Reading back, I think that this blog is actually less about weird Austrians and more about weird me. Our ‘standard’ toothpaste of choice is one we buy from Hofer, and the ‘flavour’ is: herbfresh.
For some reason this has always disturbed me. Who wants to brush their teeth with herbs, was my initial thought? Surely it’s akin to the weird Austrian herb drink, Almdudler?
Somehow other toothpaste flavours don’t bother me – cool mint, fresh mint stripe, spearmint … even bubble gum seems palatable (though I know it’s not). But then it hit me.
Mint is a herb.
Turns out I’ve happily been brushing my teeth with herbs my entire life (except for that brief bubble gum phase as a kid). I’d never thought it weird before, but when I saw I the name ‘herbfresh’ my brain instantly went to thyme and rosemary rather than mint.
I certainly wouldn’t want to try rosemary flavoured toothpaste, so since the herbfresh toothpaste I’ve been using the majority of the time I’ve been in Austria is perfectly fine, and extremely inoffensive, I’m sticking with it. Because it’s just toothpaste, and by writing this blog I have probably already put too much time and effort into it. But what can I do? I’m weird like that.
an aussie in austria 