Down Under, Day 2: The Little Differences

If Quentin Tarantino ever feels the need to make a prequel and/or sequel to Pulp Fiction, he might set things up where the character of Vincent Vega (or the thinly veiled second coming of him) has just returned from Melbourne. Similar to Amsterdam, they got the same stuff over here that we have back in the states, but it's just a little different.

Examples?

Well, let's start with the answer to the fast food riddle "What would happen if Burger King married Jack in the Box and had a child?"


It looks like Burger King. It tastes like Jack in the Box. Do I recommend it? Not unless you happen to be stumbling home at 2:45 in the morning and are in desperate need of something greasy to scarf down. Despite the outward appearances of being some bizarro knockoff, Hungry Jack's is indeed Australia's Burger King, Whopper and all. No matter what you call it, however, Brian Kelly would advise that anybody who gets caught eating here at 3 AM is most definitely not an RKG.

Turning away from the greasy underbelly of fast food to the slightly more dignified world of the "Sandwich Artists" at Subway restaurants. Surely we can find the comforts of home there, right?


Wrong. You'd think the magic power of the $5 dollar footlong would be appreciated in any language, and certainly it would go over well in Australia considering they speak English here! Apparently not. Not only have they turned their back on the $5 footlong, their so-called "value meal" is a six-inch sub! The one positive we can take here is that this isn't some kind of drastic fleecing like it would be in the other country that puts Queen Elizabeth on its money. The US Dollar is actually slightly ahead of the Australian dollar, so $4.45 in Oz Bucks is basically $4.35 US (as opposed to Britain where the £5 footlong is really a $9.50 footlong before you include the chips and drink). Economic pluses aside, I'm not happy about leaving the footlong deal behind.

And speaking of being left behind:


Can't find it on shelves in the states. Readily available at every corner 7-Eleven in Melbourne. Which is ironic considering that it all began to unravel for Tiger when the alleged mistress was allegedly spotted allegedly checking into a Melbourne hotel...allegedly.

I may not be the world's most traveled individual, but I am definitely expanding my reach to the other side of the globe, where it certainly seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just have to be aware and appreciative of all those little differences.