The drive-through: that's the best thing about Australia's huge distances. At least, I think it's down to the distance: it could be the American influence, but because everyone in Oz has a car, you can get everything at a drive-through.
Sure, we have drive-through McDonald's in the UK, but they're not everywhere like they are here: and here you've got drive-through Kentucky Fried Chicken, drive-through Hungry Jack's (the Australian name for Burger King), drive-through Chicken Treat, even drive-through Red Rooster. Yes, Australia likes its junk food.
Then you've got the drive-through bottle shop, surely the best idea in the world. Going to a party? No worries: just go via the bottle shop on the way and pick up a carton of tinnies and some smokes. It makes all the difference: if you're sitting at home, vegging out, then the fact that you can drive to the bottle shop and don't even have to leave your car makes it that much easier to prise yourself off the sofa to get the beers. You'll know what I mean when they get 'em back home.
But the strangest drive-through has to be the one I saw in northern Perth. There it was, bold as brass, a sign proclaiming:
24-HOURS A DAY
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
DRIVE-THROUGH CHEMIST
One presumes this is to help out those who went down the drive-through bottle shop the night before.
