Hanging the wash and hot dogs
Sunday has been a productive day as I get ready to start week two of PhD life in Sydney.
This morning I did a load of laundry, which for those of you in the know, means I had to face my biggest pet peeve about Australian life: hang-drying clothes.
While dryers are apparently becoming more common in the heart of the city, they seem to still be a relative rarity in Australia; especially in the suburbs. While I could wax on why they don't have them, and how frustrating I find it, today was actually perfect weather for hang-drying, and it didn't take all that long. Check back again with me when it's winter and rainy all the time.
In the late morning, Paul and I headed over to ALDI to get a few things for lunch. I like going to the store—especially ones I have not been to—in foreign countries to see what's similar and what's different from what I'm used to. It turns out, ALDI is a fairly new store in Australia, and it has really shaken up a market that was formerly fully dominated by the two heavy-hitters: Coles and Woolworths (Woolies).
While it is technically the same store as in the United States, the shop was a far cry from an American grocery. Almost half of the store was dedicated to non-food items, from medical accessories to home supplies. We ended up leaving with a gazebo for the house!
We also bought supplies for hot dogs for lunch, which underscored some of the major differences in food (and food-related words) between the US and Australia. Firstly, the hot dogs sold here are contained in a bright red casing—like the "red hots" in Chicago—though Paul says at some places you can find "American" hot dogs that are far less fluorescent.
Going through the condiments, American "ketchup" is called "tomato sauce." If you want yellow mustard, you're going to have to ask for "American mustard," as there is also British mustard, French mustard, and German mustard (not unheard of in the States either, but still out of the ordinary for me). Also, the store now sells "Tomusto Sauce" which is a pre-mixed concoction of American mustard and tomato sauce.
The American "pickle" is generically referred to as a "gherkin," while in Australia, "pickle" would be what we call relish (also called "chutney" here). They now also sell "relish" here, which was a liquid-y combination of finely chopped gherkins mixed with ground mustard, onion, and garlic.
Paul ended up boiling the hot dogs and sauteing up onions, adding the hot dogs into the pan to continue to cook. He put cheese on the buns and baked them, before we assembled it all into a massive (and delicious) hot dog that was a far cry from those I've seen in the States. Regardless, it was a fantastic lunch, and I am quite fortunate that Paul is a whiz in the kitchen!
This evening, the family got together and went to a neighbouring suburb, Como, for Chinese dinner. We had a nice time out, and once we got home we watched a few hours of the Commonwealth Games. That is, the Olympics for countries that still recognize the Queen as the monarch.
Now, I'm getting ready for the week. Tomorrow, the high is 33 (92F). It seems there is no end in sight for the unusually high temperatures. I will be at the Uni the first few days of the week, and at the office Thursday and Friday. Hard to believe it has only been a week since I arrived!
This morning I did a load of laundry, which for those of you in the know, means I had to face my biggest pet peeve about Australian life: hang-drying clothes.
While dryers are apparently becoming more common in the heart of the city, they seem to still be a relative rarity in Australia; especially in the suburbs. While I could wax on why they don't have them, and how frustrating I find it, today was actually perfect weather for hang-drying, and it didn't take all that long. Check back again with me when it's winter and rainy all the time.
 |
| It was plenty hot and sunny today to get things dry. |
In the late morning, Paul and I headed over to ALDI to get a few things for lunch. I like going to the store—especially ones I have not been to—in foreign countries to see what's similar and what's different from what I'm used to. It turns out, ALDI is a fairly new store in Australia, and it has really shaken up a market that was formerly fully dominated by the two heavy-hitters: Coles and Woolworths (Woolies).
While it is technically the same store as in the United States, the shop was a far cry from an American grocery. Almost half of the store was dedicated to non-food items, from medical accessories to home supplies. We ended up leaving with a gazebo for the house!
We also bought supplies for hot dogs for lunch, which underscored some of the major differences in food (and food-related words) between the US and Australia. Firstly, the hot dogs sold here are contained in a bright red casing—like the "red hots" in Chicago—though Paul says at some places you can find "American" hot dogs that are far less fluorescent.
Going through the condiments, American "ketchup" is called "tomato sauce." If you want yellow mustard, you're going to have to ask for "American mustard," as there is also British mustard, French mustard, and German mustard (not unheard of in the States either, but still out of the ordinary for me). Also, the store now sells "Tomusto Sauce" which is a pre-mixed concoction of American mustard and tomato sauce.
The American "pickle" is generically referred to as a "gherkin," while in Australia, "pickle" would be what we call relish (also called "chutney" here). They now also sell "relish" here, which was a liquid-y combination of finely chopped gherkins mixed with ground mustard, onion, and garlic.
Paul ended up boiling the hot dogs and sauteing up onions, adding the hot dogs into the pan to continue to cook. He put cheese on the buns and baked them, before we assembled it all into a massive (and delicious) hot dog that was a far cry from those I've seen in the States. Regardless, it was a fantastic lunch, and I am quite fortunate that Paul is a whiz in the kitchen!
 |
| My lunch. |
This evening, the family got together and went to a neighbouring suburb, Como, for Chinese dinner. We had a nice time out, and once we got home we watched a few hours of the Commonwealth Games. That is, the Olympics for countries that still recognize the Queen as the monarch.
Now, I'm getting ready for the week. Tomorrow, the high is 33 (92F). It seems there is no end in sight for the unusually high temperatures. I will be at the Uni the first few days of the week, and at the office Thursday and Friday. Hard to believe it has only been a week since I arrived!
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