Ozzie Obzervations
Spyders and Sausage Rolls
Smoothies and milk shakes make for nice cool summer drinks. But be warned that if you want a "Canadian"-type milkshake, you must ask for a "thick" shake. Most milk shakes here in Oz do not contain ice cream. My favorite summer drink is a spyder (as opposed to the arachnid spider). A spyder is similar to a float and is made with ice cream and lemonade. Delicious.
Then there is the meat pie — a food that makes for either a quick on-the-run snack or a main meal.
Hot meat pies can be purchased in any bakery, corner store or takeaway establishment.
Sausage rolls are another alternative and are much less messy to eat than floaters.
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Typical brekkie
Shopping at the local grocery can provide hours of excellent entertainment for the whole family. Most stores have at least three aisles of snack foods, bickies and lollies to keep the kids occupied. If mum has forgotten her supply of twist ties, the littlies can make a game out of picking up the fruit that has fallen out of the plastic bags. Picking out cheese is not an issue as there is only one color and it all tastes the same.
Australian shopping carts only come in the 4WD model and are inclined to drive sideways — makes for fun and excitement going down that hill to the car.
Special note regarding Tim Tams. Tim Tams come in packages of 11 biscuits — 11 being a prime number — thus making the equal division of biscuits impossible. Best to open the package yourself and eat the first one quickly. This prevents unnecessary quarreling among those sharing the rest of the biscuits.
Other food notes
- Skim milk is "skinny milk" though full fat milk is preferred by most.
- Pumpkin is to be roasted on the barbie not put into pie.
- Bakeries sell both sweet and savoury goodies.
- Bread donuts are $1.95 each! Our first stop in Canada will be Tim Horton's for bagels and donuts.
- Pancake mix comes in jugs — just add water or milk, shake and pour.
- Some people actually crave Vegemite — kids grow up on it — very rich in B vitamins.
- One can purchase a reasonably good bottle of wine for under $10.
- Drive-through bottle shops (liquor stores) are open better hours than food stores.
- Grocery stores commonly do not refrigerate eggs but warn customers to refrigerate them immediately when they get home.
- Chocolate bars are expensive - but you can buy a whole pack of Tim Tam biscuits for under $2.
- Not many things are sold in bulk (except toilet paper, which is sold in 12-roll packages).
Next page: Does the Water Go Counter-Clockwise?
- Driving in Australia and Other Aussie Experiences
- U-Turns and Highways
- Billy Tea, Beet Root, Bacon, Beer
- Spyders, Sausage Rolls
- Does the Water Go Counter-clockwise?
- Big Things in the Big Country
- Clubs and Culture
- Birds, Fish and Crawly Things
- Lizards, Leeches and Cane Toads
From our Forum: "It's very interesting reading about what strangers see that we don't even notice. I will tell you a secret ... I don't like Tim Tams ... Don't tell anyone." — Venice
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