This Australian Life - Eating Out

     We recently discovered a nearby cafe with incredibly yummy gelato.  Fridays after school we have been rushing out the door to try to walk there before the very friendly folks at ???? (it's a newly opened cafe and they have no name up yet) put the gelato away for the day.  The dark chocolate and Argentinian caramel are worth the steep price tag!



No Name gelato spot on the Esplanade (empty blue sign).


    The kids haven't seemed to notice too many differences when dining out Down Under, but we have.  Things we miss: large glasses of (anything really) cold water with ice, refills (still haven't seen that anywhere), fountain drinks, flavor.  OK, that sounded a bit extreme but what I mean is that we have found food here to be frequently somewhat on the bland side.  Not necessarily poor tasting, just not full of flavor.  Other differences we noticed include the fact that there are lots of times when you get charged more for eating a meal at the restaurant than you would for Take Away (To Go).  I had lunch last week at this great spot with two Aussie Mums (thanks ladies!) and sandwiches were $9.00 for Take Away and $12.00 for eat in.

Boat Shed Cafe at Balmoral.

     You also are frequently charged more for eating at places on Sundays (they add 10% to all charges, for example).  Refills on items like ketchup or rice are charged for without fail.  There seem to be many good places to eat, if you are willing to pay a lot (at least $30 for an entree alone).  Meals don't come with rolls/bread or sides and a single drink/soda is easily $6.  There is cheaper food but quality seems to diminish rapidly, except possibly with Asian food.  We have found it relatively easy to get good Thai food that is not too steep.  Mexican restaurants are scarce and very few that come close at all to what North Americans are accustomed.   If you want to make us jealous and homesick, tell us about your recent Mexican meal! 
      There are good differences too though!  Tipping is not routine here.  Not being a coffee drinker, I love that you can get tea anywhere and it's served in a pot with a pitcher of milk.  There are oodles of cafes and they all have yummy looking pastries.  Mia has decided that we need to try each bakery/cafe on Military Road (the main drag through Mosman) before we leave.  I think I can be convinced.  Wine is not appreciably more expensive either and there is a good variety of options. 
     I've had lunch out several times in the past two weeks with fellow expats and other "mums" at various spots.  Even at yummy cafes, I'd have to say the company is more fun than the food.  Thanks for the company ladies and letting me pick your brains (especially about spider removal!). 
     A few more photos from the past week -








The sailboats out recently were really big with large crews on board.  I know nothing about sailing but love to see the boats out.

More closeups of the noisy neighbors.

A flock of 'toos screeching off.  You can't miss these guys!

It was another rainy weekend but we took Jackson to a nearby dog beach to let him explore a bit. 

This Australian Life - Food

     The past few days have been very rainy.  Apparently, this has been the driest start to the year that Sydney has had since 1965.  Since weather seems to be all about extremes no matter where you are in the world, it figures that we've just experienced the wettest 48 hours on record for March.  Roads are flooding and there are even small waves on the normally tranquil Balmoral Beach.  The good thing about the rain is that the birds are quiet on rainy mornings.  We even slept until 8 AM on Sunday!  Typical, gorgeous sunny weather is right around the corner.

Jackson takes advantage of an available lap on a rainy day.

     There's not too much happening that's new and different during the weeks lately, so I thought I'd relay some thoughts on our least favorite subject: grocery shopping.  Put succinctly, it's misery. 

   First, there's the parking.  The underground parking decks do offer free parking.  That's where easy stops and torturous begins.  The spaces are usually small with huge concrete pillars on both sides. 

     Once in the store, about 50% of the time, you must pay to use a cart.  It's refundable when you return it, but it adds another step.  Is this really necessary?  Ugh.  My preferred shopping venues have free carts. The carts themselves are similar in size and style to carts in the US, with one huge difference- the wheels.  There must be a reason why this is the case (even though we haven't figured it out yet), but the wheels are not locked so that the cart moves easily in a forward manner.  It's like the cart is on a hill and you must fight it the whole way to keep it going in the direction you wish.  It gets tougher as you put more food in it and it gets heavier.  One day I had a particularly bad cart and I swear I got a core workout just pushing the darn thing through the store!  I decided to try to watch the pros/locals to see how they handle them.  I got the giggles because everyone was walking to the side of their cart to try to control it!  I had never noticed before because I was looking at the different food options.  It could be worse; I could have a temperamental toddler to push around as well.

    About those food options - Overall, many things are the same or quite similar.  We've learned some new words including: rocket=arugula, capsicum=pepper, cos=romaine, sultana=raisin.  There are some surprises, like when we realized the eggs were not refrigerated, just stacked on shelves or in aisles.  Guess that works but I still put them in the fridge when we get home.  Things are not organized in ways that my Americanized brain likes.  Paper goods are not together, but in several different areas of the store.  There is a substantial section for fresh, raw dog food.  I've never seen that at home.  These Aussie pooches are well cared for!

The cheese section is a source of amusement to me.  I can't go by it without thinking of that last scene in the movie Borat where he's going through the cheese section.  "What is this one?" "That's cheese."  "And this one?" "That's cheese."  And on and on.  Except here, it would be "That's Tasty Cheese."  Tasty Cheese is ubiquitous and mysterious.  It is apparently a mild, white cheddar.  I'm not a big fan and would re-name it "Only Kinda Tasty Cheese" if I could.  It comes in ton of varieties (not a common thing here) -  Light Tasty, Extra Tasty, Grated Tasty, Sliced Tasty, Extra Light Tasty, etc. 



 There is a lot less variety offered, which some days feels like a relief and some days is frustrating.  We've been craving Mexican food but it can hardly be found here.  So, I decided to make my own, only to have to go to four stores to find a jalapeno pepper and black beans.  Some of the varieties offered are unusual to us.  There are new potato chip flavors .  We wonder if they're good, but not enough to buy them yet!

    
   The prices are usually twice what they are in the States, at least.  We knew this was the case here but it's still shocking at times.  Some everyday examples: 3 liters of milk = $6, 2 liters Coke= $4, kilo (about 2 pounds) bananas= $12.  If you want things that are not common here and obviously imported, you'll pay a lot more. 
1 can black beans=$2.80
1 can Libby pumpkin=$6.99
1 small jar Hellmans mayo (only kind not full of sugar here)=$6.99
1 small box poptarts = $12.80
1 can of Dr.Pepper or A&W root beer=$2.80
1 bottle of Hershey's syrup=$9.99

   The checkout is the last hurdle.  There's nothing particularly unusual about the checkout procedure here, except that there is absolutely no sense of urgency about it.  Not that things need to feel hurried, but it is amazingly slow to me!  After careening around the store trying to find things (I've yet to meet a helpful store employee.  Very friendly but not so helpful.), the last thing I want to do is wait 15 minutes to get through the line.  That Tasty Cheese is Sweaty, Tasty Cheese by then!  I did see this interesting line at one store.



Nice idea to check out without tempting candy if you're with kids.  Funny that Coke is OK though.

      I'm not the only one who finds grocery shopping here problematic.  Chris went to the gym the other day and offered to pick up the four ingredients we needed for dinner.  Four ingredients.  He went to four different stores, spent an hour and a half, and finally came home with things that would work.  His assessment:  "That's awful!  That makes me want to cry!  Why is it so !^*ing hard?!"

     We realize that we will acclimate, get used to finding things or substituting, and find some things that we will actually miss.   Food is comfort though and for now, we are really missing food that tastes good, doesn't cost a fortune and is easy to obtain.  I would kill for a HT, Trader Joes or Whole Foods these days!  For those in Chapel Hill, I usually avoided the Carrboro HT, as its narrow aisles, crowded parking lot and lack of selection bothered me.  Now it seems like a shopper's paradise.  We are also cognizant of the fact that idealizing one's home is typical of the adjustment process.  We may look back at this and laugh in the months to come.  Let's hope!  And let's go out to eat. 

Ha!  That's not a great idea either.  More next time...

 

Troubled Waters

    We've been searching for a swim team (squad) here for the past several weeks.  After going to several pools, meeting coaches, and gathering information, we may have settled on a place for them to swim. The Badger Swim School operates at the North Sydney Olympic Pool, about a 15 minute drive from home.  Amazing setting huh?

     The kids have been to a few practices so far and are getting acclimated slowly.  It's a 50 meter saline pool and is much saltier than others we've been in, not sure why that is yet.  The combination of burning eyes and throats, new coaches, new terms (tumble turn=flip turn, torpedo=streamline, etc.), new expectations, being somewhat out of shape, being the new kids, etc. has been challenging.  They are missing their Y coaches and friends - a lot!  For now, we'll keep at it.  The good news is that (1) in another month or so, they move inside to a 25 meter chlorine pool and (2) Mia has met two girls at school that she likes who also swim here. 

     In previous years, 86 world records have been set at the pool.  These days the premier swim center in Sydney seems to be the Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, but this setting is pretty incredible.  Luna Park, an amusement park modeled after the one on Coney Island, is right next door.  I find the entrance a bit creepy.  Maybe that's why all those swimmers set records, trying to get away fast!

    While eating dinner the other night, we saw this news story:  http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/watch/24529897 . The Harbor has been cleaned up tremendously in recent years, resulting in increased marine life.  We knew we were sharing the water, but it's still a bit unsettling. (We won't mention the native fauna sitting on the bottom in 8 feet of water under the kids and Chris 50 feet offshore here in Balmoral the other day)

    Mia returned from her school camping trip on Wednesday afternoon.  She had a great time getting to see the Blue Mountains, go panning for gold, ride the world's steepest railway, go repelling and orienteering, and see a few 'roos in the wild.  Unbelievably, there are no more school outings planned at the moment.  Horrors.  Must be time for a three week break at the end of Term 1.  We're starting to make plans for our first trip out of the Sydney area.

A Sea of Speedos, or Should We Say Budgie Smugglers?

     Because getting up at 5 AM to watch ACC basketball wasn't enough, Chris swam a 1500 meter ocean swim on Sunday morning.  His aim was not to win, but rather survive.  I guess survival is always questionable in Australia, where the "risk management" briefing before the event indemnifies them against shark attacks and "marine stingers" (ie jellies)!  The event was held at Dee Why Beach, an ocean beach a few kilometres north of here.  Thankfully, there were no tsunami waves here.

    The kids, dog and I enjoyed the dry version of the event while Chris battled swells and swimmers and finished in a quite respectable time. 



Aussies frequently call these small suits "budgie smugglers" because it appears as if a budgie (short, of course, for budgerigar, a parakeet), has been stuffed down the front.  It's not uncommon to see hot pink budgie smugglers.  "Cheeky" lot!



 The only slang we've heard for women's suits is "cossie" which is a shortened (of course, we're in Australia) version of costume.

Chris finishing.  So glad he survived!

Cute stuff on the beach.  The puppy is a 4month-old Cavalier-poodle mix.

 "I wagged my tail, looked cute and they gave me a medal.  I have them well trained."

       After searching for a month or so, we found a good deal on the surfboard the kids were promised when this move was finalized.  We headed to Curl Curl (usually pronounced Cool Cool) for its inaugural run. 

Balancing on a new board was tricky, but they started to get the hang of it.





    A few more weekend photos -

The Boy Scouts were camping at Balmoral this weekend for a sailing event.  Tons of boats in the water!

Soccer-tennis, Sam's new favorite game.

     Mia left this morning for a 3 day camping trip in the Blue Mountains with all of the Year 5 classes.  She was only somewhat excited, feeling unusually anxious about leaving us, I'm sure due to recent life upheaval.  But, I'm betting she has a great time.  I think she and Sam are both excited about having a break from each other for a few days.  They have spent far too much time together in the last two months, resulting in lots of friction.  Chris and I are glad for a reprieve from sibling bickering!

    I got to see another stunning sunrise after I dropped Mia at school for her early departure.

     Almost forgot, Mia did great at the Zone swimming carnival (14 primary schools competing).  She only got to swim 50 meter breaststroke due to a timing glitch with freestyle.  Anyhow, she placed 3rd, getting barely out-touched at the end.  She was a bit disappointed since the top two get to go to the Regional meet.  However, she wouldn't have been able to attend the Regional meet due to this camping trip.  We had to point out that her result was great, especially considering she hadn't been swimming much since early January and never before in a 50 m pool. 

    I thought this post was finished until I returned home from picking up Sam.  This kookaburra was waiting for us on our balcony.  They are about 10-12" from head to tail, a fairly large and really loud bird.  Sam and I enjoyed getting to see one close up!

 



Wildlife Recovery

     After our invasion from the nastiest, largest, spider ever, we needed to see some more preferable Aussie wildlife.  It was time for a visit to the Taronga Zoo, a great zoo right here in Mosman.  This zoo is just minutes away and sits right on the north side of Sydney Harbor. The first exhibit was several koalas and they were actually awake (they sleep 80% of the time).  These little guys, or gals, were so cute they almost made up for the unspeakable arachnid episode. 

   We spent a few hours being entertained by some animals, knowing we will return soon since we opted for an annual membership.







Sam thinks these Cassowaries look like dinosaur birds.  Have to agree.

This 'roo didn't overdo it on Friday night.



This one did.

                                            A bit unsettling to have an emu right behind you...

Love the wallabies!

   Sunday brought a bit of disappointment when we realized there was no way to watch the Carolina-Dook game.  So, we opted for some more amazing scenery instead.  We drove up the coast about 30 km to Palm Beach, the northernmost of Sydney's northern beaches.  Along the way we stopped to watch these guys paragliding off the cliffs.  Yikes.  I'm the only one who doesn't want to try it.

We climbed up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse to see this view of Palm Beach and Pittwater on western side.



Looking north across Broken Bay to the Pacific.


We didn't see any bonfires and there wasn't any toilet paper in the trees, so it wasn't Franklin Street, but the views were a decent consolation prize to not being there. Go Heels!

OMG!!

   Today was what has become a typical day for us.  Chris went to work, I dropped the kids at school, went to the gym, ran some errands, walked the dog, and then picked the kids up.  It was another gorgeous day so we walked Jackson along the beach, looking at this:

Nice, right?

Then, after dinner, I was in the kitchen and looked up and saw this:



Not nice!! I did not include the zoomed in photos because I can't stand to look at them.  This bleepin' thing was HUGE!!!  And in our house.  Bigger than any spider either one of us has ever seen, and that includes Chris's Florida experiences with banana spiders.  The body was approximately 1 1/2" - 2" long and it was easily 4-5 inches across the leg span.  I stifled a scream, came out with a gasp instead and motioned Chris into the kitchen.  With no words, we both ushered Mia into her room to stay until the "problem" was taken care of.  She is mortified of even the tiniest of arachnids and this would put her into immediate counseling.  Sam was amused and wanted to know if it was a tarantula.  Possibly.  After a quick "web" search to determine if it was a deadly funnel spider (we don't think so), Chris and I put on some shoes, he grabbed a broom and a towel, and then.. I left the room.  I heard a whack, a girly squeal, and then another whack or two.  Problem solved:

Ugh.  I think we might as well stay up and watch a movie or something because I won't be sleeping.  Chris is out walking the dog while the massive bats fly over his head.  I'll save that for another post. 

Anybody still want to visit?

I can't end like that so here's a look at Jackson getting comfortable in his new digs.