toilets and other strange but ordinary things

Okay, there are so many things here, ordinary things, that are just plain odd. I guess anytime you are living somewhere new there are those things that just make you think, "wow, I never thought you had to choose which flush to use." Like toilets. Here most of the toilets have two flush options -- half-flush or whole-flush, you decide. I suppose it's a cost/water saving measure but with almost no water in the bowl to begin with....well, kind of ick. Also, never assume stores, restaurants, banks, museums or other public places have bathrooms. You are generally directed to the nearest public bathroom which is just as appealing as it sounds & luckily I have avoided.

You know that study that showed littering decreased when trash cans were close at hand? I think someone missed that one here. Not that there is really any litter; I just can't figure out where these people throw things out. There are no trash (or rubbish) cans around here. You are walking down the sidewalk, finished with your coffee or tissue or whatever and you have to carry it around until you get home since there are no trash cans.

Grocery stores are very fun here. Not that they are all Whole Foods-free gourmet samples-kind of fun, oh no, more like, oh my goodness, lamb-flavored chips kind of fun. Chip flavors are the first thing we noticed; typically you can find the following flavors of chips readily available:

Feta & Italian Herbs
Honey Soy Chicken
Mature Chedder & Caramelized Onion
Roast Chicken, Sage & Onion
Roast Lamb & Mint
Smoked Salmon & Capers
Beef Brisket & Onion

We have been wimps and haven't ventured beyond BBQ yet. Chicken & Lamb flavored chips are really big here though. And we have a Cadbury factory here which makes the air smell like heaven & all food stores have a huge Cadbury display -- cream eggs are where the mints & gum usually are at the checkout.

I already mentioned the lack of half-and-half, but the milk isn't labeled skim or whole or whatever. Here it is trim, very trim, slim, regular, etc. And the calories aren't listed as calories but as kilojoules. And you can get flavored milk -- like lime or orange-flavored milk. They do have chocolate and strawberry too, but you just aren't used to seeing bright green milk.