Mmm, Onion Rings

No, your eyes don't deceive you. Meet Hungry Jack's, Burger King's Aussie Cousin. Same company and almost the same menu, different name. This is one of the only places that has free in-store refills, and that alone makes it my favorite down under fast food choice (paying $2-$3 for a 600 ml bottled Coke is the alternative at other stores.) They even go out of their way to try to appear American, and their insides are full of pictures of 50's American icons and celebrities. I guess when the rest of the world thinks of the USA, they still think of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Faizah says the reason it's Hungry Jack's out here is because the Burger King name was already trademarked. [Note: I also saw a few ice cream places called Wendy's.] It's been many moons since our last Hungry Jack's, though. Oh how I long for their delicious, golden rings. . .

There is one more thing, though, that is a simply staggering fact when it comes to the Land Down Under. They don't have Dr. Pepper. I have searched all over Australia for a single can of Dr. Pepper, and is it not to be found I'm afraid! Coke, Orange Fanta, and Sprite are almost always the fountain drink options, but my previous life as a fast food junkie has led to quite a lot of Dr. Pepper consumption, and my quota can no longer be filled.

Kirk's Creaming Soda comes in a can though, and it is a mite-e tasty cream soda. There's also some carbonated lemonade-like stuff called Lift that's okay. My main gas station drink choice generally alternates between a bottle of whole milk and Vanilla Coke. Faizah will buy and then drink a 1.25 liter bottle of Vanilla Coke in a few hours.

We are finally staying in a hostel tonight, after about a week on the road. We've been camping in parking areas and (mostly) sleeping in the car. A shower will be wonderful, and girlfriend is doing everyone's laundry. Oh, and tonight we might cook the spaghetti we bought like 7 towns ago but were unable to cook for lack of pots and pans. Current location, heading northeast:



Oh, and I figured out what "Oz" means. Aussie is pronounced Ozzie out here, so Oz is all of Australia. Faizah's brother, in Adelaide, said that when he was a kid he thought The Wizard Of Oz was about a wizard from Australia.