I’ve noticed some things that are different in Australia — besides the obvious of course. It could very well be that I’ve been hanging with the “wrong crowd” to do generalisations on the Aussies, so if that’s the case I apologise.

I just came back from the local store because I bought some food for the next few days and on my way there I had to cross some roads. I stopped at the zebra crossing to wait for a car to pass but instead it stopped! Now, in Finland they don’t do that very often. Then at the cashier they put the groceries in the bag automatically! Of course, I’ve only been to this one shop but in Finland I’ve never been to a grocery store that bagged the food. There is a “fancy” store in the centre of Helsinki where at rush hours they have grocery baggers but that’s the only occasion I’ve seen the sort of customer service. Of course, other kind of stores put the purchases in plastic bags if you’re not fast enough to stop them.

Don’t know if it’s an Australian thing but they seem to like their food salted and seasoned. On the plane I had some salad with cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, the normal stuff — it was “pickled”. It had some sort of vinegary taste in it and I couldn’t eat much (I picked out the tomatoes and ate them but left the rest). Also, the butter was salted (mentioned especially on the pack). In a conversation one of my friend’s friends mentioned that she doesn’t like plain salad, there has to be salt and things in it. I know fancy chefs (like Jamie Oliver :-) ) always put salt and pepper in the salad but I don’t like it. To me, vegetables have to be fresh and unseasoned or cooked and seasoned.

I’m most amazed by how polite — in a talkative way — people are here. It struck me as a little silly at first to hear ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’ all the time in a crowded store, but that’s always better than to have bruises on your sides (or face and shoulders, for people my height) from getting hit by elbows…