I ordered a package of Australian food from Simply Australian in Washington.
Today the food arrived.
Here's what we ordered.
1. Honey Jumble I had never heard of these before, but we decided to try them. That's the first thing Jack wanted to open today. We both had a cookie. You can choose between white frosting and pink. I forgot which we chose. Anyway, they were okay....nothing too exciting. They taste like ginger cookies.
2. Tim Tams (Original, Black Forest Delight, Cookies and Cream) I usually don't go so overboard with Tim Tam purchases. I guess I was in a Tim Tam mood the day we ordered. I was also going to order the honeycomb ones. But I said, never mind. We'll just get honeycomb candy. Then I forgot to order that.
3. Shapes Jack and I love these. My favorites are ones I don't even eat....cheese and bacon. I love the smell. They remind me of the pepperoni sticks I ate as a child. Jack opens the package to eat, and I sniff the bag like it's a drug. Yeah....very sad.
4. Fantales Yeah, they taste like Milk Duds, but Milk Duds fails to tell me what's going on in the celebrity world.
5. Jaffas They remind me of my friend Tracey. I think maybe because she ordered Jaffas ice-cream when we were together.
6. Allen's Party Mix Jack loves all that gummi/jelly stuff.
7. Licorice Bullets I love these. They MIGHT be my favorite Australian food.
8. Milo That's for hot chocolate purposes.
9. Cadbury Special Treats Share Pack That includes twelve candy bars for us to fight over. We'll probably end up splitting them...each taking a bite. It says it comes with a Crunchie. That's a honeycomb thing. So we didn't completely miss out on the honeycomb.
10. Buderim Ginger Bears This is another food I had never heard of before. We've already tried them. I totally love them.
That's it. Please give me your input and insights. Have you eaten all of the above? Which are your favorites? Which do you not like? Do you have any favorite treats that are not on the list? Oh, and fill in the blank: I can't believe Dina did not buy any________. No, you're NOT allowed to say Vegemite.
In other news.....
The other night, Jack brought up the fact that once Tim and I had been on a plane with a celebrity. I guess we had told him about it a long time ago, and he wanted to know more. (It was Christopher Walken, btw) Then Jack reminded me that we had been lucky enough to see the back of Kevin Rudd's head. Yes, that was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. Seriously.
Jack then said something like, Are you sure it wasn't an animatronic Kevin Rudd?
That made us both laugh a lot. The kid has Disney World on his mind.
In other other news.....
We might go on a road trip in a few weeks!! We're all VERY excited. So if I disappear for a few days from this blog, don't assume I've been kidnapped by aliens.
Today the food arrived.
Here's what we ordered.
1. Honey Jumble I had never heard of these before, but we decided to try them. That's the first thing Jack wanted to open today. We both had a cookie. You can choose between white frosting and pink. I forgot which we chose. Anyway, they were okay....nothing too exciting. They taste like ginger cookies.
2. Tim Tams (Original, Black Forest Delight, Cookies and Cream) I usually don't go so overboard with Tim Tam purchases. I guess I was in a Tim Tam mood the day we ordered. I was also going to order the honeycomb ones. But I said, never mind. We'll just get honeycomb candy. Then I forgot to order that.
3. Shapes Jack and I love these. My favorites are ones I don't even eat....cheese and bacon. I love the smell. They remind me of the pepperoni sticks I ate as a child. Jack opens the package to eat, and I sniff the bag like it's a drug. Yeah....very sad.
4. Fantales Yeah, they taste like Milk Duds, but Milk Duds fails to tell me what's going on in the celebrity world.
5. Jaffas They remind me of my friend Tracey. I think maybe because she ordered Jaffas ice-cream when we were together.
6. Allen's Party Mix Jack loves all that gummi/jelly stuff.
7. Licorice Bullets I love these. They MIGHT be my favorite Australian food.
8. Milo That's for hot chocolate purposes.
9. Cadbury Special Treats Share Pack That includes twelve candy bars for us to fight over. We'll probably end up splitting them...each taking a bite. It says it comes with a Crunchie. That's a honeycomb thing. So we didn't completely miss out on the honeycomb.
10. Buderim Ginger Bears This is another food I had never heard of before. We've already tried them. I totally love them.
That's it. Please give me your input and insights. Have you eaten all of the above? Which are your favorites? Which do you not like? Do you have any favorite treats that are not on the list? Oh, and fill in the blank: I can't believe Dina did not buy any________. No, you're NOT allowed to say Vegemite.
In other news.....
The other night, Jack brought up the fact that once Tim and I had been on a plane with a celebrity. I guess we had told him about it a long time ago, and he wanted to know more. (It was Christopher Walken, btw) Then Jack reminded me that we had been lucky enough to see the back of Kevin Rudd's head. Yes, that was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. Seriously.
Jack then said something like, Are you sure it wasn't an animatronic Kevin Rudd?
That made us both laugh a lot. The kid has Disney World on his mind.
In other other news.....
We might go on a road trip in a few weeks!! We're all VERY excited. So if I disappear for a few days from this blog, don't assume I've been kidnapped by aliens.
Read my novel: The Dead are Online
I don't think #3 is sad.
ReplyDeleteyou like licorice? that's black licorice, right? I don't like that stuff. The red stuff is fine, though. =D
Sorry, I'm not a connoisseuse of Australian cuisine. sounds like fun, though =)
Hi Dina,
ReplyDeleteI like everything you bought except the Licorice Bullets (dont like licorice) and Honey Jumbles (i think they are ginger bread thats why i dont like them). Jaffa's and Fantales remind me of going to the movies as this where you would always buy them
I put together a list of my favourite foods from the list that you haven't got up there Mint Slice, Monte's, any flavoured shapes, Jatz (great with dips or with cheese and deli meats), Bundaberg Lemon, Lime and Bitters (not sure if you have this in the US but it is very refreshing), Weetbix, Crumpets, i like Dilmah (i think it is Sri Lankan) and Madura Tea and i LOVE chicken salt on hot chips.
Of the lollies Clinkers, Columbines, Fruit Bon Bons (reminds me of Christmas), Jubes, Eucalyptus Drops, Red Skins, KIller Pythons, Life Savers Blackcurrent Pastilles, Fruit Tingles, Summer Rolls, White Knights, Peppermint Patties, Chokito Bars, Twirls, Flakes, Crunchies, Caramello Koala, and my favourite chips aren't there, Toobs, but i do like Twisties cheese or chicken.
Just thought i would let you know also that Scalliwags (a chocolate biscuit in the shape of a man with an afro) use to be called Golliwogs when i was a kid but thank god they changed that name.
Hope you enjoy the goodies
My Grandma got my sister onto Honey Jumbles who then told me about them. I was a bit "eh" about them. Tim Tams are an evil I used to send my husband when he was in the marines, he used to give them out to everyone but I only showed him how to eat them once he was here. My son loves shapes too. And Chicken in a biscuit. Fantales get stuck to my teeth and I hate that. Jaffa's though, I'm a total choc orange kind of girl. My husband hates choc orange and complains everytime about it. And I love bullets. I really missed milo when I lived in the USA for a year. Milo and pumpkin soup or roast pumpkin with gravy (not weird white american gravy with things called biscuits that look more like scones). Buderim is a nice place but I haven't eaten their Ginger bears yet.
ReplyDeleteI can't really suggest anything new because my favourite foods are fresh foods. Like strawberries and lychees. And I seem to be going through a real asparagus phase lately.
HappyOrganist: You're right. Maybe it's not sad. I should be happy that I receive pleasure from inhaling meat flavored snack chips. I love black licorice. I think it runs in my family. My parents and my sisters all like black licorice.
ReplyDeleteMatt: So, you're another one who doesn't like licorice. Tim and Jack (and Happy Organist above) aren't fans either.
Yeah. I can imagine Jaffas and Fantales as movie food...more the Jaffas though. I'm wondering if unwrapping the Fantales would make too much noise.
I'm going to look up all the foods you named.
Mint Slice-I don't think I've had that. It's probably like our Thin Mints Girl Scout Cookies.
Montes-Simply Australian says it's popular among men. Maybe I'll get in touch with my masculine side and order some one day. Oh! It has coconut. That sounds good.
Shapes-I love them all too, but I don't eat the meat flavored ones.
Jatz-looks like a typical cracker. I wonder if it would be like our Ritz? Saltine? I'll have to taste it one day and see.
Bundaberg-sounds GOOD. I don't think it's readily available here, although I could order it from the website.
Weetbix-I've had those and like it. But I like the flavored mini ones even more...the ones with bits of fruit inside.
Dilmah-Is that a tea?
Chicken salt- I've never heard of that. It sounds interesting. I bet Tim and Jack would like it.
I never heard the term Golliwog until now. At least I've not heard it enough to remember it's offensive. But yeah. Good that they changed the name.
What do Toobs taste like?
Clinkers-I think we ordered those last time. I can't remember if I liked them or not.
Jubes-looks like a candy we call Dots...maybe?
Lifesavers: We have those, but not the musk flavor.
White Knight-What does that taste like?
I just remembered I forgot to order my other favorite! Curly Wurly. Although we bought one at Epcot recently, so it's fine.
Anyway, I WAS going to look at everything you mentioned, but you sure do have a lot of favorites.
Lol, i do have a lot of favourites dont i, sorry i got a little carried away. I don't really eat most of them any more so they mainly bring back memories of when i was a kid.
ReplyDeleteToobs- i really don't know how to describe them they have a taste all to themselves but i would say they have a tangy flavour
Mint slices- Yeah i would say it is probably the same thing, its a chocolate biscuit with mint cream on top and coated in dark chocolate
Jatz- i would say it is the same as Ritz
Dilmah- yes that is Tea
Jubes- yes they look like Dots (had to look them up) but they have sugar coating on the outside as well
White Knights - I use to love these as a kid but they are hard to find now days. It is sort of like chewy mint (Minties but nowhere near as strong) covered in chocolate
Amy Michelle: My teeth got stuck on a Fantale today. But I was able to rescue myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to find someone else who likes the bullets.
I like strawberries and lychees. Asparagus...okay, but it annoys me when my pee smells weird.
As for pumpkin soup...It's funny. Sometimes we'll think of making Australian food for a meal. We try to think of what to make. Pumpkin and lamb usually comes to mind. And then...Thai food. To me, Australian food (as in mealtime stuff) is Thai food. Oh yeah. I forgot meat pies. That would work as well.
Matt: I think I should have asked you what is NOT your favorite, lol.
The Jubes and White Knights sound good. Maybe I'll try them next time.
I'll prefer to think you've been kidnapped by Austrians. I highly recommend Wagon Wheels made by Westons, I think, but I'm not sure if they're only Australian. They are yummy though (and quite addictive - I can tell you that from experience). They're a chocolate covered biscuit with a jammy/marshmellowy filling (but not runny jam - sort of congealed; it tastes much better than that sounds). Actually, having now Googled them, it appears from Wiki that they may not be well known in the US but are available in the UK and Canada as well. The Weston family lived in Australia and the UK.
ReplyDeleteJust to translate into American, when I said biscuit I meant cookie. And I might have to dob on you to the Peter Singer fan club for your bacon addiction. And finally, in the old days, when many cinemas didn't have carpet, kids used to love to roll their jaffas down the aisle (to annoy people, I guess - now some of us just comment on blogs).
ReplyDeleteMartin,
ReplyDeleteI actually HAVE had wagon wheels before. Someone recommended them to us in Australia, so we rushed to buy them. They are yummy. I'm glad I had them before, because after reading your description (congealed!) I'd probably avoid them.
lol about the Austrians. I totally forgot that line about the aliens, so I was confused at first. I thought you were trying to say you'd rather me be kidnapped by Austrians than eat Australian food. I was thinking, what does THAT mean?
I think I'm safe with Peter Singer. I haven't given into temptation yet. I often have this feeling that one day I'm just going to totally forgot and grab a piece of steak off Jack's plate. You know, like when I'm cutting his food for him. It hasn't happened yet. I did MAYBE accidentally eat a piece of chicken...I picked up the wrong pizza. And I ate a larvae a few weeks ago. I have a feeling Singer would be okay with the Larvae. Maybe?
I was trying to figure out how rolling candy would be annoying...but then I read your sentence again. Ah, no carpets...
So is that how you had your fun?
And I LOVE your so-called "annoying" comments. Even the ones that refer to congealed jelly.
I have eaten all except Honey Jumbles which I have never heard of. My partner just broke a tooth on a Liquorice Allsort.
ReplyDeleteDo lolly gobble bliss bombs still exist? They seemed fairly unique. Honey Jumbles was also one I've never heard of. My teeth are so brittle at this point in my life they break on anything. We are now losing the pollywaffle but that's probably no great loss.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Ouch. Is okay? Would it be insensitive for me to say I love Licorice Allsorts?
ReplyDeleteMartin: Maybe Honey Jumbles are new...or very unpopular. They're not terribly exciting. And they taste more like ginger than honey.
What is lolly gobble bliss bombs? Those sound VERY exciting? Maybe I can find a photo.
Oh...okay. It sounds like our Cracker Jacks.
So sad about the Pollywaffle. I might have had one before. I can't remember. I don't know if Australia is like this, but America has been really into nostalgic candy the last several years. All these old candies get resurrected. There are even websites where you can order little gift boxes from various decades.
nom nom nom...
ReplyDeleteIt's quite fun browsing around the ozfoods website, seeing products I've not thought about in years, and with surprising regularity exclaiming "Oh, yeah!" and "Yum!"
Some recommendations:
Biscuits:
Venetian, Full o' Fruit, Spicy Fruit Roll.
Lollies, Chocolate and Bars:
White Knight, Golden Rough, Mint Pattie, Kool Fruits, Strawberries and Cream (Allens, not Black & Gold. Avoid any Black & Gold product, actually.), Fizz Sherbies, Cherry Ripe, Flake, Black Forest.
Hungry...
...nom nom nom.
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions. I think we're going to order a new shipment in February. We have to do it before it gets warm. Otherwise, we have to pay extra for ice packs and all that.
I'm definitely going to come back here, and use the comments for inspiration.
So, what's wrong with Black and Gold? I've usually liked what I've eaten from them. Is it a quality issue, or is there some political thing? I went and looked up where each company comes from. From what I see, Black and Gold is owned by IGA. Allens is Nestle. Nestle is fairly evil. I should boycott it, but I don't...especially when ordering Australia food.
We did get Black and Gold licorice bullets, and they weren't that good this time. I think it's because they were old, or got too cold. I remember getting them while in Australia, and they were good.
The Black Forest stuff looks really good.....
B&G are generic, so the quality of ingredients isn't always as good, or ratio of ingredients is different which affects the quality of the final product. It's a matter of personal preference, really. For some people it doesn't matter, for others it does. I'm one of the people for whom it matters.
ReplyDeleteStephen,
ReplyDeleteYeah. We eat a lot of generic/store brand stuff. If we can tell a difference, and it's not a good difference, we'll go back to using the name brand stuff. But sometimes I think the generic stuff tastes fine. I agree though. It's a matter of preference.