Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Kiwi-isms

I thought I'd give you guys an idea of what New Zealand is actually like, aka the quirks of the country and its people.

1. Spaghetti or beans on toast - seems to be a common breakfast item (actually anything on toast). Our dining hall usually serves it at least 3 times a week. You make toast and spoon spaghetti on top... but it tastes more like spaghetti-o's as it's fake, canned spaghetti. Not half bad, but not necessary either.

2. Kiwis love to walk around barefoot, even to class. They had to make a rule in the dining hall that you can't be barefoot, or they probably would be. Sounds like fun to me, so my friend and I have decided we are going to go a week barefoot - probably starting this coming Monday.

3. Things are EXPENSIVE. You'd think due to the favorable exchange rate the country would be cheap, but its not. They compensate by overpricing everything. The only good thing about their economy is that the smallest coin is 10 cents, so everything is rounded nicely.

4. Kiwis enjoy their yeast spreads (Vegemite in Australia, Marmite in NZ). It's black, thick and gross. However, the factory is apparently based out of Christchurch and was damaged by the quake, so soon they will run out of Marmite. Sounds OK with me ;) I've been too scared to try it... probably going to have to soon though.

5. New Zealand is all about their pies!! And I TOTALLY approve. They make a lot of meat pies - they're cheap, delicious, warm and filling. Usually they're mince and cheese or steak and cheese, but another popular flavor (that they also like to use in sandwiches) is cranberry, brie and chicken.

6. Fashion trends.... particularly on the south island they like to wear stubbies (short, rugby shorts), gumboots (black rain boots), and wool sweaters... Together. Or in the girls case, big puffy down jackets even when it's like 65 degrees. Also, for some reason girls have decided that duffel bugs are a good substitute for back packs. Why anyone would want to lug around a duffel bag full of books is beyond me.

7. Mullets and rat tails are popular hair styles here.. or just generally messy hair. It's odd.

8. They eat way too much starch and carbohydrates. There are about 5 different ways to eat potatoes at every meal. There is a salad option, but the only salad dressing they provide you with is mayonnaise, which is surprisingly popular.

9. They have funny words for things. For example, cookies are biscuits, trash/garbage is rubbish, flip flops are jandals and they like to use keen and heaps all the time.

10. They have penguins in this country!! I need to find them...

That's all for now. I hope that helps you better relate to kiwis, a great fun-loving group of people!

4 comments:

  1. Hilarious! This country makes me think Americans are "normal"! Good to know this stuff before I get there...I will be bringing powerbars with me for breakfast! HA! XO

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  2. Haha they have normal breakfast stuff too, but powerbars probably aren't a bad idea!

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  3. Where exactly were you in NZ? Half of that is overgeneralised. Some Kiwis might do/like those things but not all of us. I mean do all Americans wear powdered wigs like George Washington or drive SUVs? lol

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    1. Sorry! I hope you don't take offense. I loved the country and the people I met there. These were just a few things I experienced during my stay that were different than back at home. I spent most of my time at Lincoln University outside of Chtistchurch.

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