Food

Gravy Day

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Roast lamb

“It’s the 21st of December… and now they’re ringing the last bells.”

This is a quote from iconic Aussie singer, Paul Kelly, whose song ‘How to make gravy’ has become an iconic Aussie Christmas song.

Interestingly, when my brother and I first heard the song, we found part of it humorous (‘…remember the last one, what was his name again…’ damn I can hear my bro laughing from here), and that’s how this song ended up in the ‘Funnies’ category on my iPod.

In actual fact, the song is quite sad, told from the point of view of a guy in prison on the 21st of December, thinking about his family and the Christmas celebrations he’ll miss. But where does the gravy come in, you ask? Well, he’s the guy that always made the gravy for the Christmas Day roast, hence the lyrics: Who’s gonna make the gravy… bet it won’t taste the same.

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Weird things Austrians… eat… Meat Salad

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wurst salad

Look, I know it’s not weird to have meat in salad. Ceasar salad, for example… yum! Thai beef salad… delicious! But still… there’s something about the Austrian ‘Wurst Salad’ that doesn’t sit the same with me. Maybe because it’s so meat heavy? Or the fact that the meat in it feels like cut up bits of dodgy deli meat. Which it kind of is… but also kind of isn’t… because I’ve found that Austrian sausage is generally a little bit more substantial than dodgy deli meat.

So here’s how you make it. You take your sausage and cut it into thin strips… mix it with onion, pickles, capsicum and of course… cheese! Add a tangy vinegar dressing and there you have it… meat salad.

Do I like it? Hmm… it’s ok. It’s certainly not offensive. So, if you get a chance to try it, definitely give it a go!

Food I still import from Oz

debbiekaye19805 Comments
Australian food

As the years have ticked by in Austria I have managed to leave many of my Aussie-food-isms behind. Part of the reason for this is that logistically it’s difficult and expensive to ship things from Australia. Another part is that I have adapted to the food here and to what’s available. It’s nice to bring back or receive Aussie food on the odd occasion. But let’s be honest, I don’t need it. I can survive without it. Also being close to the UK means that it’s quite easy to get many of my favourites – or at least acceptable versions of them. But not everything. Here’s the top 10 things I still bring back with me from Oz when I go.

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Seasonal eating

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Wild Zeit

I find that the seasons in Austria are a lot more defined that in Australia. Sure, Australia has a definite summer and winter, but a lot of things can be done in Australia all year round, whereas it’s pretty hard to play golf when there’s snow on the ground (though not impossible from what I’ve heard!). We don’t just have a low season here, we have an off season.

And the same goes for food. Sure, most restaurants all over are seasonal in the way that certain things are more available and cheaper when they are in season. But I never saw seasonal like this. Because if you visit a restaurant in Austria at particular times of the year, you’ll find common trends.

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You know you’re in Austria and not Australia when… you panic about the cheddar

debbiekaye19802 Comments
cheddar cheese

Austria has many different types of special cheese. Glündner Käse, Topfen, the different varieties of Bergkäse, and most of the standard ones you already know. The cheese in Austria is perfectly fine. But when I came here what I missed was cheddar. Didn’t have to be anything special but it had to be cheddar. I grudgingly accepted the Bergkäse and Gouda that wound up in the shopping trolley and passed it off as just another thing I would have to get used to.

Now, Austria is not at the end of the earth. You can absolutely buy cheddar in Austria, and quite easily, just not at the supermarket I was frequenting. So I assumed it wasn’t available.

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Weird things Austrians… eat… giant pretzel sandwiches

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When someone’s celebrating an occasion in Austria (birthdays, someone’s last work day etc.) and keeping it low key and easy, they might simply invite a few people over for a bite to eat, or in the case of a work environment, bring something along to share with colleagues (including the mandatory prosecco, of course, because we are in Austria). Quite often there will be cakes, pastries and other standard things you might expect. But there could also be something you were not expecting: a giant pretzel sandwich.

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A not-so-secret confession – I love Aeroplane Food

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aeroplane food
Wake me for food!

Damn I love aeroplane food.

I always have.

Admittedly, the taste isn’t always the best and the offering isn’t always what I’d choose. But somehow, just the fact that I’m going to have a small tray of goods delivered, each in their own separate compartments, direct to my chair, is too good to be true. Not only that, usually there’s a choice of two different mains, and there’s drinks, often alcoholic, to go with it. Now, I know I’ve paid through the nose for the flight, but somehow it still feels like free food and drink, and it gets me every time!

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Long Trips – Christmas in Australia – warmth, sunshine, family & friends

debbiekaye19803 Comments

Australia - catching up with family Portsea PubReturning after a holiday always leads to a multitude of questions: How was it? What did you do? And you answer: Yeah, it was awesome! We did heaps of cool stuff! But where do you go after that? How do you pick out just a few notables that that particular person might be interested in hearing about?

Well, I just spend a month in Australia. And it was awesome! And we did heaps of cool stuff! And if you really want to know more, keep reading!

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Southern India – the Food

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Southern Indian food

It’s no secret my life revolves around food. And my husband is, thankfully, exactly the same. So it’s no shock that our recent Indian trip involved a lot of eating. For me, curry is rarely bad – even a mediocre curry is not terrible – and in India – where the spices are always flavoursome, well, it just doesn’t seem possible!

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