As many of you know, I am
very behind on my post. I am still doing what the activities that I write
about, but I have not actually been able to type out the words.
New Zealand
Last month I wrote about the
tiny nation of Niue, a country whose citizens enjoy duel citizenship
with that of New Zealand. So last week I decided that I needed to know more
about the country of New Zealand itself.
When I think of New Zealand, I normally think: “Hey, that’s close to Australia”, more like 900 miles from Australia. There is a whole sea, the Tasman Sea, between the two countries. Still there are a few
similarities between the two countries, aside from relative proximity. They are
both former British colonies, islands, whose major inhabitants are English
Speaking Caucasians.
There are a few minorities
here, like the native Maori Culture (a Polynesian subgroup), Asians, and other
Pacific Islanders.
The Maori traditionally
dress in very neutral colors with clothing decorated with feathers. Many of the
Maori have traditional tattoos, including tattoos on the face.
T.V.
I was pretty young when I was
first exposed to New Zealand, though it was unknown to me at the time. When I was
a child, one of my favorite shows was “Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers”. The 11th
episode of the first season takes place in New Zealand, though this is never specifically stated.
In the show the team of
rodents has to steal back their flying contraption after Kiwi’s start worshiping it as a “flying god”. Kiwis
themselves are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand (People of New Zealand also call themselves
Kiwis). In the show, the camp of Kiwis have a witch doctor (common in Maori
tribes).
Food:
Since a majority of people
here are of European decent, much of the food here is similar to that of Britain’s. For lunch on this day I chose to eat fish and
chips. For dinner I had sausage sizzle: Pan fried sausage with caramelized
onions, and mustard with white bread (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage_sizzle).
The Maori people had grown
taro (what Hawaiians make poy) and sweet potatoes, so I also enjoyed chips made
from the roots.
New Zealand is also famous for their wine. I was able to find
a New
Zealand
wine at the local grocery store, Starborough. This is a delightful Sauvignon
Blanc with tart citrus flavors.
Work Cited:
“Chip and Dale’s Rescue
Rangers”. Season 1, Episode 11. “Kiwi’s Big Adventure. Aired: September 29,
1989.
Wikipedia:
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