Strong and Bitey!

I'll provide more on this subject but earlier I wrote that it does take longer to do things here such as grocery shopping. It's only in getting used to different labels and terminology like when I was looking for some cheese. I like sharp cheeses but couldn't find anything labeled as such. I assumed that 'Sharp and Bitey' was Australian for sharp. There are others I'll write down and add to my blog if it's of interest to you. Some others are dog food brands. There's 'Blood & Bone' which I could see popular in agricultural areas but not for Fifi who lives in a penthouse. Also, 'Chum' which is odd because I've always been told that salmon (and it IS salmon) is bad for dogs as there's a parasite that doesn't die in the cooking process. Humans digest it, but dogs can't and eventually can develop problems and sometimes death, from them. I do know a lot of people who feed salmon to their dogs and don't seem to have any problems.

Another odd thing (I've mentioned that Aussies are progressive if not functional) is that most of their wines have screw tops. Even expensive wines have screw tops and to find a corked bottle is almost rare. Apparently not rare enough for me as I was all set to have a glass of red wine at home last night when to my horror, I realized I haven't bought a corkscrew yet. I do have a brand new can opener that hasn't been used yet as even the cans have pull rings, I think they call them. And Aussies loved their baked beans for breakfast, especially with a little BBQ sauce on them. Their BBQ isn't like anything I've tasted labeled as such, but it is good and I have a bottle in my fridge alongside the bottle of tomato sauce (ketchup) and mayo.

Speaking of the endangered species of the corkscrew and possibly the can opener, I once came across this situation several years ago of having a bottle of wine waiting for me, taunting me to open it, but I was unprepared! It was a late night and I had a long wait for the ferry so naturally, I thought a small sip of wine would make the wait a little for palatable. I did find screwdrivers, tire gauges, first aid kit (no corkscrew in there dammit!) and the usual stuff...but not the RIGHT stuff. So, I wheeled around and ran up to the Thriftway store on California and Fauntleroy to remedy the situation.

While surveying all the choices (3) and which one is the cheapest but will still easily do the trick, a woman came up to make a similar decision. I mentioned that I didn't have a corkscrew in my car and she looked at me with such pity, uttering these pearls of wisdom that I've since adhered to, "EVERY car should have a corkscrew!" Alas, my new flat doesn't...yet!

Also, as typical of us cheap Americans, the damned thing unscrewed while trying to get the cork out. It was the cheapest metal I'd ever seen and returned it for a better one at my first opportunity. The woman who gladly made the exchange for me after explaining the circumstances asked, "Well...?" "Well what?" I responded. "Well, did you get the cork out?" Obviously the wine laden path to the ferry late at night is well trod.

What this has to do with Oz I don't know. I guess I'm just trying to make myself feel resourceful and prepared somewhat for the adventure I'm on now.

By the way, the picture is near my new flat. Notice the train station about 2 blocks to the west and all the water about 4-5 blocks to the east, heh heh heh. I have sent this to some friends who now either hate me or promise to visit (those are the real vengeful ones). Joking.