[Moorf]

It was Spooky who put this thought in my head with the comment that many Asian immigration forums they'd visited had concentrated much on food. Then I thought, there's us lot moaning about the lack of familiar brands from Europe, when perhaps others from countries such as Asia, South America etc were probably having much more of a culture shock when it came to food. And exactly what do South Africans eat everyday - I've often wondered - it can't all be boerwurst! :D

Has it been tough adjusting eating habits here?

[AndyR]

One of my best mates back home used to eat this dried meat stuff. The name u forget but he went crazy for that stuff!

[Moorf]

Is it like beef jerky? Biltong?

[Spooky]

Omigawd this thread is so timely - I was just writing in my itinerary for my recce trip to Auckland:

Day 1 - check out Asian food stalls - see if they have black bean paste, sambal belachan (shrimp-based chilli), kaya (coconut spread) and taucheo (tamarind).

The scenic sights can wait until I explore the food areas :p.

[Moorf]

Hmmm I have sambal ulek in the fridge, and tamarind paste, so you can definitely get that.

I think there was a thread on specialist spice/food shops in Auckland - will search...

[Chiba]

We've found plenty of Japanese ingredients, and what we can't find is small/light enough to come in food parcels. We eat pretty much the same as we did back there, which is a good thing really as it's a pretty healthy diet.

Just found a shop that sells Kimchi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi). Yum. Hooray for Korean immigrants! :)

[AndyR]

Is it like beef jerky? Biltong?

haha thats it! boy that guy loved it! i saw him eat a kilo of it in a 15 minute car drive!

[Chaz]

haha thats it! boy that guy loved it! i saw him eat a kilo of it in a 15 minute car drive!

Its like staple food for South Africans.

That said, on my last trip to SA, admittedly not for good reasons, I hardly ate any of it ....

In Ireland, if you can find it, its expensive and often borderline quality, so I tend to go without.

[peebles16]

We've found plenty of Japanese ingredients, and what we can't find is small/light enough to come in food parcels. We eat pretty much the same as we did back there, which is a good thing really as it's a pretty healthy diet.

Just found a shop that sells Kimchi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi). Yum. Hooray for Korean immigrants! :)

LOVE kimchi and strangely enough first tried it and got hooked in a Korean restaurant in Malawi :) Must try and find it in Christchurch cos am drooling at the thought :yes

Karenx

[Mrs Pony]

I though the food tasted better there... Eggs and milk tasted very different to me!

[Bergita]

Biltong is pretty expensive, so I never had it more than once or twice a month. I've also never been good at cooking boerewors (more OH's department) so we also only had that once or twice a month. I still haven't found a really good sausage here though - you know something that you would eat with mashed potatoes and veg? Any suggestions welcome!

To answer Moorf's question, no, South African's do NOT live on boerewors! I don't think we're too different from anyone else - in a typical week I will cook once with mince (spaghetti bolognaise or cottage pie or lasagna), once with lamb (lamb chops or lamb roast or lamb curry) once with beef (stroganoff or casserole), once with chicken (a bake or a casserole) and then there will be a pasta meal of some sort, a "leftovers" night and a take-out night, which generally I boycott. That's more for my DD's McDonald habit, I'd rather eat practically anything else. :D

Was that too detailed??

[Bergita]

Oh and as for culture shocks - marmite here and marmite in SA are 2 completely different things! And that margarine that's made with olive oil?? Healthier, I suppose, but disgusting! And mayonnaise! The majority of it is sweet, it was my biggest "oh no" moment when it comes to food. Luckily I found a tangy one, funnily enough called Real Mayonnaise.

[willsken]

Biltong?

Ohhh yummy!!! I loved that stuff as a child, when we lived in SA. :yes

[kanatakiwi]

Has it been tough adjusting eating habits here?

I have reallly missed good Greek food and Mexican here, although you can find all the ingredients to make them .
also yes they have black bean paste - you can even get that in New World. I thought NZ does a pretty good job of stocking ingredients for Asian foods, and if you go to those stores along Sandringham road in Auckland you can get most Asian and South Asian ingredients.

[IanW99]

Oh and as for culture shocks - marmite here and marmite in SA are 2 completely different things!...


If you actually like SA marmite then you need to look for "Our Mate" which is what it is called in NZ (marmite in NZ is a different product which is why it doesn't taste the same).

Ian

[Moorf]

To answer Moorf's question, no, South African's do NOT live on boerewors! I don't think we're too different from anyone else - in a typical week I will cook once with mince (spaghetti bolognaise or cottage pie or lasagna), once with lamb (lamb chops or lamb roast or lamb curry) once with beef (stroganoff or casserole), once with chicken (a bake or a casserole) and then there will be a pasta meal of some sort, a "leftovers" night and a take-out night, which generally I boycott.

So practically the same as our household then...

What about a typical week for those from other parts of the world?