Adventures in Eating

We’ve had some chances to try foods unfamiliar to us on this trip.

At the Hilton in Auckland, I tried Marmite and Vegemite, the yeast spreads Kiwis and Aussies use on their toast. They were an AWFUL, TERRIBLE, HORRID black salty paste. Dad said they tasted like dried up soy sauce-- which is actually a nicer description than the taste. Don’t worry, kids, I’ve got some for you to try!

Fast food choices in New Zealand are many and varied and all of them familiar. KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, etc. We tried a McDonalds on the way to Hamilton. She asked me if I wanted a Coke then what kind. So sodas are ‘Cokes’. (Most places do not give you ice!) She also asked me if I wanted it for here or takeaway. There seem to be no real New Zealand fast foods but the country is dotted with ‘Takeaways’—Thai Takeaways, Chinese Takeaways, etc.We ate in many little cafes. My favorite one was called “A Cuppa ‘n a Cake”. We discovered panninis. VERY YUMMY grilled sandwiches.

On our way to Paihia with Ian, we stopped at a fast food place that had several choices. I had a meat pie. It was YUMMY. When I told Ian I had tried the traditional Kiwi fast food, he said, “Good on ya!” (I suppose that means ‘way to go’.) Dad had fish and chips with the fish battered and fried right before his eyes. It was a kind of fish called Hoki, and he really liked it.

At our Paihia hotel the next morning, I tried something called ‘black pudding’. They looked liked little black brownies so they couldn’t be bad, right? WRONG. Ick, nasty, terrible stuff. Turns out it is sausage. Don’t worry, kids, I DON’T have any of it to bring home!