By now you’ve probably noticed that I’m often easily amused by the smallest of things. I admit that I laugh at my own jokes, I love pulling pranks, and the more sarcastic I can be, the better. One of my favorite activities while traveling is shopping. That’s right — I go grocery shopping and have absolutely no shame taking pictures of products on the shelves. The next time you’re shopping and you think you’re being followed by the paparazzi or a private detective, it’s probably just me.
This is my favorite shopping picture while in Sydney: A can of Veggie Nutmeat next to Bronte Tongues in Jelly. Don’t know if I simply loved the irony of a veggie product next to canned tongue or that the brand was Bronte, which is also coincidentally, the name of my all time favorite writer, (Emily Brontë).
I quickly recovered when I saw the Cheetos Cheese & Bacon Balls. The jokes practically write themselves with these items.
Totally loved the old school, retro pack of Rice Krispies known in Australia as “Rice Bubbles.”
Well I know what I’ll be buying the next time I have a party. Time to stock up on the Four ‘n Twenty Party Pies and Party Sausage Rolls and I’ll make sure everyone’s playing “Footy Bingo,” too.
I’m thoroughly intrigued by items available in the States that are also available elsewhere, like Lean Cuisine. Same company, but different packaging and different menu. They have a more adventurous line with Thai Red Chicken Curry and Satay Beef vs. Vegetable Lasagna and Mac and Cheese.
Which one should I get? The Mama Bear size can of Heinz Beans or the Baby Bear size can? “I want beans tonight, but just enough that I don’t have any leftovers. I’m getting the Baby Bear size can.”
Unless you’ve lived under a rock your entire life, then you already know that Vegemite is an Australian food staple. Originally promoted as a healthy food for children during World War II, this dark brown food paste made from leftover brewers yeast extract combined with vegetables and spices is one of the world’s richest known sources of B vitamins.
Maybe you want to take your Vegemite with you in a more portable container. You could always take a package of Vegemite Snackabouts with you.
Now onto the snacks that I won’t try, but I’m intrigued by nonetheless. Honey soy chicken? Is it chicken with honey soy glaze or soy chicken, like Gardein, with honey? Umm, yeah — I’ll pass on that one.
For chips that might not seem as strange, you could go for the traditional “original salted” or “Mexicana” Doritos or maybe gluten free Piranha Vege Crackers.
How about some gluten and dairy free biscuits? Unless you’re on a restrictive diet, you might not appreciate how incredibly cool it is to walk into a regular market and find something like this right on the shelves. Way to go Australia!
While I’m not supposed to be noshing on snacks, I couldn’t resist the delicious combination of sweet chilli and lime Dip Stix. I probably should have gotten more than one bag or looked for the larger feed bag size because I couldn’t stop eating them.
They’re eating babies in Australia! Ok, so they’re not, but they are eating Chicos, which are similar to Jelly Babies, but are dark brown in color and flavored with cocoa resulting in a unique chocolate flavor. Made by the Australian company Allens Lollies under the Nestlé corporation, the brand name Chicos is a version of the once popular retro candy, Chocolate Babies. Insert bad joke here: “The dingo ate my chocolate baby.”
Choc Babies or “Chocolate Babies” are chocolate flavored mellocreme candies shaped like babies with the texture of candy corn. I tried to find out exactly what “Choc Clangers” are and it seems that they are either Honeycomb Clangers covered in milk chocolate or fruit flavors covered in chocolate. Either way, looks like it’s chocolatey goodness.
Do you troll the aisles of supermarkets when you travel? Have you found anything good you’d like to share?