Traveling to Australia I was intrigued to get to experience the well known cultural culinary dishes in the country. As far as trying new foods I consider myself to be middle of the road–meaning I am not extremely picky when it comes to food but I do have some hesitations when I see a new dish or unknown ingredients. Arriving in Australia I was excited to experience their food. I typically go out to eat often when I am home so I was not intimidated at all about going to new restaurants and examining their menus. First let me start with, compared to other places I have traveled around the world, Australia was relatively similar to the United States when it comes to comparing their food. There is a vast array of culturally diverse dining options to choose from at restaurants. Grocery stores were also similar in design and offerings. The grocery stores were easy to navigate just like America. Although not everything was the same as the US, this blog will share some of the things you can experience from food in Australia. My parents would probably say that I have always been a bit picky when it comes to the food I eat and that I tend to eat things I know I like instead of trying new things. Although this may have been somewhat true, I was taking my study abroad opportunity as my chance to break out of this habit. I wanted to maximize my experience. I did not have the budget to be eating out every night so I had to buy food from the grocery stores. I would often pick up frozen food at the store and or microwave noodles (like a normal college student). Having no meal plan gave me an excuse to branch out and try new things. I tended to treat myself some days during the week with a coffee and biscuit from the cafe or a quick lunch in the Agora (outside student center) with friends. Places to eat in the Agora ranged from juice cafes to Greek food, Indian, Asian, and even Chinese. The diverse food offered various cultural delicacies and lucky for me I got to experience as much as I could. My friends and I tried eating at a new place for lunch every Monday while at La Trobe University and every place we tried was a hit! A difference I noticed was that some of the items were called differently in Australia. For instance, instead of calling it ketchup, Australians call it tomato sauce. They say there is no difference between the two but being a Heinz ketchup girl from a toddler's age, I could taste a difference. Another thing that interested me was their sushi. The sushi here in the US is served to us in pieces, normally eight pieces to be exact. But in Australia, the sushi is served in its rolled burrito-like form and eaten whole, without cutting it. Fast food in Australia is something that is also relatively similar to the US. McDonald's was on almost every corner and seemed to be the most popular fast food establishment around but one could also easily find Subway, KFC and Starbucks. There is no such thing as Burger King in Australia but what they call Hungry Jacks would be similar. Take out pizza places were also familiar as they had Dominos and Pizza Hut. Greek food was very prevalent around campus and throughout the city. Items such as Lamb kabobs and Gyros (my favorite!!!) were something I ate often because they were so convenient. One of my favorite places to grab lunch during a school day was at the Greek shop in the student Agora market and wow did it hit the spot every time!! I also tried oysters for the first time in Australia as well as the famous Vegemite spread. Vegemite is something I will NEVER try again nor make my friends try as it is truly a salt lick. The spread is usually eaten by locals for breakfast on toast or a muffin but I stuck to plain butter on my toast for the remainder of the trip. Another item that I tried in Australia that I have not seen in American is a meat pie. These tiny hand-sized pies are not made with fruit but rather beef and served with tomato sauce (ketchup) on top. In my opinion, these were not as awful as the vegemite and I am happy I tried this Australian delicacy but I will hold off on anymore for now. Although, Australian food could be seen as very similar to American food due to the variety of cultural options there are apparent differences in their overall diets. I did seem to meet more vegetarians than I have ever met before. Most of the Australians who lived on my floor mainly ate rice, vegetables, and pasta. They ate smaller portions than Americans do. Coffee is a popular beverage in Australia as well as in America–the world apparently runs on caffeine. I had some of the best hot and iced coffee while in Australia and I can not wait to have it again one day. I hope I can one day travel back to Australia and try more of their well-known dishes and continue to experience the vast diversity Australia holds– from their people to their foods. XOXO -Tori
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