Backgrounder: Where Australia's uniqueness lies
Source: Xinhua   2017-03-21 13:54:43

by Will Koulouris

SYDNEY, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Maybe you have heard about Australia, the country all the way down the bottom of the world, with its picturesque sunny beaches, farms as far as the eye can see, and well, weird animals.

Weird, as in nowhere else can you find a platypus - a half duck, half possum, furry swimming mammal, or a kangaroo.

But, it is not just the animals that make Australia a unique land, the great down under. No matter whatever parts of the vast expanses you choose to visit, one way or another, you will come across a variety of wonderful, weird, and "true blue" Australian things.

First up on the list, Vegemite. There are very few things more Australian than Vegemite. It is a spread for bread, originally made from excess yeast from making beer, another Australian favorite, which we will get to later.

More than any political or ideological debate, the debate over Vegemite rages in Australia. Some people put it on everything, from bread to cheese, or even ice-cream, while others swear blindly that the taste is terrible. Get yourself prepared to pick a side before visiting Australia, for we take our breakfast spreads seriously.

Now while Australia does have a burgeoning wine industry, with its wines shipped to countries all over the world, particularly to China, this might make you think that Australians are wine sipping aficionados. We are anything but that.

Australians love our beer. Beer is the drink of choice for Australians. To be Australian is to enjoy a beer, or two, or a few more.

But in Australia you will find that practically every street corner in major cities boasts some kind of pub where you can have a tipple and relax after a long day seeing all the tourist attractions Australia has to offer. This is where the real Australia lies.

It is at our amazing bars that you will find gourmet gastropub food, served alongside Australian made beers that use the same recipes as they did 150 years ago.

When you are taking a dive at the Great Barrier Reef, when you are off to Alice Springs to climb Uluru, when you go and see kangaroos and emus at the Taronga Zoo, when you are enjoying all these sights, sounds and feelings, remember that they are but one part of what makes Australia unique.

So, when the night calls and it is time to unwind after a long day seeing the wonderful sights, visit a pub. Order a Vegemite on toast. Grab a beer. And have a chat with a guy you have never met before about why you don't like the way Vegemite tastes.

Then you will become an Australian, too.

Editor: Mengjiao Liu
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Backgrounder: Where Australia's uniqueness lies

Source: Xinhua 2017-03-21 13:54:43
[Editor: huaxia]

by Will Koulouris

SYDNEY, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Maybe you have heard about Australia, the country all the way down the bottom of the world, with its picturesque sunny beaches, farms as far as the eye can see, and well, weird animals.

Weird, as in nowhere else can you find a platypus - a half duck, half possum, furry swimming mammal, or a kangaroo.

But, it is not just the animals that make Australia a unique land, the great down under. No matter whatever parts of the vast expanses you choose to visit, one way or another, you will come across a variety of wonderful, weird, and "true blue" Australian things.

First up on the list, Vegemite. There are very few things more Australian than Vegemite. It is a spread for bread, originally made from excess yeast from making beer, another Australian favorite, which we will get to later.

More than any political or ideological debate, the debate over Vegemite rages in Australia. Some people put it on everything, from bread to cheese, or even ice-cream, while others swear blindly that the taste is terrible. Get yourself prepared to pick a side before visiting Australia, for we take our breakfast spreads seriously.

Now while Australia does have a burgeoning wine industry, with its wines shipped to countries all over the world, particularly to China, this might make you think that Australians are wine sipping aficionados. We are anything but that.

Australians love our beer. Beer is the drink of choice for Australians. To be Australian is to enjoy a beer, or two, or a few more.

But in Australia you will find that practically every street corner in major cities boasts some kind of pub where you can have a tipple and relax after a long day seeing all the tourist attractions Australia has to offer. This is where the real Australia lies.

It is at our amazing bars that you will find gourmet gastropub food, served alongside Australian made beers that use the same recipes as they did 150 years ago.

When you are taking a dive at the Great Barrier Reef, when you are off to Alice Springs to climb Uluru, when you go and see kangaroos and emus at the Taronga Zoo, when you are enjoying all these sights, sounds and feelings, remember that they are but one part of what makes Australia unique.

So, when the night calls and it is time to unwind after a long day seeing the wonderful sights, visit a pub. Order a Vegemite on toast. Grab a beer. And have a chat with a guy you have never met before about why you don't like the way Vegemite tastes.

Then you will become an Australian, too.

[Editor: huaxia]
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