The “Unknown” Foods

It’s a beautiful day in the North Ryde area of Sydney (wear I live). It’s getting a bit cloudy, but I am outside enjoying the 80 degree weather and a “beef pide.” I bought it at our huge campus eating area. A pide looks like a Kolacki, but instead of jelly or a cream cheese filling it’s filled with ground beef, mozzarella (I think), and vegetables. It tastes okay. It’s no Chicago pizza that’s for sure. The dough reminds me of the Italian bread you typically eat with oil at food Italian restaurants.

The best thing I ate, thus far, is a typical treat you would find at a sporting event. I got this delicious snack/meal at my first Rugby match (the Sydney Warrathas vs. the South African Sharks) at Sydney stadium, its called a “hot meat pie.” The pie was so good, I forgot to take a picture of it. I just kept eating the pie bit after bite. Served hot in a plastic wrap, a meat pie reminded me of a chicken pot pie. However, the crust was more like a KFC biscuit. The delicious inside was filled with steamy beef stew. The meat pie was not even a mess as I indulged on it, unlike a Chicago hot dog where I get onion all over the place. Cost is $4.40, which is pretty good for stadium food.



When walking down the Oxford or George Street, the main drags for bars and entertainment, you will find places known as “Five Star Kebabs.” They serve pizzas and of course Kebabs! The kebabs are REALLY GOOD! Although, there probably not what you are thinking. A kebab is a type of grilled wrap. Similar to how gyros are served at Greek food venues. The meat (chicken or beef) is placed on pita bread with lettuce, tomato, and onion. After choosing a sauce like BBQ of chili (which is very common to find), they grill it quickly. The end result is a flavorful delicious meal, which is prefect for those mid-night munchies. Average cost is $9. This is typically cost for a meal excluding drinks!!!!!!

I like to talk about this food rather than eat it because every time I mention it to an Australian a huge smile comes on their face and he or she” uhhhhhs” me with how good it is. I am talking about “Veg-a-mite.” It’s not all it was hyped up to by Jon, our GSE mentor and guide. Veg-a-mite is a spread you commonly put on toast like jelly or butter, but you don’t glob it on. When I bit into it, the texture or feel of it was like Philadelphia cream cheese, but the taste was not so sweet. It’s hard to describe the taste. It is kind of like a salty paste. You must try it if you are ever in Australia. It’s practically a symbol of the country. However, it’s a required taste I’ll never know the cost of this spread because I don’t plan on buying any.
One thing I will defiantly be bringing back to the United States are “Tim Tams.” It’s a chocolate biscuit (aka a cookie). They come in a variety of sweet flavors. Thus far, I like the dark chocolate Tim Tam. It’s like a wafer, but it’s still a cookie with a good mousse like-filling. Once I get in the mood for coffee, I am going to do my first Tim Tam Slam (aka Tim Tam Bomb). You’ll have to ask me in person what its like because I hear it’s AMAZING. It’s roughly $2-3 a box, each box containing 11 biscuits.