Friday, October 8, 2010

Coffee and Crosswalks

Kia Ora! (hello or welcome) Today's write-up are interesting facts about life in New Zealand. They are in no particular order.

 Coffee
There is no regular, brewed coffee here. It is all expresso. So if you saw a coffee menu it would look like this.

Short black = 1 shot expresso
Long Black= 1 shot expresso with hot water
Flat white = 1 shot expresso with cold milk
Milo = malted barley and wheat barley powder mixed with hot or cold water
Latte
Cappuccino
Mochaccino

The last three are the same at home. Coffees are $3.50 or $4.00 here. You pay a lot more for decaf. Whenever we go on a road-trip we take our own in a thermos.

Slang or different terms
chippies = chips
aussies =  Australians
ozy = Australia
kiwis = all New Zealanders, the flightless National bird, and the fruit
choccies = chocolates
heaps = a lot
take-away = fast food- you pay more for take-away than if you eat in
Dairy = corner convenience store
Bakery = baked pies and sandwiches (no loaves of bread)
rubbers = rubber boots
lolly = suckers or any candy
tramping = serious hiking
kai = a snack at the daycare
tyre = tire
naut = zero (by the way they sing their ABC's ending with ZEE)
rubbish = garbage
station = a very big farm
EFTPOS = debit card
i-site = information centre
roundabout = intersection with no traffic lights or stop signs (works beautifully)
the middle finger = same as at home
spa = hot tub
sweet as = very cool
choice! = very cool

 A common question - What sports do you play? (Not- Do you like sports?)

A road side stand of veggies or fruit have an honour system- take what you like, leave money in the jar

The price stated - is the price with the taxes included

Minimum wage = NZ 12.50/hour

Garbage Day and Recycling Day
If your day is Wednesday, then it is Wednesday forever, even if it is Christmas

Halloween- they don't have Halloween here or Thanksgiving

New Zealand is totally sustainable for their population except they don't grow coffee, tea, or sugar cane

There are 28 million stalks of asparagus - and they're being picked now!

Zumba
It is the same all around the world!

Cheese
There is no orange cheese (cheddar). But all of their margarines are a thick yellow/orange

Chips
Chippies are the favourite snack here. I've come to the right place! I haven't tried lamb and mint flavour yet.
Chicken flavour is my new fave.

Crosswalks
You can cross the street straight across and on the diagonal (J-walking)

Cool eh?

1 comment:

  1. Very cool! Keep up the great social sleuthing! Do Aussies say zee as well I wonder..
    The roundabouts here are causing major headaches for a lot of people in R. Heights and it's not because some people don't get how to make a left turn...it's b/c the intersection spaces that have been chosen are too small. Emergency vehicles and eventually snowplows will be affected. Not good.
    Anyway, thanks for a fun read. No Thanksgiving eh? xo w.

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