Adjusting to the American Cuisine (From an Aussies perspective)
Written by Poppy Morrison
Australian food, though it may not seem like it (like a lot of things when talking about Australia vs. America), is completely different from American food, and dare I say, even better? I might be biased, but there are many things that contribute to the massive difference in taste, and after moving to America after living in Australia for the first 15 years of my life, it is really hard getting used to the food here.
Firstly, one of the biggest differences: is bread. Australian bread - white bread especially - is one thousand times better than American white bread, as it contains less sugar and is generally fluffier in texture. While American bread tastes almost sweet, Australian bread is better for every day, and best enjoyed with sausage (NOT a hot dog!) and tomato sauce (NOT ketchup!) from a Bunning’s (Australia’s Home Depot) sausage sizzle. So, while breads from local bakeries and Whole Foods sourdoughs are a whole other story, the American grocery store white bread is essentially cardboard to me when comparing it to Australia.
Though there are many jokes about American food vs. the rest of the world (e.g. portion sizes, sugar, etc.), I didn’t realize they were actually true until living here! Most times I order from a restaurant here, I order from the kid’s menu as I can never finish a normal meal, but when I go back to Australia and order from the kids menu there, it is genuinely half the size! Even our Starbucks is different than in America: in the US, what would be considered a Venti (24oz) is only 19oz for the same size in Australia - only 3oz more than a Grande. I still remember ordering a Venti Pink Drink here for the first time and thinking I accidentally ordered a Trenta - though I must admit, after trying Strawberry Açai in both Australia and America, the Australian refresher tastes like poison compared to the original. Another big joke is the fact that Australian coffee is far better than American coffee, and, while I don’t drink coffee myself, many people I have talked to agree that it beats American coffee any day - there is a reason why Bluestone Lane is so popular in NYC!
Lastly, Australian food genuinely tastes better, as it is sometimes just simpler with better ingredients. Many Australian inventions have been popularised in the US, such as the famous concept of Avocado Toast, which was first developed in my hometown, Brisbane, in the early 20th century. It then became largely popular after famous Australian chef Bill Granger put the dish on his menu in 1993 in Sydney. Many Australian food inventions have become famous in the US but for the wrong reasons, such as the notorious Vegemite or Fairy Bread. Vegemite is a thick, dark brown food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, which sounds gross, but is actually delicious when eaten right. The only way to describe it is as a salty shot of umami - kind of like soy sauce. But the problem is that many Americans eat it wrong. It’s not meant to be eaten by the spoonful like many do with Nutella, but rather, thinly spread on a piece of buttered toast. And, Fairy Bread, is one of Australia’s most iconic children’s birthday party treats: a slice of buttered white bread topped with hundreds’s and thousand’s sprinkles. Another invention that seems weird to Americans, the main reason Australians love it is because of the nostalgia associated with it, kind of like marshmallow peeps in the US, which I personally do not like and don’t think lots of people do, but associate it with the nostalgia of their childhood.
Honestly, unless you have experienced both, you wouldn’t realize how different Australian food is from America. Even our mutual food chains such as Starbucks, KFC, or McDonald’s (or Maccas for Australians!), are wildly different in taste and menu variety. Australian food is generally less sweet, and smaller, but ten times more delicious. While many Australian foods can be considered an acquired taste to Americans, lots of those ‘weird’ foods have lots of nostalgia associated with them, which ultimately makes them taste even better to us Aussies. When talking about food, I mostly prefer the Australian alternative and sometimes even avoid the American (for example, I won’t even touch McDonalds in the US), but there are some things that are so quintessentially American that the Australian counterpart can't even compare.
Written by Poppy Morrison
