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EATING INTERNATIONALLY: AUSTRALIA Associate Professor Helen O’Connor: Accredited Practicing and Sports Dietitian, Fellow of Sports Dietitians Australia, The University of Sydney, Australia Culinary Landscape in Australia Australia has significant culinary diversity, reflecting the multicultural nature of its people. In major capital cities, it is easy to find restaurants from almost all corners of the globe. Cuisines most easy to access include Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Greek and Mexican. There are many western favourites such as sandwiches, wraps, roasts and burgers. There is a strong Asian influence in restaurant food given our geographical location. Although there are many superb celebrity chefs and high end dining restaurants, the laid back Australian lifestyle makes casual dining popular and there are a Eating Out wide range of lower to mid-range price cafés and Opening Hours of Cafés and Restaurants restaurants. Restaurants and cafés generally open for most of the day (breakfast to dinner). In capital cities, they The warm weather almost year round in most tend to be open early (usually by 9 am, some locations provides plenty of opportunity for al fresco earlier) until late (until 10 pm and some past dining. Take the opportunity to experience some of midnight). Opening hours are usually shorter in our fantastic fresh produce, tropical fruits, diverse regional areas. Fast food restaurants like range of seafood and you may even want to try McDonalds™, KFC™ and pizza chains may have kangaroo or crocodile! If you have a sweet tooth, longer opening hours; some McDonalds™ are open why not try some of our famous sweet treats such as 24 hours. Lamingtons (see recipe provided), Tim Tams™ and Pavlova (Aussies call this a “Pav”). A must try is the salty yeast based spread Vegemite™, best on toast Healthy Options for a snack or breakfast. Most restaurants and cafés now have an appreciation of healthier options and will certainly try to make practical adaptions to dishes (e.g. Weights and Measures used in Australia grilling rather than frying) to help consumers SI units (grams (g), kilograms (kg), millilitres (ml), requesting this. Major fast food chains also try to litres (L), kilojoules (kJ). have some healthier options (e.g., McDonalds™ has wraps and salads). Subway™ is widely available in capital cities. In Australia, many cafés have sandwich bars where you can customise your own sandwich or salad. Sushi bars and cafés boasting a healthy menu are popular. Research where you will be staying to help find the healthy options. Prepared: Feb 2019 EATING INTERNATIONALLY: AUSTRALIA Food Delivery to your Door More recently, food delivery from restaurants direct to your door has become even easier with businesses like Uber Eats™, Menu Log™, and Deliveroo™. Check first, as many restaurants offer free delivery over a certain spend if you are staying in the local area. Many restaurants, cafés and fast food outlets have websites with published menus, costs of meals, opening hours and location directions. Cost of Eating Out, Tipping and ‘BYO’ Cost varies but you can usually get a meal at a café or restaurant in the range of $10-25 AUD for a main meal. Hospitality staff do not rely on tips to earn a sustainable wage so tipping is not mandatory. Australians do tip for good food and service-in Australia, tipping is a compliment! Another feature of eating out is ‘BYO’ or bring your own alcohol (generally limited to bottled wine). This can be a real cost saving and can allow you to take your favourite wine to a special meal. It is important to check as not all restaurants are BYO, and sometimes, a small bottle opening (called corkage) fee is charged. Dress Code and Legal Access to Venues Dress code is usually casual (shorts, t-shirt, even flip flops. Be aware, Aussies call flip flop footwear thongs!). Some pubs and clubs and certainly higher end restaurants would require a collared shirt, or at least a t-shirt, for men (not a singlet). Some form of shoe for foot protection (not flip flops) is generally mandatory. Proof of identification (drivers licence or passport) will be needed to enter some pubs and clubs, many of which have reasonably priced meals and cater for large groups. Identification is certainly required where alcohol is served or to purchase alcohol (legal drinking age is 18 years). There are strong legal penalties for hospitality staff (and venues) if they serve or sell alcohol to a minor (or to a person who is intoxicated). A minor would also need to be accompanied and supervised by an adult to enter a pub or club, even if just for dining. Alcohol Like the diversity in cuisine, a wide range of different alcoholic beverages are available in Australia. Australia is well known for its excellent and diverse range of beers and wines. Low alcohol varieties of these (some beers are as low as 0.5%) are also available. Other than beer in cans (375 ml) or bottles (twist tops 250 ml; stubbies 275 ml, long necks 750 ml), beer sold on tap is either as a middy (285 ml) or schooner (425 ml). Although these terms and volumes can vary a little from state to state, a standard drink in Australia contains 10 g of alcohol (1). EATING INTERNATIONALLY: AUSTRALIA Food allergy, Intolerances and Special Diets Generally, most cafés and restaurants in capital cities have a reasonable understanding of why a customer might request food that is free of a particular allergen. Most would be familiar with gluten free (and some have special items identified as gluten free on the menu). Other commonly known allergens are lactose (soy, almond or rice milk is typically offered as a replacement in coffee or smoothies) and nut free. It is typically easy to avoid seafood/shellfish and eggs by discussion with hospitality staff or the chef. Restaurants do not legally have to provide allergen information on the menu but some do and this information is usually also on their website. Be aware it may not be 100% accurate but most venues do their best as consumer demand for this has substantially increased. Ordering vegetarian or vegan should also be relatively easy in larger cafés or restaurants where there is a substantial number of options on the menu. Halal is available in some restaurants but this would best be pre- organised. Many fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s™ and KFC™ serve Halal meat, chicken and cheese products although, not all are Halal certified. Obtaining Kosher is more challenging but there are commercial businesses in most capital cities that cater for Kosher. Food Safety in Australia (Food and Water) Australia is considered to have one of the highest standards of food safety in the world. This of course does not mean that foodborne illness is never encountered! Food Standards Australia and New Zealand regulate food standards in both countries and more details on the standards can be found on their website (2). When travelling anywhere globally, including Australia, it is good to use common sense when considering where to eat. Does the venue look clean? Is the hot food kept hot (by a bain-marie) and cold food cold (refrigerated). While food vans and cooked market food should be safe, it may be best with athletes to keep this eating experience until after competition is completed. Town water in Australia is safe to drink straight from the tap (faucet). In most capital cities, the hardness (mineral content, mostly calcium and magnesium) is soft to medium but water can be harder in some states and regional areas. Water hardness is not a health hazard but it will change the taste! Bottled water is widely available in Australia if preferred but it is not necessary to purchase to avoid microbial contamination. Do not be concerned about using town water to clean teeth, wash fruit or vegetables or have ice in drinks. EATING INTERNATIONALLY: AUSTRALIA Supermarkets and Farmers Markets There are a number of large and many smaller supermarket chains in Australia. The major ones are Coles™, Woolworths™ (called ‘Woolies’ by Aussies) and Aldi™. These chains also have online ordering and delivery and this feature may be very useful when travelling with athlete teams – the food (fresh produce and canned/frozen or processed products) can be either collected or delivered straight to your door (a delivery fee may be charged). The major chain supermarkets have a range of fresh produce (fruit, vegetables, a bakery fresh meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk, cheese and yoghurt) as well as canned, frozen or packaged items (bread, cereal, snack bars). Meat in Australia is generally grazed (not grain fed). Lean or premium cuts are easy to purchase and hormone free meat is also sold in supermarkets. There have been no concerns with contamination of any Australian meat or fresh produce with substances causing a positive drug test. Major supermarkets are usually open from 7 am to 8 pm, sometimes to 10 pm or midnight. Service (petrol/gas) stations also often have a small supermarket facility and some of these are open 24 hours. Most retail outlets including large department stores in Australian capital cities operate 7 days a week from ~9 am to 6 pm with late night shopping until 9 pm one evening a week. There are some exceptions and hours may be more restricted in rural areas, week-ends and public holidays. However, there is no prolonged period of closure during the day as in some countries. Most major cities and many larger towns have farmers and fish markets selling a wide range of fresh produce. These may open early (6 am). Australians use supermarkets most of the time based on convenience but a trip to local farmers market is always an enjoyable experience.