- When want to describe something as being very large or fast or (insert adjective), Australians will say that the something is 'large as'. For example, in Robin's ballet class, the teacher told the class "If you want to jump high as, then you need to ...". Not "jump as high as say.... a walalbee" just 'jump high as'.
- Grocery trolleys with pivotable wheels on all four corners. Work those abs while filling that trolley!
- Pronouncing Bianca to rhyme with Sanka, you know the pretend coffee, with a short 'a'. Similarly Tanya is pronounced like the word 'tan' in America with the short 'a'. Gives Michele shivers everytime she hears either of these words.
- Drink Driving checks (DUI checks) at 3 pm in the afternoon.
- light switches that are 'off' in the up position and 'on' in the down position.
- In the grocery store, paper towels, serviettes and tissues are in three entirely different parts of the store even though essentially any one of these could do the job of all three.
- We've gotten used to the tastiness of Tasty cheese. But Strong and Bitey cheese? What? Note: the Strong and Bitey cheese turned out to be quite good! Equivalent of an extra sharp cheddar I think.
- Christmas cards with snow scenes even though it is 34˚ (93˚ F) outside.
I'm sure there are others. Maybe Chris and Pamela can add a few to this list. Greg and Katie will probably add a few more when they are in a few weeks.
A few weeks? 11 days you mean!!!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I visited McDonalds was in Brisbane. That the hamburgers were wrapped in tinfoil was the only thing we reacted to.
ReplyDeleteYears later McDonalds was introduced in Sweden. The "Teddy Boys" loved it. That there were and still are Teddy Boys in Sweden is more than a little strange. That most of them don't have a clue who Theodore Roosevelt was is totally weird.
McDonalds proudly displays hamburgers with luscious green lettuce and exclusively serves hamburgers with a little pale green and mostly white lettuce. They also proudly display and actually serve a disgusting orange cheese. That is amber, not quite like the fossilised sap used for jewellery but more like the warning colour of a traffic light.
"Why is the cheese orange?" I had to ask.
"It's Cheddar."
"If it is Cheddar then how can it be orange?" I got a blank look at that stage, but I can be persistent. As it turns out they add carotin and paprika to give it that colour. Amazingly this is not a 'Cheddar type' copy or 'Cheddar eqivalent' cheese. The people at Cheddar have done this to their own product.
The really weird part is that someone would want their cheese to have this sickly colour.