1. Stunned mullets. When someone says something that makes your eyes go wide and your mouth go round, they’ve said something that makes you “look like a stunned mullet.” It’s my favorite New Zealander phrase.
2. Toureen. Terrine. This dish is something like a meatloaf, but with an assortment of more coarsely-ground meats. We never got to try it, but Tony and Marlene’s descriptions left my mouth watering — and Donna, one of the lovely hosts from Coast2CoastNZ.com Tours, was kind enough to drop me a link to Cookthink's terrine page.
3. Scallop roe. I never knew scallops came with a little salmon-colored purse of roe (or eggs) attached until I ordered scallops in NZ. In the States, the roe is sliced off and cast aside (mostly so unscrupulous vendors can substitute cheap shark meat for real scallops); here in NZ, it’s a delicacy, and no one would eat scallops served without them. Yummy!
4. Golden Kiwi. I’ve seen the green, but never the gold, which has a sweeter, more syrupy flavor. Worth seeking out when we get home, especially so we can layer it on #5.
5. Pavlova. Designed as a tribute to a famous ballerina, palova is essentially a huge pad of meringue slathered with fresh whipped cream, slices of green and gold kiwi, and garnished with shaved chocolate. Our individual-sized, from-scratch pavlova — served up by Donna during our Coast2CoastNZ.com tour — tasted exquisite … but even the store-bought, plate-sized version Marlene treated us to was pretty darn tasty. Clyde’s going to start making these when we get back home, and just knowing that makes me a happy man.
6. Green-lipped mussels. The mussels in the States just don’t compare to the green-lipped mussels we’ve had here. In the ATL, the under-cooked crap served up by the Steamhouse in Midtown (the mussels they brought to our table couldn’t be opened, even with an ice pick — a sign they haven’t been cooked enough) will never hold a candle to the quick and easy mussels Marlene and Jude whipped up in their kitchen. A little wine, a little garlic, a little salt, a little pepper, a little lemon zest, a little lemon juice, a little time in the boiler … a little heaven on your plate.
7. Manuka honey. Inflated claims have produced tales of this stuff healing everything from high blood pressure to pneumonia … but all I know is that it tastes great on whole grain bread, especially when paired with New Zealand butter.
8. Possum fur. In the States, our opossums are pretty much big rats; here, they’re still a nuisance, but they have soft, downy fur and look more like surprised little kangaroos. Blended with New Zealand wool, the fur makes for nice scarves and mittens. When winter comes to the ATL, watch for my jaunty new possum fur hat.
9. Hot Water Beach. Hit the beach. Dig a pit. Wait for it to fill with geothermal water. Jump in. (Carefully. In places, the water’s boiling hot.) You can’t do this anywhere but NZ.
10. Hokey Pokey Ice Cream. How did I get to be forty-five years old without knowing about hokey pokey? Think creamy vanilla ice cream, swirled with caramel, and studded with toffee chunks, and you’ll have an idea of what hokey pokey is all about.
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