OT: Any Aussies or Kiwis here?

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be
going to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd
love to hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so
on. Since this is OT, you can respond by email.

It would probably be useful to mention where in each country you plan
to be, and what you're likely to be interested in.

For example, if you're a vegetarian and you're going to be in
Melbourne, there's not much use recommending the best steakhouse in
Sydney.

--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on.

That's like saying, "I'm going to the United States - where
should I eat?". You do know that they're both roughly the same
size, right?

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on.

That's like saying, "I'm going to the United States - where
should I eat?". You do know that they're both roughly the same
size, right?

I'd recommend eating in either New York, California, or Illinois. Try
Christchurch for food in NZ and Perth in AU. I think all these places have
some.

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries. We all have been enriched by your information that
you know too much to give him a simple set of answers, such as "what
are worthwhile places and things to go and do?" And for heavens sake
please don't follow up by telling him that he can't take the subway from
Sydney to Wellington. We all know you have to change trains in Papua-
New Guinea

pavane

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on.

That's like saying, "I'm going to the United States - where
should I eat?". You do know that they're both roughly the same
size, right?

-sw

"Dan Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be
going to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd
love to hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so
on. Since this is OT, you can respond by email.

It would probably be useful to mention where in each country you plan
to be, and what you're likely to be interested in.

For example, if you're a vegetarian and you're going to be in
Melbourne, there's not much use recommending the best steakhouse in
Sydney.

pavane said:

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries. We all have been enriched by your information that
you know too much to give him a simple set of answers, such as "what
are worthwhile places and things to go and do?" And for heavens sake
please don't follow up by telling him that he can't take the subway from
Sydney to Wellington. We all know you have to change trains in Papua-
New Guinea

Yeah, Dan! Shame on you!

So what do you recommend, Pavane?

-sw

pavane said:

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries.

Well, no. All it really took is having a few people recommend the best
places to find things I didn't want. Without my even asking. They
shared your blithe confidence that, for example, "Where are good places
to hear music in ___?" can be answered without knowing the asker's
musical tastes. Why, of _course_ everyone knows that
classical/rock/rap/house is the only music worth listening to!

And of _course_ if someone asks where to go in Delaware or Rhode
Island, there's no need to worry about whether the person will be
anywhere near that section.

--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

Peter A <[email hidden]> wrote in news:MPG.20ff19a06b37b993989c91
@news-server.nc.rr.com:

Quoted message said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on. Since
this is OT, you can respond by email.

You could try the Australia/NZ forum at eGullet:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=20

Also, go to a newsagent/bookshop in Melbourne and Sydney to get the local
Good Food Guide and Cheap Eats. These are published in Melbourne by The
Age and in Sydney by the Sydney Morning Herald.

For Melbourne, I recommend:

Three, One, Two - words can't do it justice
Mo Vida - best tapas ever
Longrain - thai-inspired, at communal tables
Shakahari - vegetarian, but appreciable by anyone
Aux Batifolles - home-style french
Toofey's - seafood done simply and well
Jacques Reymond - one of Melbourne's "haute cuisine" type places (ie
expensive but probably worth it)
Healesville Hotel - local Healesville produce
Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder - check out the cheese room
Vue de Monde - generally considered Melbourne's best restaurant; I found
it almost too fancy for my tastes, but it was indeed damn good and the wine
matching seemed perfect to my admittedly non-expert palate
Old Homestead Inn - offal night on the first Monday of each month by a
Fergus Henderson protege, but the place is on the market, so be quick
Hotel Lincoln - really good pub food
De Los Santos - tapas, less cuisine-y and more home-y than Mo Vida's
Moroccan Soup Bar - vegetarian, fabulous, try the chickpea bake and mint
tea
Trotters - for breakfast especially
Kenzan - for shabu-shabu
Camys - greasy shanghai dumpling joint, great for slightly dodgy comfort
food
Blufish - fish 'n' chips greek-style; their winter fish soup is to die
for
Pacific Seafood BBQ House - family-style chinese bbq

I'm sure I've forgotten some...

And of course there are plenty of well-reviewed places I haven't tried
(Interlude, Botanical, Ezard etc); that's what the aforementioned food
guides are for.

Good luck and enjoy 🙂

K

"Amarantha" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A <[email hidden]> wrote in news:MPG.20ff19a06b37b993989c91
@news-server.nc.rr.com:

Quoted message said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on. Since
this is OT, you can respond by email.

You could try the Australia/NZ forum at eGullet:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=20

Also, go to a newsagent/bookshop in Melbourne and Sydney to get the local
Good Food Guide and Cheap Eats. These are published in Melbourne by The
Age and in Sydney by the Sydney Morning Herald.

For Melbourne, I recommend:

Three, One, Two - words can't do it justice
Mo Vida - best tapas ever
Longrain - thai-inspired, at communal tables
Shakahari - vegetarian, but appreciable by anyone
Aux Batifolles - home-style french
Toofey's - seafood done simply and well
Jacques Reymond - one of Melbourne's "haute cuisine" type places (ie
expensive but probably worth it)
Healesville Hotel - local Healesville produce
Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder - check out the cheese room
Vue de Monde - generally considered Melbourne's best restaurant; I found
it almost too fancy for my tastes, but it was indeed damn good and the
wine
matching seemed perfect to my admittedly non-expert palate
Old Homestead Inn - offal night on the first Monday of each month by a
Fergus Henderson protege, but the place is on the market, so be quick
Hotel Lincoln - really good pub food
De Los Santos - tapas, less cuisine-y and more home-y than Mo Vida's
Moroccan Soup Bar - vegetarian, fabulous, try the chickpea bake and mint
tea
Trotters - for breakfast especially
Kenzan - for shabu-shabu
Camys - greasy shanghai dumpling joint, great for slightly dodgy comfort
food
Blufish - fish 'n' chips greek-style; their winter fish soup is to die
for
Pacific Seafood BBQ House - family-style chinese bbq

I'm sure I've forgotten some...

And of course there are plenty of well-reviewed places I haven't tried
(Interlude, Botanical, Ezard etc); that's what the aforementioned food
guides are for.

Good luck and enjoy 🙂

Toto's in Auckland - Great Italian food
Tutto Bene in the Southbank Melbourne - a long boozy lunch overlooking the
Yarra river
Flower Drum in China Town - the top Australian Chinese restaurant almost
every year $$$$$$
Silks Chinese in the Casino - elegant and watch the gas balls along the
Yarra every hour at night
Tsindos Greek family restaurant in Lonsdale St CBD - relatively cheap but
authentic and homely
Ceconi's Cantina in Flinders Lane - superb Italian but $$$

Frenchy
Who loves eating in Melbourne!

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Peter A said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on.

That's like saying, "I'm going to the United States - where
should I eat?". You do know that they're both roughly the same
size, right?

Steve - is being a jackass your hobby, or what?

--
Peter Aitken

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: OT: Any Aussies or Kiwis here?
From: pavane <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries. We all have been enriched by your information that
you know too much to give him a simple set of answers, such as "what
are worthwhile places and things to go and do?" And for heavens sake
please don't follow up by telling him that he can't take the subway from
Sydney to Wellington. We all know you have to change trains in Papua-
New Guinea

pavane

Yeah, I should have known that the slack-jaws would come out of the
woodwork in response to my question.

Too bad, when some people having no knowledge or intelligence to
contribute they feel obliged to be sarcastic.

--
Peter Aitken

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Amarantha" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A <[email hidden]> wrote in news:MPG.20ff19a06b37b993989c91
@news-server.nc.rr.com:

Quoted message said:

Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on. Since
this is OT, you can respond by email.

<responses snipped>

Thanks to those who responded with useful info.

--
Peter Aitken

Peter A said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:45:58 -0400, Peter A wrote:

> Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
> to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
> hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on.
That's like saying, "I'm going to the United States - where
should I eat?". You do know that they're both roughly the same
size, right?

Steve - is being a jackass your hobby, or what?

I dunno Peter. You might have indicated *where* in Australia/NZ you were
planning to travel. I seem to vaguely remember from my far-distant
geography lessons at school that Perth is a long distance from Sydney,
and that there is about a 2 or 3 hour time difference. And same goes for
NZ - it's tiny compared to Oz - but it's not as small as it looks in the
Atlas either 😉. If you had done that, It might have avoided you getting
some 'sarcastic' remarks.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Peter A said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Amarantha" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter A <[email hidden]> wrote in news:MPG.20ff19a06b37b993989c91
@news-server.nc.rr.com:

> Our daughter is in New Zealand for a semester abroad. We will be going
> to visit her, with some time in Australia, in November. We'd love to
> hear from any locals about what to do, where to eat, and so on. Since
> this is OT, you can respond by email.
>

<responses snipped>

Thanks to those who responded with useful info.

Have you tried asking aus.food? (They have their own food group) - might
get some even better info from there...

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I dunno Peter. You might have indicated *where* in Australia/NZ you were
planning to travel. I seem to vaguely remember from my far-distant
geography lessons at school that Perth is a long distance from Sydney,
and that there is about a 2 or 3 hour time difference. And same goes for
NZ - it's tiny compared to Oz - but it's not as small as it looks in the
Atlas either 😉. If you had done that, It might have avoided you getting
some 'sarcastic' remarks.

I don't know where yet, part of the reason for my inquiry was to get
help deciding where to go. I guess I needed to spell that out because it
was beyond the ability of the sarcastic responders to figure it out.

--
Peter Aitken

Peter A said:

I don't know where yet, part of the reason for my inquiry was to get
help deciding where to go. I guess I needed to spell that out because it
was beyond the ability of the sarcastic responders to figure it out.

Heh. If there is one thing I have learned around here about posting
*anything* - it's that you always have to "spell it out". LOL
Usenet can be quite, um... interesting.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip - Australia is high up on my list of
"must see" places. I have friends who moved to Perth from SA a few years
ago - and they absolutely love it there. They rave about the weather,
the people *and* the food, plenty of choices in the supermarkets, etc.
for cooking at home - and apparently they have some great (but
affordable) restaurants there too. And if you're going to NZ you *must*
try their mussels... some of the best mussels I have ever had here were
imported from there - yum...
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Peter A said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: OT: Any Aussies or Kiwis here?
From: pavane <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries. We all have been enriched by your information
that you know too much to give him a simple set of answers, such as
"what are worthwhile places and things to go and do?" And for
heavens sake please don't follow up by telling him that he can't
take the subway from Sydney to Wellington. We all know you have to
change trains in Papua- New Guinea

pavane

Yeah, I should have known that the slack-jaws would come out of the
woodwork in response to my question.

Too bad, when some people having no knowledge or intelligence to
contribute they feel obliged to be sarcastic.

Read this carefully: What I was doing, and what I believe others were
doing, was TRYING TO BE MORE HELPFUL by NARROWING DOWN ANSWERS.

I was being polite. Any sarcasm you read into what I wrote was your
own stupidity as a reader.

You owe me (among others) an apology. Which I don't expect, of course;
it would require you to think.

--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

Peter A said:

Steve - is being a jackass your hobby, or what?

Hardly. I was a professional on the Hee Haw Show.

-sw

On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:06:45 -0400, Peter A <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I dunno Peter. You might have indicated *where* in Australia/NZ you were
planning to travel. I seem to vaguely remember from my far-distant
geography lessons at school that Perth is a long distance from Sydney,
and that there is about a 2 or 3 hour time difference. And same goes for
NZ - it's tiny compared to Oz - but it's not as small as it looks in the
Atlas either 😉. If you had done that, It might have avoided you getting
some 'sarcastic' remarks.

I don't know where yet, part of the reason for my inquiry was to get
help deciding where to go. I guess I needed to spell that out because it
was beyond the ability of the sarcastic responders to figure it out.

Let's begin with where your daughter will be attending school! Come
on... throw us a bone.

I wouldn't even respond to a post saying "My daughter will be in
California". California is a big state, there is a lot to see.... and
much of it won't interest you. Are you absolutely dying to see a
Bristlecone Pine? http://sonic.net/bristlecone/

If you really are clueless about Aus and NZ, see this url for travel
guide book recommendations.
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=109&category=4
After you read up on where you're going, hit the information highway
to research. THEN look for localized & personalized recommendations
here.

--

History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Peter A said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: OT: Any Aussies or Kiwis here?
From: pavane <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

These responses below are so sweet...we are tremendously impressed
that you had a geography class in grade school and realize that they
are big countries. We all have been enriched by your information
that you know too much to give him a simple set of answers, such as
"what are worthwhile places and things to go and do?" And for
heavens sake please don't follow up by telling him that he can't
take the subway from Sydney to Wellington. We all know you have to
change trains in Papua- New Guinea

pavane

Yeah, I should have known that the slack-jaws would come out of the
woodwork in response to my question.

Too bad, when some people having no knowledge or intelligence to
contribute they feel obliged to be sarcastic.

Read this carefully: What I was doing, and what I believe others were
doing, was TRYING TO BE MORE HELPFUL by NARROWING DOWN ANSWERS.

I was being polite. Any sarcasm you read into what I wrote was your
own stupidity as a reader.

You owe me (among others) an apology. Which I don't expect, of course;
it would require you to think.

Seeing that I did not respond to you, how do you know I am talking about
you? I never said that your response was sarcastic, so why do you feel
obliged to defend yourself against the charge unless you know it is
true?

You want an apology? Here it is: I am sorry that you are such a dolt.

--
Peter Aitken