Charlie, the Food Critic?!

This is the final of four entries that I wrote while on Magnetic Island and unable to upload my journal entries. Please make sure that you read all four. You might also want to check out my Flickr account to see any new photos that I've uploaded.

May 10
Magnetic Island
Mild, windy, and sunny

I'm still at Picnic Bay, having just had lunch, and I'm now waiting for the bus. Since I've about twenty minutes before it arrives, I thought I'd start my next entry.

I did just finish lunch, and it was excellent. I ate at Fred's Bar and Grill, and had the spicy green lentil soup. They serve it with a generous portion of bread, for $6.50 AUD. I realized while eating that I have not talked about food much since I've been here, and so I thought I'd write a little about Australian cuisine, Australian grocery and other food buying, and Australian restaurants.

When one thinks about Australian cuisine, probably the first question is whether or not there is a real Australian cuisine. After all, they started off as a British convict colony, and they continued to have very close ties to Mother England at least until WWII, so isn't it possible that what Australian cuisine is a British derivative?There are certainly aspects of Australian cuisine that resemble British cooking. Certain dishes continue to be featured prominently here: meat pies, bangers and mash, etc. There is the beetroot slice atop every burger. And even a lasagna might come with a side of mashed potatoes!Closely related to an inherited British influence would be an Irish influence -- not because of similarities between Irish cookery and British cookery (there are a few), but rather because of the ethnic makeup of the Convicts, many of whom were essentially Irish political prisoners. But the truth is that that there are many other influences on Australia, and the British and Irish influence might be waning. Australia is a nation of immigrants, really; the descendants of the Convicts account for about only 2% of the total population. People came to Australia in the later part of the XIX century seeking wealth through land and/or gold. In the twentieth century, European (read 'white') immigration was encouraged. In the first few years of the XXI century, this has shifted to Asian countries. Australian foreign policy has become much more pro-Asian, with the recognition that if for no other reason than geography, Australia will always be trading with countries like China, Japan, and Indonesia, probably more so than with any European country or the USA.

Of course, American popular culture spreads almost everywhere, so why not here? And while you do see McDonald's and KFC in every town, you do see signs that other cultures are at work here, particularly Asian cultures. We were just in Brisbane last week celebrating Buddha's birthday in a country with Christian roots! But every city has its variety of Asian eateries: Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and of course Chinese. Over the years, I've eaten Thai food served by immigrants from Thailand, Indian food served by Indians, Chinese food served by Chinese. Now that is not to say that there is only Asian influence here. There must have been a wave of immigration from the Mediterranean and Asia Minor at some point, as there are many restaurants featuring Italian, Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, and other middle eastern cuisines. Less often (but not absent) are European restaurants featuring German, French, or other cuisine; or African restaurants.Finally, there is the other American cuisine here, Mexican cuisine.

So, there are many imported cultures here to contribute to an Australian cuisine, but I have left out an important one: the indigenous culture of Australia, the Aboriginal culture. It certainly stands to reason that the natives knew a thing or two about cooking kangaroos and emus, though the settlers could have treated kangaroo like beef or venison and emu like duck or goose and obtained reasonable results. The more important ingredient that indigenous culture could add to Australian cuisine was the concept of bush tucker, food that you get by directly gathering from the land. I've written before about the reluctance of the Aboriginals to share their knowledge of the land with the whites, but that does seem to be changing, and certainly with food. There are now several books out on indigenous cuisine, and it has had an effect on the way people approach cooking. In Alice Springs, I've had kangaroo fillet in quodong sauce (quodong is a bitter fruit found in the drier regions of the Outback). Cuisine is also shaped by cultural attitudes. Australians are fit and active, are very conscious of their health, and adjust their eating habits accordingly. Many of the meals I've had here are 'low carb' although I don't think that the Atkin's diet is the reason. A typical luncheon or light dinner meal consists of a main course, with a vegetable and a salad, and possibly 'chips' (you'd call them 'fries'.) So, the main source of carbs is the potatoes. Salad is considered an ingredient as much as it is a course; one can get a 'sandwich with salad,' meaning that the sandwich will have lettuce and shredded carrot on it. The lettuce is often a variety called 'rocket,' a red leafed variety with pointed leaves vaguely reminiscent of dandelions. Side salads will often also have fresh bean sprouts and other raw vegetables in them.Restaurant menus are often set up to follows courses. One can order an appetizer, an entree, and a main. I think that Australians by and large are familiar with Americans' confusion about entree and main, since we as a rule don't really do that, substituting a soup/salad course in its place. The pricing appears to be almost always ala carte, although that seems to be changing in some spots.

Some grocery stores would be very familiar to Americans, while others have a more European look, with separate shops for meats, fish, produce, and baked good, and the grocery shop in the more limited role of offering processed foods and dairy. This type of food market appears most often in shopping malls, so one would have access to pharmacies and housewares stores as well. It's a way to shop, I'm sure, but it's not my style.

I've raved about a few meals in Australia. My very favorite meal so far over the years I've been doing this continues to be the blackened coral trout at Barnacle Bills in Cairns. It is a broiled fish with a very spicy seasoning that reminds me more of a Caribbean jerk seasoning than a blackening. But it is very tasty. It's served with a rocket salad and rice. There's a Thai dish I get at the Arun Thai Restaurant in Sydney that's very good. It's a beef dish in a sauce that is almost like the sauce in a Mongolian beef or lamb dish. The interesting thing they do at that restaurant is to sprinkle crunchy bits of spinach on top of the dish -- I'm certain they chop the spinach up and deep-fry it to get the right effect. It's served with rice.I've eaten at a few places on the Queen St. Mall in Brisbane that are pretty good. This year, the memorable meal there was Mongolian lamb at Jimmy's. I'm not a fan of lamb, but this was pretty good. It was also accompanied by rice. When we're in Alice, we have eaten at the Overlanders Steak House, and we'll probably take the students there this year. They have a huge meal on the menu, too big for me, that includes sample portions of kangaroo, crocodile, camel, and emu. Probably many of the students will try it. I'll have the kangaroo mignon cooked medium, and a crocodile croquette with a cream sauce. It's called 'mignon' only because of it's resemblance to the portion cut from a beef tenderloin, but this actually comes from the tail, where the best tasting meat is found. I'd have to add the lentil soup I had today to my list of favorite meals in Australia. The spicy part of 'spicy green lentil' came from the curry that formed the base of the flavoring, though there was cilantro present as well. There's a pepper used in some Asian dishes that is at once sweet and hot; there was some of that in this soup as well. Served with a nice hot baguette, it was simple and delicious.

I guess Australian cuisine exists more or less in the same way that USA cuisine exists, as a synthesis of several different immigrant cuisines, shaped by availability and necessity. We have our chili; they have their barramundi and chips. As they continue to be influenced by Asian cuisine, it will be interesting to see how their own shifts.