Living
in NYC has been an interesting experience for someone who was born and
raised in Australia. Quite often, I get asked a lot of questions about what it
is like back home. Sometimes I even get questions such as, “Do you know
Crocodile Dundee?” – To which I reply a line made famous by Kevin Bloody
Wilson: “Know him? Mate, he’s my brother!”
The
longer I live here in NYC, the more it becomes clear that a lot of Americans
have some really interesting concepts and visualizations about what the land
down under must be like. For example, I get the impression, quite often, that
many of my American friends see Australia like these images:
Some
stereotypes do exist. For instance, in Australia, most of us are platonic
‘mates’ to each other. The men here are definitely tall, beefy and brawny,
thanks to their love for footy and AFL. Melbourne does have unpredictable
weather, just as it has the best coffee.
In
spite of that, there are some age-old perceptions that pop culture convinces
people to believe about Aussies and their land. Here’s a list of myths that
have been exaggerated and blown largely out of proportion.
1) Kangaroos: Nobody rides to school on a Kangaroo. The kids don’t wait at
the Kangaroo stop and people do not struggle to find a good spot to park their
Kangaroos. Australians, walk (not hop) – they hop on to trams though, and they
use trains and taxis as well. Some Aussies own a Swift or a Honda and some of
them have Audis and Ferraris. However, nobody has a Kangaroo, in fact we never
even get to see one in the city.
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| Kangaroo |
2) Barbecue: There is no denying the fact that Aussies relish a good BBQ.
It’s a feature on housewarmings, birthdays, or sometimes just on a Sunday.
However, no matter what Paul Hogan said in the 1980s, ‘shrimp is not the only
thing that is put on the Barbie’. Sausages, steaks, fillets, burgers, you name
it and I can assure you that it has been barbecued somewhere in Australia. But
there is no particular fascination for shrimp or prawn above the others.
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| Paul Hogan cooking up a feast |
3) Fosters Beer: It is one of the least popular beers in Australia and god
knows Aussies love their beer. Fosters has gained popularity largely through
exports thus leading to the false notion that Australians survive on Fosters.
4) Crocodile Wrestling: Steve Irwin was really brave to do it,
Paul Hogan was really talented to show it, but most Australians don’t know
squat about it. Yes, there have been some significant crocodile and alligator
references to Australia on an international level, but this is not a sport kids
learn at age 4 or at any age as a matter of fact.
5) Fashion: People do not wear singlets, thongs, bikinis and hats with
corks dangling from it. They might wear it to the beach, but no one wears it to
work, parties or the mall…um I mean shopping center. Melbourne and Sydney have
established themselves as fashion and shopping hotspots with various brands of
clothes, handbags and shoes that are not just Quicksilver, Billabong or Rip
Curl. The fashion standard is easily comparable to New York and London.
6) Desert: Yes, a large portion of the Australian land is a desert,
however, those are not places where Aussies live or most travellers would
visit. Australian cities and beaches are developed enough to be a highlight of
the country besides the dry barren land.
7) Sparsely populated: Australia undoubtedly has a low
population and yes the outback and suburban areas might be scanty. However, the
developed cities and tourist spots are far from it. Try going to the Opera
House on New Year’s Eve and you will know what I am talking about.
8. Vegemite: It is not the staple diet after
barbecue. Vegemite is available everywhere and is probably in the pantry of
every household, however, it is by far not the most popular spread. Jams,
butter, cheese, dips are more commonly consumed by kids and adults.
9) Life by the beach: All Australians don’t live by the beach
and go surfing at 11 AM on a Monday morning. Going to the beach is indeed a
luxury and an activity to be done on a holiday or a free weekend that people
find difficult to arrange because of demanding work schedules.
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| Me & my board |
