Let's eat!

We read to enter new worlds. Moving to another country, which I did last week, is like moving to another world. Even though Australia is probably the country most like America, the differences stand out (not so much for me, as I lived here most of my adult life, but my husband is having to adjust). The food alone is enough to make you think you're on another planet. There is no A1 steak sauce. There are, blessedly, no Twinkies or Ding Dongs. But there are Tim Tams and lamingtons and iced vo-vo's. Restaurants here don't serve iced tea and the waiter probably won't bring you water unless you ask for it, but you can get dry ginger instead of that sickly sweet "ginger ale", and fruit yogurt actually tastes sharp. Vanilla icecream tastes... different. Not better or worse, just different.

Last night my husband ate what he declared to be his worst ever restaurant meal (chicken parmigiana at a local bistro). My worst ever meal was some sort of flat noodle and white "gravy" and soggy green bean concoction at a Cracker Barrel in Pennsylvania. It was, in fact, supernaturally bad. Still, on the whole I got used to American food and I'm sure he'll get used to Aussie fare. Our daughter will be a Happy Little Vegemite, growing up on Milo and Nutrigrain instead of Minute Maid and Cheerios.

I like to imagine what we'll eat in the future. I don't believe for a minute we'll all be chowing down on protein shakes and vitamin pills. Humans live by their taste buds and we'll never stand for anything less than real food.'

For a bit of fun, tell me about the worst meal you ever ate. Or the most unusual. Or the most out-of-this-world. For me, nothing beats Cadbury Creme Eggs - available on both sides of the globe, but unfortunately only at Easter.