And boy howdy am I grateful! I've been bundled up in my fleece pajamas and hoodie every night because it felt so cold to me. The Aussies made fun of me for being so cold in 23 degree weather (that's like 73 degrees Fahrenheit). I was getting annoyed. I have perfectly good cold weather clothes that I didn't even have to look at during the Arizona fall, and I was shaking life a leaf, having left every stitch of it at home except for one hoodie and a pair of Christmas fleece pajamas, thinking I wouldn't need them in this supposedly 'hot' country's late spring ... I kept thinking, "false advertising" in my head. But tonight I am down to my singlet (tank top) and shorts as I write on my bed, and summer has finally arrived.
There is something that makes me laugh though. This house has AC, but my room is the only room in the house that doesn't get it ... sound familiar? Let's see ... no AC in my room in Gilbert, and no AC in the entire house in St. Croix, and no AC in my room here. There's an irony here that brings a completeness to my journey, like, "Welcome to Australia, you don't get any AC, and THAT is how you know that you've ended up in the right place!" But NOT having AC for so long has its advantages ... while everyone else is fanning themselves, I feel quite content. :) The only thing I don't like is that all this hot weather has made me the world's biggest cold weather wimp. The second it dips below 80 degrees, if it isn't humid enough, I get goosebumps and start looking for a sweater and some socks.
I am getting more and more situated here in Spearwood, getting a better feel for the lay of the land, and spending tons of time on public transport, heaven bless buses and trains. Of everywhere I've been and every place I've seen ... I've got to say that Freo (Fremantle) is my favorite. There's always an awesome breeze, and I have yet to see a cloudy day, in Freo at least. I have pictures of Freo posted on Facebook from a while ago, but I'll be writing a post dedicated to just that city later after I've seen more of the sailing races and events here (INXS were here today, and I saw them prepping the stage before their concert tonight in Freo to kick off all the sailing events).
It feels a tad surreal, Aussies are a bit stuck in yesteryear, in every good way. It's funny to hear Liz (my roommate talk about it), apparently a new law was just recently released that allows grocers and other shops to stay open late, i.e. past 5 or 6 until about 8,9 or 10. Liz is absolutely scandalized! A grocery store open after 7? Why would anyone need to go to a grocery store then? The chemist (pharmacy) down the street is open until 10 pm, but I think they've always been allowed to stay open later. And I've been to the grocery store here around 7 pm, all the other shops around it were closed ... and there are very few people in the grocery store. Liz said that businesses had lobbied for extended hours, hoping to get Sundays, but instead got extended hours during the rest of the week. Stores are only allowed to be open on a Sunday only a handful of times each year. (although my pondering over why the government is so involved in when people's businesses choose to be open I guess highlights my yankee roots).
When Liz and Erin need bread, not always, but usually we go to the baker. There are several bakeries in town, they're very popular. And if you need some good sausages you go to your neighborhood butcher. I couldn't believe that stores that COULD NOT exist in the States (at least outside of wealthier areas that could support them, and trust me, I do not live in a wealthy area here in Australia) are thriving. Brumby's a bakery we frequent is even a chain store of bakeries. Aussies don't do much "one stop shopping" in my experience, and I have to say, I like it.
 |
| Fremantle Bazaar held at the Fremantle Arts Centre, this fair sells mostly crafts, this is where I spent my Friday night, I love markets and fairs here. |
 |
| Another picture from the Fremantle Bazaar |
Hand in hand with this life philosophy is the popularity of fresh fruit and veg (Aussies say veg instead of vegetables) from weekly markets.
In Freo, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (they're allowed to be open I guess because Freo is a part of a tourist distract, where the rules are a little different). And people will go every week and buy their fruit and veg, from, gasp ... the very same people who grow it! But even in this little enclave from the world ... things are changing.
There's currently a supermarket war, at least in Perth, but I dare say elsewhere in the country as well, between Coles, IGA, and Woolsworths (lovingly referred to as Woolies here), and it's driving prices WAY down (still more expensive than I'm used to seeing, but I'm getting more used to it). It great for the consumer, but it is ravaging the bakeries, buchers, and even the fruit and veg folk. While it's nice to be able experience life in a place where people still buy things from different people and places ... I can see and feel the end of it coming ... 24 hour Super Walmarts ... I guess here we come.
I spoke to a fruit vendor at the Kalamunda markets today, he was in the middle of slicing a great big summer ripe watermelon as we began to talk about the current state and economy of fruit and veg these days. He seemed to like our banter, and as we continued to talk, he decided to take a break and sliced three quick half rounds of fresh, sweet watermelon and handed some to Liz and myself while he munched on his own slice under the hot afternoon sun. He was a big guy, in his early fifties, a bit swollen around the middle, with red sun worshiped skin, wearing a pair of overalls, and missing more than a few teeth while his son, who looked to only be about 12, weighed produce and managed the till.
"You can't beat the quality of fresh produce, the super markets don't really know how to handle the stuff. As long as it looks pretty, if it's tasteless, and awful then that's just what they're looking for! Too many people are okay with that these days I reckon."
I nodded my head in solemn understanding ... my mouth filled with watermelon and seeds I'd been saving up, being unsure if it was okay to spit watermelon seeds in the dirt in Australia.
"I can't say I blame them though, I understand it. It's the way things are going these days. Tons of people buy their produce from grocery stores." He smiled a wide smile, showing just how many teeth he had missing, and rested his hand on the side of dirty overalls. "It's just funny because to hear people tell it, they never buy produce from the grocery stores, but someone's gotta be doing it." He laughed a hoarse laugh that made me think he must be a smoker as he and Liz moved onto happier conversation, discussing the cost of a tray of peaches ($12 for the tray), and we ended up walking away with sugar snap peas, mangoes, avocados, nectarines, apples, and a tray of peaches.
 |
| Kalamunda Market |
They do little pieces on TV here where bakers talk about the superior quality of their bread ($3) over the $1 loaf bread at the grocery store, the love and craftsmanship that goes into every loaf ... but I'm an American ... I can already tell you what's ahead. The consumer loves a good bargain, and it doesn't matter how lovingly you've treated that bread ... in the long run, the majority of consumers are going to choose the $1 bread they can buy while on a diaper run at 9:30 pm. ugh. :(
But, for while it lasts, it's lovely. I genuinely hope that I'm wrong ... that there's something in Australian genetics that will always have people swinging by the bakery so they can buy fresh rolls so they can make a roll for lunch (a sandwich) at home. My fingers are crossed.
 |
| Brumby's one of the chain bakeries around here in Perth |
No comments:
Post a Comment