Customer Service Fail at Wholefoods House

I've been having a hard time figuring out where to buy, among other things, bulk foods in Sydney at a reasonable cost. So I thought I'd struck gold when I happened upon organic suppliers, Wholefoods House. After my experience there today, however, I will not be returning. Here's why.

So last week I signed up on-line for a Wholefoods House membership. Handy. When the form asked me which of the two locations I'd be shopping at, figuring I live equidistant to both, I checked both. After my form had been submitted, the screen said that my member card would be available in a few days for me at the store I signed up for. Hmm... in theory that's helpful, but now who knows which shop will have my card.

So I pressed my luck, and yesterday I walked to the Waterloo location and explained the situation. The clerk was confused but went to see if my card was in the office. She returned and told me that cards are now being mailed out. Now, given the fact that this was their screw up, any store with good customer service would have offered to give me my member points anyway if I shopped there today. But I was refused.

Figuring I'd already made the half-hour trek over there I figured I'll do some shopping anyway. So I asked the clerk if she could weigh the containers I've brought with me so I can load them up with bulk foods. She then informed that she could not do that, and rather that I'd have to pay for the extra weight.

So here's the deal. I've got five plastic containers with lids. Let's say they weigh 50 grams each, and I buy five items that average out to $12/kg (the cost of quinoa, an item I buy often). That's an extra $3 I pay per visit. And I go through a lot of bulk foods. So let's say I come in fortnightly to re-fill my containers. That's $78 I pay Wholefoods a year for bringing my own containers - a practice that's not only better for the environment but saves them money on supplying packaging.

Needless to say I walked out empty-handed today and do not plan to return unless this ludicrous policy is revoked.

My Vegan Valentine

One year ago today, a few nights before Valentine's Day my husband was in Sydney on business, and I was back in San Francisco lamenting a job I hated that was keeping me from joining him on the trip. After moping over a few glasses of Chardonnay I decided, you know what, screw that job. It wasn't worth being held back from experiencing life, so I booked a flight for the following night.

I ended up actually missing Valentine's Day in transit, but once I arrived in Sydney Tim and I had our own V-day dinner at Bodhi in Hyde Park. It was one of the more spontaneous things I've ever done and we'd likely not be living here now had I not taken the chance. And now I love living in a country that celebrates that sense of adventure.

We're not sure where we'll have Valentine's Day dinner this year, but I do know what we'll be doing during the day. We'll be attending the Sydney Vegan Bake-Off at Naked Espresso in Newtown! How rad is that?

I'm pretty bummed that I won't be able to bake for it, but the kitchen in the temporary apartment we're staying in is pretty pitiful. But I'm excited to attend and finally get to meet some of the awesome Aussie bloggers I've been getting to know over the last few months.

If you're in San Francisco you can get your own baked goods fix at the next SF Vegan Bake Sale on the 13th. And for everyone else, VegNews and VegWeb have an awesome list of recipes and resources to make your Valentine's Day delicious.

Sending lots of love to you all!

Week One

Yes, we've made it to Sydney. Apologies for the delay in updating, but we've discovered that fast, free wifi connections are something we've left behind in San Francisco.

Our first week as Sydney-siders has not been particularly glamorous. It's rained nearly every day since we've been here (pretty much nonstop this weekend), I caught a cold on the plane that doesn't want to quit, and we're quite tired of living out of suitcases. Mostly the week was devoted to dealing with banks, cell phone companies, the immigration office, and apartment-hunting.

The good news of this story is that (fingers crossed) we think we've found an apartment! Since we arrived, our ex-pat friends here have been regaling us with real estate horror stories, so I was beginning to have visions of us homeless, and having to sleep at Bondi Beach. (Which I guess wouldn't be too bad actually...) But we've put a deposit on a lovely furnished apartment in Surry Hills - a neighborhood I loved last time we were here, and was hoping we'd settle down in.

I'm not sure what neighborhood I'd compare it to in San Francisco. It's got the nice restaurants and bars of the Mission, but a bit more grown-up. But it doesn't seem to be overrun with strollers like Noe Valley and it's got more of a modern vibe. Why compare, I guess? It's also home to what is easily the frontrunner for my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Sydney: Yulli's.

Most of their dishes can be made vegan (they've got a separate menu, and also a separate gluten-free menu upon request) and it's an eclectic mix of cuisines, mainly Asian and Mediterranean. Seems fairly typical for Australian cuisine, near as I can tell. They also have one of the best selections of local beers and wines that we've found and a bit of a chill hipster vibe.

We'll know for sure about this apartment by the end of the week, and I have a feeling we'll be having a lot of Yulli's celebration dinners.

Sydney, Here We Come!

Well, after a perhaps unsurprisingly frustrating immigration process, I'm happy to announce that Tim and I have gotten our approved visas and are flying out to Sydney this Saturday night! Due to the time change, we'll arrive early Monday morning. It promises to be a fun-filled day dealing with customs, going to the immigration offices, getting new cell phone plans, and opening bank accounts.

Very glamorous, I know. Although Tim has the week off so we can deal with all the minutiae of getting set up in a new city, we also hope to find some time for recreation. Especially after the stressful week I've had. I won't get into the details of the move-out complications we've had, but I'll just say there better be some beachside relaxation in our future.

We arrive February 1st which is a special day for me because it's also my nine year Vegetarianniversary. Yup, I gave up meat in 2001 and haven't looked back since. Perhaps to celebrate we'll be able to squeeze in some meals at the vegan-friendly places we discovered on our last trip, like Iku Wholefoods, Yulli's, and Bodhi in the Park. And, I'm excited that there's plenty of places we've not yet been, like Badde Manors, Funky Pies, and Naked Espresso for brunch. If you have any recommendations, food or otherwise for how to spend a great first week in our new home, feel free to let me know!

Alternatively, for my Bay Area friends, how would you spend your last day in San Francisco? We're planning on brunch at Herbivore (because that is how we've spent nearly every Saturday morning in San Francisco since we've lived here) and then if we can stave off the rain, maybe going up to Crissy Field (where Tim and I got married.)

From one coast to another, we can't wait to start this new adventure!

Tony Danza Update

Apparently I've had some concerned readers wondering where we are with our kitty immigration drama so I figured I'd post an update. We've spoken to some Aussie immigrants who dealt with similar issues to get some perspective and here's what we learned:

Australia quarantine, because it has the strictest standards is also known for being the nicest. Also there are designated days where you can visit your pets. Cost is a major downside. His monthly fee is more than I paid for rent on my one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn five years ago. However, it looks like Tim's company may put us up in a hotel for a month, thus saving us a month of rent and balancing it out.

So quarantine it is. Our vet recommended an agency to us called Pet Express that works specifically on pet travel and immigration. So far they've been super helpful in making sense of the mountain of paperwork and jargon we're dealing with, and they will take TD to the airport for his journey. Again, the services aren't cheap but you're paying for peace of mind, and not having to stress about last minute problems that arise.

My only remaining concern is getting him food he likes. Not that he's one of those snobby Fancy Feast cats... he just has, well, a rather sensitive tummy. When his current brand of cat food was recalled recently and we had to temporarily switch him, the results were not pleasant for anyone. I haven't been able to find any Nutro distributors in Sydney. Does anyone know of something that might be roughly equivalent? 

UPDATE: I found Nutro distributors here!

Kind of gross to be writing about the one non-vegan product we allow in our home, but unfortunately TD doesn't have much of a taste for tofu. However, there is ONE VEGAN PRODUCT that he goes absolutely, inexplicably crazy for: So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.

Yup, that's him with a container of it stuck on his face. The other day I had some with my lunch and seconds after I'd opened it, the delicious aroma awoke him from his slumbers. He spent the next three minutes wandering around the living room and subsequently crying because he couldn't tell where the smell was coming from. (Hint, kitty: it's always in my hands.) When he finally found it, he did his best to try to paw it out of my hands. He's lucky he's cute. This is what goes down every single time I eat this stuff. As usual he got to lick the cup afterwards and was in kitty heaven.

I wonder if they'll let me sneak his favorite treat to him in quarantine. Are there any vegan products your cat goes crazy for? Brighten my day with cute kitty stories in the comments.

Help Me, Sydney-Siders

As I mentioned in my last post the idea of moving to Sydney has been at least in the back of my mind for over six months now, and having not been able to really talk about it to any of the people I know in Sydney (because they're basically all my husband's co-workers) I've built up a number of questions. Now that we've set a date in January it's starting to feel real. We're realizing how many adjustments there will be.

Metric System! A whole new system of government! People spell things differently! They call arugula "rocket" and all kind of other different vegetable names! All new stores and brands!

There are all these every-day things I've become accustomed to, and I have no idea how they'll work in Australia. So I'm reaching out. Here are some questions:

• Is there a composting program in Sydney? I doubt it's compulsory like it is in SF, but if I buy biodegradable bags can I compost at home and have someone pick it up?
• What are some trusted brands/places to buy goods that are organic, eco-friendly, local, recycled, etc. I'm talking about both food (recommended farmer's markets??) and general household goods.
  
• Does Sydney have Goodwill? Are there other second-hand/thrift stores in Sydney you recommend? (Both for clothes and housewares.)
• Why don't you use craigslist? This has been disorienting. How do you find jobs? MyCareer is the best site I've found and it's not great. Please tell me there's a better site out there.
• What are your neighborhood recommendations? My husband will be working in the CBD and it's unclear where I will be. We won't have a car so public transit proximity is a must. I'm torn between being in the east near the beaches, and being in the Newtown vicinity for the vegan-friendliness. What's good for a married, 30-ish, vegan, child-free couple?

Having done a little research on Sydney vegan bloggers, I'm tagging some here. Let's be friends!

Sydney Vegan Bake Sale
VeganSydney.com
The Humanimal Eye
ZB's Vegan Recipes

Also, please let me know of any other awesome vegan bloggers in Sydney that I should get to know. (Or follow on Twitter!)

A New Adventure!

Well, I was going to wait till next week to announce this, but I hate secrets, and even though many of you know we've been speculating about this for a while, it finally became official this week:

Tim and I are moving to Sydney, Australia in January!

For those of you who don't know us in real life, his company is based there. When I went to visit him on business in Sydney this past February I fell in love with it and talks quickly turned to, "Do you think you could live here?" "What neighborhood would you want to live in?"

Well, the answers were "yes" and "we're leaning towards Newtown, Glebe, Surry Hills, Paddington and Bondi." (If you have neighborhood advice feel free to comment. I was only there for 10 days so my experience in those neighborhoods was limited.) Anyway, Tim worked out the details at work and now the only thing we're waiting on is the visas which shouldn't be a problem. And assuming, you know, that these crazy red dust storms don't become a weather trend. Probably not great for my asthma.

I'm very excited for the move because, well, I've always enjoyed moving around and as much as I love San Francisco, my career here has proven to be less than I'd hoped for. I'm strongly considering starting with a completely clean slate in Sydney and going back to school for something brand new: nutrition. My interests have been shifting away from the arts and increasingly focused on food. I ended up signing up for that eCornell class in plant-based nutrition that I posted about a few weeks ago. That starts in October so it will be a good taste of what's to come.

Luckily I discovered that Sydney is actually very vegan-friendly, despite what Outback Steakhouse might have you thinking. Veg Table lists eight vegan restaurants, and with all of the Asian-influenced cuisine, we didn't have any trouble eating while there. And much like San Francisco the city hosts a regular Sydney Vegan Bake Sale. Maybe I'll post a Sydney vegan food round-up next week to gear up.

Anyway we've got a lot to sort out over the next 4 months. (Literally we're moving 4 months from today!) I just landed a part-time job that goes through the end of December, so the timing is perfect. I like it when things start aligning. It makes me feel like it's meant to be. While we're unsure how long we'll live there or whether or not we'll return to San Francisco eventually, we are pretty sure that our time in Australia is going to be an amazing new adventure!

(Photo via Shishberg)