These pretzels are making me HUNGRY

As we mark our seventh week here in Kiwiland, we are celebrating the purchase of our new barbecue grill. It's been a long time without our beloved grill. So long in fact, that I realized I have absolutely no idea how to cook meat without an open fire. It was raining on the day we bought the grill, so Jake assembled it in our living room.

It really completes the room, don't you think? 

It was so windy today that we weren't sure it was going to stay lit, but we cooked some steaks for lunch and they turned out just fine. 

Last night we had dinner at the only Mexican restaurant in town, and it was great. It was a little weird seeing a glossary in the menu that gave full descriptions of every single item, down to the tortilla and salsa. Really, if you've never been exposed to fajitas or queso dip, I'm just sad for you.

Speaking of food, I thought I'd share a few samples of what we've been eating.

It goes without saying that wine or beer are part of every meal. This was at a little place down by the harbour with some outdoor seating on a nice day.

And we enjoyed this tasty salad and cheese platter at Raumati Beach on the deck of a restaurant overlooking the beach. It was the first and last time I tried a fruity cocktail recommended by the bartender. It wasn't awful, but I think I'll stick with what I know from now on.

And this delicious little meal came from our very own kitchen. Salmon with orange slices covered in a yummy sauce with some sauteed asparagus (or as Jake would say, asparagi).

Here's what every single mocha looks like, no matter where you order it. Always comes with a little chocolate fish with pink marshmallowy goodness inside. I'm not sure why, but it's true. Overall everything is tasting good, but there are lots of things we're still learning about the food here. We've yet to find any normal dill pickles (they're called gherkins here) and of course we knew we wouldn't have the same selection of foods and brands in the grocery stores. Nothing really tastes the same as what we're used to, and you certainly can't judge the taste by sight alone.

We're not sure what these little dipping sauces actually were, but they certainly weren't what we'd expected. If everything were the same as home, it wouldn't be much of an adventure though, would it? So far I have to say that our favorite food has been the Big Bikkie, the most glorious ice cream treat on a stick you're going to find anywhere.