Saturday morning Casey and I went to the USA Food Store in Bentleigh to gather ingredients for an upcoming Thanksgiving party. No, Australians do not celebrate the pilgrims and indians arrival in the U.S. However, I managed to invite myself to a friend of a friend's annual Thanksgiving party thanks to her friend's American transplant husband. Casey and I went for pumpkin pie and green bean casserole ingredients. The store is about a 30 minute train ride south of the city and is three short aisles wide. Until I arrived at the store, I didn't really know what I was missing. However, after seeing so many familiar brands and typical foods we take for granted in the states, I began to miss everything, even things I don't eat! Hunts tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, cocktail sauce, chex cereal, crystal light, red licorice, bounce dryer sheets, etc. The prices were prohibitively astronomical with a box of cheerios costing $13, so I'll reserve these purchases for emergencies.
Saturday night I went to a housewarming party in Thornbury, a couple suburbs northeast of where I live. The theme of the party was "Op Shop Sharp". Australia does not celebrate Halloween, but with the number of themed dress up parties they have, it seems like Halloween year round. This party was to dress up in thrift store garb. As you may or may not be aware, I have a genuine distaste for thrift stores, finding them smelly and overall yuck! I sported my self-designated most op shop-like bohemian skirt and vintage shirt. As evidenced by the array of creative ensembles at the party, my sentiments were mostly not shared by these party goers, and in admiring their get-ups, I almost found myself wishing I'd made a stop by the op shop. One girl had a full-on wedding gown with fluffy feathery white high heels. The weather is getting warmer, and being hot, she decided to cut the gown just above the knees and elbows. It lost nothing in translation!
