liked. Oh, and a bottle of beer is called a stubbie.

XXXX Stubbie

Food is whole new kettle of fish. Most of the grocery stores are very similar to ours in the US. Food is sometimes called different things but for the most part you can gather what it is by the label. The eating out part of food can be challenging. For instance, you often see Bugs on the menu. This isn't the creepy crawly kind you step on or scream at your husband to squash, no this is the kind that swims in the ocean and has a shell. Bugs is a type of crustacean in Australia, also known as Mortensen Bay Slipper Lobster.

Slipper Lobster or Bugs

On the other hand, we were perusing menus on line in Brisbane last weekend and a traditional Australian Restaurant was recommended to us. We went online to look over the dishes they served and one dish had ants as an ingredient, just a sprinkling of ants, but ants. That and kangaroo steak (which we heard has an issue with worms) did it for me, we kept looking. 

Australians love their fried food. Everything is fried. I think this is why some of them are so fat. Sorry no other way to say it. Queensland is the fattest state in Australia and Bundaberg is the fattest city in Queensland. I think that makes it the fattest city in Australia. (OK math folk, a=b,b=c,c=a)

We noticed the really heavy people in Brisbane and wondered if they were visiting from Bundaberg. We are now calling people from Bundaberg, Bundaburgers. (This is akin to Oak Parkers, or New Yorkers) I know it's a stretch. 

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/bundaberg-is-australia8217s-fattest-town-with-highest-obesity-rates/story-fneuz9ev-1226696246547

I did not take these pictures as both John and I thought it insensitive to take a photo of someone and randomly put it in this blog without their permission.  These are off the Internet but typical of what we see here all the time. Like the US, the lack of exercise and over eating has caused increases in Type 2 Diabetes and hypertension. I know how people struggle to loose weight, I have my lifetime Weight Watchers token to prove it. But the obesity here is incredible. I never expected to see it. I have Elle McPherson in my minds eye when I think of Australians.

And this is after kids.

The overwhelming take away from meeting Australians is how friendly they are. We first experienced that 3 years ago when we visited the first time. Whether you are making conversation at the grocery store, or ordering a sandwich at Subway, people are happy and really friendly. The guy at the car wash was happy, making conversation, and even John's patients thank him for taking care of them. And these are people who aren't feeling good,(I'm feeling crook) and they are nice and friendly. It's jarring.

The not so good things, my perspective only here, are that they like to gamble, they like their adult entertainment stores, and they like to drink. I guess these vices could be challenged, but I'm not too keen on any of them. The gambling thing is in every restaurant, Pokies,Keno or slots, that sort of gambling. Maybe the adult stores are more of a Bundaberg thing, but there are a lot of them in Bundy. I don't need to post a picture of these, you get the idea.

We are still getting used to seeing people barefoot.....everywhere. I am not talking about kids at the pool or beach, I am saying adults, teens, grandma's, grandpa's, children, and babies. You can walk barefoot into stores, restaurants, churches

and worst of all, hospitals! John has had patients who he swears haven't washed their feet in a year. YAA-UCK! I guess it's a cultural thing here, although we didn't see it when we were in Sydney. Bundaberg is considered "country", rural even, that with a population of 55,000. There is a lot of farming here so I guess that counts as rural. John said one of the nurse's explained that the farmers only buy one pair of boots a year, so they only wear those in the fields and go without shoes everywhere else.  I guess I'm just a germophobe but I can't get my head around it. You can imagine what John is up against when someone has a foot problem and there's a year's worth of grime and dirt on the soles of his feet. (That was just one patient, don't want to exagerate) Just another interesting aside of living in Australia. No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service, doesn't exist here.

Some of the interesting expressions we have heard and laughed about over and over:

Something suspect: dodgy
A male person: bloke, female person: sheila
Really good friend: mate
Someone with whom you're living: your partner (usually not married)
Something sassy: Cheeky
Anyone: lovie
Well done: Good onya
A mess: looks like a dogs breakfast
I think: I reckon
Lost: gone on a walk about
Not feeling well: I feel crook
No problem: no worries
A silly person: a silly Galah

These are Galah Cockatoos (from where the expression came)


As much as we'd love to incorporate these into our vernacular they don't sound the same with our American accent, we're working on it, and we may try them on you next time we see you.
We're cheeky blokes!

So besides that the facts that they talk funny, they drive on the wrong side of the road, they use their knives and forks differently, they work to live, (rather than living to work as Americans do), we are all cut from the same cloth. I think that's why it's comfortable to live/visit here, at least we've found it enjoyable and entertaining.