[Tamara]

Right! Note to self! iPad cannot spell and I’m taking spell check off. Who ever heard of Rose in every cheek? (And now it won’t do it!) Silly tablet!

[rastis]

oh no… i loooove vegemite and crave vegemite toast/crumpets every single pregnancy! hot buttered toast with a very thin smear of vegemite is delicious… have you tried it like that?

vegemite off a spoon or thickly spread is TOO much and gross! marmite is ok, but not as tasty as vegemite and promite is very sweet but i don’t mind it on occassion… perhaps you have to grow up eating it? my kids love it as well 🙂

[Justine J]

Meleliza – Vegemite is most definitely NOT British. It is totally Australian, and can’t imagine your husband would have eaten Vegemite. It is a staple in my house, and there is nothing better than toast with Vegemite. My kids have Vegemite sandwiches for their lunch every day.

[Sarvi]

I imagine that anything to which one is not accustomed can seem terrifying (or alluring, for that matter). My grandmother (Iranian) would happily eat tongue and calf’s brains, but shuddered at most Chinese cuisine. I’ll eat snake and ostrich but not snails, frogs, or rabbits. My husband’s Singaporean, the only thing he won’t eat is … celery. Because it tastes weird, he says? But he’ll dig right in to durian. I would swim in a vat of any of the -mites, or possibly even actual mites, before I would get near durian.

Oh and the peppermint oil isn’t scary at all, it’s actually just that — oil of peppermint. What you use to make peppermint candies. Certainly less scary (to me!) than poison. Alas, whatever sealant was used for our cork floors didn’t like such a big pool of it. The paint and the wood floors didn’t mind it a bit.

[Tamara]

Oh you are too hilarious Sarvi! Everywhere we go there are countries tht will happily eat things that we wouldn’t dream of! Would never the real Chow mien for example (and if the pooch was close enough I’d cover his ears!). The latest is how horse meat was found in burger meat at Tescos in the UK. In sme countries they eat horse but in our country…. My husband keeps saying that is what is the meat pie! No wonder my grandfather referred to the, as maggot bags!

I don’t believe that – cant believe that!

Here crocodile and kangaroo are on the menus of some rather swish restaurants and a recent cooking competition got contestants to make tartas – consisting of raw met yuuuuk!

Our sheep trade to the Middle East, well they love certain body parts that we would never ever think of comsuming – I would never have tails!

Ok I need a lesson here, why is durian?

Rastis, that is how I like my toast and vegemite too – just a smattering.

[Sarvi]

Durian is a spiny-skinned large fruit with a sweet, custardy flesh and a potent love it or hate it scent. My FIL gave us some as a gift, frozen and hand carried from Singapore. I pity the people on the plane. The stuff was not only frozen and wrapped in many layers of plastic, we put it in a cooler, in the trunk, and we were on the highway doing 70mph. Think about that — that’s a 70mph wind pushing the the smell away from me — and I still had to ask him to pull the car over so I could get out and walk away until the smell went out of my nostrils. I think he knew I was a keeper when I tried some anyway, because you know, what if it was AMBROSIA? Yeah, it wasn’t ambrosia. *shudder*

[with love Heidi]

I’m on the other side with the Vegemite, it has to be thick and spread on both sides of the sandwich and with a 5mm (1/4″) slice of tasty cheese (not the pre processes singles, but any port in a storm if that’s what’s available:) ). But I like things quite salty and we don’t add salt to any thing else. I suppose I could make you cringe with my other combinations of Vegemite and sultanas (semi regular) or Vegemite and thinly sliced apple (occasionally).

I haven’t tasted durian, but I remember the “No Durian” signs in the hotel in Indonesia like we would have a “No Smoking” sign.

[Nicole]

I remember daring a very drunk mate to eat the fruit from a Swiss Cheese plant at a party one night.

His mouth went all numb and he couldn’t talk properly.

Or was that the Bundy……

[Tamara]

Oh wow! And it was let in the country like that? I suppose it would have to be declared food.

I went to Singapore a few years ago (my first solo overseas trip ever!) I don’t remember seeing those signs but it would be hilarious to capture in photos! All I remember was the blanket of intense heat after getting off the plane from a 13 degree Perth!

I can’t stop laughing at that story! Too funny!

All this vegemite talk is making me crave it! I have to check the pantry now. Being lazy and getting kids to fend for themselves while I finish this very much needing to be finished pencil case which just has hand sewing to do and it’s done.

Miss 10 caught me half asleep when asking to make popcorn (the microwave variety) she got me there as I found an unbeaten lunch othe table! I have a strict policy here that kids have to eat what they are given so I broke my own rule but next time!! Apparently Ns stomach is eating his tummy so I guess that means he wants food!

The ants have vacated and I did nothing to make them go. They evicted themselves.

I did something really put of the ordinary last night and went to learn to arrange flowers! Part of the act belong commit initiatives from Healthways (they all think we are mentally insane here in the country and we sit around all day). It was fun even though the ladies were all my mothers age. While I was out the family were enjoying no power, thunderstorms and half eaten burger patties made by miss 10 (who was apparently taste testing before cooking … Urgh!) Apparently the power came on just before I got home!

Making hubby rather self sufficient in setting up his own Flickr account – there are only so many chook photos I can take when I can see them in person! So Cannakid is the hubby just so my contacts know. I’ve just realised it totally gives the location away!! Oh well!

[meleliza]

Our Swedish border was recently commenting on how at least we all speak the same language. I have to laugh when I read this thread because I don’t really understand half of what you all are saying.

[with love Heidi]

I suppose we in Aus have the advantage because there is so much north american TV/music/books available, so we often have exposure to things like oreos, twinkies, hershies kisses, peanut butter and jelly. The last one is quite funny as I used to wonder why people would put jelly in a sandwich?!? Then someone explained to me that what I call jelly north americans call jello and what I can jam north americans call jelly. So from my point of view it is really a peanut paste and jam sandwich, which sound much better (but not enough to eat, I do not like peanut paste), than the peanut paste and lumps of flavoured gelatin sandwich I was imagining!

[Tamara]

Hehehehe! Me too! Jelly what a silly sandwich spread! But jam I understand!

I studied Italian at school and in my final year we had an exchange student in the class for 8 weeks. The first class we had with her we had to speak to her in Italian and ask her questions. I remember I said something along the lines of what I thought was “Do you have a dog?” But it came out as “Do you have a meat?” Of course everyone burst into laughter and I nearly burst into tears. I wanted to make such a good impression and I totally stuffed it up with one silly word! Looking back now I half laugh about it – so silly.

I think that learning the ins and outs of different cultures is one of the hardest things we as humans can do. We may speak the same language but we do some things and think of things so very differently. But then like I keep telling the kids, if we all did things the same life would be so very boring!

I’m a huge movie watcher and this topic has me thinking of the scene in Love Actually where the young British guy is in a pub (bar) with the American girls and they are listening to him say the name of the item and repeating it whilst mimicking his accent. One of the funniest scenes of the movie.

[needlewoman]

Well, I finally went to see the film “Lincoln” today!! After a very long hot weekend, and another scorcher today, it seemed like a good idea to take advantage of a cheap ticket day, and the aircon to get out of a hot flat.

And it was wonderful! I thoroughly recommend you all see it, if you haven’t already. The acting is superb, by everybody in the cast, and mostly, Steven Spielburg (I don’t know whether he is the producer or director) has resisted the temptation of sentimentality. Despite the very serious subject of the film, there is quite a lot of humour, and delightful touches of humanity. I have read the book, “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns (quite the very best biography/history and most readable one I’ve come across of Lincoln’s life and times, and that of his principal Cabinet colleagues), and it’s clear that the film relies on the diligence of Kearns’ historical research rather than merely hagiography. The film is very long,-nearly 2 1/2 hrs but it never drags, and I learned a great deal. The costuming is wonderful; although, there are very few women with significant roles, and it’s fascinating to see Washington as it would have been in 1865. I hope other forum members will share their opinions soon.

Mercifully, a cooler wind is finally blowing tonight to clean out the heat. I know that those in the nthrn hemisphere are looking fwd to Spring, but 5 days over 100 degrees, and extremely warm nights is pretty trying.

[Sarvi]

I confess I can’t resist doing that to my Oxonian friends (mocking the accent), though I wouldn’t think of doing it to my Liverpudlian electrician. RP just begs for it. I throw in some hoary Wodehouse-derived slang for good measure.

[Tamara]

The new piano turned up this morning. I sent hubby in to collect it. It is at a pinch though, he will just help unload it then get ready to go to a funeral. A close friend of my in laws passed away last week and because fil is still away popping in on the south Australian relatives, he thought he would go to represent the family. The lady was a lovely one and unfortunately suffered from cancer for twelve years! So while he is off paying his respects, I will be busy re arranging the layout of the lingerie to fit this thing in! And then maybe having first play – not that I CAN play!

It’s been a bit cooler here lately so M took the chance to shear the ewes that were pregnant (thanks to a rogue neighbours ram) and were starting to pop with their udders. Just as well we did because on winding up last night, we found a ewe had given birth to twins in the yards. I had to help do the wool as he was there on his own and even though the mob was small, it would have taken him forever! He actually hurt his knee yesterday without realising so is now hobbling around. He says he can’t get a new knee until he is about 70! And it is the knee he had damaged when he was younger and had work done on it already. A bit of rest and it should come good again but I fear his shearing days are numbered.

Glad you recommended that movie Needlewoman. I don’t get to the cinema to watch a lot these days but I will look out for it when it comes on DVD. I want to take the kids to see the new Oz movie that is being released soon. It looks like a good one to see together. I wouldn’t mind seeing Anna Karenina and would have loved to see Les Miserables – saw the musical about 3 or 4 times.

I’m thinking I might make a cushion for the piano stool. It’s a bit hard to sit on.