An American Student spends a semester in Australia. Here's what happened...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
See, they're just like us
A big concern down here is the Americanization of Australia. And its true to a certain extent. America does influence the culture down here. However, one fast food company has made a stand...
Alright, so its not that big of a stand. Hungry Jacks is still Burger King, with Whoppers and everything. Why not just Burger King? As always, Wikipedia knows all.
You've asked for it, I have finally delivered. Its time for the vegemite post.
For starters, it could be argued quite easily that Vegemite is a big a part of Australian culture as are Qantas, rugby, and akubra hats. Possibly bigger, because outside of the bush, no one wears akubra hats.
The Aussies love Vegemite. It might be its own food group. So, it was time to see what all the fuss was about.
First off, there is a right way and a wrong way to try vegemite. Most people when trying Vegemite stick their finger in it and put a big dallop of it in their mouth. After all, it LOOKS like chocolate, so why not? Let me ask you this: if you knew a guy who had never had butter before, would you tell him to just put a big glob of it in his mouth? Of course not. You would tell him to put it on toast first. Same with vegemite.
Yes, in fact, I did eat this.
Vegemite has a distinct scent to it. Its hard to describe. It doesn't smell like vegetables (nor mites, not that I know what they smell like) Whatever it is, it doesn't exactly scream "eat me" when you take a whiff. Think the opposite of a good wine.
Anyway...its time to chow down.
Hey, YOU try taking a picture of yourself while eating Australiana.
First reaction: This is really salty. Whodathunk it? Vegemite is salty. Then it tastes kind of like vegetable paste. I know, you're thinking, duh...thats what it is. But honestly, the secondary taste is exactly what you might expect out of a vegetable paste. In fact its not that bad. Then the aftertaste comes and...well, the after taste, which lingers longer then an unwanted drunk guy at a party, is not enjoyable. That said, I struggled valiantly through. I was determined to eat the whole piece of toast. But, eventually, Vegemite won. The half eaten toast is the result of my battle with Vegemite.
In general, visitors to Australia hate Vegemite. Its found to be disgusting, repulsive, and just all out nasty. I found it to be not that bad. In all honesty, it wasn't terrible. Would I eat it again? Hell no! Did I spit it out or spew because of it? No.
My reccomendation: if you come to Australia, try it. You have to try it at least. Actually, according to the last part of this article, its available in the US, though I've never seen it. At any rate, try it.
And Mom, yes, I know that right now you're remembering all those times I refused to try (insert food here) and no I'm not taking you up on those offers.
At any rate, to close out, here's a YouTube clip of Vegemite's latest ad campaign.
We all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch, and tea...
I just wrapped up a couple of assignments. What better way to kick back and relax then have a few beers? Hell, whats a better way to do assignments then over a few beers? (Answer: Better? None...wiser? A lot of ways...)
During my time here I've tried to drink a variety of beers from Australia. This is for two main reasons. 1) I'm in Australia, might as well see what the locals drink and 2) beer I'm used to is heads expensive. Think 20 bucks for a six pack of Sam Adams.
At first I was a bit scared to try the beer down here (my first six pack was a very, very expensive Guiness) because Lonely Planet says something to the affect that the beer is chilled so cold so its still refreshing regardless of taste. And indeed, the tap at Uni Bar of Toohey's New says that its Super Chilled. And yes, its refreshing and quite good, but once it warms up a bit, its not the greatest beer to drink.
So, here's a crash course on beer in Australia. It might be more extensive had I not taken up a liking to Bourbon and Coke.
Part of the Aussie Big Three (their version of Budweiser, Miller and Coors) and, at least in the ACT and New South Wales is the most popular beer. Its a major player in sponsorship, and it has some great ads.
Overall, the beer has got an alright taste to it. Its nothing special, but it can be refreshing after playing some Ultimate or if your on the cheap and still want to get your drunk on.
Its fairly popular, but I think more so down in Victoria. Its a good beer, and I prefer it to Toohey's New. Has a nice flavour to it, though its different from American Beers. Ditto the good ads.
**Note to the people on Facebook, as always with YouTube clips, come to the actual blog to view the clips. If you don't, you will regret it and possibly loose sleep.
Not much else to say, its a good beer and I like it. Wanna fight about it?
A proud supprter of the three time defending World Cup Cricket Champions (w00t! Australia...FTW!) Vitoria Bitter is, despite its name, not that bad of a beer. I haven't had a lot of it, because they don't really advertise, and the first time I mentioned that I kind of liked it an Australian guy looked at me as if I had no taste in beer. That and, while enjoyable, it wasn't as good as Carlton Draught. But, they do sponsor the cricket team. That counts for something.
XXXX is a Queensland Beer, which I bought a six pack of because it was a beer I had heard of while in the States. I opened the six pack during Old Res Wedding, while in a state of absolute blitznitude. Now you know how when you're drunk things taste incredible? Take for example, nachos. Now, everyone loves nachos. They are already amazing. Drunk nachos? INCREDIBLE. That doesn't even describe it. Drunk nachos are amazingly awesomelly, gift-from-God, great. Things taste better whilst drunk.
Upon drinking my first XXXX, I remarked, "This is the worst beer I've ever had." It was like the opposite of drunken nachos. There's still one in my fridge. I'm afraid to drink it.
In other words, I don't reccomend this beer.
Toohey's Old/Carlton Black
Back in the states, I'm a fan over darker beers, such as Amberbock. So, I figured darker beers over here would be great!
Not so much. They have a distinct flavour to them, but its one that isn't quite as refreshing as a dark lager thats American brewed. I didn't find these beers to go down as smooth as I'm used to, and they can be difficult to drink. Though the folks at Beer Advocate disagree with me, I didn't like Carlton Black or its Toohey's cousin.
In a related story, I count Amerbock as one of the things I miss from the states.
Here's the story. I was at the Lighthouse, a local watering hole. I had been watching the footy, and drinking Carlton Draught. I was having a good time. Then I went to the bar to order another drink, when I saw Beez Neez on tap. the tap said "Honey wheat beer". I thought, "Honey? Beer? Benjamin Franklin was right! I ordered one.
And, from the first sniff (I'm one of those weird people that smells their beer before they drink it) and taste I have loved this beer. Its got a good beer flavor, and then a nice, sweet aftertaste. Its got a microbrewery feel to it, and I like that. Again, I disagree with the fine folks at Beer Advocate who claim Beez Neez is "worth a try". Its beyond that. I would consider it a must drink if you're down here. Got to try it at least once, right?
I will probably count Beez Neez as one of the things I miss when I return home.
A few notes about the post, some of those sites might ask for a birthdate to enter. Drinking age in Australia is 18, so if you're under age...well, feel free to log in anyway. Alan in Oz: Corrupting youth since 2007.
I also linked to Beer Advocate twice. For anyone that enjoys beer, or wants to enjoy beer more its a great site. Reviews of beers, tips on how to enjoy the flavor of beer more, and just all in all its general beer greatness.
Its Sunday, so no absolute blitznitude tonight. Which is to bad, because all this talking about beer has made me thirsty.
As I said in one of my previous posts, I came across kangaroo meat while in the grocery store. Considering that the animal is on the national coat of arms the only sensible thing to do was to purchase it and eat it.
Of course, when confronted with a new food, there's the inevtiable question of how to cook it. Is there a special way to prepare kangaroo? Is there an Aussie recipie that people really like?
I asked the people on my floor about this, and the general consensus was..."I don't know, I've never had it."
Since kangaroo looks an awful lot like a steak, this left me with one option. Put some oil in a frying pan and have a go for it. This was the suggested way of doing it anyway.
Kangaroo cooks fairly fast (especially if you're like me and you like your meat to be a bit on the rare side) and in no time I was eating a national symbol.
So how was it? It was amazing. I didn't put any sauce or merinade on it. A little salt, but thats it. So, I was getting the full intended flavor of kangaroo. Its very juicy, has a good tender flavor to it. It tasted pretty much like a steak, which is good because as my friends might know, I have a fondness for a good steak.
The meat was fairly inexpensive, it was easy to cook, and to top that off, it tasted really good. Thats a triple win in my book.
Plus, as I just found out, its good for you! Quadruple win!
I went to the grocery store today and found some interesting things. Such as...
~Eggs are not refrigerated in stores. This scares me. Also, all the eggs are brown, hardly any white eggs, so its the opposite of what you would find in the states. It does say to refrigerate the eggs once you buy them though.
~They don't have 1% or 2% milk. They just have milk. I hope the Aussies version of mil is of the 2% variety.
~Cheddar cheese is a light yellow, instead of orange. (What? Americans dying food? Never...)
~Kangaroo meat is fairly cheap. I bought some because I felt obliged to. I have no idea how to prepare it. I'll figure it out though. Looks pretty good though, so we'll see. Perhaps this website can help me out.
After shopping, I was a bit hungry. Since I've arrived I had heard about how good meat pies were, and that I needed to try one. My friends are downright shocked when I tell them I still haven't had one.
So, this particular day, that needed to change. I got a beef pie.
And it is massively delicious.
Nice flaky crust, filled with nice tender beef. You realize why the meat pie is big down here. Its awesome. I can't wait to have another one.
(Side note: When I told one of the guys on my floor that meat pies aren't popular in the States, he referred to America as a third world country.)
Restaurant note:
As my friends back in the States might know, I am a fan of the fast food places. They might not be good for you, but hey, you can't beat a cheap quick meal.
Down here, they have the typical American staples: McDonalds (referred to as Mackers), Burger King (Hungry Jacks, the logo is the same though), KFC, Subway, etc.
Of course, I didn't want to try something I can get back home. Thats not what this trip is all about. So, I tried Oporto.
These guys make the best chicken sandwiches I've ever had. GOt a nice little kick to them as well. The company was started by a Portogese immigrant. According to the story on the bag...well, its actually on the website, so here you go.
Oporto’s founder Antonio Cerqueira opened his first Portuguese-style chicken restaurant in North Bondi in 1986, stunning the locals' taste-buds and quickly gaining a growing army of fans.
If Oporto went into battle tommorow...I'd be on the front lines.
