There are certain things one must try when studying abroad in a foreign country. It's part of the experience. The things Australians have told me are "must eats" have been Tim Tams, Golden Gaytime ice cream bar, Vegemite, and kangaroo meat. Other less traditional things that I want to try are crocodile and emu.
So far I have only tried the three items on the list: Tim Tams, Golden Gaytime bar, and Vegemite. A Tim Tam is a cookie (or biscuit as they say here). It has two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, a light chocolate cream filling, and is coated with a thin layer of chocolate. They're made by a company named Arnott's, and only the real deal will do. There exists a variety of different Tim Tams: original with milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, turkish delight, dark chocolate, mint +++. I've only had the pleasure of trying a few of them, and of the ones I've tried the white chocolate ones are the best. YUM!
One fabulous way to eat a Tim Tam is by doing a so-called Tim Tam Slam. To do this, all you need to do is grab some Tim Tams and a cup of coffee (or tea, whichever you prefer). Bite off the ends of the Tim Tam, dip it in the beverage, and suck. Highly enjoyable albeit a little messy.
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| I wish I had a better picture of the Tim Tams, but they pretty much disappear into thin air once the package is opened. |
A Golden Gaytime bar is toffee and vanilla ice-cream dipped in compound chocolate and honeycomb biscuits on a wooden popsicle stick. Their slogan is "It's hard to have a Gaytime alone", so I met up with two of my American friends, Evan and Rich, at lunchtime and we had a Golden Gaytime (ice-cream bar) together.
Vegemite is a dark brown paste that is made from leftover brewers yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. Australians eat it with butter on bread/toast.
The Aussies I've spoken to have emphasized the importance of lots of butter and spreading the Vegemite very, very thinly on top. I was pretty excited about trying this. Some people like it, while others find it disgusting. I'm not really sure if I liked it or not. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't thinking "Oooh, I want to eat this every day!" It's hard to describe the taste of Vegemite. It's unlike anything I have ever tasted before. It's pretty salty, a little bitter, and... Weird. I think I'll have to try it a few more times. An Aussie friend of mine said that Vegemite can last for a REALLY long time, so it's not like I have to eat it straight away. I'll give it another try... Sometime.
As for the kangaroo and other exotic meats, I plan to try these this weekend when I go to Brisbane. I will be visiting a friend/ex-advisor/ex-coworker, Heidi, and her boyfriend, Martin, from Thursday to Sunday. Heidi was my advisor when I attended the American College of Norway (ACN) in Moss, and she passed on the International Student Advisor torch when I worked there for a year from 2011-2012. These two are so pleasantly hilarious, and I'm so excited for all the fun we'll have this weekend. It will be grand! I will let you all know how the rest of the Australian food trying goes. I've heard kangaroo tastes gamey. I've also heard good things about emu burgers.Isabelle has tried crocodile, and said it was tasty. It will be an interesting weekend for my tastebuds!
I feel somewhat sorry for the people who study abroad in Norway in regards to traditional Norwegian food, like lutefisk, fårikål and smalahove. Lutefisk is dried cod soaked in a lye solution before boiling to give it a gelatinous consistency, while fårikal is mutton stew with cabbage, and smalahove is sheep's head. Doesn't that sound delicious? Mm, mmm, mmmm... Nothing like some sheep's head! I'm happy (or maybe a little embarrassed?) to say that I have tried any of these. These meals aren't too common on a day to day basis; it's not like lutefisk is served on a regular Tuesday. You usually only eat them on special occasions.
Don't get me wrong, there are some Norwegian things that are especially delicious, like vaffler (waffles), brunost (brown cheese), and Freia melkesjokolade(milk chocolate).
Fish is also delicious in Norway. As Norway has a very long coastline, Norwegians eat a lot of fish (e.g. cod, salmon, herring, mackerel) together with boiled potatoes and vegetables. Kjøttkaker ("meat cakes") and other types of meat are also common. Potatoes are a staple, though rice and pasta are also used. Norway has a lot of international cuisine, so you can find all sorts of restaurants and food types in Norway now. Don't expect a HUGE variety of options like in the US and Australia. We don't dedicate whole aisles to one particular item. The other day I went to the grocery store to pick up butter, saw the insane amount of possibilities, and decided I didn't really need butter after all. Today I managed to make a decision... It was tough.
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| I think Rich was worried that people would see he was about to have a Golden Gaytime. |
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| The verdict? It was very enjoyable right then and there, but I haven't been craving another Golden Gaytime. |
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| So many innuendos... |
The Aussies I've spoken to have emphasized the importance of lots of butter and spreading the Vegemite very, very thinly on top. I was pretty excited about trying this. Some people like it, while others find it disgusting. I'm not really sure if I liked it or not. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't thinking "Oooh, I want to eat this every day!" It's hard to describe the taste of Vegemite. It's unlike anything I have ever tasted before. It's pretty salty, a little bitter, and... Weird. I think I'll have to try it a few more times. An Aussie friend of mine said that Vegemite can last for a REALLY long time, so it's not like I have to eat it straight away. I'll give it another try... Sometime.
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| I wonder if I got the butter/Vegemite ratio correctly? |
I feel somewhat sorry for the people who study abroad in Norway in regards to traditional Norwegian food, like lutefisk, fårikål and smalahove. Lutefisk is dried cod soaked in a lye solution before boiling to give it a gelatinous consistency, while fårikal is mutton stew with cabbage, and smalahove is sheep's head. Doesn't that sound delicious? Mm, mmm, mmmm... Nothing like some sheep's head! I'm happy (or maybe a little embarrassed?) to say that I have tried any of these. These meals aren't too common on a day to day basis; it's not like lutefisk is served on a regular Tuesday. You usually only eat them on special occasions.
Don't get me wrong, there are some Norwegian things that are especially delicious, like vaffler (waffles), brunost (brown cheese), and Freia melkesjokolade(milk chocolate).
Fish is also delicious in Norway. As Norway has a very long coastline, Norwegians eat a lot of fish (e.g. cod, salmon, herring, mackerel) together with boiled potatoes and vegetables. Kjøttkaker ("meat cakes") and other types of meat are also common. Potatoes are a staple, though rice and pasta are also used. Norway has a lot of international cuisine, so you can find all sorts of restaurants and food types in Norway now. Don't expect a HUGE variety of options like in the US and Australia. We don't dedicate whole aisles to one particular item. The other day I went to the grocery store to pick up butter, saw the insane amount of possibilities, and decided I didn't really need butter after all. Today I managed to make a decision... It was tough.
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| Too many options. |
Norway also has incredibly fresh, amazing water straight from tap. Ahhh... I miss Norwegian water. That's probably what I miss the most (aside from friends and family, of course). The tap water here isn't terrible, but it can't compare to what I'm used to. The water is, however, much better than the Grand Forks (ND) water in springtime.
I bought a Bobble when I got here. I'm still on the fence of whether or not I like the design... I still think it looks kind of silly. It also makes a weird sound every time I take a sip. So not only does it look silly, I draw attention to myself. Hah! I may have to learn to tolerate the tap water...
Speaking of beverages, regular filtered coffee is something that isn't easy to find here in Australia. When we first arrived to Macquarie, Isabelle and I stopped by the coffee shop on campus to get caffeinated after the long flight from Singapore. "Regular coffee with milk, please" translated into a "long black with milk". A long black is really just a double shot of espresso with some water, so it's almost like an Americano. However, it's not quite the same. I was told that the order of water and espresso determines whether it's a long black or an Americano:
Water + espresso = long black
Espresso + water = Americano
Coffee is relatively expensive here (I can't justify buying the amount I'd like to drink each day at least). A medium sized long black usually costs around $3.50 (20,7kr/US$3.30). At most places they also serve the coffee in a doubled cup (so two cups inside one another). Aside from one place, I've gotten my coffee in a double cup. WHY? I've been questioning this for the last month. It's actually gotten to the point where I want to start asking the different places why they just don't get coffee cup sleeves. Wouldn't that be a lot easier and environmentally friendly? Come on, buy some sleeves!
Back at UiT in Norway, it's common to have travel French press coffee mugs. They're great! Fresh coffee on the go. It's cheaper, tastes good, and I don't waste two paper cups every time I want coffee. I left my trusty Bodum mug at home in Norway, but thought it would be easy to find a new one here. Not the case! It was a challenge to find a travel French press mug as well. This was partly because there's not really many companies that make them, and partly because no one knew what the heck I was looking for. After stopping by three places, the woman behind the counter realized what I wanted. "OHHH! You mean a COFFEE PLUNGER!" Once I knew what Aussies call a French press, I was able to locate the same kind that I have back home. Hurray!
(For those of you who would like one of these gems, Myers has them for $25 at the Macquarie Mall. Highly recommended!)
I have also been able to locate "knekkebrød" (crisp bread) at the local grocery store, Woolworth's. After traveling in Southeast Asia for a month (where white bread is the norm), I am still very content eating this for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner. Now if only I could find some Freia melkesjokolade...I bought a Bobble when I got here. I'm still on the fence of whether or not I like the design... I still think it looks kind of silly. It also makes a weird sound every time I take a sip. So not only does it look silly, I draw attention to myself. Hah! I may have to learn to tolerate the tap water...
Speaking of beverages, regular filtered coffee is something that isn't easy to find here in Australia. When we first arrived to Macquarie, Isabelle and I stopped by the coffee shop on campus to get caffeinated after the long flight from Singapore. "Regular coffee with milk, please" translated into a "long black with milk". A long black is really just a double shot of espresso with some water, so it's almost like an Americano. However, it's not quite the same. I was told that the order of water and espresso determines whether it's a long black or an Americano:
Water + espresso = long black
Espresso + water = Americano
Coffee is relatively expensive here (I can't justify buying the amount I'd like to drink each day at least). A medium sized long black usually costs around $3.50 (20,7kr/US$3.30). At most places they also serve the coffee in a doubled cup (so two cups inside one another). Aside from one place, I've gotten my coffee in a double cup. WHY? I've been questioning this for the last month. It's actually gotten to the point where I want to start asking the different places why they just don't get coffee cup sleeves. Wouldn't that be a lot easier and environmentally friendly? Come on, buy some sleeves!
Back at UiT in Norway, it's common to have travel French press coffee mugs. They're great! Fresh coffee on the go. It's cheaper, tastes good, and I don't waste two paper cups every time I want coffee. I left my trusty Bodum mug at home in Norway, but thought it would be easy to find a new one here. Not the case! It was a challenge to find a travel French press mug as well. This was partly because there's not really many companies that make them, and partly because no one knew what the heck I was looking for. After stopping by three places, the woman behind the counter realized what I wanted. "OHHH! You mean a COFFEE PLUNGER!" Once I knew what Aussies call a French press, I was able to locate the same kind that I have back home. Hurray!
(For those of you who would like one of these gems, Myers has them for $25 at the Macquarie Mall. Highly recommended!)
On a totally different note, I have to mention that there are few things that brighten my day as much as coming home after a long day, opening the mailbox, and seeing something addressed to me. I also enjoy getting emails, phone calls, and texts, but mail.. It's just the best. A big thanks to the wonderful family members and friends who have taken the time to send something off to Australia. I really appreciate it! You put a big smile on my face!
For those of you that suddenly feel the urge to brighten my day, my address is:
Unit 8/122 Culloden Rd
Marsfield, NSW 2122
Australia
Well, enough about my eating habits, food, and mail. I need to do a little more on this lovely term paper of mine. It's coming along... Slowly but surely! Slow and steady wins the race, right?
Love,
Suzy
For those of you that suddenly feel the urge to brighten my day, my address is:
Unit 8/122 Culloden Rd
Marsfield, NSW 2122
Australia
Love,
Suzy
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