Spots, chops and dashes

I was told by a taxi driver yesterday that Australians don't really speak British English. At this stage he thought I was American. Then he told me Americans speak English better than the Brits. I suppose this was a compliment? I changed the subject.

On the subject of language, a couple of important local terms. Spots are places to go for a drink. They're usually outdoors with maybe a few plastic chairs and tables, and the drink is usually beer.

A chop bar is where you might go for local food - this ranges from an indoor sit-down affair to a wooden bench at the side of the road.

Dash is like a tip. Taxi drivers usually want dash. The ladies I buy my fruit from often dash me an extra banana.

This is Crossroads (more intersecting dirt roads than Ry Cooder) - my local spot, just down from the hotel. The service is glacially paced, but the beer's cold, they have live music every week and it's always packed with locals.