Supermarkets and Service Stations

Imported fruit and veges are expensive, but even those locally grown are selected for quality before being put on the shelves. The strawberries were all identicle in size, shape, and texture, and were all perfectly aligned in each box. There was not a blemish to be found on any of the veges, and none of them were humorously shaped. The cucumbers were perfectly straight, and the capsicums individually packaged, and were exactly the same colour, size, and shape, making them look like plastic imitations. My guess is that all the imperfect veges end up in processed food or are exported. The other thing that caught my eye was the variety of alcohol! You can buy my favourite beer (Kirin Ichiban) in 135ml, 350ml, and 1 litre cans. Sake wine in available in regular 1.5 litre bottles, or you can get the 5 litre value packs! I wish Queensland would copy the rest of the civilised world and let supermarkets stock alcohol.

Another strange thing was seeing petrol station attendants in action. They shout greetings and hail each car that pulls up, directing them into a free fuelling bay. They fuss over their customers with the urgency of pit-stop mechanics. When the car is ready to leave, an attendant steps into the middle of the road (sometimes stopping both directions of traffic) to let the car speed off without hinderance. The attendant gives another shout of thanks, and a wave farewell before returning to their post to greet the next customer.