Wessa

So,
how long does it take you to stop comparing stuff back to what you were used to in the uk? or do you never stop?...

Ive found the food expensive and not so much variety, the takeaways poor quality etc which i was expecting..

I guess im in that early days or constantly thinking mode eh.....

Charismatic

Never, that's the advantage of perspective. After all if more Americans travelled abroad would they still think of their country as the best in the world? Anyway the stuff we moan about is small fry compared to the advantages of living in our peaceful little country really.

Genesis

You will surely do it for the 1st few months. Alas the general std of food here is shite compared to the UK and well expensive to boot. I know this because I spent 2 months in the UK over xmas. Whilst the fresh meat and veg is okay the rest of it is crap. The amount of e nos. in everything is alarming..its sooooooooooooooo bad I armed myself with the chemical maze and now only buy stuff with no shit or the bare minimum of crap in it. Alas the 'clean green' image of Nz is a wee bit of a lie. The Manawatu river is one of the most poluted in the world. Lake Taupo is slowly dieing due to agri. run off. Re takeaways in Palmy we are lucky enough to have a few indians that compare with ought in the UK and fish and chips to die for. So its not all bad. And all the beaches are empty. Good luck. By the way did you get that rental you were after or did you get another??

yjx1nt7

Yes will agree with the fish n chips,,, Best in the world I ve ever tasted

Am Loolah

Made a conscious decision to not compare from the day I arrived, four years ago next week. Couldn't see how it was relevant. Am from the start afresh camp ...

Ex Aucklander

You never forget the things you loved or could get easily in another country but constantly comparing is pointless.

You have to adapt to where you live & what is available. If you buy locally produced it will always be cheaper than imported & that applies to all countries.
Never understand the how the Brits compare the price of Heinz baked beans which can be exorbitant in some countries but usually there is a similar produced version for a fraction of the price if you really want them.
Not much point comparing what's on offer in NZ with a minuscule population compared to that of the UK. Maybe there is not the range of convenience foods available but usually it is far cheaper & healthier cooking your own.
However I think there is a pretty good choice available and sometimes if you get a little adventurous you may find something new to enjoy.

Si19761

But alas you have cafe cuba and it doesn't matter how many years I am away every time I go back it is as good as ever... give me their food over takeaway any day

Genesis

Just found another like C Cuba ...even better. Joseph's down joseph St. Awesom little bohemian place..great guy runs it too. Did you know C Cuba is owned now by Steve Laing the chap who used to own Tony's Tyre Service.

Jan n Neil

i still compare after nearly 2 years Jan keeps bollocking me for it but i still do it

rick78

I hope not to do it when we arrive... but I'm sure I will!

alanmacc

Yep we did the same and made a conscious decision not to compare, it is hard but you are not comparing apples for apples, if you take it on a direct comparison as 1:1 and not factoring in the exchange rate is it really that bad?

But we are now after almost 4 years well inducted into the Kiwi$ and dont really think of the comparison atall

louise dunedin

I've been here 3 months & still have to 'convert' prices to pounds by halving the price to see if I think something is reasonable. This isn't so much to compare the price with what I would have paid in the UK, more to check if I'm OK to pay that amount.
Don't know, maybe this is because I haven't been paid in nzd yet so still think in gbp. I think it's a bit like moving to a new language - you initially think in your mother tongue, then translate into the other language to talk etc. Once you're more fluent, you think in the other language directly. Looking forward to thinking in nzd soon.

shirl

Yes I still compare after 4 years, got to cooking most things from scratch simply because of all the additives in the food. Those pesky chemicals play up my stomach summat rotten!!!! So this week I made a nice batch of Cornish Pasties, great for a snack and have put some in the freezer and not like the so called cornish pasties here with mince and carrot I mean mine are made of steak, onion, swede and potato to the traditional recipe. I gave the local shop a bollocking one time for calling a pasty cornish when it was clearly not!!!!! We eat better here I think, not so many convenience foods as now I am forced to cook from scratch if we want to eat proper meals.

The other hate is that the chippy assumes that everyone has salt on chips and they get quite irritated when you say don't put salt on those chips!!!! Rant over!

Ex Aucklander

How about posting the recipe? they sound delicious.

bunnyphobia

I'm going back to the UK for three weeks this month - first time back since we arrived in August...

I've just about stopped comparing things now, and am enjoying the Kiwi way of things. Now I suspect I'll go back to the UK and be comparing things in the opposite direction! The main thing I'm dreading is the coffee....I've been spoilt rotten over here, and I suspect the old UK way (cost and taste) will be a bit of a let down

Looking forward to being on a train, again, however....