Australia vs America

Having grown up in the sunny coastal city of Sydney, I moved to the less sunny and less coastal town of Champaign in the Fall of 2009. Why did I journey to a place where I didn't know a single human being, you ask? Good question. I thought I'd get some international work experience while maybe getting out of my comfort zone. Who am I kidding: Honduras (with the highest homicide rate per capita) or Antarctica (which has, I guess, the opposite climate to Australia) - now those would have been out of my comfort zone. The friendly folks of Australia and America speak the same language (I know, I  know, that's debatable). They also fight on the same side during international conflicts, these typically being initiated by one of the two countries (I'll give you a hint, it's not Australia). But there are still some contrasts between these mighty nations. Take the food, for example. The "gourmet onion dish" displayed below was described by an anonymous food critic as a "very controversial piece". The gastronomical expert then offered the interpretation that "the placement of the onions represent (sic) the circle of life whereas the chili is a shooting star, arising from a universe of gravy". I guess food is all very subjective but one thing's for sure - there is hardly anything on that plate! Calling it a "minimalist" or "low-calorie" offering would perhaps be the greatest culinary understatement ever uttered. After all, the dish is really not much more than, well, a dish! In stark contrast, within days of arriving in the States, yours truly was introduced to the pizza of Papa Del. Let me tell you, this Papa makes One Mother of a Pizza. Go big or go home. We have a winner: AUS 0 - 1 USA

So are there any other differences between these countries? Absolutely! Australia, being an island, is home to some of the weirdest animals on Earth, these having evolved in their own isolated continent. Many of these fauna are super venomous for sure, but they are largely misunderstood creatures. For a fair comparison between AUS and USA I now present the two variants of possum/opossum native to the nations:

For those of you interested, here's a short video of my brother playing with one. Upon examining this evidence, what you'll undoubtedly realize is that Aussie possums are CUTE! The little guy pictured above, munching on some watermelon in my parents front yard, is no exception. On the other hand, his American cousin is hands down the nastiest thing I've ever seen. There's clearly no contest here: AUS 1 - 1 USA

So at one point apiece, let's call it even. At least until I can think of more things to compare. Vive la différence!