mickey_d

which bit?

Bo-Jangles

They say that almost 30% of people in NZ eat 'out' more than they cook at home. When they say 'eating out', it's mostly fish n chips, pizzas and KFC. The article also mentions ready meals; these are not the quality chilled / fresh types of meals you get in the UK - they'll be the utterly crappest Watties frozen pasta, macaroni cheese and lasagna type efforts because that's all there is.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10697598

You only have to take a gander at what's in the average trolley of shopping in the checkout queue to see what features highly on the menu. The cheapest bread, tinned spaghetti, tinned fruit, beer, wine, budget label biscuits, icecream, frozen chips, frozen veggies and sausage 'sizzlers'.

chillyed

yep cos everyone in the UK has such a fine and varied diet

i eat pasties like they're going out of fashion and my diet isnt too bad compared to others

jayandbill

That pie and chips and fish and chips is the Kiwi staple diet

jayandbill

True about ready meals and I never buy them here, especially sausage rolls.yuk!! but the trolly full of cheap crap could be applied to Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury

BEVS

Mickey !
Get that mug shot on the Tradition Avatar thread mate.

Dustybin

couple of things folks,

firstly, if you life here and work here let go. You'll just drive yourself mad constantly finding things to compare to the UK, incase you haven't noticed you aint there anymore

Secondly, if you buy local, buy seasonal and have a bit of common sense you can shop quite happily without breaking the budget. Maybe you are just getting to find out the real cost of food for a change, and I dont think that is a bad thing.

I suppose thirdly if having 7 different types of beans to pick from in the shops is important to you, maybe nz isn't for you...

Oh and Pie is good, it is never too early for PIE!

Jan n Neil

Maybe I'm a bit wierd but I used to walk around Sainsburys and think it was slightly obscene that there were indeed 7 choices of beans, or similar, when so much of the world is in so much need.....

I prefer the shops here, after all, all I am doing is going there to buy food, and it's simple, in season, and easy to find. I am a veggie too and I find that easy here too - it's well catered for as long as you read labels (which I did in the UK anyway). Also I have learnt to cook various chinese dishes as it is so easy to find the ingredients here

Jan

Dustybin

the asian warehouse in town is the best supermarket in the world!!

Jan n Neil

Totally agree, wonderful place!!!!!!!!!!!

jayandbill

Absolutely right! But if like us your only income is UK pension, which is never going to increase, unlike the cost of living, it's useful to know how far your money is going to go for your first year here at least. I don't miss the UK or any of the foods, and who needs 15 types of canned tuna to choose from. I have no problem with the choice of food available here, only the amount of additives used.

jayandbill

But which town? Auckland I presume. But I live in Tauranga

Dustybin

auckland? noo never,

shaky christchurch!

But i'm sure you will have a similar thing nearby,

as for additives, well surely that just depends what you put in your food? If you make it fresh you know whats in it.



Good Luck!

Persia

You're right, the fish is too expensive to be an everyday item

(I was joking by the way!)

Bo-Jangles

There's a point, how is it that the Asian stores can sell all manner of imported and local foods for a fraction of the prices in the other big supermarkets? However, it somehow conflicts and makes a mockery of the 'live like a local; eat like a local' brigade. If it weren't for the Asian demand for foods just like at home, where would we be?