Language Barriers and Local Eats

Hello friends, family, and followers!

It's been a bit slow lately - rain, figuring out classes, etc - so I don't have anything too interesting to talk about.

These guys were chilling on our porch when we came back. No one likes getting stuck in the rain.

Instead, we're gonna have a vocab/slang lesson as well as some eatery reviews. Get comfortable because this may take a while, and things may get weird(er than usual).

VOCABULARY AND EVERYDAY WORDS

keen - it's what you say when you want to do something, equivalent to how we say we're "down"
e.g. "There's trivia night at this bar on Tuesdays (this is a real thing, by the way), are you keen?"

Maccers (Mackers? I don't know how the spell it) - McDonald's, where you get...

chips - most of you probably know that here (and in the UK), fries are called chips. However, I think they still call our chips, well, chips. The difference is that hot chips are fries and potato chips are potato chips. I think crisps is a strictly UK thing, but I'll let you know if I ever confirm that.

freshers - freshmen/freshies

"How ya going" - "How are you?/How are you doing?" Still throws me off

take-away - take-out or ordering to-go

uni - do I really need to explain it?

pokies - slot machines

goon - box wine

Definition of classy

capsicum - most of you already know that it's the proper term for bell peppers. or at least that's the genus for all you science-y people

prawn - shrimp (I know they're different animals, but it's all the same here)
ALSO it's their term for "butterface." Why? Because you rip the heads off and just eat the bodies. I was laughing for a good 2 minutes after hearing the explanation

tightrope - opposite of "prawn/butterface." Why? Everything "up here" is fine, just don't look down. Also caused a laugh-attack.

That's all for now. I'll let you all know if there are more words to be learned.

FOOD

I have yet to try Vegemite (but Sam and I bought a tube -yes, a tube like toothpaste. although it does also come in jar-form- but it's still sitting in the pantry/cupboard untouched. I'm sure I'll have pictures to share when we finally try it.
EDIT: Just kidding, I just tried it. It wasn't as awful as everyone kept saying it would be, but it's not something I would choose to eat again either. Very, very salty. No me gusta.

My itty bitty part of vegemite-covered toast and my peanut butter chaser

Tim Tams, on the other hand, are pretty amazing. Apparently, Target has them at some point every year, but I'm gonna say that they would be different much like UK and US Cadbury chocolate. Anyway, Tim Tams are these chocolate-covered cookie/wafer things that I wish I had a better description for because they are absolutely delicious and I will probably bring some home if I can.

I've heard the white chocolate ones (WC!!) are pretty good, so we'll probably buy those next

Some restaurant highlights:
Any sushi place really is good. Cheap and delicious. $5 for 2 rolls is a good deal for me. And there is so much variety from your typical salmon avocado roll to a beef teriyaki roll. There will be a lot of sushi consumption, I guarantee it.

I think soy sauce back home should be available in fishies, too

It seems common (so far) to have kebabs and pizzas sold in the same establishment. Haven't really understood that connection yet.

A lot of meditteranean/Greek places around. We haven't decided if it's because there are, in fact, many Greek people here or if it's due to the fact that there's a lot of lamb (read: cheap food source) to sell/cook.

Subway is a big thing here. Or at least there are a lot of them around. Fun fact: they don't cut the avocados for you to put on your sandwich; it's just pre-made guac they scoop on to it.

Bars are bars. Nothing too special, but always a good time. Some have trivia night, others have karaoke, you just have to know which nights to go.

Haven't gotten a chance to go to the RedRoom (read: Traddies) yet, but I'm sure we'll make our way over there many times before this trip ends.

The Fat Carrot
We looked this up online because it ended up being really close to us. Advertised as a sushi and smoothie place, it ended up being mostly smoothie and very little sushi. A tad disappointing, but so it goes.

El Torito
We tried to find Mexican food, and this place seemingly fit the bill. Very close to where we live, and it has the same name as one of my favorite restaurants back home. The ambiance is very... Mexican. In an over the top kind of way: a lot of color, typical music, and many sombreros lining the wall. I ordered a carne asada/steak quesadilla. It tasted good, but it definitely was the strangest quesadilla I've had. The steak was delicious but not seasoned/marinated like carne asada. And within the tortilla, aside from steak and cheese, there was brocolli and carrots and what I think was thinly sliced cucumber, but I'm not sure. Again, it tasted good but not quite authentic. The search for good Mexican food remains.

The Three Monkeys Cafe
I read about this cafe in one of the Lonely Planet books that's in our living room, and it's right next to the grocery store we go to. I'd compare it to a smaller, indie version of Urth. It has a Turkish vibe/ambiance, and the shelves and counters around the place are lined with various "see/hear/speak no evil" monkey statues (explains the name). Randomly, there were also quite a few pieces of Betty Boop memorabilia. We didn't really order any food, but the neighboring tables had sandwiches and cakes that looked really good. I got a cappucino which was really yummy, Sam got a long black (coffee with milk on the side), and Michelle (our friend from New Jersey who we met at orientation) got a marshmallow cappucino, which I'm definitely going to have to try at some point. The place is really cool and the coffee was good; my only complaint is that the cups are too small. Want bigger portions = typical American.

Top Sushi
Definitely my favorite sushi place so far. It's in the city and has, by far, the most variety I've seen in a single place. The deals and specials are really good as well, and the quality is top notch especially for the amount you get and price you pay. They give it to you in plastic boxes "sealed" with a rubberband (fun fact: no plastic boxes that snap shut so far), and you can walk out with it or go upstairs for seating.

Espresso Bar (I think that's the name, I'm not quite sure)
I've frequented this place a few times already simply because it's on campus. Not that the coffee is anything special (they still look at me funny when I ask for only a little bit of milk), but they have these mini-waffle things that are EXCELLENT for a quick morning breakfast/snack. Super yummy and they come in different flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, maple, and apple.

Fox Hotel
I haven't been yet, but they have $2 steaks on Sundays. Yes.

And that's all I can think of for now.

I did remember that I had Market Day 2 days ago. It's what they call their Club Fair. A bunch of booths, activities (rock-climbing wall, life-size jenga, etc.), free stuff, and random animals (crocodile, tarantula, snake, and lizards).
I actually joined the wakeboarding/waterskiing club and the HP Alliance. It should be a fun semester.

With love from down under.