Arnold,
Well then I’ll have to give you a serious answer.
Nino Culotta was indeed the psuedonym of John O’Grady.
I’ve actually got a copy of They’re A Weird Mob upstairs somewhere as well as the sequel (whose name eludes me atm). Apparently he wrote a third novel as well though I’ve not sighted it.
I’ve also got a copy of Gone Troppo - another O’Grady look at Australian slang.
Enjoyable books.
Is Foster’s REALLY Australian for beer?
dpr, sorry to hear that Tasmania is “the butt of many jokes”, since I worked for a company based in Hobart some years ago, found the people to be quite easy to get along with.
What is the main export from Australia (not counting Paul Hogan)?
Blue sky: It’s funny about Fosters actually. It used to be one of Australia’s leading beers quite some time ago. Then they started exporting, and it virtually disappeared from Australia. Nowadays Foster’s is relatively rare in Oz. Which amuses travelling Australians no end particularly in the US and England. And it’s not one of our better beers btw.
Incidentally, I loved the two fosters ads I saw last year as I passed through the states. Grossly inaccuaret but hellishly funny.
TradeSil: I agree, Tasmania is a very pretty place and the people are genuinely nice. Hut when has the reality ever got in the way of a good generalisation? Especially when it involves making fun of others?
We don’t count Hoges as an export. Or Olivia. Or Mel. Or Elle.
We’re predominantly a primary producer. Wool, wheat, coal, uranium are all exported heavily. No figures off the top of my head but I’ll chase some up for you. We also have a fast-growing film industry (Matrix, Dark City and Star Wars II just to name a few) and tourism is huge.
I was particularly interested in the “Waltzing Matilda” question, as it is one of the few things that have stuck in my head since early childhood - we learned the song in about the third grade, and had no explanation, of course, as to what we were singing about. My mind will be at rest every time that song starts running through my head now.
Since I can’t ask about that now, I’ll ask a simple question. Bill Bryson has just published a book about his experience of Oz called “A Sunburned Land” (IIRC). If you’ve read it, what did you think of it? If you haven’t, will you?
BTW, I know the Foster’s ads were very silly and were not related to reality, but they made me laugh too.
The Bryson book is only just out here and while I don’t have plans to rush out, I will read it in due course. Fresh perspectives (ie from the outside) are always interesting. And he’s not too bad a writer. 
I hope I answered the Wltzing Matilda question for you despite the fact that I didn’t interpret the actual lyrics. I can if you’d like.
nods at Bob
:wally
feels bad that he got taken in by the Silent Bob doppleganger
Sorry bob…
quoth dpr regarding Fosters:
I agree - can’t stand the stuff. However that begs the question: what is the cournerstone of Australian beer? (Brewing being the ultimate expression of Straya’n culture, for the uninitiated) Cascade Premium tops my list at present, but Tooheys Old or V.B. are the preferred draught beers.
And I’m surprised that no-one’s mentioned Drop Bears yet… or redbacks on the dunny…
I’m saving drop bears for later.
And a quick quiz amongst my friends rate Carlton Cold, VB and Crown lager the best. There’s also a very good Tasmanian one (it won beer of the year in 98 or 99) which they liked.
XXXX is way down the list but still above Fosters…
Good idea, we don’t want to scare away the tourist dollar before the Olympics.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that beer was Cascade Premium. There’s the draught Cascade Pale Ale which is pretty good, but a bit too thin for my liking. I worked in my uncle’s pub in Tasmania for a month or so at the beginning of '99 (the Oyster Cove Inn, Kettering - shameless plug). Before I went down there I’d never heard of it. By the time I got home a few weeks later it was in almost every bar I went into. Freaky.
It is without a doubt unfortunate that Fosters was the beer to become famous out of this Big Brown Land. No wonder when people think ‘beer’ they think ‘Germany’. It so easily could have been different
Actually, when I think ‘beer’ I think ‘oh, yes thanks’, but anyway…
Does anybody, anywhere, really act like The Crocodile Hunter? Or is he one in a million?
I’ve never watched him for more than five minutes until this weekend, when a friend encouraged us to play a drinking game. You take a swig every time he says “Crikey” or “Danger” (or “dangerous”). He’s pretty… uh, out there.
A serious question: Are people as laid back as they seem?
As for accents, I know some people think this is B.S., but I know people (in the United States) who can not only distinguish between state accents in the south, but also COUNTIES. And when I lived in VA, I was pretty good at telling South Carolina accents from others.
I’m sure somewhere in the outback there’s a person like the Crocodile Hunter. Then again God may not be that unkind at all.
Older people still use crikey occasionally but it’s usage is diminishing all the time. And to be quite honest, the croc hunter is a bit of a wanker. Drongo. Neville-no-friends.
Don’t tar us all by THAT brush please.
But yes most Australians are quite laid back. It’s quite intrinsic to our culture to make fun of friends and foes alike (with differences of course). And before you say that you do that - Americnas don’t do it anynwhere near the extent of Aussies. I learnt that one the hard way.
A traditional saying is “she’ll be right mate” which is the Oz version of Que serra serra or C’est la vie. It’s a verbal shrug.
That’s for sure. If you come to Australia and someone calls you a ‘dickhead’ in casual conversation, chances are that they really like you. And I am not being sarcastic.
Another thing that might interest some americans is our use of the word “pissed”. It means “drunk” not “angry”. That’s cause for frustration in all but the most knowlegable exchange student:
Strayan: “Last night I had 14 beers, and christ I was pissed…”
Yank: “Why, what went wrong?”
Strayan: “Nothing, it was great fun.”
Yank: “So why were you pissed?”
Strayan: “Cause I drank 14 beers”
Yank: “Don’t you like beer?”
Strayan: “Love it. Stupid question, that.”
Yank: “But why would drinking beer make you pissed then?”
Strayan: “Cause that’s what beer does to you, dickhead.”
Yank: “You get pissed when you’re drunk…”
Strayan: “Obviously”
Yank: “I’ve got a headache.”
Strayan: “Come on, I’ll let you buy me a beer.”
hehe So true.
I was going to post a similar conversation featuring the word ‘root’ but decided, for reasons obvious to Aussies, not to.
Just bumping it up for Spiritus…
Just send me a cassette of you talking. I don’t need you to answer any questions. I just want to hear you talk. :getting all dreamy-eyed over Aussie accents:
Thanks for the bump. Fun information here. I’ve been called a dickhead by friends (well, I think they were friends) before, so I don’t think that will be a shock. Any other PR things I should know? I would hate to accidently offend someone by offering him a taste of my root vegetable.