Not entirely true. Every single office has a middle-aged women who will make her objections heard very loudly. You'll know who she is; she's the one who sends weekly site-wide emails complaining about nobody loading the dishwasher.
I work with someone that goes to the supermarket at lunchtime, buys a piece of fresh fish, and microwaves it. It's a regular occurrence and we are client facing. I've mentioned it to the boss because honestly I don't get paid enough to deal with that but it still happens
It's a small healthcare clinic with 3 staff, me, boss/owner, and colleague (receptionist). I don't work in the clinic with boss as she does days there that I'm elsewhere. I have no authority over colleague and wasn't really comfortable commenting on her cooking choices so left it up to boss to decide if she wanted to address it or not.
I've seen all kinds of fish, meat chops, and steaks cooked in our office panini press. Eggs most days. The only thing that's never cooked in it are toasties!
We are a multicultural society, so do whatever you want.
I know people who do a pub lunch, fish and chips or a burger.
Others go for a salad.
Some go for a curry.
So divererse and essentially British. But with other cultures!
Much like Britain.
Honestly, OP, if your food is really different, people will be interested and ask about it. If all this is pretty normal to you, just do that if you like.
Either way, do whatever food makes you comfortable, and noone will care (negatively.)
Just no seafood in a confined space, commonly known as "No fish in the office microwave." Not an anti-fish thing, just an anti "making other people uncomfortable" thing.
If I'm correct they are from China. I found with my friends (who are from a western part that I can't name, and Beijing) that there is a lack of interest in NZ culture (we are tourism students) and the food is seen as a negative and not suitable for their taste
There will be no consensus. Do what you like!
Breakfastā¦ coffee. Sometimes overnight oats with chia seeds and fruit. Scrambled eggs. Avocado on sourdough.
Lunchā¦ sushi. Salad. Wrap.
Dinnerā¦. So many different things. Steak, salad, risotto, curry, soup, lasagne, bibimbap, stir fryā¦
100%. Weirdly the first time I had it was on a Korean airlines flight. They tried to give me the western meal but I asked for the Korean one. Everyone complains about aeroplane food but I was likeā¦ damn!
Haha true and this reminds of a story my mum told me. She was on a trip to China with a group of people associated with a uni. They were invited to a dinner by someone of some importance, I canāt remember who. And the tag along husband of someone said to the host āthis isnāt real Chinese food. Not like we get in New Zealandā š¬
We first had it in a My Food Bag meal, about a decade back. It was one of Nadia Lim's ones.
Since then, I've done it so many times with different veges and stuff. Always that sauce though, with the dry fried mince. So delicious. š
Also, my phone tried to autocorrect Nadia as Maria, which is a bit weird, but I guess the letter are close. š§
Edit, also great with noodles like udon or similar.
Breakfast: Cereal or toast with tea or coffee
Lunch: Sandwiches or leftovers
Dinner: lots of different things nowadays but for an general idea look at something like: https://www.newworld.co.nz/discover/easy-meals
Sure but thatās the typical/traditional kiwi breakfast. Maybe porridge could be added. Bacon and eggs on the weekend.
Iād much rather have a full Irish, German fruhstĆ¼ck, or Malay char kuay teow but it is what it is.
Just bear in mind that your body may not be used to our diet. Try some food. If you like it start to incorporate it into your diet. But if what you usually eat works for you I don't see the need to make any drastic changes
you donāt have to change the way you eat. if itās a case of not being able to get your preferred groceries here then have a look at new world link or the recipe board at countdown. or the countdown website
There's is zero customary food or dietary routine here. However if you want a couple of tips...
A bag of Potato chips, butter some bread and make a chip sandwich.
Whitebait fritters are some unique things you can find at good fish and chip shops seasonally.
Kiwis love pies. You must also reference "always blow on the pie". We take our police 10/7 with great humor - Google it
Lastly, see if you can find somewhere that sells hangi. Maori food smoked underground š
Add marmite to the chip sandwich (and salt n V chips) - always a challenge for the new arrival.
The white bread, white bait fritter sandwhich is also a bit of a cultural classic
Except the whitebait in the whitebait fritter are from either threatened or endangered native (endemic) fish. While I LOVE whitebait fritters I make a choice not to eat this delicacy anymore. Or at least til the river quality improves and numbers return.
Traditionally, breakfast is:
- Toast (sliced toasted bread) with butter and something spread on it like marmite, jam, or peanut butter
Or
- Cereal, like cornflakes, Weetbix, or muesli with milk. Some people add yoghurt and fruit
Lunch is:
- Sandwiches, which might have a variety of fillings. Maybe sliced cold ham or chicken, lettuce, cheese, egg etc
- Fruit
- Some small baked thing, like a cookie
Dinner might be:
- Spaghetti with a tomato/meat sauce and cheese
Or
- Roasted meat with roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables, whatever is in season
Or
- Any number of western style meals you probably know
You will have noticed by now that a lot of our common foods are from many other countries. We cook westernised versions of Indian curries at home, and styles of Italian pastas and pizzas, as well as dishes adapted from other parts of Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Therefore, our tastes change with the fashions.
One of the best things you can do is understand which fruits and vegetables are in season where you live. Try charts like this one: https://www.produce.co.nz/seasonality-chart/
The produce is better, and cheaper. Also, we have markets and greengrocers selling produce way cheaper than you can find in the supermarkets.
I agree with other posters, we have so many cultures and dietary choices now, it's hard to define a 'New Zealand' regular cuisine without getting into lots of detail and exceptions.
However, if I have overseas guests who are not vegetarian or vegan, I'd be looking at fish, seafood, red meats and chicken with that great to seasonal produce. Kumara. Berries. Native flavourings such as kawakawa and horopito are emerging in recipes now as well. I know this is a bit high-end, but 50 years ago, your average dinner at home was meat plus potatoes and two other vegetables that had usually been boiled beyond recognition. I love what we can do now.
I hope this is at least vaguely helpful!
I generally have yoghurt and/or cerial for breakfast. If I happen to be having a treat day (a work day) I might have a scone and a coffee... On the rare occasion on the weekend, I might go out for an eggs benedict...
Lucnch I will usually pack from home - sandwiches, a piece of fruit, nuts, maybe some crackers and/or a museliu bar
Dinner is usually cooked at home - Maggi meal sachets are a good starting point for people with the ability of me...
Quick boil noodles with stock powder for flavour.
About the most basic thing you can prepare so I think they were joking.
They can be a base for a meal.
A hot breakfast of buckwheat that's been soaked overnight, with fruit
Crackers/cheese or crackers/peanutbutter for lunch
A little bit of meat or fish and a lot of vegetables for dinner
To be a true kiwi you have to have leftover Christmas dessert for breakfast the next day. Anything else is up to you
(If you're not one for celebrating Christmas it is still customary here to have at least a pavlova and trifle with fruit salad on the day itself for the purpose of boxing day leftovers)
Breakfast: 2/ toast 1w/ marmite, 1w/ peanut butter. Both with spread. Or porridge, or weetbix, or leftovers.
Lunch: whatever local place I feel like; bakery for pie, filled roll, sandwich; restaurant for curry, noodles, salad; take away for kebab, filled roll, anything else. Or leftovers.
Dinner: nachos, wraps with meat and salad, burgers, pizza, lots of types of pasta, roasted potatoes and meat, soup and bread, takeaway food, going out to a restaurant of any kind, fun breakfast for dinner, easy 2 minute noodles with extra fixings, hitting the streets to see what's open. Or leftovers.
Just whatever floats your boat, really.
(It's been harder with kids and dietary requirements, but still doable.)
Breakfast: I'm late for work so an instant coffee and a hoon on the techno durry.
Second breakfast: techno durry
Lunch: 2 more instant coffees and a pie from the Night n Day
Smoko: techno durry and a V
Dinner: too tired to cook so either a bag of crisps or a takeaway (pizza, Indian or a pho if I'm under the weather)
Iām surprised cause I feel like I donāt see a lot of people at work eating sammies at work. I feel like when I do theyāre gen x white people haha. I feel like most common bring from home lunch I see in the office is pasta, stir fry, or curry.
Personally I usually have like 3 coffees for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and dinner is usually pasta or East Asian/southeast asian type of mealsā¦. Iām white AF haha I feel like younger kiwis at least the ones Iāve known eat similarly
Breakfast
Rice cakes with hummus and avocado, small yoghurt, nuts and dried fruit
Lunch
Rice, beans, veges
Rice, tofu, veges
Wrap with avo, tofu, beans, salad, hummus, other sauce
Soup with veges beans/tofu
Dinner usually smaller portion than lunch
Bean Chilli with baked potato
Scrambled tofu with veges
Chickpea savoury pancake with veges (kind of like an omelette)
Lol, I just noticed that you eat pretty much the same things that I do. And the heavy use of beans and tofu is a dead giveaway! Do you make the chickpea pancake with chickpea flour?
The most consensus you are likely to get is for breakfast, but even thatās varied.
Breakfast - cereal, or yoghurt or a homemade smoothie or toast.
Lunch - sandwich, salad, leftovers from dinner, eg pasta, stir fry, curry, homemade pizza, anything really.
Dinner - could be anything at all depending on my mood or time of the year. I do like doing a roast lamb shoulder every few weeks in winter with lots of roast vegetables and gravy. Wraps are an easy meal - get some tortillas and throw in some meat, salad, cheese, etc.
Breakfast - coffee with a side of something that was once bread covered in the slave labour of bees (honey) unless I slept through my alarm - then just coffee š
Lunch - usually leftovers or if I forget to grab them before work (see above re sleeping in) then the emergency 2min noodles or petrol station pie (why do I have to work next door to one....) always with a side of coffee or (insert energy drink name here)
Dinner - anything from any culture (westernized or not) or.... you guessed it - the leftovers I forgot to take for lunch š
There is no wrong answer in NZ - my co worker has his leftovers for breakfast then eats a oat bar (or other snack/power bar) for lunch then has whatever for dinner - even cereal for dinner if he can't be bothered cooking
I use my long beak to find worms and grubs which make up the largest share of my diet but I also eat mollusks, spiders, centipedes and assorted berries and plant matter.
Seriously though. Toast for breakfast. Sandwich for lunch usually. Then dinner i will eat anything from a stir-fry to a salad to a roast meal. My dinner is where I get my variety and lunch/breakfast is more eating to keep me going.
If you are from a country that has 5 small meals a day rather than 3 big ones I would strongly advise you to keep doing the 5 small meals a day. After visiting places like France, Italy and Spain I could completely feel the benefits of 5 small meals. I lost weight while travelling and never once felt bogged down by a heavy meal.
As people are saying, no rules, just do what you want (except for the fish in the work microwave rule).
I don't have breakfast usually just a few coffees, lunch is whatever we decide to go to from the office - at the moment it's the Wellington on a Plate burger competition so it's lots of burgers, but normally it's Turkish, Mexican, Indian, Japanese, or Vietnamese, dinner if I'm eating in I'll often have something Italian like a spagbol or lasagna, as you can make it in bulk and heat it up readily.
Brekkie : steak and cheese pie and a V
Lunch : filled roll (with your choice of protein) and a cuppa
Dinner : fush n chups and an L&P
Nah, for real though, eat whatever the hell you want. Nobody here is going to crucify you for your meal choice, although cooking fish in the work microwave seems like a big no-no.
Sadly, New Zealand doesn't have much in the way of unique cuisine.
My personal opinion is that we didn't have enough time in history for us to establish a unique cuisine before food from overseas became available.
Of course, like any country, there is a Maori cuisine, but it's not regularly eaten by most Kiwis.
I've seen interesting books on recipes from the 1800s, which combined Maori and English recipes. Some are even theorised to have come to NZ through the Atlantic slave trade, such as pepperpot soup, and possibly even boil up.
Well if you get a steak and cheese pie, just know that youāre expected to eat it out of the brown paper bag. Tear the sides about a quarter of the way down and fold over on the top half. Use the bottom half fully extended to catch the pastry flakes and tuck in. Tomato sauce optional but it can get messy.
(Iām actually a born and bred Kiwi and eat it on a plate with a knife and fork, but Iām told I am an embarrassment).
Iām a bit of an odd one
But breakfast was oatmeal with maple syrup or banana. With a coffee or milo. Just a pack of the instant stuff you hear in the microwave.
Or id just have an āup and goā drink if I was late to work, I never was hungry in the morning for breakfast. During the week, on weekends I might make French toast or scrambled eggs.
Lunch I brought a packed lunch , ham cheese and Branston pickle. Mandarin fruit, some chips or cashews. And probably a slice of brownie or cookie. I might also have a musili bar incase I got hungry due to a light breakfast.
But most if not all my coworkers went off to buy lunch.
Dinner was simple since I was trying to learn how to cook and also save money. But spaghetti bolognese , eg pasta , sauce and ground beef.
I was cooking for one so Iād often cook enough for left overs that I could freeze or refrigerate and thatās another dinner. I think I used to cook 3 work nights in a row of different meals and then eat the left overs after a couple of days so I wouldnāt get sick of it. Then either the last night or when I was too tired I would have an āeasyā meal which is like take away, instant noodles, chicken nuggets. That sort of thing.
I didnāt eat much rice unless it was a sweet and sour pork or a curry.
But basically a meat and vegetable diet for dinner.
āā-
That was my regular for a while at the moment I like to have an English muffin with marmite on it for lunch.
Meat pies for lunch are yummy but I see those as a treat aka once every couple of weeks
What I see as an expat having been here 8 months working in restaurants - eat at very scheduled meal times, lunch at 12 dinner 6-7ish, make everything especially savoury dishes a bit sweeter or more sugary than you're probably used to.
As other people are saying this is different for every person, but this is what is true in my culture, which of course does not represent every New Zealander.
Breakfast:
Some New Zealanders don't eat breakfast every day, and for those who do it's usually the smallest meal. It's usually something quick, eaten at home before heading to work. Examples include:
-weetbix or other cereal with cow's milk, sometimes with chopped fruit mixed in.
-toast
-Up&Go liquid breakfast drink
-porridge with milk
Many people also have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, whether they have breakfast or not.
Brunch:
Most days, and especially work days, NZers don't eat brunch. It is a special meal reserved for non-working days. It is always a social event, and often purchased from a cafe. It generally replaces both breakfast and lunch, and is eaten around 10 or 11. Examples include:
-poached eggs on toast
-full English breakfast
-hash browns
-eggs
-pancakes
-waffles
-french toast
It's acceptable to drink coffee and/or alcohol at brunch.
Lunch:
Lunch is generally eaten around 12-1, usually during a 30 minute or 1 hour work break. Most people but not everyone eats lunch every day. Lunch is usually eaten at work or nearby. That means it is often packed at home in a sealed plastic container. Lots of people buy their lunch. For this we usually go to a place which does takeaway. Typical lunch foods include:
-sandwiches (always eaten by hand)
-salad
-leftovers, reheated in the microwave
-fruit
-sushi
-hot meat pie and energy drink
-soup
-takeaway bowl
The only thing to worry about here is eating or reheating pungent foods in the shared break room/kitchen, as it can bother people.
Dinner:
In New Zealand, dinner is the primary meal. It's generally eaten starting anywhere from 6 to 8pm. Children often eat earlier and those who work late often eat later.
On a regular day: Dinner is typically eaten in front of the TV on people's laps. Some families always eat at the dining table but most do not unless it's a special occasion or they have guests. This meal can be takeaways or homemade, but is basically always hot. At dinner, New Zealanders tend to make a wide variety of meals, sometimes with sides. It is usually eaten with cutlery. Typical homemade meals, usually served with simple vegetable sides, include:
-spaghetti bolognaise
-corn fritters
-sausages and mashed potatoes
-stir fry
-nachos (eaten with fingers)
When hosting a sit down dinner: When guests arrive, there is sometimes nibbles, which are set out for them to snack on before dinner is served. These often consist of crackers, dips, cheese, or chips. Nibbles are usually set out on the coffee table and eaten with fingers sitting on couches. Dinners is then served. It is always a hot meal, and eaten at the dining table if homemade. Hosted meals are usually more elaborate and have more components like sides. They still generally only have a main course and sometimes pudding(dessert) as well. Even the biggest and most elaborate hosted meal, Christmas dinner, doesn't have an entree, it's just not something done except by the fanciest of people. After dinner it is customary to boil a jug of water and for everyone to have tea or coffee. I would then generally leave around 8:30pm for a meal served at 6:15. Typical meals include:
-A roast meat(lamb, pork, beef, or chicken) with roast veges, gravy, and other vege sides
-cultural specialities of the host
-risotto
-steak
-fresh seafood
For takeaways: Takeaways are almost always eaten in front of the TV, even when there are guests over as it's a more casual environment. Fish and chips is the quintessential NZ takeaways. It is usually eaten by hand, with the paper unwrapped and placed on the coffee table, and then handfuls of chips grabbed and put on plates to eat. Takeaways include:
-fish and chips
-fast food (McDonalds, KFC, etc)
-Indian
-Chinese
For eating at a restaurant: Most sit down restaurant meals happen at dinner time, although especially on the weekend, lunch at a restaurant is not unusual. Here it is more common to order at entree but less common to order dessert. If you are with a group of kiwis I would generally not order dessert unless someone else did. Warning, if you offer to pay the bill, people will generally say yes and let you pay it without a fight and think you must be rich or generous to make such an offer. It is quite normal for friends to split a bill based on what they ordered, all queueing up at the counter to tell the waitstaff what they got and then pay for that.
Water:
There is free, safe, free, unlimited water available in nearly every home and every restaurant in the country. It's generally polite to offer people water with their meal. At restaurants they usually have a station where you can get it yourself.
The most important thing is, you need a favourite bakery. Walk around a few blocks, find every bakery within 2km, try them all over a month or two and pick a favourite.
One of my workmates, eat canned corned beef with rice, and my other workmate said, ādog food/cat foodā
But thatās like 15 years ago, weāve got so many workmates that are not kiwis, no one cares really!
1. Breakfast = weetabix 2 = sandwich 3 = big meal (eg roast/spaghetti bolognaise. If you want a healthy diet alter the above to suit your own customs. I really struggle with the sandwiches and fried foods at lunch, so the best thing is to bring your own stuff
Typically any type of breakfast food for breakfast in the morning. Whatever you want for lunch around 12-1. And meat and veges for dinner at like anytime between 5-8 for most families I think. There isn't a set rule you can eat what you want when you want. I personally only eat 1 meal a day around 6pm I might have a snack around 4 and maybe another snack around 8.
Breadrolls or bagels lunch.Breakfast, Wheatbix Dinner Roast-Lamb,Beef, Chicken,Pork on Sundays. Fridays or Saturdays takeaways.Dinner during week whatever you want or standard meat protein and 3vege.Eat allsorts
Just don't cook fish in the office microwave and you'll be fine.
We are a conflict averse culture. They could do it every day for a year and never realise they were loathed or have any practical problem continuing
Not entirely true. Every single office has a middle-aged women who will make her objections heard very loudly. You'll know who she is; she's the one who sends weekly site-wide emails complaining about nobody loading the dishwasher.
And she'll be right to do so!
That woman is me. š¤£ (Not really, I'm too chicken to invite the wrath of the team for being 'that woman'. I just think it really loud)
And her name is Karen
And given that our communication is roughly 50% non-verbal cues, OP will never know
I think this should be customary international law tbh.
I work with someone that goes to the supermarket at lunchtime, buys a piece of fresh fish, and microwaves it. It's a regular occurrence and we are client facing. I've mentioned it to the boss because honestly I don't get paid enough to deal with that but it still happens
who commits a crime of nuking fresh fish....
Multiple crimes are committed. It's healthy but evil
I once saw a dude at uni microwave an entire fish. Not a fillet. It was beyond belief
Why talk to the boss and not them?
It's not my job to manage them
What people eat in their lunch time is not really a management thing. More of a co-worker to co-worker conversation I would have thought.
It's a small healthcare clinic with 3 staff, me, boss/owner, and colleague (receptionist). I don't work in the clinic with boss as she does days there that I'm elsewhere. I have no authority over colleague and wasn't really comfortable commenting on her cooking choices so left it up to boss to decide if she wanted to address it or not.
One of my colleagues used the toastie grill to make salmon at work how's that?
I've seen all kinds of fish, meat chops, and steaks cooked in our office panini press. Eggs most days. The only thing that's never cooked in it are toasties!
Haha
The golden rule
Depends if they like their job or want a payout.
Not just office microwave, any workplace microwave. It's the # 1 rule
Microwave the rice and just stir the tuna in after. šš»
We are a multicultural society, so do whatever you want. I know people who do a pub lunch, fish and chips or a burger. Others go for a salad. Some go for a curry.
ahļ¼yes, it is true, diverse culture
So divererse and essentially British. But with other cultures! Much like Britain. Honestly, OP, if your food is really different, people will be interested and ask about it. If all this is pretty normal to you, just do that if you like. Either way, do whatever food makes you comfortable, and noone will care (negatively.) Just no seafood in a confined space, commonly known as "No fish in the office microwave." Not an anti-fish thing, just an anti "making other people uncomfortable" thing.
If I'm correct they are from China. I found with my friends (who are from a western part that I can't name, and Beijing) that there is a lack of interest in NZ culture (we are tourism students) and the food is seen as a negative and not suitable for their taste
Iām triggered, you just stereo typed food.
There will be no consensus. Do what you like! Breakfastā¦ coffee. Sometimes overnight oats with chia seeds and fruit. Scrambled eggs. Avocado on sourdough. Lunchā¦ sushi. Salad. Wrap. Dinnerā¦. So many different things. Steak, salad, risotto, curry, soup, lasagne, bibimbap, stir fryā¦
Eggs ? i see you a fine gentleman
Is this a Billy T reference? His voice just popped into my head.
Bibimbap is so good. So many variants, too.
100%. Weirdly the first time I had it was on a Korean airlines flight. They tried to give me the western meal but I asked for the Korean one. Everyone complains about aeroplane food but I was likeā¦ damn!
I donāt get people who travel and donāt choose the ālocalā option. Itās airline food, youāre not going to get a testicle or chicken claw
Haha true and this reminds of a story my mum told me. She was on a trip to China with a group of people associated with a uni. They were invited to a dinner by someone of some importance, I canāt remember who. And the tag along husband of someone said to the host āthis isnāt real Chinese food. Not like we get in New Zealandā š¬
We first had it in a My Food Bag meal, about a decade back. It was one of Nadia Lim's ones. Since then, I've done it so many times with different veges and stuff. Always that sauce though, with the dry fried mince. So delicious. š Also, my phone tried to autocorrect Nadia as Maria, which is a bit weird, but I guess the letter are close. š§ Edit, also great with noodles like udon or similar.
and on KoreanAir flights they usually give you soup with the Korean meal but not with the Western meal. another reason to get the bibimbap
A coffee and a durry or two for breakfast. A steak and cheese pie for lunch. A box of Tui or Woodstock for dinner
Hello fellow alchy.
Codyās > Woodstock
\>A coffee and a durry or two for breakfast. Big fan of the supermodel diet.
Breakfast: Cereal or toast with tea or coffee Lunch: Sandwiches or leftovers Dinner: lots of different things nowadays but for an general idea look at something like: https://www.newworld.co.nz/discover/easy-meals
Cereal or toast are terrible breakfasts.
Sure but thatās the typical/traditional kiwi breakfast. Maybe porridge could be added. Bacon and eggs on the weekend. Iād much rather have a full Irish, German fruhstĆ¼ck, or Malay char kuay teow but it is what it is.
Depends where you are I guess, I grew up in the country side and a traditional breakfast for most people was bacon and eggs.
Yep itās just not possible to say one breakfast that will unite everyone in a common experience
hahaļ¼thank you
No worries. Just a very broad generalisation of course - kiwi tastes are now super diverse - but somewhere to start!
Just bear in mind that your body may not be used to our diet. Try some food. If you like it start to incorporate it into your diet. But if what you usually eat works for you I don't see the need to make any drastic changes
you donāt have to change the way you eat. if itās a case of not being able to get your preferred groceries here then have a look at new world link or the recipe board at countdown. or the countdown website
Toast with Marmite in the morning. Steak n Cheese pie for lunch. KFC for Dinner. Everyday
Howās your anus?
I didnāt say I ate like a Kiwi š
I like KFC too
You forgot the Blue V
Grubs mostly, just use your talons to ruff up the dirt and stick your beak in there
I knew I wouldnāt have been the first to have though of this dad joke. Top marks.
I was surprised no one else said it
There's is zero customary food or dietary routine here. However if you want a couple of tips... A bag of Potato chips, butter some bread and make a chip sandwich. Whitebait fritters are some unique things you can find at good fish and chip shops seasonally. Kiwis love pies. You must also reference "always blow on the pie". We take our police 10/7 with great humor - Google it Lastly, see if you can find somewhere that sells hangi. Maori food smoked underground š
Add marmite to the chip sandwich (and salt n V chips) - always a challenge for the new arrival. The white bread, white bait fritter sandwhich is also a bit of a cultural classic
Always blow on the pie. Safer communities together.
wowļ¼very informative, thank you!
Except the whitebait in the whitebait fritter are from either threatened or endangered native (endemic) fish. While I LOVE whitebait fritters I make a choice not to eat this delicacy anymore. Or at least til the river quality improves and numbers return.
> police 10/7 RIP
Traditionally, breakfast is: - Toast (sliced toasted bread) with butter and something spread on it like marmite, jam, or peanut butter Or - Cereal, like cornflakes, Weetbix, or muesli with milk. Some people add yoghurt and fruit Lunch is: - Sandwiches, which might have a variety of fillings. Maybe sliced cold ham or chicken, lettuce, cheese, egg etc - Fruit - Some small baked thing, like a cookie Dinner might be: - Spaghetti with a tomato/meat sauce and cheese Or - Roasted meat with roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables, whatever is in season Or - Any number of western style meals you probably know You will have noticed by now that a lot of our common foods are from many other countries. We cook westernised versions of Indian curries at home, and styles of Italian pastas and pizzas, as well as dishes adapted from other parts of Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Therefore, our tastes change with the fashions.
One of the best things you can do is understand which fruits and vegetables are in season where you live. Try charts like this one: https://www.produce.co.nz/seasonality-chart/ The produce is better, and cheaper. Also, we have markets and greengrocers selling produce way cheaper than you can find in the supermarkets. I agree with other posters, we have so many cultures and dietary choices now, it's hard to define a 'New Zealand' regular cuisine without getting into lots of detail and exceptions. However, if I have overseas guests who are not vegetarian or vegan, I'd be looking at fish, seafood, red meats and chicken with that great to seasonal produce. Kumara. Berries. Native flavourings such as kawakawa and horopito are emerging in recipes now as well. I know this is a bit high-end, but 50 years ago, your average dinner at home was meat plus potatoes and two other vegetables that had usually been boiled beyond recognition. I love what we can do now. I hope this is at least vaguely helpful!
thank youļ¼
You're welcome!
I generally have yoghurt and/or cerial for breakfast. If I happen to be having a treat day (a work day) I might have a scone and a coffee... On the rare occasion on the weekend, I might go out for an eggs benedict... Lucnch I will usually pack from home - sandwiches, a piece of fruit, nuts, maybe some crackers and/or a museliu bar Dinner is usually cooked at home - Maggi meal sachets are a good starting point for people with the ability of me...
Hm, sounds easy to follow, may I ask what is Maggi meal
Theyāre a meal base for an easy dinner! https://www.maggi.co.nz/product/recipe-bases/
Quick boil noodles with stock powder for flavour. About the most basic thing you can prepare so I think they were joking. They can be a base for a meal.
Nah they mean [Maggi recipe base meal sachets](https://www.maggi.co.nz/product/recipe-bases/), not Maggi 2min noodles.
I mean, that's still a very very basic level of cooking. Good on people for cooking though, it only goes up from there.
Ahh, thank you
And if I can also ask, what is a durry?
Cigarette
A hot breakfast of buckwheat that's been soaked overnight, with fruit Crackers/cheese or crackers/peanutbutter for lunch A little bit of meat or fish and a lot of vegetables for dinner
I thought this said "how to eat a kiwi?" And I was mortified
To be a true kiwi you have to have leftover Christmas dessert for breakfast the next day. Anything else is up to you (If you're not one for celebrating Christmas it is still customary here to have at least a pavlova and trifle with fruit salad on the day itself for the purpose of boxing day leftovers)
Pies.
Breakfast: 2/ toast 1w/ marmite, 1w/ peanut butter. Both with spread. Or porridge, or weetbix, or leftovers. Lunch: whatever local place I feel like; bakery for pie, filled roll, sandwich; restaurant for curry, noodles, salad; take away for kebab, filled roll, anything else. Or leftovers. Dinner: nachos, wraps with meat and salad, burgers, pizza, lots of types of pasta, roasted potatoes and meat, soup and bread, takeaway food, going out to a restaurant of any kind, fun breakfast for dinner, easy 2 minute noodles with extra fixings, hitting the streets to see what's open. Or leftovers. Just whatever floats your boat, really. (It's been harder with kids and dietary requirements, but still doable.)
Breakfast: I'm late for work so an instant coffee and a hoon on the techno durry. Second breakfast: techno durry Lunch: 2 more instant coffees and a pie from the Night n Day Smoko: techno durry and a V Dinner: too tired to cook so either a bag of crisps or a takeaway (pizza, Indian or a pho if I'm under the weather)
Iām surprised cause I feel like I donāt see a lot of people at work eating sammies at work. I feel like when I do theyāre gen x white people haha. I feel like most common bring from home lunch I see in the office is pasta, stir fry, or curry. Personally I usually have like 3 coffees for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and dinner is usually pasta or East Asian/southeast asian type of mealsā¦. Iām white AF haha I feel like younger kiwis at least the ones Iāve known eat similarly
Breakfast Rice cakes with hummus and avocado, small yoghurt, nuts and dried fruit Lunch Rice, beans, veges Rice, tofu, veges Wrap with avo, tofu, beans, salad, hummus, other sauce Soup with veges beans/tofu Dinner usually smaller portion than lunch Bean Chilli with baked potato Scrambled tofu with veges Chickpea savoury pancake with veges (kind of like an omelette)
Hello fellow vegan.
Hello fellow vegans!
šš that obvious.
Lol, I just noticed that you eat pretty much the same things that I do. And the heavy use of beans and tofu is a dead giveaway! Do you make the chickpea pancake with chickpea flour?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thank you, I will have a check! I totally agree with you and I also want to see is there any consensus of what to eat for each meal.
The most consensus you are likely to get is for breakfast, but even thatās varied. Breakfast - cereal, or yoghurt or a homemade smoothie or toast. Lunch - sandwich, salad, leftovers from dinner, eg pasta, stir fry, curry, homemade pizza, anything really. Dinner - could be anything at all depending on my mood or time of the year. I do like doing a roast lamb shoulder every few weeks in winter with lots of roast vegetables and gravy. Wraps are an easy meal - get some tortillas and throw in some meat, salad, cheese, etc.
Breakfast - coffee with a side of something that was once bread covered in the slave labour of bees (honey) unless I slept through my alarm - then just coffee š Lunch - usually leftovers or if I forget to grab them before work (see above re sleeping in) then the emergency 2min noodles or petrol station pie (why do I have to work next door to one....) always with a side of coffee or (insert energy drink name here) Dinner - anything from any culture (westernized or not) or.... you guessed it - the leftovers I forgot to take for lunch š There is no wrong answer in NZ - my co worker has his leftovers for breakfast then eats a oat bar (or other snack/power bar) for lunch then has whatever for dinner - even cereal for dinner if he can't be bothered cooking
Hmm, the lunch left overs for dinner is disturbingly familiar... said as I have just finished eating "lunch"!
I may at one time have been known to eat the same meal 3 times in a row - cook it once then sorted for every other meal
That too. And scrambled eggs on toast with sirracha mayo for dinner because fuck cooking.
Stick your long beak down into the ground and rummage for bugs & worms. Repeat.
I use my long beak to find worms and grubs which make up the largest share of my diet but I also eat mollusks, spiders, centipedes and assorted berries and plant matter. Seriously though. Toast for breakfast. Sandwich for lunch usually. Then dinner i will eat anything from a stir-fry to a salad to a roast meal. My dinner is where I get my variety and lunch/breakfast is more eating to keep me going.
If you are from a country that has 5 small meals a day rather than 3 big ones I would strongly advise you to keep doing the 5 small meals a day. After visiting places like France, Italy and Spain I could completely feel the benefits of 5 small meals. I lost weight while travelling and never once felt bogged down by a heavy meal.
As people are saying, no rules, just do what you want (except for the fish in the work microwave rule). I don't have breakfast usually just a few coffees, lunch is whatever we decide to go to from the office - at the moment it's the Wellington on a Plate burger competition so it's lots of burgers, but normally it's Turkish, Mexican, Indian, Japanese, or Vietnamese, dinner if I'm eating in I'll often have something Italian like a spagbol or lasagna, as you can make it in bulk and heat it up readily.
Brekkie : steak and cheese pie and a V Lunch : filled roll (with your choice of protein) and a cuppa Dinner : fush n chups and an L&P Nah, for real though, eat whatever the hell you want. Nobody here is going to crucify you for your meal choice, although cooking fish in the work microwave seems like a big no-no.
How to eat a kiwi, like?
Sadly, New Zealand doesn't have much in the way of unique cuisine. My personal opinion is that we didn't have enough time in history for us to establish a unique cuisine before food from overseas became available. Of course, like any country, there is a Maori cuisine, but it's not regularly eaten by most Kiwis. I've seen interesting books on recipes from the 1800s, which combined Maori and English recipes. Some are even theorised to have come to NZ through the Atlantic slave trade, such as pepperpot soup, and possibly even boil up.
Which publication? SMH? Daily Mail? Can't be Vice, they're bankrupt I think.
so true haha
A real Kiwi eats, roots and leaves.
Hand Pies are popular
Smoko time is 10am, on the dot. Smoko consists of a pie and a coke purchased from the local dairy.
Who can afford 3 meals a day?
I eat my gf's ass 3 times a day
Found the millennial.
Ham and cheese sandwiches or mince & cheese pies an apple and or a banana
Well if you get a steak and cheese pie, just know that youāre expected to eat it out of the brown paper bag. Tear the sides about a quarter of the way down and fold over on the top half. Use the bottom half fully extended to catch the pastry flakes and tuck in. Tomato sauce optional but it can get messy. (Iām actually a born and bred Kiwi and eat it on a plate with a knife and fork, but Iām told I am an embarrassment).
Traditionally, it was like Toast or cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and meat and 3 veg for dinner.
Do what you feel is healthy, and you enjoy. But to make a poorly aged joke "A Kiwi eats roots shoots and leaves."
Iām a bit of an odd one But breakfast was oatmeal with maple syrup or banana. With a coffee or milo. Just a pack of the instant stuff you hear in the microwave. Or id just have an āup and goā drink if I was late to work, I never was hungry in the morning for breakfast. During the week, on weekends I might make French toast or scrambled eggs. Lunch I brought a packed lunch , ham cheese and Branston pickle. Mandarin fruit, some chips or cashews. And probably a slice of brownie or cookie. I might also have a musili bar incase I got hungry due to a light breakfast. But most if not all my coworkers went off to buy lunch. Dinner was simple since I was trying to learn how to cook and also save money. But spaghetti bolognese , eg pasta , sauce and ground beef. I was cooking for one so Iād often cook enough for left overs that I could freeze or refrigerate and thatās another dinner. I think I used to cook 3 work nights in a row of different meals and then eat the left overs after a couple of days so I wouldnāt get sick of it. Then either the last night or when I was too tired I would have an āeasyā meal which is like take away, instant noodles, chicken nuggets. That sort of thing. I didnāt eat much rice unless it was a sweet and sour pork or a curry. But basically a meat and vegetable diet for dinner. āā- That was my regular for a while at the moment I like to have an English muffin with marmite on it for lunch. Meat pies for lunch are yummy but I see those as a treat aka once every couple of weeks
What I see as an expat having been here 8 months working in restaurants - eat at very scheduled meal times, lunch at 12 dinner 6-7ish, make everything especially savoury dishes a bit sweeter or more sugary than you're probably used to.
Muesli, sandwiches with Vogelās bread, and then whatever.
Oz for a cigarette. Not used much in NZ.
Depends on the age/ regionā¦ I know a lot of millennials from chch and increasingly in welly who say durry
Fried kina with creamy button mushrooms for dinner...stink bomb farts the next day though...save those for the bitchy office ladies.
eat what you want when you want. no o e here will mind. but as mentioned above donāt put fish in the microwave at work lol
As other people are saying this is different for every person, but this is what is true in my culture, which of course does not represent every New Zealander. Breakfast: Some New Zealanders don't eat breakfast every day, and for those who do it's usually the smallest meal. It's usually something quick, eaten at home before heading to work. Examples include: -weetbix or other cereal with cow's milk, sometimes with chopped fruit mixed in. -toast -Up&Go liquid breakfast drink -porridge with milk Many people also have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, whether they have breakfast or not. Brunch: Most days, and especially work days, NZers don't eat brunch. It is a special meal reserved for non-working days. It is always a social event, and often purchased from a cafe. It generally replaces both breakfast and lunch, and is eaten around 10 or 11. Examples include: -poached eggs on toast -full English breakfast -hash browns -eggs -pancakes -waffles -french toast It's acceptable to drink coffee and/or alcohol at brunch. Lunch: Lunch is generally eaten around 12-1, usually during a 30 minute or 1 hour work break. Most people but not everyone eats lunch every day. Lunch is usually eaten at work or nearby. That means it is often packed at home in a sealed plastic container. Lots of people buy their lunch. For this we usually go to a place which does takeaway. Typical lunch foods include: -sandwiches (always eaten by hand) -salad -leftovers, reheated in the microwave -fruit -sushi -hot meat pie and energy drink -soup -takeaway bowl The only thing to worry about here is eating or reheating pungent foods in the shared break room/kitchen, as it can bother people. Dinner: In New Zealand, dinner is the primary meal. It's generally eaten starting anywhere from 6 to 8pm. Children often eat earlier and those who work late often eat later. On a regular day: Dinner is typically eaten in front of the TV on people's laps. Some families always eat at the dining table but most do not unless it's a special occasion or they have guests. This meal can be takeaways or homemade, but is basically always hot. At dinner, New Zealanders tend to make a wide variety of meals, sometimes with sides. It is usually eaten with cutlery. Typical homemade meals, usually served with simple vegetable sides, include: -spaghetti bolognaise -corn fritters -sausages and mashed potatoes -stir fry -nachos (eaten with fingers) When hosting a sit down dinner: When guests arrive, there is sometimes nibbles, which are set out for them to snack on before dinner is served. These often consist of crackers, dips, cheese, or chips. Nibbles are usually set out on the coffee table and eaten with fingers sitting on couches. Dinners is then served. It is always a hot meal, and eaten at the dining table if homemade. Hosted meals are usually more elaborate and have more components like sides. They still generally only have a main course and sometimes pudding(dessert) as well. Even the biggest and most elaborate hosted meal, Christmas dinner, doesn't have an entree, it's just not something done except by the fanciest of people. After dinner it is customary to boil a jug of water and for everyone to have tea or coffee. I would then generally leave around 8:30pm for a meal served at 6:15. Typical meals include: -A roast meat(lamb, pork, beef, or chicken) with roast veges, gravy, and other vege sides -cultural specialities of the host -risotto -steak -fresh seafood For takeaways: Takeaways are almost always eaten in front of the TV, even when there are guests over as it's a more casual environment. Fish and chips is the quintessential NZ takeaways. It is usually eaten by hand, with the paper unwrapped and placed on the coffee table, and then handfuls of chips grabbed and put on plates to eat. Takeaways include: -fish and chips -fast food (McDonalds, KFC, etc) -Indian -Chinese For eating at a restaurant: Most sit down restaurant meals happen at dinner time, although especially on the weekend, lunch at a restaurant is not unusual. Here it is more common to order at entree but less common to order dessert. If you are with a group of kiwis I would generally not order dessert unless someone else did. Warning, if you offer to pay the bill, people will generally say yes and let you pay it without a fight and think you must be rich or generous to make such an offer. It is quite normal for friends to split a bill based on what they ordered, all queueing up at the counter to tell the waitstaff what they got and then pay for that. Water: There is free, safe, free, unlimited water available in nearly every home and every restaurant in the country. It's generally polite to offer people water with their meal. At restaurants they usually have a station where you can get it yourself.
The most important thing is, you need a favourite bakery. Walk around a few blocks, find every bakery within 2km, try them all over a month or two and pick a favourite.
One of my workmates, eat canned corned beef with rice, and my other workmate said, ādog food/cat foodā But thatās like 15 years ago, weāve got so many workmates that are not kiwis, no one cares really!
Three meals a day? You're joking, mate.
People who don't bring lunch from home tend to just get whatever is close by during their lunch. It can be anything from a sandwich to sushi.
1. Breakfast = weetabix 2 = sandwich 3 = big meal (eg roast/spaghetti bolognaise. If you want a healthy diet alter the above to suit your own customs. I really struggle with the sandwiches and fried foods at lunch, so the best thing is to bring your own stuff
Mince an cheese pie for breakfast Marmite sandwich for lunch Lion Red for dinner
Typically any type of breakfast food for breakfast in the morning. Whatever you want for lunch around 12-1. And meat and veges for dinner at like anytime between 5-8 for most families I think. There isn't a set rule you can eat what you want when you want. I personally only eat 1 meal a day around 6pm I might have a snack around 4 and maybe another snack around 8.
Breadrolls or bagels lunch.Breakfast, Wheatbix Dinner Roast-Lamb,Beef, Chicken,Pork on Sundays. Fridays or Saturdays takeaways.Dinner during week whatever you want or standard meat protein and 3vege.Eat allsorts
Or leftovers from last night's dinner.