Is it not strange that so far ingenuity, universal approval,
or general consensus of opinion, call it what you will, has
not up tiU the present given us an Australian national dish?
Although tea and damper instinctively arise in the mind
when the matter is refen'ed to, yet I take it that we would
all repel such an accusation if levelled against us. Does the
Australian, moreover, away from his native land perpetuate
his patriotism by oft partaking of this pastoral fare ? Cer-
tainly not. Well, when this national dish is composed and
formally approved of by the nation, let us devoutly trust
that it will be a mcuxdoine of vegetables, or a vegetable
cuiTy, or some well-concocted salad. It is tnie that in one
of the cookery books I have seen a dish of peaches, dubbed
Peches a V Australienne. It is a sort of compote of peaches,
but to the best of my belief it is simply entitled Australian
for the sake of giving it a name, and for no other reason.
( 126 )
CHAPTER X.
AUSTRALIAN FISH AND OYSTERS — ^AND THEIR FOOD
VALUE.
Anyone looking backwards upon the history of Australia
cannot fail to be impressed by one peculiar feature, which is
the more distinctive, too, because it is in striking contrast
with all else. It is the more noteworthy also, because it
affects each individual inhabitant of this island continent,
and has a direct bearing on the daily life of every person in
the community. Thus, on the one hand, while we are
nearing a maximum of progress — or, at any rate, attaining
to a high level of success — in political matters, in commercial
affairs, and in athletic prowess, yet, on the other, there is un-
fortunately an apathetic indifference in all that concerns our
public and family food habits, which after all constitute
the national characteristics of any people. It is true that we
have gained the dignity of responsible government, that our
wool and frozen meat are entering the markets of the world,
and that in the athletic arena our fame is spread both far
and wide. Yet it must be confessed that our national food-
life has not conformed to climatic requirements in the
slightest degree since the memorable day on which Captain
Cook set foot on these shores. As those on the Endeavour
lived then, so live we now. On the continent of Europe it
will be found that the manners and customs, even of con-
tiguous countries, are as widely different as it is possible to
imagine. Surely then, it is, to say the least of it, curious to
see the inhabitants of a semi-tropical country like Australia
living in wilful contradiction to their climatic necessities, and
eating the same kind of food as did their fathers in the old
land, with its dampness, its coldness, its ice, and its snow.
FISH AND OYSTERS— TffEIR FOOD VALUE. 127
Page 89
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Is it not strange that so far ingenuity, universal approval, or general consensus of opinion, call it what you will, has not up tiU the present given us an Australian national dish? Although tea and damper instinctively arise in the mind when the matter is referred to, yet I take it that we would all repel such an accusation if levelled against us. Does the Australian, moreover, away from his native land perpetuate his patriotism by oft partaking of this pastoral fare ? Certainly not. Well, when this national dish is composed and formally approved of by the nation, let us devoutly trust that it will be a macédoine of vegetables, or a vegetable curry, or some well-concocted salad. It is tnie that in one of the cookery books I have seen a dish of peaches, dubbed Peches a V Australienne. It is a sort of compote of peaches, but to the best of my belief it is simply entitled Australian for the sake of giving it a name, and for no other reason.
( 126 )
CHAPTER X.
AUSTRALIAN FISH AND OYSTERS — ^AND THEIR FOOD VALUE.
Anyone looking backwards upon the history of Australia cannot fail to be impressed by one peculiar feature, which is the more distinctive, too, because it is in striking contrast with all else. It is the more noteworthy also, because it affects each individual inhabitant of this island continent, and has a direct bearing on the daily life of every person in the community. Thus, on the one hand, while we are nearing a maximum of progress — or, at any rate, attaining to a high level of success — in political matters, in commercial affairs, and in athletic prowess, yet, on the other, there is unfortunately an apathetic indifference in all that concerns our public and family food habits, which after all constitute the national characteristics of any people. It is true that we have gained the dignity of responsible government, that our wool and frozen meat are entering the markets of the world, and that in the athletic arena our fame is spread both far and wide. Yet it must be confessed that our national foodlife has not conformed to climatic requirements in the slightest degree since the memorable day on which Captain Cook set foot on these shores. As those on the Endeavour lived then, so live we now. On the continent of Europe it will be found that the manners and customs, even of contiguous countries, are as widely different as it is possible to imagine. Surely then, it is, to say the least of it, curious to see the inhabitants of a semi-tropical country like Australia living in wilful contradiction to their climatic necessities, and eating the same kind of food as did their fathers in the old land, with its dampness, its coldness, its ice, and its snow.