Food, Glorious Food!

Some travel for excitement, fantastic sights, and the opportunity to meet people from another culture.

Granted, I think those are all great perks, but my number one thrill of travel is the food.

Before heading to Sydney, Australia, I expected the food to be typical to what you'd see on an Outback Steakhouse commercial: steaks, bloomin' onions, and of course, the infamous "shrimp on the barbie." However, I soon realized that Australia is a vastly multicultural continent filled with a wide assortment of people from cultures and background that not only adds to the flavor of the city and the sights, but the food as well.

On our first night of arrival, our jetlagged bodies dined on an authentic pizza and pasta buffet that left me pleasantly surprised for the meals to come. I thought to myself, "Man, this is just like the food we have back in the states!" and smiled with a comfort that I wouldn't have to venture too far out of my comfort zone for my meals.

But then, the very next evening, we were served up a quite authentic Australian dish that at first thought, put a slight quiver in my stomach: kangaroo meat. Bet you won't see that advertised on an Outback Steakhouse commercial anytime soon!

In the end, I swallowed my pride and enjoyed the meat in an burger style. I don't think I'll be ditching my classic hamburgers anytime soon, but the early experience taught me one solid lesson of staying in Australia: be willing to try anything and everything that is safe and healthy to do so.

While I have yet to have an opportunity to enjoy another meal quite as outrageous as the kangaroo burgers, a few other Australian food delicacies have caught my attention.  First, Australia's relative proximity to Asia has led to a large Asian population residing in Sydney and also bringing their signature food along. Several popular varieties of food I have seen throughout the streets of Sydney include authentic Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese eateries. I, of course, enjoy them all, but my favorite must be an ice cold Taiwanese passionfruit tea after a long day of class.

Second, gelato is quite popular in Sydney! There are several shops scatter about the city, creating flavors one can only dream of.  My personal favorite is the rich Belgian chocolate. However, while the taste of gelato may have the capability to satisfy my daily sweet tooth, it isn't so kind to my wallet. One mere scoop of gelato can cost up to 7 dollars, and the prices only go up from there! While gelato is a nice treat every now and then, I've found that a McDonald's (or Macca's, as I'm growing to call it) 75 cent ice cream cone can hit the spot just as well.