haresfur

Going to grocery stores is an important travel activity for me. And to get to know a place, check out the pre-packaged and junk food as cultural research (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

I picked Eileen and a visiting scientist from Spain up at the train station this evening and we headed to the Malayan Orchid. We split a nice bottle of local Pinot (local as in the winery, the grapes are from Yarra Valley. We had prawns in red curry, my favourite aubergine in sweet chili (better than average chili sauce and crispy fried egg plant), and lamb in something or other. I wasn't fond of the lamb. All of it was pretty mild. Our visitor was a good sport about my taking photos. He said he was pleased to get to an interesting restaurant because in Córdoba, aside from some Italian and Chinese, it's all Spanish food. Unfortunately, no Spanish around here that I know of.

Hi! Hope you are settling in well. Great country, eh? The transformer probably gets the most use with espresso maker and the rice cooker. I think the speeds on mixer, stick mixer, and blender are slower with the biggest effect on the stick mixer, maybe because of the gearing. But it does the job, and even the pottery wheel didn't blow up. For the mixer it will only be a problem for the top speed. I thought the noodles were ok - nothing special, but it's nice to have variety. When I first heard a coworker talking about Aldi I thought he was talking about a car because his country accent made it sound like Audi.

I'll report on the wine when I open it. Maybe tomorrow. It was about $6.00 so if it is drinkable, I'll be happy. If not, I can probably get the same effect by hitting myself on the head with the bottle . The KitchenAid is an accident waiting to happen. I really need to clear some space in a low drawer...

Great tips, thanks. If I add lentils to the liquid do I add more wine? Put them in at the beginning? I think I have red, green, and black lentils in stock right now.

Last month, the Age newspaper sponsored a food event, "Picnic at Hanging Rock" so we headed down with some friends. (yabbies are like crayfish btw) The reason I bring it up is I bought a pack of Bultarra "Saltbush Lamb", including: First, a bit of background. I've always eaten meat, but at Uni I lived in a couple of vegetarian houses and when I got out on my own I decided to pretty much only cook veggie. It's been a long slippery slope into meat, mostly due to laziness (a chunk of chicken is easy protein). Coming to such a red-meat-centric place hasn't helped but has provided the chance to embrace my inner carnivore. So what to do with the, um, shanks, right? I'm thinking a braise with root vegetables. I picked up a Swede and a turnip (not that I know the difference between them) and some beets (I'll keep trying). I could do it on the stove or oven (the oven is electric, the stove is gas and probably less expensive to run, not a huge deal). Or I could soak my terracotta pot and use that in the oven (although I'm tempted to try it on the stove and see if it survives). Craig Clairbourne's recipe uses red wine and Alice Waters white. The only white I have, I think is some cleanskin (unlabeled generic) chardonnay. Any advice for a braise virgin?

Thanks. I like the kitchen but it doesn't seem as large as it looks. The rubbish bin moves around as it gets kicked out of the way. The island attracts all the homeless stuff (well except for the stuff on the dining table) so it seldom looks like the photo. My main complaint is that it is a bit dark but shaded windows are a good thing in the summer.

Tom kha gai (coconut chicken soup)! The name translates to "boiled galangal soup", according to my sources. If you have more time on your hands, galangal is a key ingredient in many Thai curry pastes. I look forward to seeing what you do with yours. I am enjoying the blog very much so far. Gorgeous pottery, and much sympathy on the canine destruction. Perhaps you could loop Cruella De Ville videos for the Dalmations when you are away from home? Ah the soup sounds really good since we've had a cold snap. Bendigo Wholefoods (I forgot to put in the link previously) had whole turmeric, which I'd never seen before. I assume that means it should grow ok here since they source most produce locally. Things to think about for the garden.

Welcome to eGullet Ethan. Nice writeup an photos on your website.

Time for some kitchen shots: The pantry: The liquor and glasses are in a wall unit in the dining room:

The joys of a young dog... I guess some people must not look at prices when shopping. Either that or they really like bananas. As Jimmy Buffet said, "It's 5:00 somewhere."

When I got home, someone had pulled the stuffing out of the couch . Anyone want a Dalmatian coat? A drink was called for so I made a Sazarac with Bols Genever: 2 oz Genever 1 teaspoon caster sugar dissolved in a little water 6 dashes Peychaud's bitters Stir with ice. coat the inside of a chilled glass with absinthe (Obsello), strain and twist lemon peel over glass then discard peel. I think the absinthe and genever go well together and with the Peychaud's as long as you don't mind a pink drink.

From Bendigo Wholefoods I went to get a few other groceries from the Stealth Coles, who's entrance is completely hidden inside a parking garage. I wandered around and snapped a few photos of the 'roo, sausages, fish, until I remembered what I needed to get - catsup, muesli, and pasta. I passed on the $12.98/kg bananas - the crop was mostly destroyed by the cyclone in Queensland. Then I went and bought inexpensive wine: a bottle of ginger wine, a Shiraz-Viognier, a Shiraz, and a Sangiovese, all under $10. The indoor photos didn't turn out but the extent of the wine selection is impressive for such a small town. I'll try to take you to the specialty wine store later.

I have lots of caffeine options at work, not that any are amazing. We have a small kitchen in my area of the building with a stock of instant coffee and Lipton tea bags. There are also some press pots and my small Melita. Or we can go to the new breakout facility where they have the same and an automatic espresso/cappuchino/mocha machine for a dollar per cup. Here are my supplies: I took leftovers for lunch but ended up only having cheese and crackers for morning tea. I eat a lot of biscuits - they don't go moldy. After work I did some shopping. First I went to Bendigo Wholefoods, a nice little funky food store. Also a good place to pick up veggie plants. I remember reading about galangal here, so I had to buy some. Now what do I do with it, again? Designer salt, dips, and ethnic food: It's great to have a place like this in town.

Thanks Nick. Your blog was amazing. Eileen is coming back from Sidney, tomorrow. Boy is she in for a shock.

Thanks for the tips on the frames (and to everyone else with suggestions, too). I don't think you will see any chestnuts - I like the smell of the roasting but can pass on the taste. I'll post some photos from today's shopping. I've been enjoying the pumpkin here and have been discovering root vegetables, although I'm still not sure about beetroot on sandwiches. The main thing I miss from North America is the variety and low cost of produce. I scored maple syrup from Costco in Melbourne. I haven't developed a taste for Vegimite - it is too salty so I've been practicing with MightyMite, which has less sodium. I also bought some "MyFirst Vegimite", which isn't salty and has a noticeable malt flavour. TimTams are nice enough but IMO Australia's greatest contribution to sweet biscuits is: The perfect balance of chocolate and biscuit. Best kept in the fridge.

Well the guide uses food fossicking as searching and discovering but I think it would be good for foraging. Thanks for the leading question on the garden. It's looking a bit worse for the wear as summer ends. The basil has bolted to about waist high but I decided a batch of pesto was in order in spite of the weather turning to the winter side of autumn. We do get frost here but not very hard or for very long. Mostly it gets about as cold inside as out because the house has little insulation and single pane windows. Hope springs eternal and I'm trying for an autumn lettuce crop. So here is the garden: and pots with herbs and dwarf lime. The herb pot trolley lost a wheel when a red gum dropped a limb on it but the pot and bay tree were unscathed (red gums are known for losing limbs at arbitrary times and it is wise not to park under them): I used walnuts and almonds in the pesto because I have never been much of a pine nut fan, even before hearing about the bad taste in your mouth for weeks thing. I served it over whole meal spaghetti. I've made better.

It's unfortunately been decades since I've been back. I need to get my Polish coworker to teach me how to make perogies because her's are great (although not quite the same as eating them in the pub with a couple of draughts in front of you). It's hard to tell if I miss food from there or food I ate with my family like corned beef, knishes, gooey cheese cake... Thinking about it, I don't think I ever had Goldeye but I miss fresh pickerel.

That was a new one on me, too. It's the bits left over when the butcher takes the meat off. The dogs have been put on a semi- "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food" (BARF) diet. Don't ask me, I just do what I'm told. But for the price of the frames from Woolworths, they could be eating drumsticks. I guess there's a shop in Horsham where they are much less expensive but we haven't found one in Bendigo yet.

Oh yeah, dinner. I made another one of my Dad's favourites, chicken marsala. Sorry, no cooking pictures. When I cook, I tend to go a bit manic and totally forgot the camera. I'd say my cooking style is bastardized versions of everyone's cuisine. Um, let's call it "fusion" . The marsala recipe wasn't handed down - I had to wing it and figure out to myself the key is a heavy hand with the bottle. But it's dead easy. Cube up some chicken, coat in flour, salt & pepper. Brown in olive oil remove from the pan and add a chopped onion and sliced mushrooms. When the onion is translucent and the mushrooms soft, add the chicken back in and pour in about half a bottle of Marsala. Simmer until the sauce thickens. I served it over the porcini noodles. I would have thrown a shallot or two in with the onion if I had any. I ate it with steamed broccoli that just had a little lemon juice squeezed over it. Too easy. Sad state of affairs: I forgot to make myself a cocktail. Booze will never lead me down the road to heck at this rate. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

The avatar is actually the top to a tea warmer I made. Haresfur is a kind of Temmoku pottery glaze, originally from the Song Dynasty in China. It was just a handle that I adopted for the internet because it is lovely glaze. The tea warmer is Temmoku but without the streaky haresfur effect. The rabbit design is based on a Celtic or pre-Celtic drawing I saw in a book. I haven't done much pottery for the last few years but I'm trying to get back into it. Still haven't wired my kiln yet but I've started doing a little terra cotta.

Thanks! It's been fun so far. I think things will slow down when I get back to work.

On the way home from Harricourt, I made a stop at Aldi. I didn't want to ask permission so I just snapped some quick photos with my phone so the quality isn't best. Many jars of simmer sauce for the lazy. I buy the Butter Chicken. Depending on my mood you may see it in action. Assorted tuna flavours like lime & cracked pepper, tomato & caper, mango chili... Frozen Yum Cha assortment are ok but I ended up getting mini-spring rolls for the even lazier nights. Porcini noodles. Some of the haul at home. And tell me what is it with coin-deposit on the shopping trolleys in Australia? If someone really wants one, would a dollar stop them? The Food Fossicker's guide said that the Eaglehawk IGA, of all places, has their own smokehouse, so I had to check it out on the way home. I decided to pass on the eel but bought some trout.

As I mentioned, Bendigo was a major gold mining town and there are old workings everywhere. The park across the street from me is littered with crushed quartz and I often see "fossickers" out with their metal detectors looking for gold. Luckily the trend heads a couple of houses to the east and there are no old shafts mapped under my place (touch wood). But today we are going... First I swung by work for some photos when no one was around but I'll time-shift those to a work day. Then I stopped in the city centre for some coffee at T'Hooft Cafe, where they roast their own. Just pretend there is nothing odd about a caravan in a cafe... Actually it is explained on the all-knowing internet. One of the pleasant surprises about Oz was that you can get pretty good coffee in even the small towns. You can't read the sign on the healthy-eating Vibrant Garden next door, but I'm amused by their slogan, "Catering to Intolerance". Then I headed south to Harricourt where the apple harvest is starting. I picked up some Galas and Johnnies at a stand run by 5th generation growers. The Pink Ladies won't be ready until May because of the cool wet weather. I'm amazed at the investment in shade cloth that also protects against hail. Then a stop by Bress biodynamic (whatever the heck that is) winery. They were baking rolls in a wood oven for the lunch people. I didn't care too much for the wine but they also make a "Normandy" style cider and the dry was decent. But for cider, I was really heading for the more English style at Henry's of Harricourt. Quite the characters. I passed on the still cider for now but bought a bottle of the fizzy traditional cider apple/pink lady mix and a couple of bottles of Perry.

Why Bendigo, indeed? Well it's pretty close to Horsham . About 10 months before I came over, Eileen took a position in Horsham - an even smaller agricultural town, about half way between Melbourne and Adelaide. We were going to do the ultra-long distance thing for a while but this job came up and, what the heck... It is also easier to get a work visa for a rural area. I was hoping we were going to get to see Horsham this week but I don't think that is going to work out because Eileen is doing a lot of travel. Too bad because I had a craving for a visit to Horsham Masala. Misty and Pinot came over when I did. Pinot has finally forgiven us for the month in quarantine. Yes, it cost lots of money. Wattle and Spock adopted us here. They are all rescues. Biscuits were from the store but now I'm getting inspired to try to make my own. I grew up in Winnipeg (Hi Pam!) and ended up in the eastern Washington State for 16 years after bouncing around for a while. Maybe we'll pop open a bottle of Washington wine this week (yeah, bringing wine to Australia is like coals to Newcastle).