Sydney Experience

By now you must have gathered that I am less interested in tourist sites and more interested in how people live in different places.  As a person, I am less interested in nature and natural beauty, I am more interested in urban architecture, and modern, contemporary designs.  When I visit different places I will eventually visit the important sites, but I avoid museums and love to visit supermarkets and other shops.

Supermarkets:

We noticed some interesting differences between the supermarkets in Australia and the U.S. 

Coffee: 

The coffee section contains a small section of ground coffee but a much larger section of instant coffee.  This is no surprise because almost no one drinks drip coffee in Australia.  It is either coffee from the espresso machine or instant coffee.

Packaging: 

Everything is sold in much smaller containers than in the U.S., mega packages are absent.

Cheeses:

The section of cheese is also limited.  American cheese equivalent is sold as Kraft's "singles", not as American cheese.

Restaurants:

This subject fascinates me the most about Australia.  Unlike back home, the wait staff does not depend on tips.  They get regular wages, overtime and health care.  Tips are not expected so any waiter or waitress in a restaurant is willing to help you.  There is none of, I'll send your waiter to your table.  Most cafes are open from morning to mid-afternoon only.  Many restaurants stay closed one or two days in a week.  Most restaurants stay shut between 2 PM and 6 PM, and some are open during evening hours only.  Despite all this, Sydney has a bustling restaurant and cafe culture.  I believe there are two cafes or restaurants on an average for every block, if not more, in the entire city of Sydney.  And in most restaurants you pay your "bill" (not check) at the front counter, not to the wait staff.