Mining Meals - Pickaxe Not Included

[Smithy]

That dessert looks to me like a slice of cheese layered between 2 slices of lime jello.  If it is, it belongs in the "what were they thinking???" category.

 

Your poor husband's food misadventures remind me of stories I heard from a few cargo vessel cooks I've known who worked for shipping companies on the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River. The food budget was essentially unlimited; it was vital to crew morale to have good food, plenty of it, and warm for those cold trips. More than one told me that the gulls and fish ate very well until he learned his craft! One at least told me about hearing that a bad cook could simply...disappear...in the night if he was too bad a cook. I think (hope) that was urban legend, but it was probably a powerful motivator.

[Eatmywords]

I don't mean to make assumptions but seems his palette is evolving, becoming more critical.  Esp knowing a group of food obsessed snobs are watching.  Little devils on his shoulder whispering critiques of each dish 🧐

[heidih]

That neon green dessert reminded me of Hawaiian rainbow dessert - very popular in the Hawaiian Japanese community where I lived for some time  https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/other-dessert/hawaiian-rainbow-jello.html

[CantCookStillTry]

The desserts were a coffee cheese cake and a vanilla cheese cake with jelly topping.... 

 

And as for the colour... Thats just Aussie standard Aeroplane Lime jelly.

 

This is a traditional childrens dessert in upsidedown land. I present, "frog inna pond" usually served in a plastic cup, but we were out for dinner so... fancy 😂. 

 

 

Nb: If you use the Aeroplane neon blue jelly and a caramello koala it becomes the very non traditional "Koala inna Creek"

[CantCookStillTry]

16 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

I don't mean to make assumptions but seems his palette is evolving, becoming more critical.  Esp knowing a group of food obsessed snobs are watching.  Little devils on his shoulder whispering critiques of each dish 🧐

 

Haha its probably more me than him. I don't feel the need to report the pumpkin and feta salad was "good" and the roll was "ok" 😂. I rarely get more than one word answers re food reviews if its good. I get more feedback if bad.... and I probably didn't want to report he really liked the Chili in Filo 😂. 

 

Coming up soon is last nights dinner which, other than the very first nights dinner was the "best yet". My hub loves his veg so if the veg is good, many sins are forgiven (its how I learnt to stop boiling broccoli for 20 minutes alla my ma 😁).

[CantCookStillTry]

Okay last dinner. 

Lamb hot pot, with wedges, cauli and sauerkraut. Maybe rice too? 

 

 

I'm going to be honest now. Most times he dosen't tell me what things are other than the main dish, and i don't want to pester if im not all that curious. So excuse the poor descriptions! 

 

A roll of some kind. Guessing pork. 

 

His fav salad with a side of deoderant. 

 

A toastie. 

 

The fruit made a comeback! Pineapple returns! 3 types of melon too. 

 

And I will have to ask about these. I thought muffins to start with. But the sauce packet, when zoomed in is a chili sauce so now I'm leaning toward breaded rissoles? I shall find out. 

[CantCookStillTry]

Oh sorry @Shelby I missed answering the bacon question. It is cooked... a bit. 

Aussie bacon is 95% (i made that statistic up) dry cured. So its solid pink and opaque out of the packet. I believe USA and UK (I know UK) is mainly wet cured and still raw meaty looking raw. I struggle to get it (aussie) truly crisp or get much colour on without it drying out because of this and it's often served that pink colour. I've seen my FIL eat straight out the packet... not sure how safe that is but yeah. Uncooked aussie bacon looks like barely cooked uk bacon its confusing. I've only ever had cooked bacon in the US but from distant memory seemed more akin to UK. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

19 minutes ago, CantCookStillTry said:

Okay last dinner. 

Lamb hot pot, with wedges, cauli and sauerkraut. Maybe rice too? 

 

 

I'm going to be honest now. Most times he dosen't tell me what things are other than the main dish, and i don't want to pester if im not all that curious. So excuse the poor descriptions! 

 

A roll of some kind. Guessing pork. 

 

His fav salad with a side of deoderant. 

 

A toastie. 

 

The fruit made a comeback! Pineapple returns! 3 types of melon too. 

 

And I will have to ask about these. I thought muffins to start with. But the sauce packet, when zoomed in is a chili sauce so now I'm leaning toward breaded rissoles? I shall find out. 

 

"side of deoderant"?

 

[CantCookStillTry]

42 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

"side of deoderant"?

 

Sorry. My attempt at humor. He's taken the photo next to his can of anti-perspirant "Rexona". 

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

"side of deoderant"?

 

 

2 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

Sorry. My attempt at humor. He's taken the photo next to his can of anti-perspirant "Rexona". 

 

I think how I might smell, working in the mines and eating that food, might be the least of my worries!! Like I don't want to gross anyone out, but the flatulence level...

[Eatmywords]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I think how I might smell, working in the mines and eating that food, might be the least of my worries!! Like I don't want to gross anyone out, but the flatulence level...

 

I could be wrong but his role doesn't seem to be one of a laborer hacking away underground covered in soot and sweat.  Either way every miner knows that the 1st rule of mining is no farting.  (Which leads me to my next question as to why beans are included in anything).   
 

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

Sorry. My attempt at humor. He's taken the photo next to his can of anti-perspirant "Rexona". 

 

Haha! I was going to ask about that Aussie energy drink!

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Eatmywords said:

Either way every miner knows that the 1st rule of mining is no farting.  (Which leads me to my next question as to why beans are included in anything).   

 

Even if you're not physically down in the mines, I would think you might want to be careful about expelling around the cafeteria!

 

Did you know that the world's oldest recorded joke is a fart joke? I didn't either...the stuff one learns. (By the way, I don't get the joke, nor do I find it funny).

 

World's oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC

[Spork]

From an earlier picture the OP posted, it appears to be an open pit mine. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

Sorry. My attempt at humor. He's taken the photo next to his can of anti-perspirant "Rexona". 

 

Like @Smithy I assumed the can was his beverage.

 

[ElsieD]

Is that last picture arancini maybe?

[Kim Shook]

Those wedges look pretty good.  I've seen a couple of untoasted toasties.  I may have missed it, but where does he have access to a machine in which to toast it?  Meaning, can he take it with him and heat it up later?

[haresfur]

13 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

...

A toastie. 

 

 

And I will have to ask about these. I thought muffins to start with. But the sauce packet, when zoomed in is a chili sauce so now I'm leaning toward breaded rissoles? I shall find out. 

Do they have a toasty press in the work area for lunches? Back, pre-covid, one of my coworkers had it down to a science - propping up the top with a glass so it didn't get squished more than he liked. A techo then made him an adjustable prop out of some threaded stock and some nuts so he could dial in the perfect level.

 

The round things could be arancini.

[CantCookStillTry]

I will pose to my husband the suggestion he does not have an intensive work load. But maybe not whilst he's walking 7-10km on coal a day hauling 20kg boxes of explosive in 47c heat.. 😂. You're are right he's not underground though - wrong on the sweat! 😁. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by CantCookStillTry (log)

[CantCookStillTry]

And the winners were: Arancini Balls well done guys.

 In my defence I have never had them before! After my husbands description of creamy veges in rice deep fried... I might keep that up. 

 

Yes, cooking supplies in crib hut are microwave, pie warmer and toastie maker and a fridge. They collect their lunches at the evening meal (or breakky if they are game) and then put chilled stuff in fridge and stuff they want hot in the pie warmer so its warm when they come back to crib hut (eg the arancini balls, frozen lamb etc). 

[Eatmywords]

Is a pie warmer a toaster oven?  I'm going to start calling mine that regardless what I put in it 🙃 

[CantCookStillTry]

If a toaster oven is a big glass cupboard that has a heater in it that keeps food at a constant temp (like in a bakery / pie shop / gas station) - then yes. If not ... well we're all going to have to sit down and come up with some universal appliance names because it's getting confusing! 

[haresfur]

If having a pie warmer at your workplace isn't ultimate Aussie, I don't know what is. 🙂

[CantCookStillTry]

Back in the hole. 

Kicking off with a sweet and sour pork with sweet potato fries, and veg. It has been labelled "Delicious". 

 

 

The next days meals are to be. 

 

Sundried Tom, cheese and spinach Pasta salad. 

 

Crackers

 

Parmy 

 

Coleslaw (looks delish). 

 

And a ham and cheese yettobetoastied and a dr defeater. 

 

 

It's raining up there at the moment - coal mines in the rain are not fun and rather grubby. I've just discovered my first 'this being apart thing aint so bad' perk - I'm not washing his gear. 

[Kim Shook]

Actually, everything you showed us in the last post looked good and ham and cheese made me want to haul out my sandwich maker.  Not a clue where it is, though.  Sigh.