If you read my ramblings you should know that I am a kiwi.
(If not, visit the about page, though only if you have a warped sense of humour).
AND, in case you didn’t know, New Zealanders are called kiwis (less syllables, much easier to say, especially after a couple of pints). No, we are not named after the “kiwi” fruit which used to be called the Chinese gooseberry until it grew bigger and better in NZ (without the need of mutant injections).
No, it comes from our national bird, the kiwi … which the kiwifruit was named after, and not vice versa (because they are both small, brown and furry; however the kiwifruit is green when you cut it open).
NOW, I live in Chile and have been living here continually since 1997.
I often get asked whether I get back home much and my canned response goes along the lines of…
“I don’t often go back to New Zealand, mainly because I prefer to visit new places in Chile and the rest of South America.”
HOWEVER, unknown to most, I just spent two weeks in New Zealand, my home country. The excuse, a cousin’s wedding – the bonus, the Rugby World Cup is going on there right now!
Some people love going back home to catch up with family (isn’t that what facebook and e-mails for?) but the main reason I enjoy going to NZ is for the food and sweets that I dearly miss here in Chile. (It appears I’m not the only one that misses food from back home).
One of the first things I do once in the country and out of the airport is raid the local supermarket, filling a shopping trolley with CRAP! We can easily fill it with chocolate biscuits, sweets (or lollies as we say in NZ), chips (crisps), hokey-pokey ice-cream and more biscuits and did I mention the lollies? Well throw in some more there anyway. Sometimes the checkout person thinks we are having a kid’s birthday party or something… aaaaaah, no! It will be our staple diet over the next weeks.
Oh how I savour the indulgence.
Then there is yet another supermarket raid the day before you leave New Zealand to fill the suitcases with that you will hide in the topmost cupboard, well out of reach of little hands.
I often think customs is going to cause me problems with a:
Customs official: Ah, sir. Are you planning on opening up your own supermarket with all that food?
Me: Um, no, they’re just snacks from back home
Fortunately they don’t really bother us, mainly because we declare that we have shitloads of biscuits and chocolates beforehand. Oh, and that we never bring in fruit or meat which is the big no-no.
So now we are back in Chile, stocked up on kiwi goodies for the next few months. However the continually ravenous indulgence in NZ is reduced to a trickling nibble of one little thing every day in Chile, just to draw out the pleasure as long as possible.
And, if you visit me, they WILL be hidden. :)
What food do you miss from your home country?
What do you do to remedy this?
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Not even “a” tim-tam?
Totally understandable – how I savor my goodies from back home!
See you at school soon! I guess I’ve been basking in holiday mood way too long xx
They’re the most prized of all, being double chocolate and all, so completely under lock and key.
That reminds me, I think we need to have an International Food night again. Yum!
I literally perved at those treats for a whole minute, you legend!
You’ll be as happy as Larry for a little while with that chilli-bin worth of goodness – you must be stoked.
Strangely enough I miss the take-aways from NZ the most, and the cereal. Cereal here is so sweet – but I don’t want to have a winge. Chile is good as! Particularly because I’ve already taken a duvet off my bed and it’s almost warm enough to be caught in jandals and togs – in September! Yeah!
Alright, I better shoot through. Cheers for the post cuz!
Sweeeeet! Reading all the Kiwi-isms was funny.
Yep, totally stoked with the stash and will be eating jaffas one by one.
Yep, I also miss the local take-aways and the cereal and yes, I did take photos of those too. How sad is it to go into a good old fish and chips shop and take a photo of the menu on the wall!
Hadn’t seen your blog so have added it to my reader. Good to see another kiwi in Chile.
Choice!
Hehe. I’m glad you liked all my kiwi-ness!
That would be a priceless image. I can only imagine what the bloke putting potatoes into the deep-fryer would have been thinking seeing you photograph his menu! I now know three kiwis in Chile! So glad to electronically meet you (although I’ve been following your blog for months, but too shy to comment).
Haha. Ohh, I do wonder what I’ll miss when I arrive in Mexico soon. Probably easy access to Quorn and other soya products but I’m sure I’ll survive.
(P.S. – Crunchie rocks – OMG! Yum!)
You’ll probably discover new yummy things in Mexico that you’ll miss when you go back home.
Those Crunchie rocks are new (I think). They weren’t around when I was there last. We “invested” in a lot of those.
Hi!
Nice blog you have. I don’t know much about either New Zeeland or Chile. New Zeeland good at rugby and seem to have a sense of humor:) and Chile good wines. I’m a swede who moved to Brazil and I missed the snow a bit when I saw your photo on the about page, hard to find here in Brazil. My wife and me have considered to visit Chile, any month that is better than the other to visit? Great reading, will follow this,
all the best,
Magnus
Hi Magnus,
If you are after snow, August is the best month to come (as do MANY Brazilians).
If not, December and January are also good months to come due to summer. February probably not so much since it is when most of Chile goes on holiday and the beaches and most other places are either packed or closed for vacations.
Hope you are your wife get to come this way.
Saludos,
Rob
Hey, we are a couple of kiwis on our world trip. Just stumbled on your website after googling for the recipe for torremonte to explain what happened last night at El Hoyo in Santiago. Site looks great! Keep in the good work!
You really know how to shop. It is great to be prepared in case you’ll want more kiwi goodies. What I miss in my hometown is the caramel bread. That is the first thing I buy whenever I go home. You should try it. I like your selection of goodies. I am familiar with Tim Tam and I actually miss it as well.