Just a big different

I often get asked if there is a lot of difference between NZ and the US. Or if I had a lot of culture shock when I first came here. Or if I get really really homesick. Well, at face value the US and NZ are far more similar than say... the US and Japan. Of course there's differences but certainly nothing terribly terribly extreme. Culture shock....Hmm. Well. My very first night here was spent in a hostel in downtown Auckland. It was right next to a bar which was having a onesie party. I was tired, it was cold, I couldn't imagine why people would go out dressed in a onesie, and I did briefly wonder what exactly I had gotten myself into. However, in general there was not a lot of shock to deal with.
Homesickness, well it happens. When you live in another place, be it city or country, there is always a time I think when you just want to be home. Now I think in some ways, home is a relative term, but I do have days where I feel very far from home.

However, today I wanted to share some things about New Zealand that are just a bit different from home. For the purpose of this post, home shall be defined as Midwestern USA.

Potato chips, or as they are often called here, chippies or crisps. There are several options, probably not as many as you'd find at HyVee, but plenty to choose from. Including chicken flavored potato chips. Which I just think is really odd. Consequently I have yet to eat any.

Vacuum cleaners, also know as the Hoover. Vacuums cleaners do exist here, thank goodness. But they are not upright. I miss that. Instead they resemble what I think of as a shop vac and have a very long hose. Totally functional, just somehow less appealing.

Hamburgers. Of course they will be different from home. But I still protest putting beets on a burger.

Coffee. If there is one thing brilliant about New Zealand, it is the coffee. America might run on Dunkin' Donuts but New Zealand undoubtedly runs on premium roasted espresso. Coffee is an important part of life here, one that I have come to appreciate. Not because I drink coffee, because it is a rare occasion that I choose to be that caffeinated, but the idea that you should make time for a coffee, spend a Sat afternoon enjoying the sunshine and having a coffee with a friend, that is something I completely embrace. The one notable difference when you walk into a coffee shop here is that there is not an option to just get yourself a strong cup of black coffee. They just find it odd that Americans would choose to drink coffee that doesn't have frothed milk or caramel sauce or chocolate on top or sugar or something extra delicious in it. The Flat White is the iconic NZ option. I realized I have never had one so someday when I'm extra tired I plan to try it out. I'll let you know what I think, coffee connoisseur that I am not :)

Baked beans. NZers embrace the English version. Which means they are not the sort of baked beans you'd find at a BBQ joint, but rather are canned with what I think is minimal flavor, and are often eaten for breakfast on toast. As are fried mushrooms and tomatoes (just in butter, not deep fried). But potatoes, which were a staple for our breakfasts growing up, considered very strange as a breakfast item. You can also eat mince on toast for breakfast (browned ground beef). Or your fried eggs. If you are having both toast and fried/scrambled/poached eggs for breakfast, you put the eggs on the toast. It's pretty yum, you should give it a go :)

"You're welcome" is not a phrase I hear often over here. But not because they are impolite. Instead they say "That's all right."

Peanut butter, totally not a thing here. You can find it next to the jam, but it's not something you find in every house. Things like peanut butter M&Ms, or pretzels and peanut butter, or celery sticks and peanut butter, not anything they would think of eating. I was amused the other day at the grocery store when I saw a large bunch of the expensive Lindt chocolate truffles on sale for much much less than I've seen before. It was because they were the peanut butter kind and just weren't selling.

I could keep adding items for quite some time I'm sure, but this is probably a good sample. Enjoy your weekend. I shall bake a cake tomorrow in celebration of the Queen's birthday!