Returning to the States
Having been in Australia now for a year and a half, I have grown quite accustomed to life here. Things that used to seem so foreign and different have now become routine and ordinary. It took a trip back to the states for me to once again see some of the differences, both good and bad, between here and there.
If you ask an American and an Australia what is the first thing that happens when you sit down in a Mexican restaurant, you will get two totally different answers. The American answer is obvious: “free chips and salsa.” A Mexican restaurant without it wouldn’t last a week. An Australian, on the other hand, would probably just give you a confused look and think you were asking them a trick question. That’s because there are no free chips and salsa here (a tragedy, I know). In fact there is no free anything at any restaurant here, or in most other countries I have visited during my travels.
I’m sure the cultural trend of providing free stuff in the US started as a way to stand out among the competition. Whether it was giving away chips and salsa, bread before a meal, or refills on drinks, it must have worked because over time nearly every restaurant in the States does it. It has not only become something that people expect, it has essentially become a requirement. I must admit that I had forgotten, or never fully realized in the first place, the extent of this trend in the US until our recent visit.
We were on the road the first week of our trip and pretty much ate out for every meal. During this time we were absolutely floored at the amount of free food that was thrown our way. From the bottomless chips and salsa to bread at dinner to a basket of muffins, pastries, and danishes at breakfast, we were in heaven. Not so much because it was free, but because it was an unexpected treat for us. The icing on the cake was one night in Boston when we went out with friends to a nice Italian restaurant. Aside from the bread, we were also given a giant antipasto platter before the meal, and individual servings of tiramisu for dessert. Unbelievable. Only in America.
2. Sports
I’ve been a die hard sports fan since before I can remember, and growing up my family rarely missed a home a game at Commonwealth stadium or a Friday night game at Danville’s Admiral Stadium. If there was a Kentucky basketball game on tv, I was watching it, and I can tell you exactly where I was when Laettner hit the shot, or on one of those two great Monday nights in early April of 1996 and 1998. Kentucky is without a doubt a basketball school, but it has always been football that means the most to me. Surprisingly, it took a sport I care nothing about for me to remember why.
On our recent trip to the States we found ourselves in Boston, New Hampshire and Maine during the Stanley Cup Finals when the Bruins were attempting to win their first championship since 1968. From Bruins jerseys on nearly every statue in Boston to cheering fans at every pub in the northeast, the atmosphere was fantastic. Having been in Australia for over a year and a half, I have been deprived of so many sporting events like college football in the SEC, Super Bowl Sunday, March Madness, or even the Stanley Cup.
Don’t get me wrong, Australians love sports, but it’s just not the same. With less than 1/10th of the population of the US, there are simply not enough people to rival the massive sporting events in the states. For example, rugby league is the sport of choice in Sydney and there are approximately 10 teams in and around the city. By contrast, Miami has the same population as Sydney but no more than one professional team in any sport. At a Rugby League game you might find 10,000-20,000 fans - impressive considering how many different teams are in the area- but what you won’t find is 60,000-100,000 fans at stadiums all over the country every Saturday. You won’t find towns shut down for gameday, and most importantly you won’t find tailgating.
I have been craving that big-game atmosphere; however, both of my trips home from Australia have unfortunately fallen outside of football season. I never in a million years thought that hockey would quench that thirst, but it did. Being able to be watch and soak up the atmosphere surrounding games 5, 6, and 7 of the Stanley Cup in and around Boston as they won their first title in over 40 years was fantastic. It made me remember just what it is that I love so much about sports and that the event itself is often more important than whatever game is being played. Being a part of a crowd all pulling together for their team and celebrating a win is hard to beat, no matter what the sport.
On a side note, as I’m writing this, I’m watching my Cats get destroyed by the Gators. Maybe I’m not missing so much after all.
