Mardi Gras

The challenge of discovering a new culture has more to do with detail. Everybody knows the Opera House, or at least how it looks. People wear Billabong and drink Fosters anywhere in the world, but maybe only a few know that the a can of coke in europe is 330ml, whereas in Australia it's 375ml.
In London people stand on the right side of the escalator, like anywhere else in Europe. Here people stand on the left. In Australia Tuesday is the movies discount day, and there's no sweet popcorn.

Pubs and restaurants are an experience. There is no, I repeat, NO Fosters anywhere in Australia. Did you know that? Marketing at its best. Pubs are the size of an arena and in a quiet night there are at least 3 brawls and a couple hundred people heavily "happy". Luckily there's never that many people waiting by the counter for a drink, (or at least not compared to London. Brits flock by the tap like there's no tomorrow) and it's possible to take your own wine to a restaurant. (although they'll charge you for drinking your own wine which you purchased yourself at your own expense. Exploitation is the best.)

Then you have the events. And in Sydney there's no event like Mardi Gras! It's their own "go bananas" day, and I was there to witness it. Carnival as we grew to know and hate in Portugal, is a pathetic display of mentally challenged people who wish they were brazillian (officially a mental illness in its own right) and can't even see it's February and BLOODY COLD in the northern hemisphere. Out here however, carnival is called Mardi Gras, it's in March (as the french name suitably suggests) and it's fun! (for about 2 hours...)

It's mostly the local gay pride parade-let's-all-get-out-of-the-closet-and-be-outrageous-for-a-day kind of groove. And it works! I was laughing out loud for 2 hours! Then it got kinda boring and I came home and watched nine weeks and a half.

Click here for my indispensable videotube:
mummagumma at the Mardi Gras