This is a test... of my patience!
This is a test... of my patience!
itself in the wide world of web happenings, and I hope the name will find itself
in good hands. If you would like to discuss anything about the sale of the
domain, please contact me at gday at aussieinamerica.com.
My thanks to all the Aussie in America readers who made the discussion of Australian and American cultural comparison such a pleasure over the years, and whose stories inspired the creation of this site.
I wish you all the best with your own forays into Australian-American relations.
Cheers, Anne.
~
June 2007
When I was living in Oz and planning a day out, my family would say, "Don't forget the insect repellant and ur hat, sunblock and water, etc." Here in Las Vegas, I go to the corner store (711), a two minute walk from our place and I get, " Don't talk to anyone you don't know, take ur mace, do you have ur cell phone (mobile phone) ... be careful .. call me if you need me to pick you up." So suddenly a pleasant walk to the store for a "gallon" (sounds like fuel) of milk becomes like a life survival course in a war torn city.
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May 2007
For the longest time I thought Americans made pie bases out of something called "Gram Crackers". Not to mention that I envisioned some sort of dry pie-base made out of smashed up Saos or water crackers due to different understandings of the definition of "cracker". It wasn't until a discussion about Foreigner lead-singer "Lou Gram" that the penny dropped and it was "Graham". I could also tell the story of the longer-than-planned journey the time I was in charge of looking out for the turnoff for "Kregg (aka. Craig) Street"
(Me:) Yeah... what's with the "gram crackers" that aren't even crackers?
~
Within the city of Chicago, there are several "sections" (for lack of a better word). We make a distinction between North- , South- , and West-siders. There are some cities technically outside the Chicago city limits but are still considered living in the city. Outside of that are the suburbs.
"Downtown" refers to the central area of Chicago, against the lake (sorry, there's only one lake to us, and that's Lake Michigan), and it is indeed the section where the majority of tourist attractions are located. Chicago has a neat little square of public transportation trains (called "The L", as in elevated, but some of them go underground... nevermind!). These trains run around the outside of the truest "downtown" area.
Surprisingly, you don't have to specify which city you are going to when you say "downtown". I grew up about an hour's drive from Chicago, but if I told my mother I wanted to go downtown for my birthday, she knew I meant to Chicago's downtown area. If I needed to go to my own city's main post office, I told her I needed to "go to downtown Waukegan" only 5 minutes down the road!
To make life hard for any visitors to the area, the signs on one of our most central highways reads I-94 East or West, but in the state of Illinois that interstate highway happens to go north and south! To make it even worse, in the city (that is, the area close to downtown Chicago) the locals refer to the highways by name, not number. So you may get instructions to take the Edens north --and be expected to find I-94 West! By the same token, the traffic reports on the radio almost always ONLY refer to the expressways by name. You have to be able to match the numbers with the names, which means that if you want to listen for problems on the I-88 heading west from Chicago, you'd have to listen for the Ike (a.k.a. Eisenhower), I-290, which then turns into... the Reagan.
I hear the phrase, "I could care less", all the time...and it drives me batty. I know that what people mean is that they couldn't care less; they care so little about the subject under discussion that it is not possible to care less than they do. I can't stand it! "Anyways" drives me nuts, too. I don't know where the "s" comes from.
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April 2007
'Erbs might be closer to the French way of saying it, but it doesn't stop Americans from butchering the words "tourniquet" and "nougat" into "ternicket" and "noogit".
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March 2007
Could never work out why the zipper on my sloppy joe... err parker, zipped the wrong way. At first I thought it as a girls version (back home girls' cardigans button the wrong way to blokes'). But no, everyone thought I was just a bit strange when I complained.
After 7 years I still call a sweater a jumper, sweat shirt a sloppy joe. Why if you are cold would you put on an article of clothing that will make you sweat? And I’m constantly asked do I eat my sweat shirt. And they really get confused when I tell 'em I’m gonna put on my trackie daks and joggers and jump in the ute to go to the papershop. Nobody here knows what a fortnight is, I tell them I’ll let you know in two weeks. I miss meat pies, real fish & chips and REAL hand made hamburgers from the wog shop. Tim tam’s I can get along without but can’t find a baked chook anywhere. In the first two weeks I was here I spent maybe a month looking for a bakery that could make a meat pie, all I could find was apple pie & pumpkin pie... yuck. Can't stand pumpkin pie.
~
I firmly believe it's a cultural blind spot when we say that places outside of our home country are more trendy than us. It’s not so much who is wearing what where, and how quickly trends get picked up in various locales, but it’s more the perception that tourists fall into whether they’re from the US looking at Australia or England, or the Aussies or Brits looking at the US. In all my travels thus far, one common theme is often repeated and that is that the other side of the pond (the Atlantic or the Pacific) is much more trendy and stylish than at home. I hear it from British friends and Australian relatives about New York, but I also hear it from my neighbors and co-workers about London, Sydney and Melbourne.
I'm a first generation Polish American. My parents taught me to eat the European way, which is the same as the British and Australian way. However, my mother - who reads a lot of American etiquette books - says one should never use a knife on anything that can be cut with the side of a fork. How funny is that? My sister-in-law was born and raised American. She laughs when she's out to dinner with my parents, brother and I when we all have a meal requiring the use of knives. She was trained to put the knife down and switch hands, while the rest of us raise the fork with our left hands. At the same time my American friends marvel at the fact that - although left-handed - I eat right-handed. It could be the European method made it easy for me to learn to eat right-handed.
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January 2007
An aspect of Aussie (and European) electricity that is difficult to explain to people that have not visited both countries is that it sounds so different from American electricity. This is due to the cycles (50 vs.60). The hum of 50 cycle current is very strange to my American ears that are used to listening to the familiar 60 cycle hum in the USA. The hum in Australia sounds much lower to me and makes things like washing machines and microwave ovens seem "drunk" or to not sound as if they are working properly. After a week in Australia I didn't notice it as much but I noticed the difference again when I returned to the US. This hum is all around us in both countries, especially in supermarkets and laundromats and other places where a lot of electrical appliances and florescent lights are in use. I am pretty sure that you have also noticed this. 50 cycle generators and the motors and equipment connected to them actually rotate 20% slower than 60 cycle equipment. This is why some electrical appliances do not operate properly in a different country even with the proper voltage.
My friend and I drove through an very dark, wet and rainy Cosy Cabins campground at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania with a lot of wet low hanging tree branches until we found the office. The lady who checked us in asked me if I had a higher car. I pictured in my head these low branches and the damage a high car or RV might cause. I replied that our car was a Hyundai and that I didn't think it was that high. I quickly realized that she was asking if was driving a "hire" car.
~
I see nothing strange about eating eggs on toast. In fact, that's my preferred way to eat them. When I was a kid, we used to make egg sandwiches by putting scrambled eggs on a piece of toast, adding a generous amount of catsup, and then topping it off with another piece of toast. We learned that from my mother. Apparently, that was a normal way to eat eggs in her family. My father, however, thought it was a bit weird.
(Me:) I like the way families act as their own little subcultures.
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December 2006
Just to let you know and any other Aussies in America that the original lead singer of ACDC is touring in and around Texas. If you miss that Aussie sound then if you get a chance check him out, since he is an Aussie Legend. Details here.
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Special Event - Book Reading!
As announced, I did a reading from my book An Aussie in America, on Saturday, December 9 at West Seattle Branch Library.
The lamingtons and Bushells' tea (thank you Catherine!) were a hit, and the musk sticks provoked much discussion. The audience of 48 included a sizeable contingent of Aussies, (not least being those who have lived in the states more than 40 years). Americans remarked afterwards how they enjoyed hearing the chorus of assent coming from the Aussies, as I read about language difficulties, food differences, and Christmas celebrations.
Special thanks to Chris and Charlotte for an interesting discussions afterwards. (Chris, if you read this, shoot me an email, because I have managed to misplace the paper with your email.) I learned more as a result - including a comparison of Christmas Eve-s: Australians tend to regard Christmas Eve as a night to go out on the town with friends and work mates, whereas Americans tend to see it as a time to get together with family. For example, after a bit of a search, Chris found himself at the one open bar in town, which turned out to be filled with other Commonwealth expats. While it seems that Americans have two family celebrations with Thanksgiving and Christmas, Australians have a three-act Christmas with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Also, a discussion of the pasta sauce "marinara" revealed that Americans use the term to designate a basic tomato sauce, whereas Australians tend to use the term to designate a seafood sauce. This was an especial "ah-ha" moment for me for it came upon the heels of a discussion I had recently where I was trying to explain that I usually avoided marinara sauce because I wasn't big on seafood pasta. No wonder I wasn't making sense!
~
My mouth watered at the mention of American breakfast sausages, their hotdogs are just the best and potato bread (purchased in Washington) is just to die for. The Gumbo and Nachos (made, I was told, from crocodile) in New Orleans was the most incredible meal I have ever eaten. But, I don't think I'll ever forget my first visit to the US and my frustration at not being able to get a decent hot cuppa with milk (Aus), or wanting to have my salad served as a small portion to be eaten WITH my meal, instead of a meal in itself.
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November 2006
Judging by the number of email queries I get, there are quite a few fans of Australian Toaster Biscuits out there. For those with any questions, here is the toll free number on their packet: 1-877-224-7374 (8AM - 5PM, Monday-Friday, Central Time).
They have no distributors east of the Mississippi River in the USA so even if they do start making them again, we would no be able to get them - cannot even order them online. For the sake of all those in Australia and west of the Mississippi river, I wish you good fortune in having them go back into production.
~
Suggestions for pressies from each country keep coming in. Be sure to check them out for ideas for Christmas.
~
September 2006
Sadly, famous crocodile handler and environmentalist Steve Irwin, 44, passed away after an encounter with a stingray, September 4, 2006. His manner of death will perhaps cement the reputation of Australian wildlife forever in the eyes of Americans. In a News.com.au story, Surf Lifesavers national marine stinger adviser Lisa-Ann Gershwin says, "A lot of people will be afraid by this, but they need to keep in mind that this was a freak accident, it was a terrible tragedy but it is not common." Or, as internationally known cameraman and spearfisherman Ben Cropp, is quoted as saying, "Steve unfortunately was in a bad position and copped it." Rest in peace, Steve.
Being daily swimmers during summer in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay, we've been fortunate enough to have seen a few stingrays, ranging from little ones the size of your hand to quite large ones up to a metre across (two or three feet). Generally, we're swimming on the surface whilst the stingrays stay at the bottom. We've never felt in danger from stingrays because we've never chased them, and stingrays are normally placid unless they feel threatened. It is lovely to observe our fauna, but we should also know not to aggravate them, not just out of fear for our own personal safety but also out of respect for the animal's feelings of safety in the face of what they perceive as a possible predator.
~
As a child, I did eat Vegemite right off the spoon; and it's a guilty pleasure... I still do. It is probably true that many Australians do not lick Vegemite off the spoon, but I think Jane might not have seen this behaviour because its usually done covertly .
I was surprised that no one has mentioned that Vegemite can be used in place of cold sore cream on cold sores. My mother and German migrant grandmother always recommended it, and I know many Aussies who admit to having used Vegemite on cold sores or to having knowledge of this cure .
I just thought I'd point out that according to the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC), the Queensland sugar industry produces approximately five million tonnes of raw sugar, one million tonne of molasses and ten million tonnes of begasse (a renewable fuel that makes sugar mills energy self-sufficient). The sugar crop supplies much more than enough of all Australia's demand for sugar and 85% of the total crop is exported! This means real sugar is cheaper for food producers in Australia even though corn syrup is inferior. In Australia, corn syrup is known as glucose; wikipedia reckons the US and Canada are the only places where glucose is called corn syrup.
I think all Aussies would miss cane sugar if something terrible ever happened to the sugar crop. Cyclone Larry wiped out most of the banana crop in Queensland not too long ago, so bananas have become a much-coveted luxury item. It's the old story: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. I have witnessed shoppers panicking to get the $12.00 a kilo bananas before they're all gone. It's like a parallel universe!
(Me:) An American friend tells me her preferred way to eat peanut butter off the spoon was to grab a scoop and sprinkle it with sugar.
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About 'erb: yes I do pronounce it that way. I also say 'erbivore and 'erbacious, because that's how I learned them and that's what the "standard educated speaker" in my neck of the woods says. The 'h' is truly gone: I would say "an herbivore", for example.
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I have come to love much of the aussie cuisine ... but still miss many foods from home. Nabisco Shreddies, Crispy Crunch chocolate bars, real bagels, Tim Horton's donuts, graham crackers, fig newtons.... there's an endless list. I did want to say that I love Vegemite and believe that it wouldn't "sicken" the rest of the world if Aussie's would let them in on the secret of eating it. I don't know a single Aussie who licks it off a spoon. What do you say? Aussie's really don't want to share they Vegemite, do they!!!
(Me:) I recall seeing Australian mothers use a teaspoon of Vegemite to keep a young child occupied for a while. Can anyone back me up on this?
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On the Tim Tams page, I start this rumour: In 2006 I had a conversation with an Aussie food importer, who tells me that when Campbell's bought out Arnott's, they changed the recipe slightly, and need to go through the hoops again with the FDA, in order to get approval to import the new improved Tim Tam. Perhaps it will only be a matter of time before they appear in American supermarkets.
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August 2006
Chili is most definitely *not* simply beans. Traditional chili, as it developed in Texas and/or Mexico, is a stew-like dish made from beef and dried red chiles--and the purists insist that that's how it should remain. Modern variants may add vegetables (usually tomatoes and onions) and beans (which Texans howl at); "green chili" typically uses pork and fresh green chilies. Hotness levels vary tremendously. Every chef has his/her own variation, but it's never simply beans. What "chili beans" generally refers to is a bean-heavy version of chili that's most common in the eastern U.S. As I'm a native of the Southwest and prefer a purer chili, I can't comment too much on chili beans--but it does have meat, and much else.
(Me): I guess there are canned versions to suit all tastes, and the one we had in our cupboard was a "vegetarian" version without meat.
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I've been a server at an Outback Steakhouse for about half a year now, and you're completely right about the Outback not being an Australian restaurant but an American one, and simply Australian themed. All of the menu references are simply for effect, and no real meaning is supposed to be conveyed; it's all to add some novelty and fun to the experience. Our "No Rules, Just Right" slogan (and this is just conjecture) probably stemmed from the film Crocodile Dundee, as Dundee seemed to not care much for rules or the way things were done, and enjoyed his personal freedom. So to an American mind, that attitude would seem Australian. Also, we try to live up to that theme to handle any request that might be asked... from the simple (a baked potato in the stead of a normal side of vegetables) to the odd (like a bowl of tomato slices, instead of a proper salad).
I don't consider 15% to be fair for "great service." Inflation has reduced the value of the dollar, cost of living has gone up, and our wages ($2.13 an hour **) go all to taxes. We rarely see any of that money. The word "tip" is a little misleading, as connotation implies it's something extra... it's not. Truth is that is the sole source of our income, and how we judge our skill. As a server, I'd say that 15-18% would be for fair to good service, 18-25% for great to excellent service. And when you think about the tip, don't just think about how well we delivered the food and drink. Waiting can be a very tiring and stressful job and the better waiters will put effort into being friendly and humorous to improve your dining experience. I'm happy when I get a 20% or more tip, but if it's 15%, I'm left thinking I was "just ok," that I did something wrong, or the customers didn't li ke me.
If you're dining alone and the tip would only come to $2 or $4... tossing in an extra dollar or two would be nice (of course, I'm talking about if you got good service), because even though a small tip may be proportional to the cost of the meal... it's still a small tip. A server does not want to invest 30-45 minutes worth of attention and service and end up with $3 for it. The tip is entirely up to you, but if you got good service and want to be nice... then that's when you should consider all the above. (Though really, even a lot of Americans don't know the tipping protocol very well and I've gotten horrible tips from people who have claimed to have loved my service. So there's not much reason to be too self-conscious about it.)
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I've completely converted to loving Australian bacon; it's so much nicer than the bacon we get in the States. My cousin also insisted on bringing back TimTams, Fantales, Cheese Twisties, tea, coffee bags, and Cadbury's drinking chocolate. Food just tastes better, particularly when it's made with cane sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup like just about every other processed food in the US. The native Queenslanders I talked to hadn't the faintest idea why we were so excited to have food made with cane sugar.
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July 2006
I just recently ordered some Vegemite from an Aussie on Ebay, and thought I would share my experience of trying with you! I've read all about how Vegemite is an "acquired taste" and how Americans hate it. I'm American and I thought I would try it so I ordered some. I read on your site about how Americans describe it tasting badly and was starting to think that I had wasted my money. I received my jar of Vegemite today and was very eager to taste it. I got a very tiny amount on my finger to taste. At first I was like "Wow this is an odd taste!" I then thought I would try it on toast. Once again I thought it was quite odd. I forgot about it and went about my business. Later a strange thing happened. I was actually having a craving for that odd taste of Vegemite! So I made some more toast with it and my opinion had drastically changed. Now I loved it for some reason! I don't know how it happened, but after 5 pieces of Vegemite toast I can't get enough of it! It's really good to put a piece of your favorite cheese on top of the Vegemite toast. The two flavors compliment each other quite nicely. I can describe the taste as being very rich and salty. Not like "composted gym socks ". To me it tastes like yeast smells, if that makes sense. I'm glad I ordered it. Definitely not a waste of money. I discovered something new today that I'll probably eat for the rest of my life.
(Me:) Drew, you now have to try chicken twisties.
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February 2006
"My mom, who's in the US and just visited Oz for the first time, finally understands me when I say "Today I went in to the city." She used to ask me where I was yesterday, because she knows we live in Melbourne and can't figure out where in the country I must have spent the night! I've learned to translate "city" to "downtown," but won't even attempt the CBD!
An Aussie living in London pointed out that Brits would say they're "going into town." An American would use this expression in a very different context. "Going into town" implies that you live in the country, maybe on a farm or in a small village, and you're travelling to the nearest town, or small city. I wouldn't expect it to refer to a place of over 100,000 people (although I'm from a city so I can't speak with any real authority!). It's the "country" equivalent of "going down the shops."
I'm still a bit shocked when I give my address and the person asks what surburb I live in. Though Brunswick is technically a suburb of Melbourne, I consider a "suburb" to be Lilydale. The 'burbs, to an American, are the residential communities removed from the cities, where you'd find strip malls (!), parks, and big houses with big yards (not necessarily gardens!).
(Me:) The definition of a "suburb" is a fascinating related issue. It took me a while to understand that what I think of as an "inner suburb", say Brunswick in Melbourne, is what Americans would call a "neighbourhood". This is a cultural rather than administrative entity. I got uncomprehending looks when I first moved to Seattle and made requests such as, "Let's go to that suburb where we got that great chocolate fudge cake... you know... Fremont..." The suburbs in America are those areas created along with the Interstates, often outside the official city boundary, as described by Stephanie. This is the area to which the expanding post-WWII middle class fled, and which comes under a certain amount of social scrutiny/ ridicule. Calling funky Fremont a "suburb" was a definite faux pas. I suspect Americans don't think of their inner city as having "suburbs" because their definition of a city means they don't have these smaller local government areas as described elsewhere on this page. Make sense?
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January 2006
There are several reasons I grew up never saying downtown to refer to D.C. One reason is because D.C.'s physical layout is unlike any other city in the world. It is in quadrants, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. So any time someone asked me where a particular building/area was in D.C., I would respond with..."It's in Northeast." Also, "downtown" areas of a city are always the financial centers of the city. These areas also tend to have the tallest buildings. D.C. has codes in place that prohibit buildings above a certain height from being built. Therefore there is no true "downtown" D.C. in that sense. Third, most cities "downtown" areas contain the largest number of attractions for tourists. One example I can think of off hand is the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Ill which contains many, many shops, retail stores and restaurants. D.C.'s attractions are all over the place. There are more monuments and museums than you can shake a stick at and they are spread out beautifully along the Potomac River. So I guess I never really used downtown when referring to D.C. It was always...."I'm going to the Smithsonian" or "I'm going to the mall" (referring to the National Mall) but never "I'm going downtown".
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This is a confusing one on several levels. In Australia it can refer to private high schools, vocational training institutions, residential colleges at university, and professional institutions (particularly medical colleges). My own education included a high school with the word "College" in its name, and I lived in a residential college while doing my undergraduate degree at university. However, most professionals I know tend to mean residential college when they refer to their time "at college". Of course, in America "College" has a much simpler meaning. My American friends think it quaint when I refer to my time "at uni".
While "I could care less" never migrated, Australia is no stranger to phrases which mean the opposite to what they say. The literal meaning of "head over heels" means that you're the right way up. However, the cruder Australian-only version ("arse over tit") does mean upside-down. (Not that I'd use this expression in polite company).
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I couldn't believe there was no Hershey's here. The chocolate I have found here just doesn't cut it and the selection of candies is boring and seems to remind me of something my grandparents would buy. I am astonished at the number of things Australians put pineapple and eggs on. I swear if there is chicken on the menu then pineapple is right beside it. Whoever thought of putting egg on a burger or pizza? I lose my appetite every time I see it.
I can never believe a toilet is completely separate from the rest of the bathroom and without a basin to wash your hands in. After leaving the toilet I have to open the door to the room, walk down the hall, open the door to the bathroom and then proceed to wash my hands. I feel the need to clean the door knobs every time I go to the bathroom.
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I embarrassingly admit that I was truly scared when I first encountered a U.S toilet. I was concerned that it would overfill and that I would flood the bathroom somehow - as it was already 'full' of water. I also felt extremely uncomfortable sitting on such a lake of water and was rather turned off by the thought of splashback on such a large reservoir.