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well, the question is:

who can tell US something concerning your experiences in NZ?
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if no-one get's started we are going to sleep all in front of the monitor....



right?


folks, let's get started....

greetings

Zeromeridian

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also die frage ist:

wer kann UNS etwas ueber eure erfahrungen in NZ erzaehlen?
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wenn keiner den anfang macht, werden wir alle vor dem monitor einschlafen....



stimmt's ?

leute lasst uns anfangen....

gruesse

Zeromeridian

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Hi, one of my friens told me that he had problems in New Zealnd
concerning the food !
Can sombody tell me more about it ?

Orca

Hi Orca,

the food is getting better in New Zealand.
When I first visited New Zealand 15 years ago I was lost.
I still don't like Pies and Sausage Rolls !
I really miss a Greek Restaurant, but tourists will not miss it
too much. 'Nuernber Bratwurst' had been one of my favourites,
no way to get it in New Zealand.

Anyway, I hope New Zealand will see You soon.
It is a lovely country with lovely people !

See Ya
Pakeha

Hi,

I don't know what you want to tell us !

I alwayes 'loved' Fish'n Chips

Karl

Hi folks,

I am not visiting New Zealand because of the food.
Anyway I am travelling with a low budget !

See u soon
in New Zealand

Cornelia

Looks like you're gonna have to live on Maggi Noodles and Water from the tap if you're going to go on a budget! Only jokin' !
Good place to buy the basics is Pak'n Safe or Countdown Supermarkets, try to avoid the others, they are usually dearer. Best you have a look what's there and choose from the products you know anyway as I don't really know about your preferences.
Don't expect to find anything that even resembles the bread you are used to in Germany, here it's ususally Tip Top White, Wholemeal or at least the good old Vogel's Bread which has a little bit more bite and flavour than the other crap.
In the bigger centres you'll allways get a baguette, a croissont or a simple bun.
Thats the bread dealt with!
For simple meals you can buy pasta and noodles in an endless variety of shapes and flavours as we have a large Asian Community here, especially in the Auckland area.
Salamis and other smallgoods here unfortunately have still not even nearly reached a similar standard to the same products in the german Aldi markets, so don't bother with that.
One thing they know how to make I have to admit and thats their cooked ham.
If you feel like that, go to the nearest supermarket deli and buy some shaved ham, a bit of butter or margarine and perhaps some wholegrain mustard.
Makes a real meal!
Anything else here is by now a fusion of old style greasy english food, a bit of italian and a bit of asian with weird varieties of pizzas, kebabs and takeaway food like chow mein or chop suey.
There are several speciality shops for ethnic foods like asian, indian, mediteranean and middle eastern, even swiss, dutch, german and english.
Anyway, if you're a fussy eater you might not be in the right country here but if you enjoy something new and different every day it's the place to be.
One thing you must try of course is our fish 'n chips(make sure you eat it straight away out of the paper otherwise it'll go a soggy) and the pies of an endless variety. You can buy a pie just about anywhere here, any gas station, dairy and lunchbar has them either kind of fresh(frozen and reheated) or baked the night before, but the best ones are sold at the many bakeries, ususally freshly made.
Pies originate from Britain and France and are small or medium sized pockets of flaky(or not so flaky!)pastry filled with a variety of meats, either in chunks or minced with gravy, some have vegetables, mushrooms and even oysters inside, there are others topped with mashed potato and cheese, some are filled with exotic stuff like chicken curry or even a bolognese sauce. The variety is endless and thats why I love pies. Even for dessert, there are apple pies, blueberry pies...! One hint ! Don't try sausage rolls, believe me, they have got nothing to do with a sausage as you would expect, they are made from flaky pastry filled with an unknown substance that resembles a mixture of handcleaner, sawdust and vaseline with a bit of chopped onion, tastes allmost the same.
Seafood is reasonably cheap if you stick with the basics like mussels and fish, local delicacies like whitebait fritters(very very small fish larvae mixed with egg and flour and fried like an pancake) are expensive and seasonal as well as oysters(the ones from Bluff at the bottom of the South Island are the dearest) and scallops as well as certain species of fish. However, at least once you should try some fresh snapper or even John Dory!
Now the fruits and vegetables are the best and freshest you can get, but still seasonal price fluctuations are to be expected.
Don't bother with cherries, they cost an arm and a leg here.
But apples, pears, nachis, peaches, apricots and the beautiful kerikeri oranges are top fruit. Ah, of course the kiwifruit! Don't ask here for "Kiwis", that could lead to misunderstandings with the national bird or the national feeling! Ask for "Kiwifruit"!
Meat here is very very good, as one would expect! Cheapest place to buy is at the "Mad Butcher" which is a chain of meat stores around the country and can be found in any reasonably sized town. Has got everything, fresh or frozen, even chicken, eggs and frozen seafood like prawns and fish.
Some basic other groceries can be bought there too like rice, pasta, sauces and biscuits. Softdrinks and milk are also available at a very reasonable price.
Of course the cuts of meat are very different from the ones in Germany and there is no person at the counter to ask you "What'll it be today, mam!?"
You have to pick and choose by yourself and browse through the large chillers and freezers, but with a bit of an eye for a good cut of meat you'll be right!
Last not least there is "The Warehouse" !
The big red barns are in allmost any medium sized town and you can find really almost anything there, from clothing to electronics, from toys to furniture, from flowers to basic foodstuffs. Bread(yes, the soggy white and grey stuff)rice and pasta, simmer sauces, tinned fish(great!), ravioli, baked beans(don't buy spaghetti in tins, they're disgusting stuff!) chocolate, biscuits, soft drinks and juices.
If you need anything, The Warehouse has usually got it, and I mean anything!
Hope I've covered most of the subject here, but I think one could write a book about the food here!
Be adventurous, don't be fussy and don't expect anything like you know from home! Then you'll be right, girl !
By the way, beer and wine here is tops!
CHEERS and BON APPETIT

And to put the cherry on the top, I've got to tell you something.
New Zealand also holds a record regarding food!
It has the highest rate of champhilobacter infections in the Western World.
That's the bugs causing food poisoning, by the way!
I thought that should also be said here, just to let those unaware travellers and newcomers know to take care and be aware of this sad statistic.

Hi,

"champhilobacter infections" - it's chocking
I never heard about this kind of infection, however I am more concerned about
getting scin cancer because of the "ozon hole" above the southern hemnisphere ! Surely we need a sunblocker.

Cheers
Moa