about those aussies

there are many aussies in hong kong. i have met enough of them to know that the generalisations made about aussies are about as true as the generalisations made about, well, canadians. (or do i mean, aboot?)

aussies are apparently cheap. i know some very tight australians, yet one aussie friend had sebastian over for dinner and a bath every day for three weeks while charles was travelling and the babies were first home. another aussie family had sebastian over for dinner and a bath for five days while i was in the hospital. we didn't ask either of these families to do this, they offered out of the kindness of their hearts. so being the recipient of such generosity makes me realise that the australians are cheap cliche is not true.

are there a lot of blonde aussies? yes, actually i do think that cliche is more accurate than some of the others. but then again, does nicole kidman count as a blonde or a redhead? but of most aussie couples i know, at least 50 per cent is blonde. and usually, it is pretty great hair.

food wise? they are the makers of tim tams, so they have great culinary tastes. muchos applause for that creation. they eat more lamb than most canadians do.

one thing i have noticed, is they can put a positive spin on most things. for example, the charming children's song ring around the rosies, (in aussie speak is ring a ring a rosies) endearingly ends with everyone falling down, well, dead.

the aussies just couldn't let that, well, lie. i learned this the other day while playing ring a ring a rosies on the playground with a bunch of kids who were collapsed on the ground. and then a mother started singing to the same tune,

the cows are in the meadow

they're eating buttercups

a-tishoo! a-tishoo!

they all jump up.

it is a good way to get the kids up off their duffs so i am glad the verse exists. but then the second time you all fall down the optimistic aussies start again,

fishies in the water

fishies in the sea

they all jump up

with a one two three

which is a good thing because every single child i have ever given birth to, and all the other ones i know, are not content to sing ring just the one time.

are aussies like canadians? hard to say. many of them like to make fun of the canadian "accent" and a few feel free to speak disparagingly about canada, so possibly the canadians are more like the kiwi's. or maybe lots of canadians do imitate the australian accent/lifestyle, and i just don't know enough of them.

i am not listing a lot of traits - courage, integrity, humour, compassion....but that's not to say australians don't have them. i am lucky, i know some spectacular aussies, many of them live in my building and have become my close friends. and they do have those traits, and others. let's not even get started on another aussie friend of mine, who understandably left her husband and then REFUSED to go back to him, although it would have been the easiest route to go. she trusted herself, her self worth, and is today a published author and mother. and another aussie friend, a hen i will call teresa....she has determination, courage and so much love. she sent me cd's when i was in the hospital, she has not let sorrow stand in the way of her happiness. amazing women, amazing aussies. waltzing matilda's.

australia/nz is on our list of places to visit. we want to visit both of these beautiful countries for a total of seven weeks, and we're hoping to do it when we leave hong kong permanently. when will that be? good question. maybe we shouldn't visit too soon....i have just learned that tim tams now come in tia maria flavour. who knows what other versions of the near perfection tim tam could be created in the coming years? enough to match the people, i hope.

NOTE NEW PHOTO ALBUM #9 IN THE SIDE BAR!

Comments

[Auntie Pammie]

God Bless the Aussies for Tim Tams. Now you say there is a Tia Maria flavor. (note to self, next time over in HK, load up on Tim Tams).

[knobody]

tim tams? tia maria? must investigate. oh, google.....

so, canadians are like aussies? i thought canada was america jr. and aussies were brits with good tans. bwahahaha. just kidding. :)

[Rosemary]

Long time Aussie lurker delurking! You've pretty much got us Aussies down perfectly I think. Tim Tams now come in all kinds of flavours - you should visit Australia just to go to an Aussie supermarket. The whole Aisle is full of Tim Tams!

I wouldn't be too hard on the Aussies about the Canadians. We love to tease everyone, but Canadians don't fight back! So, it's not really that much of a challenge. Seriously, I've never heard an Aussie (either at home or overseas) say a bad word about the Canadians. Hope my countryment in HK aren't too impolite!

I'm a transplanted Aussie in Ohio and since I've lived in the USA, I've realised just how alike the Aussies and Candadians are. I will admit to slipping up over the border just to have a mental break when times have been really tough. The entire Canadian nation has been my mental health professional a couple of times (like during the US elections last year.)

Thanks for you blog - I love it, your family and you!

Rosemary

[cathy]

i think the 'cheap' thing might spring from the fact that we don't have tipping here in oz?

it's just a cultural thing, in australia when you eat out, the price is the price, including staff costs, and to ask for extra just seems weird - whereas in a lot of countries it is assumed that the price is for the food and the waiter's pay is the tip.

similarly in our taxis, the big insult here is not to fail to tip, it is to sit in the back if you are alone, leaving the driver by himself in the front. even when i catch a cab here with my boyfriend he insists on sitting in the front with the driver because it is considered a bit of an insult here to create that distance between yourself and the person driving...

[Liz]

Tim Tams, Tim Tams, Tim Tams! Sorry go mad for a bit there. Everytime we go to Australia, we always load up a suitcase of Tim Tams to take home. They are best eaten when you bite a corner off two opposite sides, dip it in milk, then suck the milk out. SO GOOD. You should also try Pods, another chocolatey yummy invention by the Aussies.
If you want to visit OZ and NZ, you need at least two months there. I have only been to major cities so far, Sydney is absolutely breathtaking. ANother best thing about visiting Oz is that you dont need to rent a car, at least not in Melbourne and Sydney, their public transporation are fantastic.
Ok, this comment is getting way too long, and I can go on and on about Oz.
Note: not an Assie, just married one. :)

[Jenny]

I agree with one of the other posters that the "Aussies are cheap" comes from the fact that we hardly ever tip over here. All of our service industries have an award wage and are not allowed to pay their staff less than this amount. You wouldn't think of tipping the check out operator in K Mart would you, so why tip the waiter at the restaurant?

[Sheridan]

Another Aussie long time lurker, de-lurking to say that I think Aussies and Canadians are very similar. I have lived in Canada, the US and England, and I felt most at home amongst the Canadians. I love the English, but they are as different from the Aussies as they come.

Canadians and Aussies share the same sense of self-worth, yet also a similar realisation of our place in the world. A humility perhaps.

I'm glad you have some nice Aussie friends. Have you introduced Vegemite yet to your lovely children?

[Jodes]

Aussie kids grow up on Vegemite! Just make sure that you spread in THIN - so you can almsot see through it! Most non Aussies make the mistake of plastering it on bread like jam or peanut butter LOL!

Oh and Tim Tams come in a huge range of flavours including Blackforest, Chilli Choc, Fudge, Hazelnut, Chewy caramel (My personal fav!),Mocha, Dark and White Chocolate!

I think the milk and cookies (we call them biccies here in Aus) is an American thing. The Aussie trick Is the Tim Tam Suck! It melts into this yummy gooey mess!!!

1. Take a small bite from one corner of your Tim Tam.

2. Turn your Tim Tam around and take a bite from the opposite corner.

3. Insert one bitten corner of your Tim Tam into a cup of tea or coffee.

4. Suck hard, drawing the liquid through the biscuit and into your mouth.

5. Quickly pop the rest of the Tim Tam into your mouth before it disintegrates.

WARNING

Don’t attempt this with very hot liquid, or in front of someone you’re trying to impress!

(Taken from the Tim Tam site)

Luv Jodes!

P.S. I've been a LOOOONG time reader but just had to post when I read about my favourite biccy!

P.P.S You have to come to Perth Western Australia! It truly is the most beautiful city and State (No I'm not biased LOL!!)

[Trinie]

So when are you doing a synopsis of kiwis?? Interested kiwi wants to know!

So excited that you might come for a holiday down this way at some stage. We might even have a house finished by then!!

[joeinvegas]

Didn't know you had a verse to get up - and now two! Something else, haven't heard them here in the US.

[SheilaC]

At our (Canadian) library story time, after the Ring around the Rosie, they do a Jack in the Box rhyme to get up:
(crouch with hands over head)
Jack in the box
Sit so still
Won't you come out?
(Jump up) YES I WILL!

Can be repeated endlessly. Very good with triplets!

Best wishes,

[laura]

I have also been lurking and enjoying your blog since the trips were just born. A friend of mine worked with your mother at a bank in Yellowknife and that is how I heard:)

I had to see what tim tams are and may need to order some. That made me wonder - Do you crave Canadian goodies?? Do they have any of them in Hong Kong or how do you get any? What do you miss most??

I live in the states but am Canadian and was raised in Saskatchewan. Miss many of the good junk foods, etc and also Goodie Rings. Do you like those?? I LOVE those and load up when I go to Vancouver or home. When I was looking at the Aussie goodies, many look very "canadian" to me! Nestle, and other brands that are rare here in the states. I mean, they have Nestle here, but not the same items.

Anyway, just wondered. I love your blog and the kids all get cuter all the time!!!

[Rae]

I didn't know the second and third verse of Ring a Ring a Rosies was an Australian thing. We also do teh second verse to Row, Row, Row your boat which you shared the other day!

But none of us know the second verse for our National Anthem.

Interesting about the blonde perception - I don't see that here is Sydney but maybe many Aussie's in Sydney wouldn't be identified as Aussie expats if they lived overseas? But I guess in HK the blondes would stand out a lot...

[TJ]

Wow, nothing like the mention of Tim Tams to flush the Aussies out of the woodwork!

Assuming it is "moi" you speak of in the second to last paragraph, just for the record I am actually a kiwi living in OZ. No disrespect for Australia, but as there are only 4 million kiwis I have to stay true to my homeland ... especially if we're talking Rugby!

[Samantha]

I am Canadian and I have never herd a Ausie Joke in my life.I am a full Neffie{meaning I was born and grew up in Newfoundland Canada.All my family was also born in Newfoundland.}I think it's you who has the acent. Saying By at the end of most sentences is not a bad thing. Man I don't make fun of you calling your freinds mates. I am not saying this in a bad way it's just when I hear mate I think monkeys and gorillas.