The New Times

Feeling it

I thought I'd write a little bit about what I'm actually doing here in Australia, not just about when I'm going to leave. Incidentally I am leaving in two days.
I'm staying in an unlovely town called Townsville. The street I live on is very busy, and has a train track going through it. We are surrounded by big warehouse type shops. We eat out meals on 'the deck' overlooking the main road. So I wouldn't call it picturesque or anything.

My days are spent cooking with three other people, Cecilia, Justin and Jocie. They are all Canadian. I am slowly learning to say things like 'cling wrap' instead of 'cling film', if I want to be understood at any time by any of them. We listen to good music all day long and try to discuss important things like what is going to happen at the end of the world, but these conversations often find their end very quickly, and we get on to more important matters, like which rock stars are married and why that is cool.

Last night we made this amazing meal; chicken, carrots, broccoli and really creamy mashed potato with this pineapple and coconut dessert. It was pretty amazing, especially because we had to make it for 90 people. We, the cooks, were all very proud of it. We often are. I'm learning that Americans/Canadians have different standards and show appreciation for really terrible food, like nachos, burritos, or enchilladas. Things that personally I don't find make a decent meal at all. Mostly they seem to like Mexican food. I'd just like to say, I'm not into it.

In Mexico I was completely starved of nourishment, we ate tortillas often and had to go to KFC for what we thought would be a proper meal, only to be sorely dissappointed there too. What were we thinking? We were excited about going to the States from there because we thought we would find normal food again. But as is being confirmed to me here, Americans have a terrible diet. We found a lot of steak, and a lot of fried food, and very little fruit. I am a food snob. Its true. I want to educate the world in what good food is. I feel as though these people are lost, and need to discover truly nutritious and delicious food. Its like they are in the dark, like they have been badly misguided and led astray, by America. Oh it has so much to answer for.

So this is food I consider to be worth eating:

• Roast chicken, roasted vegetables and gravy.
• Lasagne with salad with good dressing, not from a bottle.
• Salmon cooked in butter and lemon, with potatoes and green beans.
• Good sausages and mashed potato with broccoli.
• Chilli prawns.
• Lobster cooked in ginger and spring onion.
• Anything that Amber, who I used to live with, cooks.
• Chinese, Korean, Thai, Sushi.
• Chicken Dhansaak, peshwari naan, popadoms and mango chutney.
• Lentils because they are super healthy and help your digestive system and after you eat them your insides feel clean.
• Tea and toast.
• Fried breakfasts, specifically an Ulster fry, which includes fried potato bread, soda bread and pancake.
• Camembert.
• Anything my friend Yussanne makes. Oh, she is partially Canadian, that is irony for you.
  

Ok so that list doesn't sound super healthy, I don't think it is representative of things I really like. There are lots more things. I think I would think of them if I was more hungry, but I am currently full up on meatballs and spaghetti.

So after cooking all day, I generally don't have anything to do, which is pretty much the reason for this entry into my blog.

I was recently disgusted to see that after 5.5 months of travelling I have made only 7 entries on my blog. I'm sorry if its been a disappointment, I have disappointed myself. Its like I've been busy, but if you were to ask me, I wouldn't be able to tell you what I've been doing for most of the time, other than catching flights and enjoying in-flight entertainment. Actually my faviourite thing on the aeroplane TV's is the map that shows you where you are in the world and how fast you are going and how far it is to your destination. I have watched that screen for hours at a time.

My vote for the best airline goes to Lan Chile. Such friendly staff. When I asked for a second meal for Conor and myself, the nice lady, lets call her Catarin, went to get them immediately, then asked if she should come back later with more coffee. What a considerate, nice, genuinely concerned lady! I would like to imagine I would be like her if I worked as an air steward, but fear I would be the complete opposite. Last place goes to American Airlines. All the staff sat down at the first sign of turbulence and we didn't get an inflight meal at all. Don't fly with them if you have a choice. They are unfriendly and mean. Only looking out for themselves.

Back to the point: Australia; we went camping in the bush last weekend. It was fun. I got to hang out with nice people, sit by a fire and see some seriously amazing stars. You could see the milky way, which is always nice.

Today I had to go to the doctor. Since December I have had an abcess on my left bum cheek. I blame the buses in Peru, I think its an infection that has been developing since that 26 hour bus ride we took in a mad dash for Lima airport. Its kind of gross. Anyway, today, a nice little man had to gouge it out, at least in part, in the hope that this will make it disappear. I really hope it does.

posted by Lucia @ 08:44