Food Statement

After looking through and reading this photo essay on the fridges of people from different professions in the US, I wondered what my fridge says about me when I'm not listening.

Here is my pantry and two fridges. This is a 3 adult household with a software engineer, a primary school teacher and a university student.


What does your fridge say about you?

How Manly You Are

After a night breaking shoe rules at inner-west parties, this rebel awoke to a medium to rare headache. Maybe it was the projectile expulsion the previous night but I felt slightly seedy and not overly precious on Sunday.

Allison and Kellie had been at an all you can drink foodie and wine birthday dinner the night Bernarda and I rocked Linda's housewarming but that didn't stop Allison from going for her normal swim. Today it was at the heated outdoor salt water pool under the coat hanger in Milson's Point. That is an iconic pool. It's one of the first sites I found when Google Earth Street View came online with Sydney snaps.

That area means a lot to me. Milson's Point. I used to work at a company called BCode with Sydney offices above Luna Park. In summer my days consisted of witty repartee with an Irish hardware engineer I wish I'd married and the day long screams from Luna Park-goers riding the scary rides.

Luna Park rides aren't like new parks where you accelerate towareds the ground at the speed of fright. They are those old rickety rides that make you wonder mid-ride if they have been doing the regular maintenance and what years of wear and tear can do to steel. Thus the screaming soundtrack while we worked. The view rocked, if that helps.

Allison chose a good pool for a cold winter Sydney day of swimming. She did however demonstrate the frustration of commuting to Manly on a weekend. Getting from Milson's Point to Manly requires a ferry ride back to Circular Quay and on tp Manly. Not a shirt ride or the most crow flyey path.

The easy enough journey to Manly was made painful by the hangovers that we all had persist past lunch time. Bernie and I were meant to meet a Circular Quay but after we realized we were about to miss the ferry, I got my kindly taxi driver to swoop by pick he up somewhere between Darling Habour and Circula Quay. Sydney people know that area as a deadspot aimed at tourists and lost folk... often interchangeable.

After rescuing B from no mans land, we sat at the ferry terminal and tried to make conversation. It was a major fail and she declared that Candy would be the only one without a hangover and this our only hope. Candy is intolerant of alcohol and can't drink. She's so much the Enetgiser Bunny that it lessens no outing when she attends. Candy was leaving home after giving a maths tutorial and was running about an hour late. No, half an hour with our detoxicating disadvantage.

That slut of a city (as referred to by Bernie) had a calm harbor this day. Luckily for my rolling tummy and the packed ferry of tourists crossing the ditch with me. The sail boats were out and the sun was shining so after my body turned suitably numb, it was quite a beautiful day.

We ended up at a microbrewery, known mainly to the locals. It's always amusing to listen to Manly locals bitch about the hoards of tourists in their British accents. Hate those invaders.

Within arriving, I finished my smuggled in Red Bull and started on Kellie's hair of the dog cure of bubbly, lemonade and oj. It's a personal mix but works wonders for postponing the hangover until later. During this micro-cure for a macro-hinderance in a microbrewery, I managed to hit an attractive blonde waiter while telling an exaggerated story requiring massive hand movements.

That was nothing on K's rant about "gingers" and why they are devil spawn. A post for another day and another writer probably.

We spent hours there and then by a fire in another pub. Candy arrived with her new haircut that for some reason encourages men to approach her and share their secret fantasies of dressing her up as an anime character. It's amazing what people think it is ok to say to one hairstyle that you simply can not say to another hairstyle. If only men realized that we women don't change our looks or dress each morning with their fantasies in mind. *sigh*

I sat there in the last pub doing my best to imbibe an enthusiastically purchased final bottle of bubbles. We were all forcing it down at that stage. No hair of the dog would help at this stage. The hangovers had caught us while we were at our tired weakness and unable to hold them back with our 30 something denial.

Thinking at that point of how rare an afternoon I was having in spending hours eating, drinking, hitting attractive men and discussing life, the universe and everything with my four best friends, I smiled. It was a smile that warmed me from the curls on my head to the heels on my feet and all the bits in the middle. That or I was too near the fireplace. I'll believe the former.

I'm too lucky with this friends thing. Telling Bernie on the boat ride home that a person's friend portfolio tells you more about them then any brand they outwardly portray, I realized that I'm surrounded by brains, beauty, charisma and kindness in spades.

It didn't matter that the place was Manly, it was a day for the girls.

Airplanes

Airplanes. A great place to write. I spend so much time on them writing stuff that I wonder if that is why I travel at all. It is the perfect place to write. I can sit in a cluster fuck of people and ignore them completely. Pump the music up and chip away at the thoughts in my head.

This time, it was Sydney and Canberra that borrowed me for a while. It was meant to be more Sydney than The Capital but minds changed and plans went with them. Don't ask me why. I'm not sure I know why yet.



Bernarda was the first to see, squee and hug me on arrival in Sydney. We jumped out of separate taxis outside Allison's place in Surry Hills across the street from each other. Wielding a bottle of bubbly and the sweetest, most loving smile she greeted me. Reminding me why Sydney is another home for me. A place I belong and long for.

On this plane, they are serving food but I only want a red wine. I used to worry about the order of things before. Like dessert after dinner, when I now have it before if my mood guides me there. There is the rule of wine with food. Responsible service of alcohol except when the food is plane food and eating that is not so responsible.

Ahhh.... responsible. I want to only ever write it with a lower case R. It is far too big a word already, without engrossing its importance. Feeding its ego with stress and overvalue.

Bernarda and I got Allison's neighbor Claudette to let us in to her place. Claudette knew to expect a Brazilian called Bernie or a Darwin girl called Damana to turn up and ask to be let in. We took the third compound option and the neighbour smiled as she let us in. We know the people on that street very well. Allison has been there for a long time and I lived four doors up from her for a short time. That was at a time when my life was falling apart and I couldn't keep my ducks in a row.

Oh, do ask me about ducks later. There is a story there.

We let ourselves in to Allison's and as Bernarda grabbed the flutes, I opened my suitcase and made the big decisions. Must I change out of my Black Milk lace bell bottom tights or would they sensibly help me acclimatize?

We got distracted by the glasses of bubbly and discussions of new wave condoms before important lacey-like decisions could be made. The bottle was empty as we swanned out the door and hailed a cab heading for Linda's place in Marrickville.

Marrickville to me will always be a suburb close to the airport that is home to one of Australia's best boxers. It will also now be the suburb Linda lives in, where a week earlier down the street a man shot himself in the head when cornered by police for a recent criminal act. Associations.

Linda is an American friend who was having a housewarming. For some reason I always end up at her parties and leave said parties with trouble trailing loose behind and many incriminating photos imprinted in digital worlds.



This party was no exception. The moment when you hear yourself declare "let's make these photos look hilarious for facebook" is often the end to what could have been a fun and reserved night. I don't know if it was the mulled wine or the shots of grey goose in large plastic party cups but all I remember after that declaration is lying on Allison's couch and requesting a bucket with some water in the bottom.

Seeing Linda later for a girly cheese dinner brought out another Damana Sex And The City moment. Apparently, on arriving at Linda's she asked me to remove my shoes. Everyone else had but I kept ignoring the instructions and giving one reason that I thought would explain everything. "These are Campers heels". This seemed like a free pass to break the no shoes rule. Even lying on Linda's bed in shoes.

Fortunately, Linda is nothing but class. She expressed her discontent and we continued a lively night of wine and cheese and wine. Next time, I'll find an attractive man to help me take me shoes off. That could be the new doorman for Sydney inner-west parties.

Happy Mother's Day

This year, it was hard to decide if a I should get Mum a cake or a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day.

I got my friend Maria to make her a bouquet of cake.

It's an amazing art. Mum loves it.

This is my dream cake

Juicy Juicing Juice

Summer is coming and it is a time for cold refreshing and healthy drinks.

Lucky me got a juicer for her birthday. I have wanted one forever but it took my best friend to actually get up and get me one. Since the day I unpacked the beast, I have been learning a lot about juicing. Just like anything to do with cooking and taste, it's not as easy as the experts make it look.

The most important difference between a juicer and a blender is that a juicer allows you to efficiently get the liquid from vegetables, as well as fruit. There is no need to add anything but water, if you need the juice diluted a little.

Here is what I have to share on the delicious topic of juicing fruit and vegetables...

This Goes With That

There are so many combinations available to you as you stand in the supermarket, deciding what amber you will create. The thing at this point is to keep it simple. A good juice has three parts to it...

1 fruit base + 1 other fruit + 1 kind of vegetable + an accent = delicious drink

The Fruit Base

There are three kinds of fruit that make for a perfect base to any drink. They produce a lot of juice, are always sweet and are easy to find in any food shops.

orange OR apple OR pear

I have only discovered pear as a base in the last month and it is my favourite. Pear juice isn't that common and that is probably because it discolours very quickly. No one wants to buy brown juice at the shop, I guess. The thing I love about it is that it has a lighter flavour than apple and this means that it wont overpower the other fruit you choose.

Oranges are sweet and very cheap as a base. Navel oranges are fantastic if you want a sweet citrus base. Be careful not to add too much other citrus or you'll regret it.

Apples are always fabulous but can overpower the other fruit and vegetables in the mix. If you are going to use apples then use the big red Snow White type apples or Golden Delicious. I don't usually touch those two types with a ten foot poll but they are the juicing queens. Use fewer apples than you would oranges or pears.

For a 500ml drink, the base should contain either...
3 apples OR 4 oranges OR 5 pears.

One Other Fruit

That one other fruit you choose will be the main flavour of the drink. This is where you get creative. I've tried everything including mangoes, watermelon, rockmelon, kiwi fruit, pineapple and strawberries.

If the fruit doesn't usually feel or taste very juicy then you will need more of it to get enough juice. Strawberries and kiwi fruit don't produce much fruit so I use a lot. Melons and mangoes are insanely wet so you don't need too much of them.

For a 500ml drink, the other fruit should contain either...
1 mango OR 1/4 of a watermelon OR 4 kiwi fruit.

One Kind of Vegetable

Trust me when I tell you this, just because vegetables are healthy does not mean you want them to dominate your drink. Some people love the taste of dirt a whole beetroot will give you but I restrict myself to 1/2. Carrots give a stunning colour and are quite sweet but don't exceed two unless you are part rabbit.

You should always add a vegetable to the mix though. It changes the drink from a sweet pale yellow sugar hit to a palatable smooth health shot.

For a 500ml drink, the one kind of vegetable should contain either...
1/2 a beetroot OR 2 normal carrots OR 1 stick of celery leaves and all.

An Accent

The accent is what makes this a special drink. Lemon, lime, ginger and mint are the choices you have here. This is very much a personal choice but I will give you some of my winning combinations. Think of the base fruit when you pick your accent.

For a 500ml drink, the accent combination can be either...
pear & lemon OR orange & ginger OR apple & lime. Mint goes with melon mixes.

Mix It Up

When the juicer has done it's thing and squeezed the life out of your plant bits, make sure you get a spoon and stir the mix. At this point adding ice and stirring is great to cool the drink down. Keeping your fruit and veg in the fridge can avoid the need for ice.

Don't forget to use the left over pulp in baking, in the compost or for animals that can eat it.

Enjoy your juicing days this summer.


Oh... if you need to, a little vodka from the freezer will make the juice a party drink.

Baking

I have done a lot of baking lately. My latest experiments have been gluten free cupcakes with cream cheese icing and a fake red velvet cake. Apparently a real red velvet cake becomes red due to the kind of chocolate that is used in it. I didn't have that chocolate so followed a recipe that takes a normal chocolate cake and makes it red. That is done through a lot of red food colouring. More than I think I've used all up in my life.

Adriano Zumbo

There is a magical patissier in Balmain that will make chocolate, flour and sugar dance in your mouth. He is Adriano Zumbo.

On Sunday I took my Dad there. See more pictures here.

I once went in and bought an Agadoo, named after the Black Lace song. It had pineapple in it and I broke in to song. Come on, I couldn't help it :) The woman serving at the counter said "oh thank you, finally! Someone gets it" and she smiled. Apparently I made her day.

It's awesome when that happens - you make someone's day and end up with a pineapple pastry. That does not happen enough.

An hilarious breakup movie

Sydney Wine Festival

Last weekend, I spent a lovely morning with friends at the Sydney Wine Festival. There was wine tasting made easy with a plastic glass and tokens you could use at any stall. It did convince me that Hunter Valley wines are mostly miss or miss. I will continue to avoid them.

The highlight was the food, with Becasse serving plates of food at very reasonable prices. I also got to meet the cute French chefs and get the complimentary voucher for a glass of sparking the next time I eat there. They did not have to work hard to convince me. I will be visiting my favourite Sydney restaurant again. Getting the chance to sit in the sun and eat their food was a lovely surprise.

This is one event I will go to in the future if I am in Sydney while it is on again.

Bogan Bingo

A couple of weeks ago, I ended up spending a fun Friday evening hanging out with friends and playing Bogan Bingo. No, that's not a judgement. That was the name they called it.

The two hosts had beer guts and mullets (fake apparently) and played bad 80's music while making crass jokes. The food was awful and the table next to us was very drunk but despite this, it was a fun-filled night :) Kelly won a meat tray and we played about 50 games between the 4 of us over 2 hours.

It was enjoyable so I do recommend doing it once but never again for me. Deepest apologies to our Iranian friend who smiled and took it in her stride. Too bad we couldn't tell her that anywhere else in Australia, that would just be normal :)

Cupcakes Painting

As suggested by a friend, I have painted a picture of the other great love in my life - Cupcakes.

The best way to eat oysters

I lie, the best way to eat good oysters is au naturel with maybe a squeeze of lemon. My second favourite way is make a Japanese style sauce and pour it over the oysters. You can serve them in the shell or in Asian soup spoons. Be sure to pour all the liquid from the oyster in to the spoon too as that is where all the taste is. Do not cook the oysters. Pour the sauce over the oysters just before you serve them.


A Japanese-style sauce for Oysters
(for one dozen oysters)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Garnish with chopped chives.

1 tablespoon of salt reduced kikkoman soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mirin
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
the juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon of crushed fresh ginger
finely chopped chives

Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

The invitation said the dress code was: Hobo Chic

The birthday boy

It was a recessionista party in honour of the 30 year old birthday boy and the very hard to avoid Global Financial Crisis. So the hobos turned up to the party and drank champagne while eating canapes, made by the chef in the kitchen and served by the very good waiters. Rather than looking at this as a little insensitive of the times, we'd rather aimed for irony.

The chocolate, siena and gold balloons decorated the room while posters saying "We want to be citizens, no transients" covered the walls. A projector displayed huge images from The Great Depression on the walls. More pictures from the night are on Giles' flickr page.

I went more for chic than hobo

October was a Good Food Month

A macchiato from the Museum of Sydney cafe

October 2008 really was Good Food Month in Sydney.

This year I experienced the Noodle Night Markets multiple times on the way home, two Let's Do Lunch events and one amazing dinner.

Yummy food from the Noodle Markets

The Night Noodle Markets are always my favourite part of Sydney's Good Food Month. The atmosphere reminds of markets in Darwin where we ate asian food and sat under the stars with hundreds of other people. Thing is, I think more people visit the Noodle Markets in the two weeks they were on this year than live in Darwin. I still rate the Darwin market food better - certainly the sticky rice and mango.

No matter what kind of food you like, you will find it here as long as it has noodles in it :) There are also dutch pancakes, yum cha, wine, beer and good desserts. Don't plan to visit on one night but make a habit of it over the time they run. G and I walk home through them every night so we stopped there three times. It was a lovely scene.

Lastly, I can't forget the fabulous night we had at Bilson's. Bilson is best known as the guy who taught Tetsuya what he knows and this dinner was certainly a homage to European style Japanese food.

Going to Bilson's is always perfect with it's large tables, amazing food and disappointment at the fact that I won't be eating just like this for a while again. In Good Food Month, it's even worse since you know that they will never be putting on this spread ever again. At least I got to be one of the few to experience it.

The wine was very very good with the food but my night was topped off by the discovery (yes, I'm slow) of freshly grated horseradish. There is pretty much nothing nicer of a piece of beef than that.

If you choose one thing to go to next Good Food Month in Sydney, choose Bilson's.

Surry Hills

photo by Giles

People always ask about what I'd recommend in Surry Hills. They ask because Surry Hills is my home and a place I love to be. There is something for everyone in Surry Hills. Next time you are here, this is what I recommend you try...

Coffee: The Wall Cafe - 80 Campbell Street

Fish & Chips: Mohr Fish - 204 Devonshire Street
Thai Food: Spice I Am - 90 Wentworth Avenue
Pub: The Clock Hotel - 470 Crown Street
Bakery: Bourke Street Bakery - 633 Bourke Street
Cocktails: Longrain - 83 Commonwealth Street
Tapas: Bodega - 216 Commonwealth Street
Pizza: Pizza Mario - 421 Bourke Street
Theatre: Belvoir Street Theatre - 25 Belvoir Street
White Table Cloths: Marque - 355 Crown Street
Breakfast: bills - 359 Crown Street
Mexican: Mad Mex - 241 Crown Street
Indian: The Nepalese Kitchen - 481 Crown Street
Turkish: Erciyes - 409 Cleaveland Street
Communal Dining: Table for 20 - 182 Campbell Street
After Dinner Drinks: Sticky Bar - 182 Campbell Street

My 2^5th Birthday

omg I'm nearly 32!

Yes, you read it wrong. It was in fact my 32nd birthday and in the tradition of birthdays in G + my lives, we had a whopping big party. It was the closest party I've ever had to a rap video. There was barely standing room, lots of champagne and it went for a very long time. To some this may be a problem. As my friend Alice says "these are what we call Champagne Problems" and of course, she is right.

The invitation said to bring a flower for entry and that was interpreted by my lovely friends as "bring Damana lots of flowers" and they did. Again, not complaining. All the presents were delightful. Now I remember why birthdays are so much fun. Thank you, beautiful people!!!

Here are a bunch of awesome photos taken by Giles. You can find better quality ones on his flickr feed.

The party table before the party

64 delish cupcakes from cupcakes on pitt

The rest of the room before the rap video

The cheese platter at the end of the maze

The leftovers

The famous palm tree esky

M&Ms

Caught stopping to smell the roses

Floating around and recovering

A balloon lands on the ledge of the mezzanine

North Bondi Italian Food

Warm Mortadella (all parts) taken by Giles

In the early noughties, G + I spent a far too brief five weeks eating our way around Italy. We Australians pride ourselves on our access to fresh produce and the Mediterranean influenced food resulting from the influx of immigrants in the 50s for the Snowy River Dam project. Eating in Italy brought us a different flavor of Italian food that we are only now starting to see appear in Sydney restaurants. North Bondi Italian Food is one of those very places, right here in Sydney.

Binky suggested this as the perfect place to fuel up before walking the Bondi to Clovelly seaside walk. If carbs were what we needed then she was certainly right.

Between the four of us we tried a good portion of the menu, including:

• warm mortadella ($16);
• mixed olives with sage and chilli ($9);
• zucchini, asparagus, peas, beans, mint, waxy potatoes and air dried ricotta ($17);
• pappardelle, pork, veal ragu 'Marchiagiano' style ($27);
• spaghetti arrabbiata, crab, cooked in a paper bag ($28); <-- my very good choice
• la tagliata, chargrilled hereford/angus ribeye, rocket, green peppercorns, chilli, spring onions ($29);
• a delicious mussels dish that I simply can't find on the menu; and
  
• a dessert of 'Dolce della nonna' chocolate gelato, masala(~$14).

The dessert and vegetable dish were average but the rest of the food was delicious. The pasta servings are huge and I can't recommend the spaghetti arrabbiata highly enough. You could easily share that and the endless supplies of bread among a couple for lunch and you'd not be left hungry. Bottles of olive oil on the table are a nice touch and solve that annoying habit the bowl of oil has of running out when there is an excess of bread around. No more waiting for the waiter to refill them.

The view out the window of North Bondi Beach is uninterrupted, which makes you feel pampered and special as you sit there eating and people watching. Be warned, the place gets busy early. We arrived 20 mins before it opened and were 10th in line. With the popularity and the hard surfaces, you get the typical deafening venue that is authentically Italian (at least in this country). They could use more staff too but as a full package, this is the best Italian in Sydney and I'll stand by that recommendation.

Ciao!

Spotting People Who Like Pizza

While walking around Surry Hills, G + I passed a terrace occupied by pizza lovers. I think they loved beer too.

Chocolate Coat Everything

Today I had a sick day after discovering the hard way that I am sensitive to local anesthetic. The whole thing was very Pulp Fiction with injections, adrenaline and shaking. No dancing, unfortunately. As you do in recovery, I decided to coat stuff in chocolate. Here is how that went...

The ingredients

A double boiler

Bits of chocolate

I'm melting! I'm melting!

Grease proof paper to put the chocolate coated things on

Nicely melted milk chocolate

Dip the fruit in chocolate

The haul

Eat now