Beets are terrible. They taste like dirt. I mentioned this to my wife once, and she now they always taste like dirt and I've ruined them forever. So I guess maybe I did that here too. Always glad to help!
Also, Australians confuse Americans in general. I think it's the only nation more manic than we are that doesn't stone people. New Zealanders always (sample size: two) seem to be nice though, if charmingly naive. One NZ girl at a conference in Chicago asked for "a quesadilla with cheese, please."