String cheese as it is known to most of us, is a fairly new revelation to me. Most Australians my age (cough) are unfamilar with the commercial string cheese we see in supermarkets now. When I was a kid, we did have Kraft cheese sticks, which were a different texture entirely. They were processed cheddar cheese, extruded into plastic and sealed with tiny metal rings. In hindsight, those metal rings were a choking hazard. Speaking of hazard, after four hours in the lunch box, these sticks had also turned nuclear, or mushy. Moving to the Middle East I discovered the commercial American string cheese, as well as the local variety…
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When the Words Just Won’t Come
As many regular readers know, I generally take a little break from my blog every northern Summer. I get blog fatigue. This year’s has been longer than usual because, I just couldn’t find the words to write. Every time I opened the site to start, the words just wouldn’t come. Just a couple of weeks ago, my greatest supporter, the first reader of my blog, my Mum, passed away after brief and brutal battle with cancer. I still can’t believe those words even as I lived and wrote them. I’m not completely sure how I have been functioning the last few weeks, except for the love and support of family…
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A Room With a View – Four Days in Florence
When I stepped off the plane in Florence last month, it dawned on me that it had almost been 20 years to the day since I was last in this city. Why I left it so long, I have no idea. But 20 years later I was back – older, a bit wealthier, better dressed but in no way wiser. I had originally planned to visit Rome. But then saw that thanks to Qatar Airways joining One World, I could now book a flight straight through to Florence with a short stop in Rome. I’m relieved to say the city hasn’t changed. It just has more Chinese tourists. I have…
- Artisan Cheese, British, British cheese, Celebrity Chefs, Cheddar, Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, European Cheese, Food, Food Trends, French
Cheese Release Me
Listen, I am not talking myself up, but I have always been ahead of the curve on many things. I just can’t think of most of them now…but here is some recent proof of my sage-like abilities. Cheese, it seems, is the next big food trend of 2014. Roquefort doughnuts, Stilton truffles and goat’s cheese ganache: Chocolate and cheese set to be 2014s next big foodie trend It must be true, it’s in The Daily Mail. And on this blog.
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Hard to Brie-sist
Many of my American and British friends believe much of the Australian vernacular is made up. They allege they are just jumbles of ridiculous sounding vowels meant to bamboozle non-Australians, that it’s one big in-joke at the expense of other lesser nationalities. “That is NOT a real word,” my friend Alicia exclaimed once, upon hearing the place name “Wharoongha”. Fair suck of the sav indeed. This post came to be thanks to my friend Brooke who recently hosted a gaggle of women, a lot of wine and a slew of Australian cheese. Much was discussed over cheese and wine in her “Secret Garden”, including sport, men and bad bad boyfriends.…
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Middle Eastern Promise
There are eight new cheeses currently sitting in my fridge to try. But all week, I have been craving Lebanese food, specifically Fatteh. In my world, this is the perfect combination of salty, crunchy, creamy and savory (with the exception of a grilled cheese sandwich). Because I have been on a healthy living kick, buying it from one of the local restaurants wasn’t a option, given it can involve a lot of oil. Fatteh actually means crushed or crumbed. My version has chickpeas, oven baked eggplant, toasted pita and of course a garlicky yoghurt sauce with tahina and lemon. Some people like theirs with ground lamb or chicken, I like…
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Baby I was Bjorn This Way – Cheese, Meatballs and ABBA in Stockholm
I am going to be brutally honest. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. The main reason I went to Stockholm was to visit Abba – The Museum (and visit friends NOT called Benny or Bjorn) and pay homage to the supergroup that had a significant impact on my childhood, and yes, my adulthood. Australia was the first country outside of Sweden to really embrace ABBA and all its campness. ‘Australia was the first country that took ABBA to heart and we never forgot about that. We always felt a lot of love from audiences there,’’ Bjorn Ulvaeus once said. I was not immune. I had their albums,…
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South of the Border – A Taste of Chile
I have always had a fascination with South America. It could be the indomitable Latin spirit, its darkly handsome men, the mournful Tango or maybe the proximity to the end of the world – I’m not sure what holds me in a thrall, but it just does. When the W Doha asked me to attend their special Sommelier’s Dinner, themed around the wine and food of Chile, it was a no brainer. My dance card suddenly cleared. The dinner was centered around the food of Chile in honor of the outgoing Chef of Market, Rodrigo. He told me at the dinner he had been keen to showcase the food of…
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Life on the Wedge Goes on the Road
It’s the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and that means one thing for us in the Middle East – travel. I have my own travel plans brewing up until the end of September (interspersed with some work!). But need your help for places to find the best food in these destinations. My plans include: – India (Chennai) – Oman – Sweden (Stockholm) – Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Sydney) – Washington DC, New Orleans and Seattle Email me, message me or leave a comment here with your suggestions!
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When is a Cheese Not a Cheese? When it’s a “Cheese Food”
My lack of pretension about food and in particular, cheese is well known. I have always been in the “if it tastes good…don’t ask questions” school. But while researching something food-related for my real day job (which is in PR by the way), I came across this interesting piece about the facts and the science behind processed cheese. 10 Things to Know About Processed Cheese When I say “processed cheese”, apparently what I really mean is “cheese food”. As it can’t actually be classified as “cheese”. “Cheese food” is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey.…