It is true that Aussies use a fair amount of slang, a translator of which I am in the process of compiling. However, there are many every day items that have totally different meanings here in Melbourne about which I was not warned before my arrival. Here are some things I've learned the hard way.
Iced Coffee
U.S.: Cold coffee with ice
Melbourne: Lukewarm coffee with vanilla ice cream
Sushi
U.S.: Delicious, higher scale sit down food; lots of decorative sauce. Comes in pieces anywhere between 4 and 8 per serving. Warning: chopstick use is a must!
Melbourne: Cheap street food found on every corner. Pick from an array of pre-made, yet good quality, rolls. Comes in one piece (comparable in quantity to half a U.S. roll) with seaweed on the outside and squirt bottles of soysauce. Note: Fingerfood to be eaten on the go
Root (verb)
U.S.: to cheer (as in for a team)
Melbourne: to have sex with
Internet
U.S.: Commonly found, often in the form of free wireless in an array of hotspots including homes and campuses in addition to public locations such as cafes, bookstores, restaurants, etc.
Melbourne: black market item. rare and expensive commodity. once obtained, requires a saintly amount of patience. Note: there is no such thing as unlimited internet. do not squander your limited amount of gigs, lest you get cut off and be forced to search for a new hotspot.
Tomato Condiment
U.S.: Ketchup: Based on the concept of the tomato. Salty and creamy in texture. Comes in plastic rectangular packets.
Melbourne: Tomato Sauce: Tomato based. Sweet, with a texture like applesauce. Comes in rectangular packages that are unnecessarily difficult to open. Sure to demolish every amateur's clothing. Note: aim close to plate and prepare for recoil.
(O)Possum
U.S.: Opossum: fugly mean rat-like nocturnal rodent with huge teeth and rabies
Melbourne: Possum: overgrown squirrel
The soy sauce squirt bottles are great! So cute!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Sydney we were looking for a nice sushi place that wasn't a million bucks. Obviously we failed because places like that don't exist in Australia so we settled for Sushi Train type place and it was pretty good!
Also no free internet anywhere sucked. It was so expensive at the hotel. And the starbucks across the street from us didn't have it like they do here. McDonalds was the only place that had it for free.
Anddddddd I didn't know you had to open the ketchup packet away from you. Ketchup all over me. Disgusting.
Yay! I hope you're having fun! Australia is the best!
- Sara