I thought that I'd gotten used to most of the prices in Australia but I hadn't accounted for automotives. My husband has become numb to it, already having ranted and raved about Canadian prices vs. American. Being Canadian myself I shrugged off his outrage but now have the dubious pleasure of experiencing exactly the same thing in Oz.
Our car was due for an oil change and so we went off looking to get that done. In the States oil changes can go as low as $14 and in Canada you're usually looking at about $30. I knew Australian prices were generally higher so I was prepared to pay about $50-60 dollars for the same service. Instead of it being double the Canadian price, it was quadruple.
After some poking around we found that the average oil change cost about $120. As said before my husband was already immune by now to sticker shock but I stood dumbfounded thinking we couldn't possibly have been quoted the correct fee. Why is it so much more here? Is oil imported via air freight? Are there only a handful of mechanics working in the country? I don't have an answer for this. Not to mention the shock still hasn't worn off, hence I'm writing about it now.
What we've taken away from this experience is that, next time, we'll do our own oil change.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Vegemite - Australia's KD
Food vices exist everywhere. In Canada we apparently have great fondness for Kraft Dinner. Policemen have donuts. Koreans have to have kimchi. San Francisco has Rice-a-Roni, you get the picture. As it's contribution to the food vice community, Australia presents Vegemite.
On one of my first trips into the supermarket in Australia I was bewildered by certain yellow-labeled jars and tubes prominently featured in the condiments aisle. The label read "Vegemite" and was made by Kraft Foods. What was this Vegemite? A salad dressing? Jam? Strangely condensed vegetables? An edible topical ointment? I know the suspense is killing you so read on.
Vegemite is an Australian staple. The label declares that it's: "Proudly made in Australia since 1923". The thick, dark brown paste is a by-product of beer brewing. Leftover yeast is mixed with some vegetable and spice additives to create Vegemite! Sound distasteful to you? The majority of North Americans would agree as it never caught on there even though it's owned by Kraft. Vegemite is derived from the British Marmite which is even thicker and saltier than its cousin (ugh). It can be purchased in jars of varying sizes or toothpaste-like tubes. I'm just wondering what brewery-working bloke looked at leftover yeast and thought: "Eureka! This would be perfect on bread!" Seriously, it's the not the first thing that would come to mind as a tasty snack.
A good many Australians swear by it. I've seen it scraped onto bread at many a recess and lunch and many bakeries sell "Cheesymite" rolls. My brother had his first taste of it while on an extended overseas trip and it's safe to say that Vegemite will never grace his tongue again.
I had my first taste of Vegemite in a friend's house after they'd learned I'd never tried it. A jar was promptly whisked out and I was given a knife and piece of bread. "Don't put too much on!" I was warned and with good foresight. I tentatively placed a light covering of Vegemite onto the bread and even more gingerly took a bite. What was it like? Honestly, it tasted...brown (I'm serious if brown had a flavour this would be it!) and salty, really salty. Did I like it? No, but I didn't hate it either. I also haven't had any since that initial sampling, despite being given a jar at Christmas. I'll leave it that we're strangers who met once at a party and never spoke again, much to Vegemite's dismay. I'm sure it would've loved to make another conquest.
I'll end my Vegemite-themed post there. If any of my friends out there wants to try it, let me know and I'll mail you a tube! Mmmm.
Things I miss about Canada
I've been in Australia now for about 5 months. In that time I've managed to get work and make some friends. I've also had time to really miss things about my home country. In no particular order I present them now:
1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the Great White North. Christmas Day is for sitting in your warm jammies, sipping hot chocolate and eating lots of fatty foods (turkey, stuffing, potatoes etc.). NOT for sitting in shorts, perspiring and wondering when the hell it's going to cool down again. They don't really play carols here either, which is simply a travesty.
2. Clothing Stores - No, Aussies don't all walk around naked for a lack of stores but they're just not what I'm used to. The styles are slightly different (though nowhere near the trauma of Japanese styles) and prices...well I've discussed that before. I was somewhat surprised that bigger name stores like Gap, or H&M hadn't made it here. I suppose I should just stop bitching and find some places I'll like.
3. Canadian Book Prices - Although I complained about paying more than Americans did for books it's nowhere near the exorbitant prices Aussies pay. Your average paperback in Canada is, let's say about $10. Here you're looking at something like $27 for exactly the same book. Don't even get me started about hardcover. For one, it's basically a bigger, thicker paperback (not a real hardcover) and two, the cost is astronomical. Basically if you want to be a reader here you either need to go bankrupt or have a library membership.
4. Hashbrowns - They have the McDonald's type hashbrowns here but I'm talking about the diced/shredded versions that you could easily pick up in any supermarket in North America. I loved eating these for a snack or lunch/breakfast. Actually I probably would've eaten them at every bloody meal if I could've convinced my husband he liked them too. Why why why don't they have them here?? I was heartbroken when I went on a supermarket hunt to no avail. *sob*
5. Right side Driving - We bought a car here in September and I'm pretty used to driving on the opposite side but 29 years of right-side driving doesn't go away overnight. I'll still find myself hopping into the car and then realizing there's no steering wheel in front of me. Or I'll nearly crash because I'm exiting on the wrong side of a driveway. And roundabouts, whew I finally got the hang of them but they were my mortal enemy for a good month. On a related note, I also miss being able to turn right/left on a red light. They don't do that here.
6. My family and friends - I said it was in no particular order. In past posts I've gone on and on about it being more difficult to make new friends when you're older. I stand by it! I want my social network from home to be transplanted here then I'd be supremely happy (except for the hashbrowns).
7. Ice Cream Sandwiches - What gives? Aren't these a staple during the summer? Ice cream on a stick and Eskimo Pies just don't cut it. I've only managed to find one brand that makes them and one supermarket that stocks it.
8. 8.5" x 11" Paper - Apparently the rest of the world uses A4. It's not really a big deal but I can't use clipboards and binders that I've brought from home. Why can't everyone use the same thing, be it letter or A4?
9. Frivolous Magazines - Such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Us. I like to read crap, so sue me. Actually it's more of Entertainment Weekly I miss. Oz has it's own equivalents of People and Us. Strange since I never paid it much attention when I was home.
10. Produce in a supermarket - I'm not saying there isn't good produce here, it just isn't found in a supermarket. After a few months of being dissatisfied, I discovered that most people seem to buy their greens separately at produce-only stores. I'm used to produce-only stores being of the organic variety at home but here they're the norm (and not necessarily organic). Usually a produce store is found very close to a supermarket.
11. Unlimited Internet - I've never had the problem of having the amount of internet I use be capped. In Korea you get crazy speeds and no one seems to care how much you use. In Australia, this is not the case. Internet prices are inflated and you're closely monitored with how much bandwidth you take. When we hit our limit our speed is severely downgraded until the next billing period starts. I've heard it's owing to the distance and the difficulty of wiring across the ocean or bla bla bla. In Canada, I paid less than half the montly price I do now and there was no cap. Quite frankly it sucks and to me it's archaic.
I originally had the list at 10 but remembered my beef with internet, thus it's now 11! (Wow, that was an exciting aside Yuri!) I could go on but I won't as I'm realizing this sounds more like a bitch-fest than I intended it to. Oh well! Cheers everyone!
1. Snow and cold - Yes this sounds strange for those of you suffering from too much of it but Christmas in blazing sun and heat just isn't the same for a gal who grew up in the Great White North. Christmas Day is for sitting in your warm jammies, sipping hot chocolate and eating lots of fatty foods (turkey, stuffing, potatoes etc.). NOT for sitting in shorts, perspiring and wondering when the hell it's going to cool down again. They don't really play carols here either, which is simply a travesty.
2. Clothing Stores - No, Aussies don't all walk around naked for a lack of stores but they're just not what I'm used to. The styles are slightly different (though nowhere near the trauma of Japanese styles) and prices...well I've discussed that before. I was somewhat surprised that bigger name stores like Gap, or H&M hadn't made it here. I suppose I should just stop bitching and find some places I'll like.
3. Canadian Book Prices - Although I complained about paying more than Americans did for books it's nowhere near the exorbitant prices Aussies pay. Your average paperback in Canada is, let's say about $10. Here you're looking at something like $27 for exactly the same book. Don't even get me started about hardcover. For one, it's basically a bigger, thicker paperback (not a real hardcover) and two, the cost is astronomical. Basically if you want to be a reader here you either need to go bankrupt or have a library membership.
4. Hashbrowns - They have the McDonald's type hashbrowns here but I'm talking about the diced/shredded versions that you could easily pick up in any supermarket in North America. I loved eating these for a snack or lunch/breakfast. Actually I probably would've eaten them at every bloody meal if I could've convinced my husband he liked them too. Why why why don't they have them here?? I was heartbroken when I went on a supermarket hunt to no avail. *sob*
5. Right side Driving - We bought a car here in September and I'm pretty used to driving on the opposite side but 29 years of right-side driving doesn't go away overnight. I'll still find myself hopping into the car and then realizing there's no steering wheel in front of me. Or I'll nearly crash because I'm exiting on the wrong side of a driveway. And roundabouts, whew I finally got the hang of them but they were my mortal enemy for a good month. On a related note, I also miss being able to turn right/left on a red light. They don't do that here.
6. My family and friends - I said it was in no particular order. In past posts I've gone on and on about it being more difficult to make new friends when you're older. I stand by it! I want my social network from home to be transplanted here then I'd be supremely happy (except for the hashbrowns).
7. Ice Cream Sandwiches - What gives? Aren't these a staple during the summer? Ice cream on a stick and Eskimo Pies just don't cut it. I've only managed to find one brand that makes them and one supermarket that stocks it.
8. 8.5" x 11" Paper - Apparently the rest of the world uses A4. It's not really a big deal but I can't use clipboards and binders that I've brought from home. Why can't everyone use the same thing, be it letter or A4?
9. Frivolous Magazines - Such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Us. I like to read crap, so sue me. Actually it's more of Entertainment Weekly I miss. Oz has it's own equivalents of People and Us. Strange since I never paid it much attention when I was home.
10. Produce in a supermarket - I'm not saying there isn't good produce here, it just isn't found in a supermarket. After a few months of being dissatisfied, I discovered that most people seem to buy their greens separately at produce-only stores. I'm used to produce-only stores being of the organic variety at home but here they're the norm (and not necessarily organic). Usually a produce store is found very close to a supermarket.
11. Unlimited Internet - I've never had the problem of having the amount of internet I use be capped. In Korea you get crazy speeds and no one seems to care how much you use. In Australia, this is not the case. Internet prices are inflated and you're closely monitored with how much bandwidth you take. When we hit our limit our speed is severely downgraded until the next billing period starts. I've heard it's owing to the distance and the difficulty of wiring across the ocean or bla bla bla. In Canada, I paid less than half the montly price I do now and there was no cap. Quite frankly it sucks and to me it's archaic.
I originally had the list at 10 but remembered my beef with internet, thus it's now 11! (Wow, that was an exciting aside Yuri!) I could go on but I won't as I'm realizing this sounds more like a bitch-fest than I intended it to. Oh well! Cheers everyone!
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