Australian Hamburgers, Lamingtons, Meat Pies, and Other Foods

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As I was inhaling another of many Australian hamburgers the other day, I realized I was eating a burger that nobody in North America (and other places for that matter) had ever seen the likes of.

In explaining to some folks at home in Canada how Australians prefer to eat their burgers, the awed silence on the other end of the line was indicative of just how unique these burgers are.

See also: Canadian versus Australian coins

Which made me realize that in addition to Australian hamburgers, there are a number of foodstuffs (mmmm…food: one of my favourite topics) that are relatively unique to this spot in the world, which are worth sharing.

This post was originally published in 2009. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

Australian Hamburgers: “With The Lot”

Australian hamburger with the lot

First of all, the burgers. Australian hamburgers here are called a β€œBurger With The Lot”. At home in Canada we call it β€œthe works”; here, it is β€œthe lot”.

And so it should go by a different name, because the toppings are also completely different.

β€œThe works” in Canada is usually lettuce, tomato, mayo, relish, ketchup (irreverently called β€œtomato sauce” in Australia), mustard, and pickles.

β€œThe lot” in Australia is lettuce, mayo, sliced beetroot, sliced pineapple, a fried egg, bacon, and a dash of tomato or barbecue sauce.

Variations on this theme are rampant, but those are the basic delectable ingredients. And if you think pineapple or beetroot is strange, try it.  (shudder, mouth watering, shakes starting)

Lamingtons

An Australian baked good that I learned about in Cairns, Lamingtons are pretty delicious. Basically it is a sponge cake covered on all sides with a thin layer of chocolate icing (variations on this theme include strawberry icing), and dusted in shredded coconut.  (shudder, sugar fit, shakes deepening)

Meat Pies

No trip to Australia is complete without savouring their delicious meat pies. This single serving pie is a typical lunch or snack for many an Aussie (and at about $3 it won’t break the bank), as they can be purchased warm from most bakeries (another common – and welcome – Australian phenomenon).

A typical meat pie filling is a fairly plain minced beef mixture, but most bakeries have no less than five different varieties of pies. My favourites to date include chicken & leek, lamb & rosemary, and veggie pasties (similar to meat pies). Mini quiches also tend to reside with the pies and pasties: spinach and cheese by far being my favourite.  (shudder, fits of hunger-induced panic)

Dim Sims

Originally I thought this was a typo. β€œThey must mean Dim SUM,” I thought, thinking of the scrumptious Chinese dumplings that Aussies actually refer to as β€œYum Cha”. But after seeing more and more β€œtypos”, I realized that maybe they are referring to something different.

Dim Sims are available almost everywhere, from burger joints, to bakeries and even some convenience stores. They come typically deep fried, but are also increasingly available steamed as well.

And Dim Sims are actually quite similar to Dim Sum – they are meat dumplings in flour wrappers. The exact contents of the inside of a dim sim remain a mystery, as nobody has yet to be able to actually identify all the ingredients for me. It seems that a mixture of meat (pork and chicken being the most common and likely) with cabbage, β€œfiller”, and spices are the closest approximation.

Although I am a huge fan of Dim SUM (known as Yum Cha here), Dim Sims surprisingly did not capture me the way I thought they would. The taste is generally bland, and there is an ingredient I can’t quite put my finger on that makes my mouth twist into odd shapes when I eat it. Each time I try one I figure it will be different – that the last one I tasted was off – but I always end up miserably choking it back by the end. Copious amounts of sauce makes said choking back a little more palatable. (shudder – just plain shudder)

Pavlova

This delicious dessert is common in Australia, and a staple on any dessert buffet table. Although you can get pre-made bases in the grocery store, I doubt they even come close to the deliciousness of a homemade version.

Pavlova is a meringue base – but not crunchy meringue; instead it has a crunchy crust, and a soft fluffy almost cheesecake-like texture inside. Top the base off with cream (and not the milk-like stuff you get in North America – real, thick, clog-your-arteries-with-joy cream) and fresh fruit like kiwi, strawberries, and passion fruit, and you have a dessert to write home about. (good thing I’m writing home about it)

Lamb

Although lamb is not an Aussie-specific food, its popularity sure is. Lamb tends to be the meat of choice in Australia, and is a favourite at ever-popular Aussie BBQs. Although I was a fairweather fan of lamb prior to coming here (it tasted too gamey to me if it wasn’t drowned in mint sauce), I have certainly become enamoured with it here. It is tender, flavourful, and surprisingly bereft of the gamey taste. (mmmm….meat….stomach does back flips for joy)

Australia falls under British influence quite profoundly, especially in the realm of food. So, many things I have mentioned above may have roots in the UK – I don’t specifically know. Some of the delicious desserts rampant around Christmas time (eg: mince pies – shudder, salivate, fall into diabetic coma) provide an obvious link to β€œthe homeland”, while others are interesting variations on international dishes.

The Dairy section of a grocery store is where I notice some of the biggest culinary differences. From sour cream that is almost as thick as butter and comes in a mini milk carton, to just plain cream – starting at a respectable 45% milk fat and available in varying degrees of thickness, I can spend hours puzzling over the variety of heart-attack-inducing dairy products available.

But I know I have only scratched the surface on foods that are characteristically Australian. Now you tell me: What have I missed?

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42 thoughts on “Australian Hamburgers, Lamingtons, Meat Pies, and Other Foods”

  1. You haven’t tried cooking any kangaroo yet? They have nice marinated roasts at coles, and also sometimes kangaroo steak.
    Maybe not for you if you don’t like gaminess – i think it tastes a bit like venison.

    Also, if (when?) you get to South Australia, they do pie floaters. Meat pie in pea soup. I don’t get it, but it’s probably worth trying.
    Oh, and in the same place you get your dim sims, try the chicko rolls. They are really nothing like a spring roll, and i don’t believe they actually contain chicken, but they’re a lot better than dim sims.

    Reply
  2. @Kazari – Of course! Pie Floaters! Although I haven’t tried one, its reputation preceeds itself. I’m game for the first pie floater I encounter on a menu.

    As for kangaroo, I have indeed tried it, and despite my love for those cute furry creatures – I like it! Another great mention.

    And I’ve seen chicko rolls, but only from afar. If they don’t have chicken, what DO they have in them?

    @NomadicMatt – amen to that! The smallest version of a burger with the lot at a local establishment is more than I can get my mouth around, and it always ends up in sloppy pieces on my plate/face/lap/floor. The burgers only get bigger from there….their triple layered one is atrociously (and unrealistically) epic.

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  3. The best (and healthiest) food I had in Australia was the ubiquitous Chicken Kabob. I found that on any “restaurant” street in Oz, there will always be at least one fast-foodish place that specializes in kabobs; and it is always delicious.

    I shouldn’t have written this: I’m now jonesing for a nice warm kabob wrap, and there aint no place I know of here in Middle America that can satisfy that hunger.

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  4. Could this be… THE INFAMOUS BUXTON BURGER!? Woohoo! This thing was the first time in YEARS I couldn’t finish what was on my plate. Awesome.

    Have you tried emu meat as well? I thought it’d be like a huge chicken (I’ve got a simple mind…), but it’s actually red and tender and delicious!

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  5. Yummm…I LOVE the beetroot on the burger! I would argue though that the “Works” at home usually includes bacon too…but definitely not egg and pineapple.

    You can chuck in TimTams here…I think they’re pretty gross (overly sweet), but will eat them when in a sweet-tooth bind (and when offered for free) – but Aussies love ’em. I’ve been told a great way to eat them is with a cup of coffee…you drink the coffee THROUGH the TimTam and it dissolves in your mouth. There’s actually a name for this, but it escapes me…I’m sure an Aussie reader can name it.

    Also, the breakfasts (brekkies) – the standard Aussie brekkie is similar to a Canadian one…bacon, eggs, toast…but then they always have a grilled half-tomato and button mushrooms. And beans.

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  6. @ToothbrushNomads – sadly, this isn’t the Buxton Burger pictured, but it looks pretty similar! And although I may have had emu years ago, it’s worth another try. I haven’t seen it much (if at all) in Oz.

    @JakeT – mental note: become addicted to Chicken Kebabs before the year is out. Yum!

    @Carlo – Tim Tams: good one! How could I forget them? And the name of the Tim Tams & coffee concoction is called a “Tim Tam Shooter” (or something like that). Bite off a bit from each corner and suck the hot beverage through the cookie diagonally.
    Although I find stuffing an entire Tim Tam in my mouth because it is imminently turning into unidentifiable mush to be a little much, I know people who swear by it!

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  7. Burger With The Lot indeed.

    The lot of cholesterol, the lot of saturated fat, the lot of coronary artery clogging,…

    Anyone for a tofu patty on dry wheat toast?

    Hmmm, no? How about a nice, thick Kobe beef burger, with the works then?

    Yum.

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  8. @theprofessionalhobbo – yes, emu is not what you’d call mainstream. I only remember seeing it for sale in Adelaide’s Central Market & tasted it at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna (SA).

    We referred to the Tim Tam Shooter as the Tim Tam Slam in my neck of the woods. Could very well be a zillion slang terms for that practice =D So messy… I decided to stick to the old dipping technique, much easier, just as good πŸ˜€ !

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  9. Ooh. The burger reminds me of my visit to Christchurch, NZ. I stayed at the YMCA, and the cafe guy whipped up a similar burger (fully vegetarian). I could not imagine such a yummy vegetarian burger. (The veggie burgers in the US are one letuce between two buns .. yes the ham/beef/chicken had just been removed !!).

    The veggie burger had beetroot, lettuce, onions, ketchup, mayo, sprouts, and get this – a fried patty – made of pumpkin !!!

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  10. As an Aussie now trying to make her way in the USA, what I miss most about home is the food. I am lucky I get shipped regular supplies of Vegemite for my morning toast (that is very definitely a taste acquired in childhood my American husband looks slightly queasy every time he sees me eating it).

    I also get Tim Tams sent to me by old friends so i can do a Tim Tam shooter from time to time.

    I do miss vanilla slices or as they are so eloquently nick named “Snot Blocks” (because of the texture) and caramello koalas. And as loyal South Australian I have Farmers Union Iced Coffee flowing in my veins, and find that I miss my daily hit of Iced Coffee on the way to work (though the Burger Kings Mocha comes reasonably close).

    I miss real cream more than I can say, so thick you can spoon it from the tub 100% cream (not some weird dairy like fake cream product) on the first strawberries of the season is to die for.

    Cucumber and brown vinegar sandwiches on fresh white bread with lots of butter like my mum makes. Oh and decent bread. How I miss decent bread. I am in Mid Western USA and I cannot find a loaf of fresh baked bread or one that is not sweetened so much it tastes like something you should have for dessert. What I would give for a nice crunch crusty loaf of still warm from the oven bread smothered in real butter. Or a Balfours meat pie or a gourmet pie from the local bakery.

    I also miss lamb that doesn’t taste so gamey, but tastes sweet and tender. I can get lamb over here, but its so expensive and it tastes different, maybe its aged in shipping or something. But a nice tender rack of lamb with roast spuds and yorkshire puddings and gravy.

    OK this post went on longer than I meant, I should know better than to write about food just before lunch time.

    Reply
    • @Samantha – Stop! Stop! You’re making me hungry! I too, LOVE the lamb here (it’s too gamey in North America), and the cream – real cream. Not whipped cream from a can or Coolwhip from the freezer – cream: pure unadulterated thick artery-clogging cream. Dessert just won’t be the same without it!

      Reply
    • You can satisfy the urge for Tim Tams at Cost Plus, they also have Golden Syrup (English brand), also aussieproducts.com in San Jose, CA. has a bunch of stuff from home.

      Reply
  11. On my first day in Dallas last year I was introduced to “biscuits” and “gravy” with bacon and eggs for breakfast. My son had tried to explain…but how can you??
    ” Biscuits” we would call scones without the sugar and “gravy” is white sauce. I thought “yuk”!! However must have been all right as had two….but don’t ever want to again!
    No wonder Texans are obese!!
    I wondered why the cream I bought for the pav I made was disappointing. Thanks to you Samantha I now know why. Oh..and I couldn’t buy a leg of lamb but maybe just as well from what you say.
    Oh well….all of that is what makes travelling fun and interesting and makes coming home palatable!!
    I loooove their ribs and baked potatoes. The best was in Seattle!! They must have bigger cows or pigs than we do! The potato
    was to die for!!
    Jo

    Reply
    • @Jo:
      Don’t you love trying new and “strange” foods? It’s one of the things I love about travel: celebrating our differences.

      Reply
  12. I cringe in horror at that hamburger of yours. Bad enough to combine meet with pineapple (I like pineapple, but would no sooner eat it with meat than I would with strawberries), but to include BEETS with it??? GAG! Puttinging that satanic root on a burger makes me want to heave! And then, to take excess to the extreme, A FRIED EGG??!!! My god, why not just slap on some ice cream and kimchi and peanuts and sardines while you’re at it?

    You’re “burger with the lot” takes the prize for the worst culinary abomination I have ever run across! No wonder you Aussies are a gastronomic laughing stock of the world, along with your bland British ancestors. I guess the (rotten) apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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  13. @Alan – Ha Ha! Well, to each his own, I guess. But please….PLEASE….before you leave such harsh comments on a blog, you may want to do a little fact checking….I’m not Aussie despite your inference that I am.
    But on behalf of Aussies who will take offense to your remark, I’ll bet you any amount of money that I can find an equally disgusting-sounding food from your country/culture that actually tastes good if you give it a chance.

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  14. As a skinny and healthy Canadian I can attest that this is a good burger. I agree it sounds horrible, but you might surprise yourself. Beetroot is actually really good on burgers and sandwiches.

    I’ve never seen such an angry, hate-filled comment about food before.

    Curious, where are you from Alan?

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  15. @Carlo – Thanks for the props! There’s a place in Ottawa (Canada) called “The Works”, that features burgers with really strange topping combos – but which taste amazing! So I guess the burger with the lot didn’t seem so odd to me after that experience….it’s also quite prevalent in Asia I noticed.

    So in the mystery of Alan’s home country, I think we can now rule out Australia, NZ, Britain, and most of Asia.

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  16. @Carlo – funny pizza article! (Although Tom never actually identifies what makes a GOOD pizza….he just trashes the kinds he didn’t like).
    And I’ll have to categorically disagree with him that feta, onions, and greens DO in fact make for a great pizza.
    But then again….as I think we’re all discovering…..different strokes for different folks….! πŸ™‚

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  17. A lot of the Aussie cuisine reminded me of the British culinary influence in Canada, pre-1970s. Roast something with potatoes and two vegetables. I just could not get into the egg on burger thing, so ordered my burgers w/o the egg. The beetroot was okay, though.

    I found the restaurants to be fairly expensive – especially those in Sydney. The best value was the $10 buffet at the casino in Melbourne.

    Most memorable meal was the flavourful Thai salad at a coastal restaurant on the way to see the Twelve Apostles. The bus stopped at one of the smaller towns – sorry, can’t remember the name of the town or restaurant. The bus also stopped for a bon fide bush tea with lammingtons. The lammingtons didn’t look like much, but they are good when washed down with a cuppa.

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  18. @Dorothy – I recognize now that “Meat ‘n’ 3 veg” is of the British influence, but didn’t know that it extended to Canada. However Canada also being a commonwealth country, I’m not surprised.

    And I too, got sticker shock with the prices of food in Australia…I found New Zealand to be refreshingly cheap in comparison, and Spain (despite converting Canadian dollars to the Euro) is quite reasonable too.

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  19. Good stuff! I went to Britain this summer and had some afternoon tea with scones , and it was absolutely delicious I thought I’d make my own last week. I might have deviated from the norm though – I found a site full of random scone recipes here and made 4 different kinds! My friends were so happy when I invited them round for tea and scones. Terrific fun!

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  20. @Antony – Yum! I too got to experience scones in Britain, at a very special place in York no less (Betty’s Tea Rooms). I love love love scones! (Possibly a little too much for my own good).

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  21. Funny reading all this. I’ve just arrived in Seattle (from Oz) for a couple of years and was searching where to buy lamingtons here (they want me to bring lamingtons to work for Aust day) and came across this post. It’s funny and interesting reading Dorothy’s and Allan’s comments. The traditional aussie food is pretty bland (meat and two veg etc) and after being in the US for a few weeks and having visited a few times before I can see why it would be thought as such. Food is drowned in so much sauce/dressing here. It’s full on.

    I used to always try to cook flavour filled meals at home, infused with Asian or European influences and all that modern food blah. And don’t get me wrong I still love all that stuff. But over time I realised how much I liked the taste of vegies on their own. With no sauce and no butter, broccoli tastes great! As does sweet potato and carrots or green beans. So a nice rack of lamb (or slab of steak) along with some roast carrots and sweet spuds and steamed brocc with no sauce just the raw flavours of the ingredients….man I love it! But for now, the food of the US beckons. Should be fun!

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  22. @BennO – Heh heh; I guess it’s all your frame of reference! I agree that simple flavours taste great, but then again I contradict myself by also liking (or rather, loving!) spicy foods. Hot sauce is my friend…

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  23. I’m with you tho, one of the best things about food in Oz is all the Thai and Vietnamese. Well not all of it, some restaurants are pretty ordinary but you can find some really good places. And the availability of key (tho potentially obscure) ingredients like galangal means you can cook pretty much every south east Asian dish at home from scratch. Hopefully Asian groceries are available here too cos I’ll miss that if it’s not.

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  24. @BennO – I can’t speak for all areas of the States, but I certainly know that in major urban centres in Canada (and many of the cities I’ve been to in the US) there’s always an asian grocery store where you can get those awesome ingredients – an inexpensively no less! Enjoy the search…sometimes that’s half the fun!

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  25. As an australian stranded/studying in the middle of Iowa I can attest the to gastronomic abominations of this country.
    I can also say that Australia is in fact reknowned for producing some of the best chefs and restaurants in the world – in fact there is one American quite enamoured with such an Australian chef, you may have heard of Oprah and Curtis Stone.
    Australian food is reflective of our muticultural society… rather than the American melting pot (or its culinary equivalent: deep fryer) so an average Australian family is as likely to serve up Malaysian Laksa, Indian Vindaloo, Hungarian Goulash, Middle Eastern lamb Kebabs as it is to serve meat and 3 veg or roast lamb. If you ask any Australian you will find that they have a very well developed palate and do not need added sugar, corn syrup, fats or colourings to make food more appealing.
    I can safely say that the biggest thing that I miss from home is a proper cafe with an acutal barista working a coffee machine, saucepan /properly poached eggs with fresh sourdough bread and wilted spinach with a side of homemade hollandaise. What I would do for an Australian coffee and breaky…
    But I must say that the mexican food and take away pizza superior to that of the “take away” style available in Australia – although I don’t know that it competes with a genuine Italian restaurant/pizzeria or Mexican restaurant in Australia, the fastfood stuff taste much better than out own Pizza Hut or Dominoes.
    So yes definitely different strokes for different folks, but there are indeed cultural influences in Australian food take make it so delicious and unique – just like our society.

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  26. @Elsie – The Aussies certainly do have the upper hand on America when it comes to well-made coffee and beautiful eggs hollandaise! Thanks for your input…very well said on every front. Cheers!

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  27. Just stopped by to see if this was still going.

    I dunno Elsie, I think the seppoes have it all over us on the simple food front. Sure there’s the level of stuff that is all corn syrup and sweet etc but you can get away from it pretty easily and I’ve been eating pretty well since i got here (seattle). The cafe food is as good as home too I think (salads and sangas etc). Also very good produce here, and much of it organic.

    As for the coffee, here in Seattle it’s as good or close to as good as home. It seems to come from a slightly different roasting profile or blend of beans, I think because of the national emphasis on drip (ironically it’s not as sweet as our espresso in Oz), but it’s still pretty nice.

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  28. Oh and by the way hobo, I did find the part of town with asian groceries. It’s was amazingly like being at home again…all the same stuff! I got all I needed except for coriander root. The bunches of coriander (or cilantro) are sold with the roots chopped off. Weird. All the shop keepers agreed it was weird but no one could tell me where to get it. Gotta grow my own I guess.

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  29. @BennO – Glad you found the Asian grocer! And yup – always best to grow your own. I love having little herb gardens if I get the chance; it makes home cooking so much more rewarding – and tasty! πŸ™‚

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  30. Hi I just looked up Aussie Burgers and found this site. As an Aussie trapped in Phoenix, AZ (heck I need a beach with crashing waves) since July 2006 I am thrilled to see this thread speaking about all things Aussie (well in a gastronomic sense.) Firstly I want to say that you mentioned ingredients for the ‘with the lot.’ I hail from Adelaide, South Australia and we have wonderful fish and chip shops there which make the best burgers with the lot. The one ingredient I see mentioned I’ve never seen in a burger is pineapple. It was news to me! But you did omit one of the most important ingredients ……. fried onion in every burger! The best burgers in the world by far! Also at the fish and chip shops are the greatest banana fritters, pineapple fritters and potato fritters all cooked with batter and deep fried. Not to mention the deep fried potato chips (which yankee-doodle-dandys here always call fries) which unlike the American variety are never cooked with the skins on. I prefer the Aussie version much more. And all burgers by the way come in a genuine un-sweetened roll, unlike the American addiction of bread and rolls made with sugar, sugar, sugar! Yuk! Aaaah how I miss going across the road to my local fish and chip shop! Now speaking of meat pies … there are so many varieties … meat with gravy, potato cottage pies, curry pie, goulash pies and so many more … all can be bought at any service station (yikes I almost said gas station) and are at every sporting event as well, and of course in every shop that sells food throughout Australia. I shouldn’t forget pasties… how I miss them. Full of vegetables and oh so tasty and oh so good. I actually have found them being made in some northern states where Cornish miners came like they did to South Australia and introduced pasties. Would you believe that I discovered a pastie place here in Phoenix! A restaurant completely devoted to a pastie theme! It’s down in the south-east of Phoenix in Tempe. Forgotten the name of it. Do a google search for ‘pasties Tempe AZ’ and you’ll find it. They have another one in the next suburb in Mesa too. I went there to check it out. It was ‘good’ but as usual with the Americans it was ‘way over the top’ and very Americanized with a plate full of American food accompanying it. I just wanted a pastie with sauce … but no … they have to give you an over-sized plate of food and charge a lot more than for just pastie. I’d still go there again though …. just cos I wanna smell pastie and eat it …. I’m desperate here for some Aussie tucker! Let’s also not forget another Adelaide institution .. pie floaters. I always used to go to the pie cart in Victoria Square and have a floater, and there would be tourists from all around the world eating there.I remember one Canadian devouring all the peas around his pie (or you can have a pastie floater if you like) … and he all of a sudden stopped eating and said … “Oh I forgot I’m going on the plane in 2 hours!” Yep … he was sure with all those peas he was going to have a gas problem to inconvenience other passengers! LOL And lets not forget other glorious food delicacies of South Australia at least … the frog cake, the lamington as others have mentioned, the cream bun with real cream, the meringue, the vanilla slice, the Kitchener bun, the yeast finger bun, the yeast honey logs, custard tarts actually should have been at the top of my list, and oh so much more! All available at the service station when I was working there … and every food outlet that sold take-away food (or as Americans say ‘take-out.’

    Oh this has been so cruel to write about these things for Aussies in America. Are you suffering like I’m suffering right now? Then I wont mention Pavlova (cake size ones) with cream (yes real cream , not that pretend American cream) with strawberries, and pineapple and kiwi fruit on it … always served at every wedding I’ve been to in Oz. Oh and as the bread in America is so sweet (almost unbearable) also the meat here tastes so gamey it is unbelievable! But … I’ve traveled a lot by road in many states and let me tell you … unlike Australia you hardly see a sheep or cow. It’s because they are so often found in muddy yards all in lines being fed bales of hay, all scrunched up together in metal pens. I dont know why they do that? Free range works really well for all animals in Australia. I just wonder if that has anything to do with the way the meat tastes? Maybe they add more chemicals or other additives to their feed that way? Oh and one final thing … the only fast food they seem to have here out the front of Hardware stores or at sporting events is …… Hot Dogs! Yes tell and American you wa nt a hot snack and they’ll say …. “Waaalllll, whaa don’t yer get a Haart daaawg?” Oh how blessed we Aussies have been with every sporting ground serving not only hot dogs but Pasties, Pies and oh I forgot something didn’t I? Sausage Rolls! How did I forget them? No such thing here in the worlds greatest, most powerful, the world always looks to us as its leader … nation America! We Aussies are so blessed.

    Now …. yes I know you probably think differently by now but I really do like America. I just dont like its preoccupation with with hot dogs, Mexican food which always tastes the same and is served so often as just slop. It’s a good country with fantastic restaurants and fantastic people and I am privileged and happy to be living here permanently. For those Aussies here who dont know it, you can always by online Aussie food from lots of places run by Aussies … like Paul from Adelaide, who runs a business from Isom Rd, San Antonio TX ‘aboutaustralia.com’ I met him when I went there. Also there are other Aussie food and product places in Georgia, California and elsewhere. Google them and find them. Also if you want a good time and some good memories you can go to Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave, Kentucky … http://www.kdu.com and I believe there is also a kangaroo place in Dawsonville, Georgia.

    Loved this thread and am now feeling just a little craving for some Aussie food … well at least I have some Vegemite and Promite in the cupboard. Thanks for reading. Oi !!!!!

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  31. @Rockodile – Wow – thanks for the thoughtful comment – and commentary! I love associating foods with different places in the world; for example I’ll never forget the street food in Vietnam, and will forever crave it.
    The one thing I’ve always heard from Aussies who have travelled through or lived in America, is that everybody loves your accent…and can sometimes open doors. Have you found this to be true?

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  32. Yes everyone says they love my accent and say it will open doors for me, yet I had any doors open yet. Also Americans always say “I’ve always wanted to go to Australia” which drives me nuts! I always say “well why don’t you go then?” The truth is that its is all words! Just something to say most times. Yes street foods are a good thing to try everywhere in the world. Thanks for your answering me back.

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  33. @Rockodile – Thanks for your two cents!
    And yes, the truth is many people dream of seeing the world, but ultimately when push comes to shove it’s not enough of a priority for them to make it happen. One of the most common responses I hear from people after explaining my full-time travel lifestyle is “Wow! I wish I could do that! But I know I never could,” the reasons often being surmountable.
    That’s okay – it’s always a personal choice. You can help those Americans who want to visit Oz live vicariously though your tales of the homeland! πŸ™‚

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  34. Doing too much to these burgers. Australia has the best meat in the world. Brioche Bun, Meat, and cheese are all you need. Salt and pepper on the patty after you smash. Literally the best burger you’ll ever eat. These places are OTT AF.

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    • Fair enough, Sean!
      I must admit, while burgers with the lot are pretty tasty, they are near impossible to eat. How do you get your mouth around something as big as your head? (short answer: you don’t) πŸ˜‰

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