food glorious food

mmmmmmmmmmmm





So I figured it was about time I started to catalogue all the new foods I have tried since Iv been here. I would say most have been pretty good. Lets see . . .


Marmite and vegemite tasted the same and were definitely not very good. It tastes like tar and beef jerky. They tell you to put only a little on toast and then slather the toast with butter. They do this because its gross and they have to drown out the taste.

Of course you already know about the meat flavored crisps. So far I've had lamb and mint, and chicken crisps. They also have heaps of other good flavors like olive and sundried tomato. mmmmmmm goes good with guacamole

The Maori hangi dinner I went to was incredible! It was a traditional Maori dinner where they cook all the food buried in the ground. They had lamb, tons of vegetables, mussels, and even steamed pudding. It was sooooooooooooo good. And they had mint sauce to go with the lamb as well.


Well I have already had Pavlova at Ms. Pat Stranger's house, but that was a long time ago. They had it for dessert almost every night at the Hostel we stayed at and it was delicious. I really wanna learn how to make it.


Another NZ unique dessert is Hokey Pokey iceacream. My roomates bought some and its really good. It really creamy vanilla icecream with crunchy little bits that are kind of like caramel or heath.


Since Auckland has a very high Asian population, there is a lot of really good asian food. So far I have tried sashimi which is basically the purest type sushi becasue it is just a slab of raw fish, and Takoyaki which is like an octapus fritter. The sashimi really has to be eaten sparingly I think or else it is pretty overwhelming, but it tastes really fresh and good. I also went to one of those sushi places where the sushi goes around on a conveyer belt. That was pretty exciting.



Like all the books claim, the fish and chips here are the best I have ever tasted. The best I have had so far was on Waiheke Island. Instead of regular chips (fries) I ordered kumera chips which are kind of like NZs version of sweet potatoes. They are not orange, they're white, and they are not quite as sweet . . . i cant really describe the taste. Iv tried them steamed and I didnt like them, but as chips they were incredible!


While I was at a music festival I tried a sea dog from one of the vendors. It was crab meat fried and put in a hot dog bun with tartar sauce. It was probably the fattiest thing I have ever eaten in my life but it was pretty good.



I also tried a fresh fig while I was in Waiheke. Its a strange looking fruit and when you open it up it looks like there are tons of slimy little grubs and seeds inside it. It was really sweet and good once you get past how wierd it looks.


I think the most adventurous thing I have eaten thus far was fresh tutu while i was at Onetangi Beach in Wiaheke. Tutu is a shell fish that kind of looks like a clam. If you dig your feet into the sand not too far out in the surf you can find them. Some friends we met in Wiaheke found us some and cracked them open on the beach. We ate them raw and they were delicious! It was not slurpy like raw oysters, but a little more rubbery and solid. It was really exciting to eat shellfish straight from the ocean. I dont think there is any better way to eat it.


Well, I am sure there will be more food posts to come, but for now Jillian's eating adventures must come to an end. Till next time!




Love you guys!