Vegemite on the Barbie: Sydney at a Glance

Here comes the sun.
Mandatory "view from the airplane" picture. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

Something about Australia has always intrigued me.  Perhaps it’s the grizzled-but-gentlemanly way the countrymen have been portrayed in movies like Crocodile Dundee. Australia seemed to me to be a man’s man’s paradise, brimming with dusty outback to be gazed upon with a Clint Eastwood stare and conquered; a land in which I might shave a sheep in the middle of the street and eat it raw before tipping my 10 gallon hat to a passing sheila.  The country certainly caters to my raw, outdoorsy, pseudo-macho side, honed after years of crafting survival huts out of sticks, neckerchiefs and sweat in the Boy Scouts.

Or maybe I was pulled in by the way Outback Steakhouse depicts Australia: as a happy-go-lucky, “Let’s share us a bloomin’ onion, mate!” sort of place, where affable kangaroos join you around the campfire for a rousing rendition of “Waltzing Matilda” before bringing you a cold beer and tucking you into bed. Either way, I’ve always had an itching desire to visit the land down under, so this semester I’m living the dream.

One of my goals over the coming months is to see past the stereotypes, to remove the tinted lenses from my eyes and gain a more genuine understanding of the culture. Just as there’s more to America than McDonald’s and 50 Cent, there’s more to Australia than Vegemite and “shrimp on the barbie.”  It’s easy to think that because Australians speak the same basic language as us, they’re really not all that different – as one might think about Canada.  This simply can’t be true.  As with any foreign culture, especially one halfway around the world, there will be wrinkles and layers never considered, things obvious and rudimentary to Australians that would make an American raise an eyebrow.  These differences, though intricate, represent broader philosophical gaps between cultures, and may serve to illuminate ideas that, for an American, had long lived in the dark.  So with that, I must ask a question I will spend the coming semester attempting to answer: what is it exactly that makes Australia Australia?

* * *

It’s not often I watch an instructional safety video and expect to gain anything besides how to avoid getting myself killed or what bad haircuts people had in the ’90s, but the Qantas Airlines video on the plane to Sydney was an exception.  For the most part, the video was not in any way notable, but the first sentence spoken after “Welcome to Qantas Airlines, the kangaroo of the skies!” or whatever their slogan may be, was quite revealing.  I can’t quote it verbatim—after an initial six hour flight to Los Angeles and a 12 hour layover, my memory tends to get a bit strung out—however, the gist of it was, “We know you know how to put on a seatbelt, but please pay attention because the rest of this information could save your life.”

I thought this was telling because it caters to an independent mindset with just a dash of sarcasm.  The quip indicates that Australians are inclined to react to those who think they’re above the rules with a bit of friendly disdain. As I’ve come to learn, Australians are indeed the first to point out if you’re doing something stupid and will respond to it with amicable mockery.

Humor is generally more developed in Australia.  I mean not that it’s more intellectually developed, but that Australians seem to by and large have a good sense of humor more often than their American counterparts.  A friend of mine dropped a wine bottle on the street a few days ago, shattering it. Several passersby deadpanned over the tragedy of the event, much to my chuckling.  In America, I imagine one person perhaps would have commented—likely with direct, sincere sympathy, not the humorized type—but most Americans would have walked right past without a second glance (though in Allston, I estimate someone would have broken a bottle right back at us because that is the native greeting ritual).

The wine incident clues me in to another Australian wrinkle—friendliness.  Australians aren’t afraid to make friends with strangers. They love to chat and have a drink. I’ve been here a week, and it seems every time I go out, I get multiple Australians’ numbers. I am not a very sociable person when it comes to strangers.  Meeting new people is difficult for me.  I’m fairly certain most people I meet think I hate them because I’m so shy.  And yet, soon the Australians in my contact list will actually outnumber the Americans, which is pretty incredible.

But it’s actually not that incredible.  I’m bound to meet quite a few people during my semester here—Sydney is a city of four million.  And it’s quite a neat city at that, though I haven’t yet seen much more than the more touristy areas.  The city manages to feel intimate, though it’s sprawling.  The Harbour Bridge is overpowering.  The Opera House is as perfect and iconic as you’d expect it to be—instantly recognizable, the Eiffel Tower of the southern hemisphere.  Sydney is very cosmopolitan because of Australia’s high immigrant population, which gives it a sort of diverse flair. The food options are just as diverse.

While we’re on the topic of food: I’ve done it.  I’ve tried the infamous paste known as Vegemite. I’ve carved it from the depths of its intimidating yellow-labeled jar and ingested it through my mouth. And guess what?  I want more.

Before you gag on your own vomit at the thought, I just wish to say that I can see how Vegemite might turn some off if consumed incorrectly.  You can’t use too much.  I’ve asked several Australians the proper method, and it’s pretty simple.  Make buttered toast.  Put a thin—thin—layer of the stuff on top.  I did just that and it was delicious.  Salty and savory.  I could go for some right now, actually.

* * *

Awesome Australian Thing of the Week:

In this space, I’ll be putting something terrifically Australian that I discover each week.  This week’s winner comes in the form of a headline from the Sydney Morning Herald; one that, I might add, is silly in a vaguely British sort of way:

“Wilkie has a bob each way on controversial pokie changes.”

“Pokies” are slot machines.  Some in Australia have made calls for sweeping gambling reform.

Runner Up:

There’s a dumpling place down the street from the Boston University Sydney Centre called “Bling Bling Dumpling.”  In it’s front window, it displays dumplings placed carefully among giant fake diamonds and a large stuffed Pikachu.  I haven’t eaten here yet, but inside looks very sparkly.  This is more Asian than Australian, but it deserves a mention simply for existing.

 * * *

Photos

Each week I’ll post some photos I’ve taken.

flag
The Australian flag hangs near Darling Harbour. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

 

The Sydney Opera House and imposing Harbour Bridge. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

 

Harbour Boats
Boats in the Sydney Harbour, with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

 

Birds!
A collection of pigeons and ibis congregate in Hyde Park. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

 

Street Performer
A street performer balances a spinning wheel on his head in downtown Sydney. | Photo by Noah Eberhart.

Final note: I just want to make it known that the elevators in our building bear the company name, “Schindler.”  In Australia, as in Britain, elevators are called “lifts.”  So, somewhere out there may be a company known as… “Schindler’s Lifts.”

About Noah Eberhart

Noah is a junior at Boston University. He is an Eagle Scout, has worked on a Tyler Perry movie, and requires water and a varied supply of vitamins and minerals to survive.

View all posts by Noah Eberhart →

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