Food: Part 1: Drinks

One of the best parts of travelling/living abroad is seeing what food and drink offerings there are (or are not.)  I'm constantly discovering food items that I thought I wouldn't find, which always delights me.  Even better than that is when I taste foods I've never had before and then fall in love with them.  Consider this entry to be a part of a running list of sorts.  Like any well-organized, anal retentive person, I love categorization.  Allow me to share my food findings in installments.  Here's part one, entitled "Drinks."

1. Coffee: Black coffee is somewhat difficult to find.  Half and half, as in most countries, is not even produced.  Common coffees include the flat white (kinda like a latte, but it has less foam and is much prettier, with a special design on top- usually a ripple pattern, but sometimes a heart), the long black (a double espresso), and the usual latte, cappuccino, and mocha.  At home, we use a French Press, which they commonly call "the plunger."

Cream plus milk = half and half.  I spent a small amount of time experimenting in order to figure out what type and brand of cream made the best half and half.  Pura wins!  The first time I tried this out, I had an idea of what Tom Hanks must have felt like in Castaway.
"I have made half and half!"

The flat white

2. Wine: Australia produces some of the best wine in the world.  The good news is: it costs the same here as it would in the United States.  We started buying our wine from George at the Preston Market.  He runs his own little business and stores his wine in barrels.  You buy a bottle, (or two or twenty... he's got so many varieties!) drink it, then head back for the refill price, which is about 40% less than the original price.  The basic table wine (which is actually quite good) sells for $4 a bottle, refill price.  Win-win!

3. Soda:  You can basically find all the main brands we have at home.  Dr. Pepper is a bit more rare.  Then again, I've never met a non-American who legitimately enjoys Dr. Pepper or root beer... most claim that both soft drinks "taste like medicine," so this may account for why these two drinks aren't popular in many places outside the United States.  However, I can find A&W (made in Singapore!) in Asian grocery stores, for some reason.  They also have this brand called "LA Ice Cola," which is an Australian brand.  The ongoing debate in our house is whether it is pronounced "la" (as in fa-la-la) or "l-a" (as in, "I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA.")  I dunno.  I suppose I should ask someone.
While we are on the topic of soft drinks, it seems like the only country in the world that uses high fructose corn syrup in their sodas is the United States.  I believe that corn was (or still is?) highly subsidized by the government, therefore making the final product "cheaper."  Other countries typically use sugar in their sodas, so they do taste slightly different than sodas back in the US.
My all-time favorite soda is "Thums [that's not a typo] Up," which is found in India.  Justin asked the clerk at the Indian grocery store if they carried it.  He told us that they usually carry Thums Up in the summer... I can't wait!

4.  Juice:  The apple juice here is cloudy... I love that! I'm coping relatively well without my Tropicana, which is a staple for me in the US.  I definitely miss it, but it'll still be there when I return.  They also have a juice here called "breakfast juice."  It's orange juice with pineapple, mango, and I think apple.  It is pretty delicious.  You can find the "trendy" juices (think coconut water, blended juice from juice bars, etc.) here too.

5.  Water:  The tap water here tastes great.  After drinking Minneapolis tap water for years, I had become accustomed to having to use a filter, due to the seasonal smelliness of the water.  Here in Melbourne, you don't need it.  At most restaurants, there is a refillable glass bottle of tap water at every table.  Most places don't have the server running around to refill your water.  It's so nice to have it right at the table! Also, there's no ice in the water (unless you request it.)  Cold drinks come with ice, but not a lot of it.  It should be noted that by world standards, Americans put an obscene amount of ice in cold drinks.  Through traveling so much and living abroad, I've grown accustomed to not having ice in my water, and I prefer it this way now, unless it is scorchingly hot outside.  Sparkling water isn't as big here (but you can find it).  I've had to adjust since I am addicted to it back home.

6.  Tea:  The most common way tea is served is hot, black (but brewed weakly by American and British standards), with a fair amount of milk, and sugar.  The black tea here is the same as in much of the world: straight-up black tea.  In the United States, it's more common to find black tea with orange pekoe.  I haven't found this here yet, but will need to investigate because come summer, I've got to have my Southern sweet tea.  This is essential, even for a born and bred Northerner like me.  It should also be noted that around the world, black tea (and its derivatives) is almost always served hot, whereas America prefers it iced.

7. The iced chocolate: Milk, a couple of ice cubes, chocolate sauce, scoops of ice cream = bliss.  Also, milkshakes are widely available, but are blended to the point that you wouldn't know they contained ice cream. If you want an American style milkshake, you have to order a "thickshake."  Problem solved.

An extremely decadent iced chocolate

8. Cocktails:  The variety here is the same as anywhere in the developed world.  Cocktails are super scrumptious, but they come at a hefty price.  My cocktail of choice, as many of you already know, is the margarita.  Margaritas here at a Mexican restaurant range from $18-$24.  I figure this is because tequila is so dang expensive.  Jose Cuervo is priced at about $60 for a normal sized bottle!  This has to be in part because of the distance it needs to travel and in part because of the high tax imposed upon liquor here.  The high taxes exist to curb underage drinking, however I am certain it's curbing of-age drinking as well due to the price.  Honestly, whoever comes to visit me first, I beg you to stop by Duty-Free before leaving the airport to pick me up some Patron.

9. Beer:  I am waiting for a hoppy beer to blow me away.  There are definitely some decent brews, like Cooper's (a somewhat regional beer, it's from South Australia) and Little Creatures (from Western Australia) and of course, the local grog, Victoria Bitter (VB), among others.  Contrary to popular belief, Foster's really is not that big here.  It is available and it is terrible.  They run a pretty good marketing campaign in the states though, seeing as Americans constantly ask me about it.  The sizes of beer vary from state to state here.
From www.onlymelbourne.com.au, here are the sizes, explained-
Pony 140ml - 5 ounces
Small Glass 170ml - 6 ounces
Glass 200ml - 7 ounces
Pot 285ml - 10 ounces
Schooner 425ml - 15 ounces
Pint 568ml - 20 ounces
Just an FYI, a pint will typically run you about $11 USD.

10. The babyccino makes the list for being oh-so-cute!  A babyccino is a kid-friendly version of a latte/flat white/etc.  It's basically milk that's steamed to a warm, not hot, temperature with foam and cocoa powder on top.  It's commonly served in doppio espresso cups with a saucer at the bottom.  I smile when I see children at a cafe enjoying their babyccino alongside their parents, whom are drinking a coffee.  An alternative to a babyccino could be "drinking chocolate" (known as "hot chocolate" here as well.)  Cadbury's drinking chocolate is my absolute favorite and is typically at most expat stores in the states, should the temptation of this post strike the mood.

Cheers!