Australia after 8 years - the good, bad & the ugly!

[ali]

I enjoyed reading your list - even after 12 years I can agree about spiders and cockroaches and bare feet in the shops.

I can't say I've ever had an M&S ready meal so don't feel i'm missing out.

Chocolate - we have a shop that we can get thorntons from, but I don't mind Aussie chocolate and keep it in the fridge.

I tend to buy the English Sausage Company sausages (the Welsh ones are nice) and agree that meat from the butchers is better quality but as expected more expensive.  Our UK visitors often comment that the meat is nicer (but they don't buy their meat from M&S).

I always raise my hand at a Zebra crossing to acknowledge that the driver stopped

Not being a dog owner, I agree that they should not be allowed to go everywhere, I have noticed though that in Aus people are pretty good at picking up after them.

I think the school zones are a good idea - I think the extended times are ok as often schools run before and after school clubs so there are generally more kids around - always pays to be careful.

 

[Toots]

10 hours ago, Fisher1 said:

I go in Harris Scarfe but have never seen clothes from Debenhams in there. It’s my new favourite shop though because they have great kitchen stuff. And Hush puppies. 

We have a Harris Scarfe here in Devonport and I've just bought a very comfy pair of Hush Puppies in the recent sale.  Half price!  

[Toots]

10 hours ago, Fisher1 said:

No not many ready meals around but have bought them in an emergency and they really are grim. 

On the whole they are revolting and me not eating meat there are practically none that are meat free.   I bake my own cakes and slices.

I don't really have much of a sweet tooth but I agree about chocolate.  For a treat I buy Twix.  The chocolate is barely noticeable because of the yummy caramel and biscuity other bits.  

I have always had a dog here over the years and been very lucky with places to exercise them and here in Devonport there is a dog beach close by and plenty of grassy areas for him to run but I have to keep a close eye on him as he is a hunter.

[newjez]

3 hours ago, Parentwhogotin said:

 

it's called manners.....

So Australians are rude?

Do you wave to thank the other drivers at stop traffic lights? Roundabouts? Where will it end? Do the drivers wave back? Do you wave at them to thank them for waving?

It's like thank you cards for kids present on birthdays. They already said thank you for Christ sake. It's not manners it's protocol. 

Edited March 20, 2019 by newjez

[unzippy]

If you have a costco card, meat is excellent from there.  Well worth buying whole ribeyes and slicing your own to freeze.

 

[unzippy]

2 minutes ago, newjez said:

Do you wave to thank the other drivers at stop traffic lights? Roundabouts? Where will it end? Do the drivers wave back? Do you wave at them to thank them for waving?

I wave a the ones that run red lights, cut across cycle lanes because they can't turn a corner properly.  It's a different kind of wave mind you

[Gbye grey sky]

3 hours ago, ali said:

I enjoyed reading your list - even after 12 years I can agree about spiders and cockroaches and bare feet in the shops.

I can't say I've ever had an M&S ready meal so don't feel i'm missing out.

Chocolate - we have a shop that we can get thorntons from, but I don't mind Aussie chocolate and keep it in the fridge.

I tend to buy the English Sausage Company sausages (the Welsh ones are nice) and agree that meat from the butchers is better quality but as expected more expensive.  Our UK visitors often comment that the meat is nicer (but they don't buy their meat from M&S).

I always raise my hand at a Zebra crossing to acknowledge that the driver stopped

Not being a dog owner, I agree that they should not be allowed to go everywhere, I have noticed though that in Aus people are pretty good at picking up after them.

I think the school zones are a good idea - I think the extended times are ok as often schools run before and after school clubs so there are generally more kids around - always pays to be careful.

 

Amazing how often I find myself in agreement with you.

The only one I differ on is dogs.  Having acquired a rescue lab two years ago who is as good as gold I am sorry to say that there is nowhere here where I can walk along with him alongside me off leash without breaking the law.  Even one walk would be nice as he loves stopping to sniff which makes for a cruddy walk for me.

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, unzippy said:

If you have a costco card, meat is excellent from there.  Well worth buying whole ribeyes and slicing your own to freeze.

 

Cheap fuel, Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter, etc.  What’s not to like...

[Skani]

18 hours ago, ramot said:

Also went into a store in Chermside Brisbane called Harris Scarfe, daft name,

Named after a couple of the original partners - George Harris and George Scarfe.    No more daft than Marks and Spencer.

[Skani]

19 hours ago, Toots said:

In Sydney - don't know about elsewhere, many people shout "Thanks driver" when getting off a bus.

I always say thank you when getting off a bus here....on the rare occasion I use one.

[ramot]

5 minutes ago, Skani said:

Named after a couple of the original partners - George Harris and George Scarfe.    No more daft than Marks and Spencer.

 

5 minutes ago, Skani said:

Named after a couple of the original partners - George Harris and George Scarfe.    No more daft than Marks and Spencer.

I wrote that before I saw an e on Scarf, completely agree about M&S .

[Skani]

20 hours ago, Parentwhogotin said:

but dear God the food here is 20 years behind the UK. The ready meals in Coles and Woolworths are not fit for human consumption they are so poor.

Ready meals are a comparatively recent thing in Australia.    In fact I only became aware of them at all because people started mentioning them on PIO.   Traditionally in Australia there were takeaway meals for special occasions or emergencies and, other than that, you were expected to be competent enough to prepare your own food.     I'm not sure what this obsession with ready meals signifies.  Is it just that people are too stressed,    time poor,  lazy  or uninterested in the quality of their food that they are happy to eat something mass produced in a factory a week ago?     I thought that was reserved for airline food - which everyone complains about.

[welljock]

5 hours ago, ali said:

I enjoyed reading your list - even after 12 years I can agree about spiders and cockroaches and bare feet in the shops.

I can't say I've ever had an M&S ready meal so don't feel i'm missing out.

Chocolate - we have a shop that we can get thorntons from, but I don't mind Aussie chocolate and keep it in the fridge.

I tend to buy the English Sausage Company sausages (the Welsh ones are nice) and agree that meat from the butchers is better quality but as expected more expensive.  Our UK visitors often comment that the meat is nicer (but they don't buy their meat from M&S).

I always raise my hand at a Zebra crossing to acknowledge that the driver stopped

Not being a dog owner, I agree that they should not be allowed to go everywhere, I have noticed though that in Aus people are pretty good at picking up after them.

I think the school zones are a good idea - I think the extended times are ok as often schools run before and after school clubs so there are generally more kids around - always pays to be careful.

 

 

Do know if it's just where we stayed in Scotland but we had 20mph school zones

[Skani]

20 hours ago, Parentwhogotin said:

It amuses when Australians who have never been to the UK tell me the food here - especially their meat - is far superior to what we get in England.

Maybe they read Heston Blumenthal's article after visiting Australia several years ago when he mentioned one of the 5 food related items he would most like to take back to the UK from Oz was the beef.   But you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't buy his from any of the supermarkets - or bacon or sausages.   You go to specialists for that.  Same with bread...real bakeries,  not the franchises found in shopping malls.

My pet beef with all these "Australia" comparisons is they treat the country as though it is all the same.  Have never seen a large spider of any sort or a cockroach in my part of Oz,   never see bare feet when shopping (probably a climate thing),   always acknowledge someone who stops in a car - or lets me into a lane when driving - and always receive the same acknowledgement  when I do it (they can't all be Poms)....never ever see people rushing a lift - in fact the last person out usually stops and holds the "Door open" button to ensure everyone gets in OK, particularly if there are elderly people or mums with young children.

[Saurer Pfirsich]

23 minutes ago, Skani said:

Ready meals are a comparatively recent thing in Australia.    In fact I only became aware of them at all because people started mentioning them on PIO.   Traditionally in Australia there were takeaway meals for special occasions or emergencies and, other than that, you were expected to be competent enough to prepare your own food.     I'm not sure what this obsession with ready meals signifies.  Is it just that people are too stressed,    time poor,  lazy  or uninterested in the quality of their food that they are happy to eat something mass produced in a factory a week ago?     I thought that was reserved for airline food - which everyone complains about.

I'd say without doubt that it's the convenience of such meals that are their attraction. When I lived in London most of the major railway stations had an M&S and people would be queuing out the door to pick up a quick, tasty, easy-cook dinner and a bottle of wine after having had a busy day and facing a long commute home. Properly home-cooked food takes time and effort, and when you don't have the time and the energy and when takeaway is garbage, ready meals fill the gap. 

Not all of them are terrible. Nearly all of the UK supermarkets offer more up-market options now, but you can still purchase the 99p lasagnes with 'mechanically extracted meat' if you're really up against it financially. 

When I first came to Australia 11 years ago they were noticeably absent from the supermarket chiller cabinets, but not now. Both supermarket giants have a fair selection and I often see both tired-looking parents and young professionals alike grabbing something quick on the way home. I guess that pace of life everywhere has sped up and we're all working harder and longer (I know that I am!) and Australia is sadly no different to anywhere else in that regard now. 

 

[Fisher1]

1 hour ago, Skani said:

Ready meals are a comparatively recent thing in Australia.    In fact I only became aware of them at all because people started mentioning them on PIO.   Traditionally in Australia there were takeaway meals for special occasions or emergencies and, other than that, you were expected to be competent enough to prepare your own food.     I'm not sure what this obsession with ready meals signifies.  Is it just that people are too stressed,    time poor,  lazy  or uninterested in the quality of their food that they are happy to eat something mass produced in a factory a week ago?     I thought that was reserved for airline food - which everyone complains about.

Interesting. When we moved to Luxembourg from the UK 30 years ago we were horrified to find tbat  the only frozen food on offer consisted of burgers and fish fingers. Finally we could afford to buy ready meals and there werent any!!!  We always bought them from Marks, as a dpecial treat. Tbh we had thought that the Marks stuff had gone down in quality and variety over the years ... cheaper and not so nice. But Woollies really need to not bother selling theirs!   I did have some rather nice ravioli fro. Aldi the other day - it actually tasted of cheese!

 

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, Skani said:

Maybe they read Heston Blumenthal's article after visiting Australia several years ago when he mentioned one of the 5 food related items he would most like to take back to the UK from Oz was the beef.   But you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't buy his from any of the supermarkets - or bacon or sausages.   You go to specialists for that.  Same with bread...real bakeries,  not the franchises found in shopping malls.

My pet beef with all these "Australia" comparisons is they treat the country as though it is all the same.  Have never seen a large spider of any sort or a cockroach in my part of Oz,   never see bare feet when shopping (probably a climate thing),   always acknowledge someone who stops in a car - or lets me into a lane when driving - and always receive the same acknowledgement  when I do it (they can't all be Poms)....never ever see people rushing a lift - in fact the last person out usually stops and holds the "Door open" button to ensure everyone gets in OK, particularly if there are elderly people or mums with young children.

Australia isn’t a country, it’s a franchise.  It’s so different in every state and Territory in ways people just can’t imagine.  Unless you get out and experience it, you’ll never know

[newjez]

2 hours ago, Skani said:

Maybe they read Heston Blumenthal's article after visiting Australia several years ago when he mentioned one of the 5 food related items he would most like to take back to the UK from Oz was the beef.   But you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't buy his from any of the supermarkets - or bacon or sausages.   You go to specialists for that.  Same with bread...real bakeries,  not the franchises found in shopping malls.

My pet beef with all these "Australia" comparisons is they treat the country as though it is all the same.  Have never seen a large spider of any sort or a cockroach in my part of Oz,   never see bare feet when shopping (probably a climate thing),   always acknowledge someone who stops in a car - or lets me into a lane when driving - and always receive the same acknowledgement  when I do it (they can't all be Poms)....never ever see people rushing a lift - in fact the last person out usually stops and holds the "Door open" button to ensure everyone gets in OK, particularly if there are elderly people or mums with young children.

It would be nigh on impossible to thank someone for letting you into a lane in Perth.

[Paul1Perth]

20 minutes ago, newjez said:

It would be nigh on impossible to thank someone for letting you into a lane in Perth.

And you would know that how?

About the only time you can't change lanes with ease is rush hours morning and night. Traffic is sometimes going slow enough for people to let others in and plenty of hands raised in thanks. 

Other than that you check your mirror, signal and change lane.

[Toots]

1 hour ago, Fisher1 said:

Interesting. When we moved to Luxembourg from the UK 30 years ago we were horrified to find tbat  the only frozen food on offer consisted of burgers and fish fingers. Finally we could afford to buy ready meals and there werent any!!!  We always bought them from Marks, as a dpecial treat. Tbh we had thought that the Marks stuff had gone down in quality and variety over the years ... cheaper and not so nice. But Woollies really need to not bother selling theirs!   I did have some rather nice ravioli fro. Aldi the other day - it actually tasted of cheese!

 

Even the French who at one time would never eat a ready meal are doing so nowadays.  They used to eat so well when I lived there.  To make up for eating ready meals they are into vitamin supplements big time.

[newjez]

2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

And you would know that how?

About the only time you can't change lanes with ease is rush hours morning and night. Traffic is sometimes going slow enough for people to let others in and plenty of hands raised in thanks. 

Other than that you check your mirror, signal and change lane.

I love your idea of a Perth utopia Paul, but I do visit once a year. Perth drivers in general are awful and uncooperative.

[Paul1Perth]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

Even the French who at one time would never eat a ready meal are doing so nowadays.  They used to eat so well when I lived there.  To make up for eating ready meals they are into vitamin supplements big time.

Saw a program on vitamin supplements last week. No benefit whatsoever if you eat a decent diet. Even ready meals would give you enough of what you should have. Multi billion dollar industry though and some people are just brainwashed.

[Marisawright]

25 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Saw a program on vitamin supplements last week. No benefit whatsoever if you eat a decent diet. Even ready meals would give you enough of what you should have. 

I doubt it.  I'm sure the upmarket ones are fine, but the cheap ready meals - both in Oz and in the UK - are not nutritious.   They're cheap because they're padded out with cheap fillers, and then flavoured to make them taste good.

I have to admit we ended up eating a lot of ready meals in the UK.  I did have the time to cook, but the ready meals were so handy, we soon succumbed!   That's why I noticed the article a few months ago which said that UK authorities are worried about the trend, since they don't contain enough nutrients and shouldn't be eaten too often.  Maybe that's why I was so depressed in England - malnutrition!

[Toots]

10 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I doubt it.  I'm sure the upmarket ones are fine, but the cheap ready meals - both in Oz and in the UK - are not nutritious.   They're cheap because they're padded out with cheap fillers, and then flavoured to make them taste good.

I have to admit we ended up eating a lot of ready meals in the UK.  I did have the time to cook, but the ready meals were so handy, we soon succumbed!   That's why I noticed the article a few months ago which said that UK authorities are worried about the trend, since they don't contain enough nutrients and shouldn't be eaten too often.  Maybe that's why I was so depressed in England - malnutrition!

M&S did do - probably still do - nice ready meals but honestly it doesn't take much effort to whip up an omelette and make a salad when you're pushed for time.  Even good old beans on cheese on toast would suffice if you are rushed.  

[Fisher1]

7 hours ago, Skani said:

Maybe they read Heston Blumenthal's article after visiting Australia several years ago when he mentioned one of the 5 food related items he would most like to take back to the UK from Oz was the beef.   But you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't buy his from any of the supermarkets - or bacon or sausages.   You go to specialists for that.  Same with bread...real bakeries,  not the franchises found in shopping malls.

My pet beef with all these "Australia" comparisons is they treat the country as though it is all the same.  Have never seen a large spider of any sort or a cockroach in my part of Oz,   never see bare feet when shopping (probably a climate thing),   always acknowledge someone who stops in a car - or lets me into a lane when driving - and always receive the same acknowledgement  when I do it (they can't all be Poms)....never ever see people rushing a lift - in fact the last person out usually stops and holds the "Door open" button to ensure everyone gets in OK, particularly if there are elderly people or mums with young children.

You know it really was a lighthearted post written by someone who believes their life is much better here than the UK. It was meant to be a humourous look at things which the poster personally liked and disliked. I found it amusing, just as I would if someone wrote a similar post about the UK.