The good, the bad and the bitching!

 Growing up I was never really proud of my heritage… it was so anglo and boring. I marvelled at my best friends tales of parents in refugee camps and migration to Australia and well… I was just Irish for many generations on one side and Scottish for many on the other.

 One day my grandfather called me because he had been tracing our lineage and he had managed to trace it on his side right back to the First Fleet to Australia. Their names were Matthew and Sarah Evringham and they were sent here for stealing bread. That is all I remember though, as my grandfather has a tendency to prattle sometimes.

 So whenever I got asked that question about my heritage, I could always pull that one out.  But despite having Scottish family and Irish family, I just don’t feel that connected to either country. I am purely Australian – but Australia is a country that is still defining its identity and I often have a clash of my values with what Australia is sometimes about. I view “Australiana” and being a proud Aussie as a little bit bogan. (For Non-Australians – a bogan is equivalent to a chav or white trash.) For me, seeing those bogans on TV proudly wearing their Australian flag as they talk racist trash about other cultures is just disgusting and makes me feel disconnected with the country.

 For me the great thing about Australia is the melting pot of cultures – I grew up in a very multi-cultural area and my best friends were Malaysian and Sri Lankan, Russian, Indonesian, German… you name it! I loved going to their house and eating all the different foods and experiencing the way their families worked. I love that I can go and eat dinner for $20 at China Town in the city, head out to the little hidden laneway gem of a bar, have Spanish tapas that allow me to taste a bit of everything, go dancing to latin, funk, jazz, retro, whatever I like. Melbourne has a bit of everything – and I particularly like visiting my parents in Dandenong because although it’s a bit of a rough and tumble place, I can get Afghan food for dinner, and Indian sweets for dessert. (I am big on the food)

 Recently though, our NSW country cousins came to visit. And one day while chatting, my sister turned to me and said “Oh my god, did you hear? We are 1/12^th aboriginal!” I was extremely excited and flabbergasted by this, to say the least. “Surely not, look at us – a bunch of pale white freckled chicks. There is no way!” But my cousin assured me that our second cousin (who she goes to school with) had it checked out and had the certificates to prove it. And yep, we are blood related to this second cousin too. So. There we had it. A new twist to our heritage. I am still not sure what to think… we weren’t raised to even identify with that culture, yet I’ve always had such a big respect for the Aboriginal people and gotten so mad that the government is still not doing enough to break the poverty cycles. But I don’t think I can go around calling myself Aboriginal – we know very little about their culture and rituals and don’t even know a real Aboriginal person! One day, I think I would like to investigate it a bit more, but for now, it can just be a little nugget of information at the back of my head.

 One thing I am concerned about though is what my cousins are going to do with this information. In Australia, Aboriginal people are entitled to a range of benefits – not least being access to scholarships for University. I tried telling my cousins that just because you may technically be entitled to them it doesn’t mean you should. We weren’t raised aboriginal, so don’t go exploiting benefits for the hell of it. But, I guess try telling that to poor Uni students. I hope I at least gave them something to think about.

From Ward Street Bistro

When I was younger my best friend and I had a dream. We would open up our own restaurant in 50’s Diner style. We would serve really great burgers and shakes and lots of deserts and it would be a really cool place to hang out. Downstairs, of course, would be a vintage clothing store (even though we didn’t – and still don’t – wear vintage). This was the kind of place a young teen dreams of going and hanging out with her friends all day. In my more cynical age of 27 I now see that while this would still be a fun dream to have, it wouldn’t be profitable. I would love however, to be a decent supplier of onion rings because it is something Melbourne is so lacking!

 As part of this dream we would always get together and cook as kids – and at her house we would have free reign of the kitchen, resulting in some interesting dishes – once we fried a pickle in butter at really high temperatures just to see what happened. It turned black.

 When we were 16, our school offered a cooking course outside of the curriculum – we could study commercial cookery after school for an extra subject. We signed up eagerly – along with some other friends.

 Once a week for an entire school year we went along to the commercial cookery kitchen, got yelled at by a chef and cooked some stuff. It was kind of fun, but really, we didn’t learn much. The theory component was rushed through and in an effort to get his class results up, the chef would let us do tests open book or actually tell us the answer.

But one cooking term, I remember fondly: Mise En Place, French for everything in its place. Before we would start cooking he would shout at us to do our Mise En Place, and we would measure out all our ingredients, chop them up and have them ready for when we started cooking. This was a handy thing to learn and something that I still practice when I cook. The other terms, like julienne I barely mastered, let alone remembered.

 Side note: the funniest thing we ever did at cooking school? My friend stuffed up a whole fish by putting it into spitting hot oil (it fell apart very quickly!) We devised a cunning plan to get the fish to the bin and replace it with a fresh one without the teacher noticing. In came a school bag, in went the fish, and she begged to go to the bathroom. She dumped the fish outside, while other friends went to the storage fridge to grab another fish. The teacher was nonethewiser, but our friend had a school bag that smelt like fish for quite a while!

 While I don’t measure out everything these days (I am a big believer in minimising the amount of dishes for washing up!) I do always get all of my ingredients out of the fridge to sit beside where I am cooking. And I have had some disasters when I forget!

 My best friend and I still occasionally play the “dream restaurant” game. I have a love of cooking, she has a love of eating and neither of us have the motivation to ever make it happen. But after eating our way through NY together, we both agree Melbourne would be a lot better off with a NY style diner and NY style cupcakes. Dream dish? Mac and cheese, side of onion rings and a really fattening brownie sundae for dessert. God bless America because you sure as hell can’t get that here!

I guess it is nearly that time of the year again when I go on my health kick. Except, I am trying to keep myself a little more realistic this tme around. I need to recognise that I cant just jump into this, go crazy for 6 weeks at the gym then crack it when nothing happens.

So… here is the plan.

This week:

Diet: adding in one extra piece of fruit per day
Exercise: Twice this week

Next week and onwards:
Diet: Start adding in a salad for dinner/lunch (if weather permits. Melbourne is so cold right now it might as well be winter) and eating more fruit.
Exercise: Three times per week minimum. Cricket starts again so Ben is gone Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday so there is no excuse!

From there I hope to long term maintain a healthier lifestyle.

But I am trying to go into this without the view of weight loss (which will be a nice side affect). I’ve spoken of the pain I live with on a nearly daily basis… it just isnt getting better. I have gone through surgery, taken medications and nothing seems to be happening. I am not getting any worse, sure, but I am not getting any better.

So I am going to see a Naturopath.

I havent gone this path before because of the expense, and well, the idea of being accountable to my diet to someone. Sometimes, the junk I eat is embarassing. And I am emotional eater… so I guess having to justify why I needed that baked good because everything isnt as well as I pretend it is just isnt that appealing.

But lately… the pains been quite bad and I can no longer deny the issues any more. I just need to do it.

Maybe this can change my attitudes and I can stop needing the caramel slice on a bad day at work.

I’ve had quite a few jobs in my lifetime, but back when I was a supermarket check out chick I was always on the hunt for a better, more exciting and higher paying casual job.

One time I saw an unusual job ad, for a fit model for a well known brand here in Australia (Myer!) and all you had to do to apply was send in your measurements…. weird I thought, but hell, it was paying well.

I applied as a Size 10 – even though I knew deep down that my top was more like a size 8 and my bottom was more like a size 12, but back then I was a hell of a lot skinnier and I fit a size 10 more often than not.

A few weeks later, I got a call up for an “interview” where I was told to wear bathers or underwear I am comfortable someone else seeing me in. Right.

So off I went on the day and I walked into a room of other girls, most of whom were just in their tracksuit pants to make the changing out of their clothes easier. And when I sat there talking to the girl next to me, I realised the majority of these girls weren’t just size 10’s looking for a well paying job, they were also models! Now I felt a little out of place… but I just thought back to the job itself… paying over $10 more than any other part time job, only 9 hours a week and 3 hours at a time, and all I had to do was try on clothes. (Not to mention the excellent discount they were offering off at Myer).

My turn came and I walked into the interview room and the lady instantly looked me up and down… it was a disconcerting feeling having someone judge you so harshy purely on your appearance. She got out the tape measure as I stripped off and as she measured my waist and hips she asked me how I would feel standing in underwear in front of a room full of people. I told her it would be fine, but in my head “Lady, for the amount your paying I really wouldnt care. Sure, I am totally insecure about my body, but 9 hours vs 25 hours of work means I may actually do well at Uni”

She finished measuring me and told me this would really come down to which of the girls most closely resembled a true size 10 and they would be in touch.

Of course, I didnt get the job, but I often imagined just how cool it would have been to go up into the offices of Myer, try on the clothes and parade them for people. And for a pasty white freckled chick, how cool would it have been to say “Im a fit model” when people asked what I did for a living. AH well.

I had too much to drink on Saturday. Not even like a little too much, but wayyyyy too much! See, Saturday in Melbourne was AFL Grand Final Day, and while nobody’s team made it in, the boys still hold the day almost as sacred. Get to the pub early, hold the table, drink, watch the game, enjoy! But the issue was this year, I no longer lived a short train ride away from the pub… the new place requires plans and a long train ride to get to the pub, so I knew if I was going to go along I would have to go in early with the boys.

So, 8.30am our alarm went off, and 40 minutes later we were on our way to the city. We arrived at the pub just before 11am and soon enough I had a vodka red bull in my hand as we sat guarding the table from the other people scoping for a seat. Anyway… the game doesnt actually start until 2.30, so we all drank and ate and I think about 1.30 I was getting a little tipsy. By 2.30 I was definately tipsy and well, by 4pm I was drunk!

I talked people’s ears off about all sorts of inappropriate topics, gossiped about other people, and no doubt made a bit of an idiot of myself! That said, I am pretttty sure everyone else was just as bad! The boys were the ones that got kicked out at 6pm. From there we went to a friends house nearby, had some bbq and about 9pm we went home… long day. 10 hours of drinking.

The next day (I felt OK surprisingly, but I drank a lot of water) Ben just looked at me with a little smile on his face as I said I wasnt that bad…

For a while last night I considered not drinking again… but then I realised I have a wedding this weekend. And then I realised I do stupid things like this maybe 3 times a year… so Im just going to suck it up and try not to make a big idiot of myself at the next event!

This is the view from our front yard!

Since the inside is not ready to make its debut just yet, this will have to do for now!

The lounge is just about done… give or take hanging of the pictures and getting rid of the horrible red wall. The more I look at it, the less I like! I think Christmas holidays will be spent painting!

It is a totally different feeling being in our own house… knowing we can do what we like to it, I dont panic if I accidentally bump a wall, and I tend to be a little cleaner (so far!)

We are still recovering from the stress of this whole thing (lots more sleep for both of us) and sometimes snap at each other – something we hardly ever do - but yesterday was probably the first day things started to feel normal again. I got a lot more boxes unpacked, did a bit of cleaning and we both had some time relaxing on the couch.

We both agree though – new big screen tv is almost an urgent must! It seems like a frivolous thing and going into this we thought it might be a nice “want” to get ourselves for Christmas perhaps. But, we are in a larger space so the distance from our tv to the couch is so far that we can barely see the screen and it is giving us headaches! It is a frivolous thing and something neither of us really care about (electronics and having the best of the best) so we are looking for the best deal we can get. We also need to get some speakers as our previous owners left some nice big holes in the wall where their speakers were, so we thought it would be a bit easier to just get speakers hooked up to our stereo (much more into music than surround sound tv) than deal with removing the wires and patching holes.

We will also feel a little more comfortable when we get the locks changed… one thing that happened with the previous owner? They kept a key. YEP! Creepy. So we have this icky feeling sometimes that they will just stop by. We went over the Friday night we got the key and went in and saw the floors were still wet (4 hours after it became ours) and there was a fridge there. They claimed they thought they had another day to move out, but even still, they only handed another key back so we fear the worst!

All in all… stressful time was had. But its so good to be in our own place!

we have moved! So many dramas happened in this last week and I dont think I have been so stressed in such a long time, but we got there.

And now we are in our new home together! And while I am still getting used to all the weird noises and the extra space (and quirks they designed in that dont quite make sense) it has been really good. Its so good knowing that this is ours and we can do what we want!

Yesterday I had to go to the Show for work (Yes I got paid to go to the show!) And once I was done, I got to wander around.

My first stop was the dog pavilion, where I nearly gave myself a cuteness heart attack! They were showing all my favourites: bulldogs, boxers and pugs!

Oh what I wouldnt give for one of those mouth breathers!

Afterwards, I wandered to the food tent (literally a tent) which is where I had my free cupcake from the previous post… mmm!

I had hoped to come across a stack of awesome foods to try and buy, but I found it a little lacklustre… brands I already knew, and lollies for the kids. But there was lots of beer and wine merchants and had I been in the mood…

And guess who I saw:

Why yes that is Chris Badenoch from Masterchef! He was there peddling his beer wares and doing food demos on cooking with beer!

I got myself a sausage roll from the Baking Industry of Victoria stand (quite tasty too, but very small!) and to the showbag stand, before heading home.

After the show I was in a bad mood and stressed with all the house stuff, so I took a little detour to get myself some goodies from the Lindt Cafe:

I had a strawberry, rose, passionfruit and dark chocolate.

The passionfruit I had heard good things about from people, but it didnt do it for me. If you are a passionfruit lover though I am sure you would like it, but I can give or take passionfruit and therefore this tasted a bit weird.

The rose was nice at first, but it grew increasingly yuckier… I guess it had a touch too much rose essence, because it was just too much rose it was overpowering. I find rose better as a nice subtle flavour.

The strawberry was really nice – good flavours!

And the chocolate – oh my gosh! It was unlike any macaroon I had had before – it was soooo fudgey! But, if you are a serious chocolate lover, this is the one for you. It doesnt taste like a traditional macaroon though.

One thing I noticed about yesterdays macaroons vs the first lot I tried, these were puffier – when you bit in they almost crumbled apart and they didnt have that same chewiness that the others did.

Still good, but worth noting!

I just got back from the Royal Melbourne Show and had the BEST cupcake from Steampacket Foods. Sorry for no pic.. but if you are headed to the show, they are in the grand pavillion and hand out free samples! Samples that are bigger than little cupcakes minis!

I was given a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and it was soooo moist! The most rich, chocolate, gooey cupcake I have had in a while – and stacks up against a home made cupcake!

They are located in Geelong and supposedly have a cafe – http://www.steampacketfoods.com.au

I was sooo tempted to go back for a second sample… but that would have been greedy!

I got very excited the other day having learnt that there was a new cupcakery in town – The Cupcake Bakery. They are a Sydney based store that recently opened 2 stores here in Melbourne. I visited the one in Melbourne Central.

Now I should say that I visited with my family at about 4pm on a Sunday – but there were still a lot of selections available. We each got a few to takeaway and enjoy after dinner.

First thing worth them investing in: take away options!

 (sorry for the sideways action)

That is literally a paper bag – and while cute – it doesnt make getting your cupcakes home unscatched very easy! A box would definately help. And its not like you can really eat in either – there are no tables just a store front and from memory a few stools.

I ordered a Sticky Date and Choc Mint flavours and they looked quite pretty:

Although the sticky date look left a little to be desired -  although sticky date in its nature isnt pretty.

And now to the cupcake breakdown

Choc Mint
SO dry! I am never one to really knock a cupcake but this was really dry, and just crumbled away. It also wasnt very chocolatey in its flavour. The mint however, was overpowering, like someone had gone a little nuts with the essence. I like a nice balance between the mint and the chocolate, and without any real chocolate flavour there it was more like a breath mint.

Sticky date
This was a lot more moist, but the date on the top was rock hard! I had nicely given it to my boyfriend, and the first thing he asked was “is there something I’m not meant to eat on there?” and then “that nearly broke my teeth!”

Flavour wise, it was moist and had a hint of the date, but didnt have any of that sticky gooey taste I usually associate with a sticky date pudding. The icing was more of a glaze, and had pretty much the exact same flavour as the cake… I dont know. I guess it was OK but just average. It would have greatly benefitted from a golden syrup type swirl or something in that icing.

on the whole, dissapointing cupcakes and my recommendation would be – if you are jonesing for a cupcake in the city – head to Little Cupcakes on Degraves St. I find them a lot more satisfying (and with the mini options you can try a bunch of flavours!)