Syrah

That looks amazing.. is the greenery sage?

Pretty simple to grow, but the roots tend to be very woody, too woody to use. Oh.. I wonder why that would be. I have heard that they freeze well so if you do manage to find some with no immediate use that could be an option.

Water is not allowed while you're fasting. ← Well, I was specifically wondering about Ramadan. The term "fast" can imply quite a few different types of restrictions -- religious or otherwise. At any rate, I looked it up, and yeah it seems water is not allowed... I was aware dispensation is given for both food and drink, for the sick and infirm. I was just thinking, if you're doing hard physical labor, outdoor, in the sun, and no water -- that's gotta be tough. ← Imagine doing it in the hot Australian summer. I've known two Muslims and they both suffered terribly during the heat of Ramadan.

Why don't you try growing it?? It is reputably easy to grow, I have never tried because I am not a fan at all.

Fosters are the devil.

BBQ's are very popular at Christmastime. You may have prawn skewers, or some other kind of seafood. In my family, my mother was a staunch traditionalist when it came to Christmas. It was always a hot english style roast dinner except for the ill fated year when she cooked whole fish. Anyway, she used the weber quite extensively for the roasted meats (usually pork and turkey), it was a good way to get the men outside AND the heat out of the kitchen. Accompianments to the barbie usually include a green salad, a potato salad, and rolls. There are other variants, including my childhood favourite of barbecued banana.

Did you read that they are trying a marketing blitz to get it back in the pubs?? Hysterical.

Sounds like heaven to me. I try and have that for dinner once a month here as it is. I can only imagine how much better it would be in France.

I got it on sale at Liquorland a few weeks back. I wasn't really impressed either, but it does appear to be popular as an export. So is Fosters though, not that I am implying anything.

You've received good advice on making crepes. Personally, what I do is put a small amount of butter in a hot pan. I swirl the butter and then wipe it clean with paper towels. Then I use 1/4 cup of batter, swirled very very quickly and cooked as others have said. For savoury filling I love bechamel sauce, chicken, mushrooms and avocado. For sweet, I recently had some strawberries that I forgot about. They were not good for eating fresh, but I decided to heat them with a little sugar and a splash of sparkling wine.

Last night I added some to a filling for ravioli.. with ricotta, parmesan, asparagus, watercress and mint. It was outstanding.

I always wondered the same thing, and finally came to the conclusion that it was just one of those things we don't get in Australia. Then I discovered to my horror that we simply call it something else and I had never noticed it because it's not really big here. At my supermatket it takes up a small space on the top shelf and is called One Pot Meal. I guess Hamburger Helper makes little sense here, to us a Hamburger is a beef patty in a bun with all the salad and etc. Beef Mince Helper doesn't quite roll off the tongue does it??

Tonight we are having strawberries. I hulled them and poured some cointreau over. Served with mascarpone cream. Simply delicious.

I agree with the chocolate biscuit idea. I love jaffa.

I find the ones you can buy in the supermarket in packets are far more sticky sugary. I buy mine from the healthfood store, and I haven't noticed them being overly sugary at all.

I have been using the same recipe for years. It is a boiled dark fruit cake. Basically you soak the fruit and nut mixture for 10 days. It has no glace cherries, but glace pineapple and apricot are included, as well as prunes, dates, sultanas, almonds, walnuts... Grand Marnier is the booze of choice. If this appeals, let me know and I will post it for you.

True, but asking "Why aren't there any chopsticks?" in an accusatory tone is just as bad as (and sometimes worse than) telling. And the way I was being asked definitely not just an inquiry. Sometimes, though, they would just ask, "Can I have chopsticks?" though the tone was often, "You dumbass, where the hell are my chopsticks?" as though I intentionally took them away. To add, when I would explain that Thai people (including myself) usually only used chopsticks for certain noodle dishes and Chinese food, people usually gave me a look as though I were full of shit. ← I guess that at the point of asking the waiter should just say "Chopsticks are not traditional within the Thai culture" or some such thing".. if the customer continued to rant well they are a lost cause.

Asking is different from telling. ← Agreed. It's one thing to be ignorant and unsure. Even in detlefchef's restaurant I've asked the waitstaff how to eat a particular dish. But to fake like you know what you're doing to the point of insulting the staff is another issue altogether. ← Oh I totally agree. I have few restaurants that I go to often enough to be identified on sight. The waitresses love us, and really seem to enjoy the fact that we will try new things. I don't feel silly asking them questions. It is pretty obvious that I am not Chinese but even if I was.. no one knows everything.

Asking is different from telling.

LOL.. Don't worry about it. He was talking out of his arse. Customers do that all the time.

I meant to post that for you lot. Pretty cool hey?

I made lentil soup this week, unfortunately it has been so mild in Sydney that we weren't in the mood to eat it. I think I'm going to freeze it in portions for nights when I can't be bothered cooking.

I have seen the at woolworth's and coles in australia. It is not always canned but the fruitcups exist under multiple brands. ← I guess I don't spend much time in that part of the supermarket.

Here, it's rare to find mandarin oranges fresh! (Closest relatives are tangerines and clementines.) I'm surprised you haven't seen canned ones in Australia -- they're usually in the Asian food aisle or markets. Most of them are canned in China, under Japanese brand names. Theyre peeled and sectioned, and canned in a light sugar-syrup. Good for eating chilled as-is, using in desserts (from mixed fruits to cheesecake), in spinach salad or other salads. Children love them as snacks and there's even one company here that offers them in child-size portions in plastic cups. Fast-food chain Wendy's has placed them on its menu as a healthy alternative to French fries in kids' meals. ←

One thing that struck me in this thread was "mandarin oranges" as you call them. Are they available in the Northern Hemisphere fresh? We are now in the glut of the season so I can understand that they would be out of season for you, and I am buying tonnes for my partner as he just adores them. I cannot ever recall seeing them canned or tinned in Australia. What do you use the tinned ones for??