The menus in the US have an unusually large focus on entrées. It was annoying when all we wanted was a main, and we weren’t interested in entrées. The supermarkets often devote a rather big section just to entrées. Larger than I would have thought was necessary. I didn’t get it. What’s with the … [Read more…]
Directly after reading that title, you might (probably are) thinking “Well, duh. That’s why they’re called Southern Foods, on account of them being found in the South and all. You dummy”. It’s not as simple as that, though. Often there are foods we don’t realize are so specific to our own country or region until … [Read more…]
You get used to a few things being different when you move to a new country. Most of them are obvious, some…you just can’t put your finger on at first. It was only a few weeks after moving to the US that, one night as my husband and I were about to fall asleep, one … [Read more…]
This past Fourth of July was the last one I will be spending in the US before I head back to Australia, and we had Australian relatives visiting at the time, so we decided to hit the Museum of Appalachia, which was hosting some Fourth of July festivities. First order of business – watch an … [Read more…]
Places that tourists to a new country will find interesting are often places that locals would not understand the sight-seeing appeal of in the slightest. A recommendation I’d make to Australians visiting the US is to visit a Bass Pro store during their trip. Even if you buy nothing. If you are one of the … [Read more…]
In some ways, moving to America from Australia has been like moving from your strict family home to go live with your dodgy uncle who doesn’t supervise you much, but WILL kick your arse if your poor decisions end badly enough. I was taken aback by billboards advertising “bail bonding” all over the place, and … [Read more…]
Living in a different country and getting the chance to interact more with the locals, rather than just see the selective sites and bugger off happily back to your home country, you get a chance to see the more nuanced differences in their culture to your own. It’s easy to just assume that people in … [Read more…]
Driving around this area, it’s impossible to miss the fact that there are a lot of these around: There is also, however, a healthy amount of adult stores in the sexy south: (“ALL SALES ARE FINAL”, so don’t even THINK about changing your mind about that butt plug and bringing it back). And they are … [Read more…]
Shortly after settling in here, it didn’t take long to notice that…..something was missing. Not just from our home, but almost every other home I could see. Where was the bloody clothesline?! Clotheslines in backyards are pretty much standard in Australia. Heck, the ugly Hills Hoist is a proud Australian invention! And when we lived … [Read more…]
On the 27 of this month, we will have been in Tennessee for a full year (and what a year!). My husband and I had been in the US previously in time to celebrate the 2009 new year (by falling asleep in a Staten Island motel room well before midnight, much to the disgust of … [Read more…]