A Hamburger in Hamburg

French Onion Soup in France

2009-10-22T11:00:00.004+11:00

I'm frequently reminded of the French Onion experience when attending a BBQ or other similar affair. For a while there, before things like the "philly-chilli" dip, or even hummus or tzatziki were en vogue it was the time of the cocktail frankfurt and the French Onion dip. I didn't bother looking for any of that dodgyness while in France but I did partake of the less dodgy and more classic staple French Onion Soup.

I had not really been exposed to a serious attempt at the soup and I'm not normally a huge fan of onion (unless it is caramelised and much reduced) so didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It was an extremely tasty and satisfying soup and I can understand why is prized as a restorative, "comfort food" when feeling seedy and/or after a night out on the town.

I'm somewhere in central Paris in this photo - couldn't really tell you exactly where. We'd been wandering the streets and exploring and suddenly, desperately needed a good hearty lunch.

French Dressing in France

2009-10-14T13:00:00.007+11:00

Hmmm what's that I see on the salad supplied with my (rather delicious) croque-madame? Could it be?

The extremely ubiquitous vinaigrette, or as we often say here in Australia "Just some French Dressing, mate". The French really are good at sauces you know. This humble yet powerful little gem really shouldn't be forgotten.

French Press Coffee in France

2009-09-24T10:10:00.004+10:00

I love coffee and really don't function well without it. Although we used a stove-top espresso maker for a while using a plunger took over as our preferred method, for a variety of reasons.

So guess how pleased I was when I found out that the thing we call a "coffee plunger" in Australia is also called a French Press. Not to be confused with the French Pressure Cell Press. This is for preparation of coffee (for drinking!) not disrupting the plasma membrane of cells by passing them through a narrow valve under high pressure.

So, yes, the French Press is something I do every day. I like to tell this little repetitious stock joke that the "French Press" (ie I'm referencing the "bench press" here) is my only regular workout... imagine my amusement when I heard there really is an exercise by that name.

For such a delightful apparatus its history isn't terribly exciting. As wikipedia says it was "probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Attilio Calimani in 1931". Though, as expected there's a slightly more floral and myth-y version of how it came to pass.

As mentioned I do like coffee, and I'm not alone. Though the temptation is there I'm not going to link to any of the legion of coffee connoisseur/enthusiast/geek/snob websites that exist. I've never really trodden down that internet path and don't really intend to. I suspect it's like taking the Red Pill - OK no - more like following Alice down the rabbit hole.

We rented a very pleasing apartment in Montmartre and I was relieved to find that the kitchen was well stocked and included said apparatus.

Quiche Lorraine in Lorraine

2009-09-22T08:55:00.003+10:00

Why was it maligned so? I'm really not sure. A good quiche is a hearty, manly meal that one could pack as one set off to work on something manly.

Here I am in Metz, in the Lorraine region of France eating a Quiche Lorraine. So powerful is the 'Lorraine that essentially it is the default quiche. If you've eaten a quiche there is an extremely high chance it was a Quiche Lorraine.

Why? Simple to make. Tasty. Classic. Contains bacon.

We were around the region (Ha! As if I wouldn't have detoured for this one anyway!) as we were visiting France and wanted to stick near the border of Germany to avail ourselves of the Christmas markets in Strasbourg. As is unsurprising with a border area the Lorraine region was once annexed and was German for a while. Actually probably a few times. You can still see the legacy of one such occurrence, from infrastructure works like the water tower near the station at Metz, the use of the Lorraine Franconian dialect in the region, the style of the cooking in the quiche – and indeed from the evolution of the very name of the dish from the German word "kuchen".

Bath Bun in Bath

2009-09-18T11:39:00.005+10:00

I'm not sure just how I found out about this one - possibly tipped off by my travelling companion, who spotted it on the Bath tourism website as we were planning the trip, attracted as she was to the sites of many a Jane Austin shoot, and the prospect of the thermal baths. I should probably confirm, given the nature of this blog yes we did attend said spa, and have a bath.

But yes, the buns in bath are famous I'm told, or infamous for their waistline expanding attributes amongst the health-conscious spa-goers.

There's a lovely covered food market in the centre of town and it was at one of the permanent bakery type installations there that I spotted my target. "Excuse me, is that a Bath Bun?", I said. "Why yes it is!" came the delighted response, obviously impressed by my culinary adroitness.

English Breakfast Tea in England

2009-09-18T09:58:00.006+10:00

Tea. There’s nothing more English than tea, is there?

The wikipedia article has some interesting information about the deep dark origins back in Yunnan Province, China. Both science-wise and the 2737 BC origin myth.

It's extraordinary just how culturally important this little drink (not the English Breakfast Variety per se) just really is. Random examples - the Japanese Tea Ceremony and the English and their "You just need a cup of tea and you'll be right".

But goodness, as a trade item it's had a bit of a history. Basically the popularity of tea came down to the East India Company needing something to fill their holds with and sell on the way back. The degree of success they had is extraordinary. Let that be a lesson to business eh? You could be making very long term cultural changes you had no idea about. I'm not even going to mention the opium. Or the Boston Tea Party.

Actually I was a bit shocked in London. The coffee wasn’t too bad.

London Dry Gin in London

2008-09-30T15:45:00.002+10:00

More of an excuse to warm ourselves in an English pub and shelter from the cold (and terrible beer) whilst sampling the spirit synonymous with London (do check out that article, it's very informative).

So here I am in Soho with some Beefeater and tonic. Not my favourite but it seemed more appropriate.

Ahhh London.

Ham (Sandwich) in (West) Ham

2008-09-30T10:56:00.011+10:00

Ham is really quite interesting and comes in many varieties. Here I am in West Ham, in London. There are quite a few Hams around there, which is not that surprising considering its meaning - simply "village" (hamlet is still used in English today (OK, not often) as is the German heim) - but I ended up selecting West Ham for convenience.

There's a little grocery shop built into West Ham station, behind me in the photo and I took a long look at their deli meat (for visual impact) before selecting this surprisingly good ham sandwich (for actual eating pleasure). It wasn't even that expensive. I'm glad I did.

Who hasn't heard of a ham actor, ham radio or ham fisted?

English Muffin in England

2008-09-24T13:47:00.009+10:00

Those of you who know me personally will quite possibly have heard my rant on this subject. Possibly more than once. It's one of my favourite rants.

So listen up: what we have here is a muffin. Should be nothing to see here move along, but no. I wish. At some point people started to call the things I grew up with as "Muffins" "English muffins". Why? I want to know why. These things I used to (And still do! Oh yes.) call "Cupcakes" started being called "Muffins" instead. Well, although the whole thing is clearly stupid let it not be said about me that I cannot embrace change, so here's one for ya from now on I'm calling the other things "American muffins"! Deal with it.

Observe:

See, they know it's just a muffin.

That aside I was quite interested in the quality and consistency of the muffin. The ones we get here in Australia tend to be faker... I suppose like comparing supermarket white bread with a bakery wholegrain.

English Breakfast in England

2008-09-24T10:33:00.008+10:00

(It has been a while hasn't it?)
Breakfast is by far my most favourite meal of the day. I love the more elaborate offerings found in places like this but travel has given me many simple but joyous breakfast moments, enjoying the cold meats and bread rolls served in the frühstückszimmers of Germany ("Möchten sie ein ei?" "Ja, bitte!") and the hearty, stodgy fare of the full English Breakfast.

So it is with pleasure I make this entry.

Here I am tucking into the hearty breakfast at the YHA overlooking the historic St Pancras Railway Station (commonly confused with St Pancreas), which is currently undergoing significant renovations – including some very expensive apartments on the upper reaches.

The YHA and its filling start to the day were, on the other hand, not excessively expensive. Although one could assume the English drifting away from 'tradition' and eating a less substantial breakfast on the weekdays I was able to find quite a number of "cafs" (as they say on The Bill (be careful of spoilers with that last link, Australian viewers)) which serve quite inexpensive but substantial examples of the English Breakfast. The price of that type of breakfast was in contrast with the price of food in London – or at least at the sort of places we as tourists in central London found ourselves eating. I was surprised though – I was set to suffer though the fabled terrible food the Brits are supposed to have over there, but sadly I was let down.

I was surprised in another instance, also. If you have ever been to London I'm sure you will have noticed the incredible, staggering proliferation of food chains – of the sandwich and or coffee type (and on occasion the pizza chain). In this case I'm not going to mention brands but suffice it to say that you couldn't spit in disgust at seeing another one for hitting a similar competitor store. It's out of control. Here in Melbourne we have a problem with so called "convenience stores" springing up in the city, to the point where they have eradicated other business types and have become, frankly inconvenience stores. I mention this so my Melbourne readers have a context and can tell them the London problem makes it look positively pathetic by comparison. I can't wait to see how London turns out after the Olympics have finished with it.

Shame, although I'd initially expected to be disappointed at the place, with Australia being based on the English thing (indeed being a British colony), and find that the place wasn't as exotic as I'd hope for on an overseas holiday, but in the end it turned out that I just plain liked the place.

As long time readers will be aware I'm something of a scholar of food names and origins and my exhaustive research and esoteric sources has turned up that there are alternate names and regional variants of this dish, which could allow me repeat this little performance over again! Including the "Glasgow Salad"! Serendipity!

Greek Yoghurt in Greece

2007-12-07T12:16:00.003+11:00

I actually developed quite a taste for Greek Yoghurt. Waking up bleary eyed after a hard day, scorched by the previous day's sun (abated only by tiny umbrellas and dips in the pool overlooking the volcano crater). Its creamy goodness was...soothing. Yes. That part of the holiday was Classic Resort Style, wrinkly lobster-skinned retirees in bikinis included.
Anyways it’s delicious and creamy and great with honey. I'm sure people lucky enough to grow up with Greek parents have fond memories of it.

So to DIY here’s the authentic Greek take on it.

I thought I’d liven the page up a bit with some videos, as I haven’t done those yet. Food doesn't move much though, does it. Sorry it’s not ninjas dancing or anything, but here you go.

Tasmanian Scallop Pie in Tasmania

2007-08-26T17:26:00.000+10:00

I was making some preparations for a flying trip to Hobart and someone mentioned that I'd have to have a Tasmanian Scallop Pie. My eyes were lighting up at approximately the same time my brain was attempting to imagine what such a thing would be like (in essence really tasty).

Whilst probably not the most famous thing ever I feel they do need some mention. In some parts of Australia the things known as "Potato cakes" are sometimes referred to as "scallops" (is in they are essentially scalloped potato) and scallops are referred to as "Tasmanian Scallops". Having it put in the pie seems a bit more authentically Tasmanian.

I thought it would be kind of a waste of the taste, but it ended up being excellent.

Greek Salad in Greece

2007-02-08T16:38:00.002+11:00

You don't win friends with salad, as they say, but if I could marry a cheese it would certainly be fetta (take a moment: ask yourself what cheese would you marry?). And what Greek Salad would be a Greek Salad without fetta?

It's called a "Village Salad" (or Xoriatiki I think) and I managed to have at least one during my stay in on the little isle of Santorini. As Santorini is made up of an erupted volcano it's a pretty good contender for the location of the "lost island of" Atlantis.

It's surprising I managed to fit it in considering I ate saganaki at every chance I got. They said I’d get really sick of it, but to everyone's amazement (including my own, I admit) that wasn't the case.

I'm eating it at a place called Nick's Bar and, honestly although the greek salad was pretty much average everything else on the menu wasn't. It was fantastic. I like to think it's the place where the locals eat but I'll limit myself to saying it's not the crappy tourist stuff you'll get elsewhere and the prices (for Santorini) are pretty good.
I wanted to use google maps to show you exactly where in Thira (aka Fira) it is but they disappointed me so I'll have to link to a tourist map instead. (about T4, right on the bottom line of the cell).

Sorry I'm backlit!

(As I near the end of my content to date I pause and reflect. Is this really a "food blog"? Should I have recipes or something? I don't even like tv shows about that kinda stuff (the closest I get is Life Support) and my favourite celebrity chef, I would have to say, is Rokusaburo Michiba (aka Iron Chef Japanese).)

French Stick in France

2007-01-31T12:09:00.003+11:00

I'll confess to experiencing a certain feeling of hilarity the first time I heard of a baguette referred to as a "French Stick". Hey, even now, writing this I'm smirking slightly.

I'd not heard it said before and I didn't realise it was in such common usage, even when I started this post, and really thought a "French stick" would be of more interest to these guys than I.

Anyway, I present to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, Le French Stick.

I'm pictured in the region of Montmartre, in Paris. It's a very lovely area and many crowds of tourists come to have a look at Sacré-Coeur.

Ooh la la, but them French Sticks were tasty though. I'm pictured biting into one at lunchtime filled with sandwich style filing, but really, they were nice and freshly baked enough to tuck into plain, by themselves. Or with jam, which is what we did on the following day, sitting on the lawn under the Eiffel Tower.

French Fries in France

2006-07-11T14:07:00.002+10:00

The French Fry. Now we get to what I term 'Stage 3' of the blog, with shots taken from the family road trip (aka National Lampoon's European Vacation, aka Hellish Torture). We went though a few countries, so there was SO much potential on that trip (Brussel Sprouts for example - gold! pure gold!), which I failed to realise. I have only myself to blame. At one point I was a days hike from Switzerland (Cheese! Browns! The shame!)

But French Fries certainly are one of the big guns. You may think the croissant is French, frogs legs or snails are French, but by golly each time you say "French Fry" - just look at what you are saying! If I had to rank these foods in my mind the French Fry would be in the upper echelon, the elite.

(Speaking of croissants, I was in Charles de Gaulle International Airport terminal, in Paris (just hours before the collapse) and I was hungry, so thought I'd have a croissant. Could I find one? Non! Were there any to be had? Nope! Not one.)

The thin, oil induced carapace of the chip suggests a sleekness paralleling its seamless penetration of (our) culture. The fast food connection makes it so prolific.

What's in the name? Have a look at the close up here - it's French, and when I was young that was my first introduction to France. I suppose that it's largely what this blog is about, it's an acknowledgement of that first journey of wonder.

Bet there's a lot of stuff out there one the web... Like this one (I like it!)... and frankly THIS is just disgraceful!

Speaking of disgraceful please excuse my haggard appearance in the shot - I've virtually just gotten off of the plane. See what dedication I have!

Dutch Pancakes in Holland

2006-07-11T12:57:00.001+10:00

Aww aren't they cute? Poffertjes, just like a pancake, only... smaller. I've been to Amsterdam and to Haarlem and each time I go to the Netherlands I want to move over there. So any Dutch people want to swap for an Australian passport? Only problem is I've only really ever had a go at one word in Dutch (which they seem to expect you to speak if you want to live there), "brotjke" (bread roll)...Oh and "poffertjes", probably.
Anyway Dutch Pancakes first came to my attention at some festival or fete or something (in Melbourne). They were notable for their price, which, perversely, seemed to correspond inversely to their size.

Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte in Schwarzwald (Black Forest cake in the Black Forest)

2006-07-06T13:53:00.003+10:00

Black Forest Cherry Cake actually. Here I am in lovely Triberg set in the heart of Germany’s Black Forest (schwarzwald). It’s very nice there. The Schwarzwald is thought to be the setting of the story of Hansel and Grettel. Ooohhh it’s a spooky place – who knows what other unspeakable horrors lurk there?

You can also see some coffee on the table there and apparently one shouldn’t ask for other hot beverages in southern Germany, lest your request be answered with a loudly incredulous "Tea? TEA??!!!?"

Triberg is a really beautiful place and had I known it "Black Forest Ham" is apparently famous (although in this part of the world we don't really distinguish between it and other smoked ham). After feeding some squirrels we hiked to an original, built-into-the-hill-style farmhouse, where we sampled said delightful ham (very tasty and smoky), some blood sausage (the farm cat wouldn’t eat any) and some very, very strong schnapps. For some reason can’t actually remember the walk home but I do remember the lady who seemed to own the place giggling as she held herself upright using the door frame.

Hungarian Goulash in Hungary

2006-03-24T11:40:00.002+11:00

...and boy was I hungry! *drum solo*
Ah the comforting familiar Goulash, or gulyás as it should probably be called. Certainly another example of a food name taken into the welcoming arms of English. Much like biro. And coach. But, ah just don't go and eat a biro ok? Or a coach.
This was taken near the obligatory visit to the local castle/palace thing, in Budapest, which is a lovely place. People were very nice too, especially as all I could manage was hello. But, yes it was certainly more soup like (doubtless more authentic) than what I was accustomed to, although geez Heinz don’t even rate goulash high enough to even list it as "Soup", "Meat" or even "Quick Serve Meals". What is it then, what is it? A thought that plagues me, very much in the same way as so called "Notdogs" assail my mind.

Vienna Coffee in Vienna

2005-09-24T12:06:00.002+10:00

Quite a few nice coffee houses in old Vienna... And the coffee comes in a few different styles. It’s just coffee I guess, but they certainly did manage to make a decent, drinkable one, which is not something you can be assured of always. Also a very good excuse to eat some cake. Mmmm cake. Apparently they are quite big on cake in Austria and teach their kiddies all about it.

As usual there are some fanciful stories... (And gosh there are a lot of those in Europe, like in Heidelberg there is this large steel ring some witch was supposed to have bitten though – ok it’s cracked!!! Big deal!!) I'm posting no links though! This is Vienna's turn now... again. Ahem...anyway...

But hey! Why bother when you can make it yourself!

Wiener schnitzel in Wien (Vienna Schnitzel in Vienna)

2005-09-09T13:47:00.001+10:00

Big effort to look stoked for this one. I dunno about you, but when I order a schnitzel I kinda expect something with it.... Perhaps some token salad, maybe a little garnish. We received: one piece of lemon each. The chips you see in the picture were purchased as we were hungry and thought we'd need "extra". Ahh, those Austrians! So literal! Anyway you may wonder why I rant a little, but although I realise I was at a touristy place, when paying that much (I wonder if I still have the receipt somewhere) you expect something a little more "gourmet"! Maybe we had one of the ones with the gold dust mixed into the batter...

Anyway... I searched really hard for a link to an amusingly shaped schnitzel – perhaps one resembling the Virgin Mary, or some famous historical figure. I tried, really I did.

Well. It would appear it isn't just affluent bürgers eating gold. You can read about that little way of showing off just how much you approve of excess here, here and here. Oh and you can drink it too (no liquid gold jokes please).

A Hamburger in Hamburg

2005-09-05T13:49:00.003+10:00

Check out my look of shocked disbelief in this photo as I clutch the tiny, rapidly cooling but surprisingly expensive hamburger. I'd planned to hunt around for a really nice gourmet style hamburger but all I could find in time was this cheap McDonalds wanna be. (Now there's an ambition for ya!) Staff weren't that nice either.

Shame Hesburger, shame. There was some speculation on my travelling companion's part that the chain was named after a certain famous nazi, but in the end this turned out to be simply that, speculation. Well...probably.

Don’t forget to check out the nutritional information in this fact packed linked article. And some controversial stuff about ham. Oh yes ham. Many is the shocked hour I spent when I found out that they aren’t usually made from ham. Spamburgers however usually are.

* Stop press! I know I use wikipedia a lot in this (ok I'm lazy), but their article on the hamburger was just pointed out to me.

"Although Hamburg, Germany is credited for the precursor to the hamburger, the origins of the first "modern" hamburger are often debated among scholars."

So check it out, marvel at the new knowledge you gain... like learning the existence of the Monster Thickburger. But geez "modern" hamburger - who cares! They trace it to Hamburg from the Mongols putting meat under their saddles to get tenderised and for me that's where it stops!

UPDATE: I just noticed this interesting discussion about language and the evolution of the word hamburger.

Frankfurt in Frankfurt

2005-09-02T09:43:00.001+10:00

Ahhh frankfurts. I recall my childhood days, days spent pondering the mysteries of this world of ours. Why is it called a Frankfurt, I'd wonder. Such a strange and exotic name for what was such a mundane item.

You know, if I had to rate these foods (in terms of the classic, definitive example) I'd almost have to rate Frankfurts as #1. Then I remembered The Sandwich...Nah! What do you think, Dear Reader? Perhaps I'll hafta figure out how to set up a survey here.

But I digress. This photo was an act of desperation – it's not your classic Frankfurt – but it was taken there, only minutes after the now famous "Look Ma, a weeener daawg!" comment was heard. I wouldn’t try those links with safesearch off, kids ;)

* Stop press! Germans really love their sausage.

A Berliner in Berlin

2005-09-01T17:19:00.001+10:00

It was during this first visit that I had my fateful revelation. So here it is, me holding a Berliner. I've just now gotten round to scanning some older photos taken from our first trip, so expect to see a few in a row.

At long, long last.

2005-08-29T13:07:00.000+10:00

Many moons ago, holding an awfully bad imitation McDonalds cheeseburger hamburger one man had a vision. In the vision a host of foods from around the world were documented, and the realisation was clear: Frankfurts come from Frankfurt. This is that document.