Hi, just looking

[Beanie]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a girl who grew up in a household with a large kitchen table. Growing up in a household where fresh bread was the norm, I am realising that I am at my happiest around food and the many things associated with it (other than just eating it).

Having spent the last twelve years in an office (administration), and now in my thirties, I'm looking for more fulfilment in life not only in a job per se but in all that I do. Since then, I've been considering venturing into the culinary arts and am currently sifting through all the information, trying to work out what's what and where to go from here. All in good time, I keep telling myself....

Anyway, this site appears to be a decent one and I look forward to perhaps meeting like minds, discovering much and remembering what it was like to really live again.

Thanks for reading.

[Mezzaluna]

Nice to meet you, Beanie! This is a great place to explore and meet people from all over the planet who enjoy food. We probably have some discussions about culinary schools in Australia, too. The search tool could be a help for you.

Your profile mentioned "bush tucker" as an interest. What ingredients and unique items fall into that category? Did you ever prepare 'roo??

Visit often to share and learn. We hope to see you often!
Regards,
Mezzaluna

[Beanie]

Ciao Mezzaluna and thank you for your kind welcome.

Yes, the pursuit of a new career is heavily on my mind these days so I've been busy reading the culinary schools forum and scouting around for tips in general. There appears to be an interesting mix of people in here which is good to see.

Being a bush kid, I've cut and prepped roo meat before. There's also goanna, python, emu and bush turkey. However, it's not a meat that is widely accepted in Australian society and 'roo is primarily used for dog food, probably due to it's (grossly inaccurate) 'vermin' status. This is unfortunate, given that it is a quality meat with little fat and plenty of nutrition but I have to admit that while I understand the killing of animals for meat, I don't agree with it and, as such, stick to a vegetarian regimen myself.

Bush tucker for me is a long held fascination that stems from my upbringing in the bush. The flora of Australia is so diverse and inherently different to that found elsewhere, particularly in the northern hemisphere, and its uniqueness excites me. "Tucker" is Aussie slang for food and with bush tucker, you're basically using what is found "in the bush" (anywhere from coastal inlets to desert) native Australian plants as food. Hence the items number greatly and vary widely. You'll no doubt know the macadamia nut. That's bush tucker. The list of foods is very long and impossible for me to cite entirely. But examples I use are as follows:

- lemon myrtle leaves straight into the pot to make a delicious tea;
- bunya nuts ground and roasted, offcuts put into breads
- bush raisin (katyerre) used in cakes or eaten raw
- burdekin plum in jams or left in the ground for a while to soften and eat raw
- quandong (native peach) eaten raw, seed used for medicinal purposes but can be stewed and eaten with a dollop of cream...heaven....

Aside from eating, bush foods present an array of aromatherapeutic and medicinal properties that are only starting to be used in industry. I know nothing about commercial cookery yet but it's something I hope to infuse with what I do know about Australian native plants.

Cheers.

[Mezzaluna]

Beanie, thank you for your very interesting response. Foraging in general is a fascinating subject of its own. I recommend you start a new thread in the "Food and Cooking Questions and Discussion" forum on this topic!

Having foraged only for wild blackberries as a child, I know little about it. But we have some mushroom specialists here and I'm sure others who know about their own local versions of bush tucker.

I look forward eagerly to that discussion.

Mezzaluna

[paville]

hi beanie
its so nice to meet you
! i am also new to the site
i am not the best cook an need help now an then
i worked in many diffrent rests
i was a server last time an didnt liek that
i also tryed the bakery
i am a stay at home mom right now
if you would like to chat about recipes or food
my email is cherd1971@yahoo.com
have a nice weeknd
sherry in pa