quicko: s'more s'mores

For curious Australians:  here's a good insight into the mystery that is s'mores.

quicko: cake walks

Now possibly Australians do these all the time, but I've been here nearly six years and I've yet to be invited to a cake walk, so I'm going to go with the descriptor "not all that common" or else possibly "things we never invite Americans to."

quicko: pumpkins!

I was thrilled to see pumpkins on sale today -- real good-sized, appropriately oranged pumpkins!  Australians aren't big into Halloween, but it was fun to find a taste of home in my friendly neighborhood Coles.

public service announcement: make your own magnum

In the Pitt Street Mall Westfield, there's a little pop-up Magnum store ... with a little pop-up line about 35 minutes long!  At the end of it, you can make your own ice cream dessert, topping it with all sorts of rather up-market topping options (rose petals and sea salt, for instance -- I actually love the sea salt, though it does rather overpower most the other flavors.).  All for the everyday high price of $7 -- which is bad enough and even worse if, like me, you have the misfortune of paying while in conversation and handing over a $20 and a $2 ... and only realizing an hour later you didn't get ANY change.  Sigh.  I would have gone for seconds another time, but I refuse to give them any more money now.

quicko: milk for tea

While in America it's reasonably common for there to be teabags available -- at work, at conferences, in hotels, etc. -- you'd be lucky to come across milk nearby, unless possibly there was also coffee.  However, in Australia (like England), it's just naturally assumed that if you're using a teabag to make a cup of tea, you're also going to be needing milk, and it's generally hiding somewhere cool and close at hand.  Huzzah!

(Sugar, too, of course.)

quicko: BBQ updates

So I wrote about the BBQ Problem a few years ago, but it has re-arisen.  Several weeks ago, Garry was down for a visit and some friends invited us for a picnic at Balmoral.  Our job was to bring a barbecue chicken.  We dutifully went to Coles and found the chicken, but I was distressed.

"Oh no!  They haven't got any barbeque chickens!" I said.

"What  are you talking about, you're looking at them," Garry said.

"No," I said, "those are just regular chickens."

It was then that it re-dawned on me that, here, regular chickens are barbeque chickens.

quicko: hungry jack's

AKA Burger King.  I don't know how it took me so long to mention that here, but the American chain has been rebranded here as Hungry Jack's.  From what I hear it had to do with a smaller company already having bought the rights to the name here, but that could just be urban legend.

happy fourth of july!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

I was scheduled to work, but got let off early at the last minute, leaving me with no time to plan any holiday festivities.  Instead, a few friends came over to play cards.  I decided to be all American and offer them marshmallows.  It turns out Australians hate American marshmallows.  They are slightly more interested in watching them poof up in the microwave (Australian ones don't do that), but still seem to think they're disgusting.  At least I got them to admit that they're different!  (After years of Australians asking how the heck a marshmallow could be different ... they can be!  They don't all come in bags with half of them pink for one thing!)

Anyway, after that Kiril decided to humor me and treated me to the best hand display of "fireworks" I've ... well, ever, seen.  We all joined in for the grand finale, which was ... special ... though, rather lacking in ... actual fireworks.

Maybe next year.

quicko: creamed corn

I found this really strange, but evidently it's very typical in Australia:  Chinese places serve creamed corn and chicken soup.  Isn't that bizarre?  First off, that's what my grandmothers (neither of whom were remotely Chinese) would have served me ... and secondly, every Chinese soup I've ever had before is completely different -- like a hot and spicy broth with goodness knows what in it.  But the Australians all say it's the most normal thing in the world here.  Have I gotten Chinese food wrong my whole life?!

quicko: no shriver's

I've been really craving Shriver's lately -- possibly because I know I'll be going there soon.  For those unacquainted, Shriver's sells the most delicious salt water taffy (Australians, just go check out the website, I'm sure they explain it) in the world.  I've been particularly thinking of teaberry -- mostly because I've never encountered it as a flavor anywhere else, in anything.  But while I'm thinking of favorite flavors ... I might just mention cinnamon, wintergreen, spearmint, vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, peanut butter and chocolate, molasses, lime, lemon, orange, (teaberry fits here again), watermelon and root beer ...

photo: we all scream

It's getting chilly in Sydney these days, but it's always ice cream season in Darwin :)

quicko: to shout

Verb.  To buy something (generally a drink or food) for someone else.  As in, "I'll shout a Coke."

Noun.  A person's turn to buy something for someone else (reciprocity is implied).  As in, "My shout."

quicko: oliver brown

I've recently discovered a new chocolate cafe -- Oliver Brown.  It's evidently a chain and is pretty comparable to a Max Brenner.  I've had the chocolate mojito, which was basically an overpriced milkshake-y chocolate mint concoction.  It was really good though -- I've managed to have it twice now in two different locations, and both were delicious.

public service announcement: messina is amazing

If you haven't already been to Messina, you've really got to go -- it's the best gelato I've ever had outside of Messina -- no, really, I actually had a gelato in Messina, Italy, and this really rivals it.  Honestly I think it's probably better -- it certainly has more flavors (changing all the time!) and is the best priced ice cream (ish substance) I've found in Sydney.  It's amazing!!

(This is me at Messina.  I realize you might not have made that connection so I've obligingly spelt it out for you:  Messina.  Kim.  Amazing.  Read that as you will.)

public service announcement: free burrito day!!

It's TODAY!!  From 11 - 8 pm at the World Square Guzman and Gomez -- stop in and get your free burrito!!

public service announcement: free burrito day!!

Guzman and Gomez has their free burrito day TODAY at World Square (Goulburn and George Streets) from 11 am to 8 pm!

quicko: ben and jerrys

Today was Ben and Jerry's free cone (or cup) day!  I had chocolate fudge brownie at Broadway and chocolate and peanut butter at Manly.  Oddly enough, I have no recollection of taking this picture and am not entirely sure who it is or who took it ... but the ice cream looks good, hey?

Ah!  Mystery solved -- it is Glen's, he texted me a photo of his escapades in Melbourne!  (I was evidently supposed to text one back but didn't learn this until both cones had already been well and truly consumed.)

quicko: chasing captain crunch

No Captain Crunch here in Australia.  Or Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  And my boyfriend doesn't like crunchy peanut butter, but the other Australians assure me that's just him.  Aside from the cereal conundrum, Australians are generally ... crunchy ... enough.

quicko: s'mores

They don't do them here (not having Graham crackers ... or proper marshmallows ... or Hersheys ... or apple cider ... possibly they have the sticks for the fires ...) and they're seen as one of those exotic American dishes, roughly.  The people who've heard of them have heard rave reviews and always really want to have one ... though one of my friends insists on pronouncing them "so-mores," despite repeated attempts to explain that this is one word that is always -- always! -- contracted.

quicko: pretzels

In my ongoing quest to find suitable pretzels, I can only report that I've come across some that are okay.  (Which I purchased in preparation for Ben and Jerry's free cone giveaway, so my cone would have the appropriate side dish.)  Still the best pretzels were Coles Christmas pretzels -- available only at Christmas time ... and in Darwin.