Aside from my train ride from airport into the city, I have yet to try public transportation in Sydney. The city is remarkably pedestrian friendly when I’m merely steps away from King’s Wharf. Thanks to jetlag, I woke up uncharacteristically early before the clock strike 7. I suppose the normal course of action would be breakfast. As solo traveler, I have the luxury of planning (or not planning) my day with little regard to convention. That was how I ended up in a large grocery store first thing in the morning.
I took my time checking out every shelf in the store. Grocery shopping in foreign country is one of my favourite pastimes. I can easily spend a ridiculous amount of time looking at unfamiliar staples. I am almost embarrassed to admit that by the time I paid for my purchases at Woolworths, it was close to 10am. But I was happy as a clam with my bags full of neat purchases!
I always make a point of sampling dairy products when I travel. The strict import laws in Canada means we rarely find imported yogurt and fresh cheeses. I went all out this morning with three different cups of yogurt (popular among the locals based on my 10min observation at the dairy case), a tub of cottage cheese, and an award-winning blue cheese from New Zealand. I also bought some Australian Corella pears for snacking.
Australian candied ginger is of the highest quality and always very expensive in Toronto. When I saw them selling for $5AUD for 250g, I grabbed two bags without any hesitation. As for junk food, I can’t wait to dig into my stash of Anzac cookies, Violet Crumble (recommended by Momofuku’s Christina Tossi), Cherry Ripe, Dark Chocolate Mint Tim Tam, Chocolate Orange Tim Tam, and Pumpkin Quinoa crackers.
More interesting stuff at the supermarket:
Lamingtons for everyone! I have yet to see any at a bakery. It is on my to-eat list.
Fresh herb assortment for specific cooking needs (pork, poultry, seafood). How awesome is this?
Why are the bananas dipped in red wax? To distinguish the organic selection. Chia pudding on the go! Oh how I would love that. And yogurt in squeeze pouches is apparently rather popular.
Who can forget Vegemite? I am not eating like a local yet if that’s what you’re wondering.
Marketing is not international. What happened to the beloved green and red packaging and the twin bears for Kraft peanut butter?
It’s getting late now and I have a jam-packed day planned tomorrow. Next time, I’ll tell you more about the chocolate cafe that I see everywhere. Chocolate cafe should totally be a thing in Toronto too.
