聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 I seem to be thinking a lot about Australia lately: From September 2011 to February 2012 I called it home and while there I was missing Canada, but being back here I鈥檓 now missing Australia.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Today as I write this, snow is forecast and it鈥檚 currently raining out, there鈥檚 a chill in the air, so maybe I鈥檓 just wishing I were somewhere nice and warm, after all it is summertime in the southern hemisphere.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As I sat in my office I began yearning for delicious items from Australia, like a flat white, which is a type of coffee people in Australia and New Zealand lay claim to having invented. Upon investigation it is a lot like a latte, but the milk is prepared in a slightly different way, luckily Michael Ellis knew how to make one over at Michael鈥檚 Coffee Shop and Bakery.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I next thing I missed was a meat pie. Now, other than being more closely related to British customs in my opinion than Canada and when I think of meat pies I think of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street when I think of meat pies which could turn you off of them鈥� but, I鈥檓 not sure why a piping hot meat pie is considered a great Australian dish, however, although it鈥檚 considered a humble meal they are absolutely delicious.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Basically I love stew and a meat pie is essentially stew inside of a delicious, flaky pastry baked to perfection. In fact there are a wide variety of meat pies from beef to chicken to vegetable. While in Sydney my friend and I found ourselves stopping at this place called Pie Face. We had discovered pies were quite a popular meal for Aussies and decided we should check it out.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We not only ate there once, but subsequent times to taste the variety of pies they had, including an absolutely delicious butter chicken pie and the chunky steak pie鈥� yes I was craving a meat pie badly enough I searched out the Pie Face menu online, so I could then search for a recipe in an attempt to create a meat pie at home here.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I鈥檓 thinking if I can get a flat white at Michael鈥檚 then maybe I should attempt to hint that they should begin making meat pies popular around here.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The beauty of the meat pies in Australia is that they鈥檙e a hand held size perfect for lunch. I鈥檓 a little disappointed our British ties didn鈥檛 bring a love of meat pies in Canada; after all they鈥檙e a deliciously warm handheld meal that would be perfect on a cold day鈥� and let鈥檚 face it there鈥檚 a lot of cold days in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 My absolute favourite ice cream is also found in Australia, it鈥檚 called a Golden Gaytime, and is absolutely amazing. It鈥檚 a toffee and vanilla ice-cream dipped in chocolate and wrapped in honeycomb biscuits and comes on a stick like a Fudgsicle does.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Come to think of it鈥� it鈥檚 probably a good thing Canada doesn鈥檛 have them, I鈥檇 likely eat so many that I鈥檇 no longer care for them, but other than going back to visit family that lives there again, I think I need to go back for the food: fresh prawns, baked pumpkin, and fruit that you can smell just walking by it. You can literally smell the mangoes as you near the fruit section there鈥� here I can鈥檛 even smell them if I hold one to my nose.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 However, I definitely don鈥檛 miss the abundance of poisonous spiders, I was always scared I鈥檇 put on a shoe and die. I don鈥檛 miss having to watch out for numerous poisonous snakes. Nor do I miss helping my second cousin in her garden and looking at a spider the size of my fist while she tells me, 鈥淥h that鈥檚 just a common garden spider.鈥� Or when their cat, Louie, brought in things to play with like a baby huntsman spider the size of my fist, which we have to like because huntsman eat the small poisonous spiders鈥� eeeeewwwww. That darn cat would also bring in snakes, lizards which he proceeded to cut off their tales, and grasshoppers as long as my finger.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But, the food鈥� Delicious!
