G'DAY MATE

Hello Blog fans.....

I wanted to share some Aussie 'strangeness' with you...

The image is always one of 'The Great British Eccentric'....oh no the Aussies are a far stranger Breed....

Lets look at cooking and eating......

OK, so here's the story..... when we were over here in Australia in 2006 we discovered that no childrens party is complete without 'Fairy Bread'. Most Aussies have grown up with the simple idea of taking buttered bread and sprinkling it with either multi-coloured Hundreds & Thousands, or multi-coloured Sprinkles.

So we move back to the UK for a few months in 2007 , are in temporary accommodation (Mother in laws house) and my youngest Stephen is invited to a school party.

Hmmm, we need something simple and easy for his classmates to share on this auspicious occasion that requires no cooking due to lack of time....(as usual my kids give us 1 hours notice of 'URGENT' events), and won't cost a fortune, (as its 7:30 in the morning and I have no money).

AH-HA! I cry, 'fairy bread will cover the situation nicely!"But being a new school and culture will they allow treats to be brought in. So the teacher is approached with the simple request of bringing in fairy bread. "Fairy bread???", "Never heard of it!"I, thinking as with so many other things (I am a bloke) imagine that they have another name for it, just like how OMO is called Persil, Kleenex toilet paper is Andrex and set-top boxes are called digi-boxes, and begin to explain......."I know what 100's & 1000's are......but as to the rest...? But it sounds yummy, so go right ahead!"So I prepare for the miraculous miracle of making fairy bread, thinking to myself the teacher will either be disappointed in the results having imagined something much more creative, or will simply turn around with "Oh THAT - So off we trot to school, fairy bread in hand, and to my amazement the teacher is impressed and has never seen anything like it. "But it's such a simple idea....!" I stammer, thinking she's having me on, but no, she genuinely hasn't ever come across it before. "It must be a cultural dish" she says."Well, it might be..." I reply, "..but no-one's ever pointed that out to me before...."So the humble fairy bread, a 'cultural' Australian delicacy? Who would have thought it!

Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken is something that I first heard about from a friend over here, but I have not heard of anyone making it and my mentioning it to other people has resulted in blank stares as though I was some crazed smart arsed pom trying to make the 'cultured Aussie' look silly The principle is that by putting a canister of liquid inside the bird, the steam created keeps the meat moist throughout the cooking process whilst still allowing the skin to crisp on the outside whilst also allowing the liquid from the can to also flavour the meat.

Pie and Sauce.....also known as 'dog's eye and dead horse' in Aussie slang.....The Aussies love Pie and Sauce in fact Aussies love pastry and cakes...I have never seen as many bakeries and cake shops anywhere...Every day stops for morning tea where you take turns to supply cakes or other pastry goodies...lord help you if you miss your turn....

The pie is considered iconic and has been described by many, as Australia's "national dish".

LASTLY....BUT MOST IMPORTANT.... THE BARBIE

There is nothing more Australian than a barbie. Other countries like to drink beer. Other countries have a pub culture. But in our travels throughout the world we have never met a culture that enjoys barbeques quite like the Australians. They have the climate for it. They have the informality for it. They have the friendliness for it. It is very much part of the way of life, and is enjoyed from Broome to Brisbane to Bourke. And at all levels of society.
Given the barbie's importance culturally, I thought I would set out a guide for the uninitiated to allow them to conduct their own barbie, or if lucky enough to be invited to one, to ensure they behave in a way that is culturally sensitive.(YES CULTURE In many respects they leave the UK standing)

Generally the steps of a barbie are as follows:
1. Get the beer.

2. Get the barbie.

3. Get the meat.

4. Get the salads (optional).

5. Drink, Cook and Eat in that order, preferably in the sun by the beach.
It really is as simple as that.

Once the beer is sorted you need to find yourself a barbie. The great thing about Australia is that it is full of barbies. Parks, beaches, camp sites - you name it, most of them have public barbies available to barbie hungry Australians. Some of them are wood barbies, and require you to light your own fire. Many, however, work on gas for nothing or a small fee. Of course, most homes have their own ( errr.. we don't yet...) and it is very common for Australians to invite their mates around to their place for a barbie. Unlike other places, Australian homes are large enough, and in a pretty enough environment with good enough weather to do this. It is perhaps for this reason that the Australian pub culture isn't as strong as some others - they are at home with their mates cooking up a few snags and having a laugh.

Males always cook barbies. The women make the salad. That's the way it is. It is a thing of pride for a bloke to be able to cook the meat at a barbie. Although to the untrained eye it may appear as though it simply involves whacking meat on a hot plate and waiting till it is black, it is in fact a very delicate and highly skilled art. It is for this reason that men gather around the barbie when the host is cooking, drinking their beer, and offer very specific advice on how he is going. A bit like how 3 british council workers sit around a forth digging a hole and tell him how he could do that better. Sometimes the cook (who always starts off as the host), will get pissed and offer the tongs to one of the commentators. This is a sign of aggression similar to slapping someone in the face with a glove. A person needs to be very careful about his response: once the tongs are taken, it is a statement of cooking superiority and a commitment to see the barbie through unless the recipient's skills are also challenged and the tongs passed on again. Young players are advised to respectfully decline the tongs until their skills are more fully developed and they are confident cooking for a large group.
It is quite possible for 3 or 4 blokes to be involved in cooking the one barbie due to such challenges.
I tend to bring the salads and let the Aussie men think...'Pommie Poof'

Love Stew