The Scalzis Try Australian Snacks
Posted on October 11, 2019 Posted by John Scalzi 28 Comments
Hey, remember all those snacks I was given when I was in Australia? Athena and I tried them all (well, most of them) and made a video of us doing it and reviewing the snacks we had. It’s 17 minutes of your life you’ll never get back! Enjoy.
This is the quality content I cam here to see
Thank you, Scalzis, for saving me the trouble of a snack run to Australia.
Smudge wants to know when the kitty treats get tasted….
I was surprised about the pineapple lumps but only the pineapple lumps — oh and Jaffas are pronounced with the a sound from the way you guys say laugh. And they are indeed wonderful. As is Cadbury chocolate not made in the US, even the milk chocolate.
According to my wife who lived in Australia for a year, a Tim Tam slam is the ONLY way to eat them, preferably with tea.
BTW, if you really liked them, you can get them in some supermarkets in the UK, which is much closer to Ohio than Australia.
The best Tim Tam Slam is with port.
Guest starring Zeus!
Kroger and Target carry Tim Tams here in Michigan. They are yummy.
You two aren’t the only people who will take caramel over chocolate! I thought I was the only weirdo in the world who will pass on chocolate any day to get to the caramel.
Yeah, they carry Tim Tams at my local grocery store.
@Kelly Naylor: Exactly, same here – caramel over chocolate any day of the week!
Mmm, pineapple lumps. Think I’m gunna have to the shops!
Yes on the Cherry Ripe, meh on the Tim Tams. Should have tried the Mint Slice biscuits – biscuit, lightly minted cream and a rich chocolate coating over the whole lot. Much better than Tim Tams. -waving from DownUnder-
Caramel versus chocolate is a surprisingly tricky question. I’d rather go without caramel I think, but mainly because I’m way more picky about how I like caramel. Excluding chocolate means excluding way more kinds of things I like than excluding caramel
Those mint leaves you were given… Yes, they’re okay, shading to nice, but you should know that they are pretty much the worst mint leaves you can find here (they are the cheap crap own-brand mint leaves of one of our two big supermarket chains). Much, much better mint leaves can be had.
Nobody here eats “vegemite-peanuts” – that is indeed a trick.
Musk sticks are divine :)
Wizz-fizz is supposed to be eaten off a spoon as a white powder. It is wasted on marshmallow, but is rather good on ice-cream.
There are better versions of Jaffas; next time, look for BBs from the same manufacturer as those licorice bullets.
On the subject of chocolate from different parts of the world, Cadbury chocolate in the UK is not the same as Cadbury chocolate here in Australia. There it has a noticably gritty texture, which is a result of different recipes for different climates – the UK recipe melts (kinda, anyway) on the shelves and in transport here.
Also, that intro made me think of nothing so much as Dick Van Dyke’s excellent Cockney skills from My Fair Lady… :)
Cadbury used to make chocolate in New Zealand, then production lines were moved around and sweets (candy) with actual chocolate are now supplied from Australia. We soon learnt that the Aussie blend has different taste and texture as a result of being made more heat-tolerant. Their sales have plummeted while local producers have expanded greatly. Visitors to CoNZealand should look for Whittakers brand chocolate for the authentic Kiwi experience.
Pineapple Lumps and Jaffas are popular here, as mentioned go for the good versions, not supermarket own-brands.
Oh yes, Whittaker’s chocolate is much better than Cadbury’s.
I remember spearmint leaves. I think the ones from my childhood were more strongly flavored.
I had swiss chocolate decades ago.
It ruined candy for me.
Nooooo! I can’t believe you hated the Mitey Aussie Nuts!!! They are totally the best and I’m banning myself from ever buying them again on account of toxic overdose potential. Fair call on the musk sticks, however.
Tim Tams have been the Snack of Choice for Australian stoners since about 1970. I’m glad you liked them.
I’ve never seen Vegemite peanuts – I shall seek them out, as I love Vegemite. It is the food of the gods. At its best thickly slathered on fresh white bread and butter.
So Cadbury now offers only desert chocolate (not to be confused with dessert chocolate) in NZ?
This was delightful! I’m with you on the caramel vs. chocolate debate. Finally, Violet Crumble is AMAZING. My wonderful eldest son knows how much I love them (and they’re hard to find in the wasteland that is Arizona), and ordered me a case a couple of Xmases ago.
“Musk Sticks” sounds something you’d use in animal husbandry.
And one more who prefers caramel to chocolate, though I’ve become much more fond of chocolate in my old age. Maybe it’s because of dark chocolate, and not Hershey’s. Enjoyed seeing Zeus, and the overview of all these previously unknown to me tidbits.
I’m amazed at your method. Chewing is not the first thing an Australian would do. Spearmint leaves were a staple growing up. You hold it in your mouth and let it dissolve. Same with Jaffas. The hard shell is to prevent the lollies (ahem I can’t call it candy) melting in your hand. Don’t chew. Let the flavours dissolve.
Oh I forgot. I get Tim Tams here in the USA from Target. Three flavours.
I like my chocolate dark and a little bitter, best with sour cherries inside.