~patches~ wrote:

> I'm curious about Australian cuisine so I hope you don't mind me asking.
> Is is more British in flavour or does it lean towards the Aboriginal or
> somewhere in between? Do you guys really eat the joeys? I know the barby
> is big down under. I'd really love to hear a little more about Australian
> cuisine in general and not the fancy gourmet stuff but the everyday what
> you would eat things. Thanks so much in advance.

This isn't exactly an answer to your question, but your question reminded me
that I'd been meaning to post this. It's from the foreword to _Terrific
Pacific Cookbook_, by Anya Von Bremzen and John Welchman:

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The idea for _Terrific Pacific_ was born out of a two-year sojourn in
Australia in the early '90s. Half-expecting to subsist on meals of
overcooked roast, three vegetables, and canned lager, John and I were
stunned to discover that these clichés were a decade out of date and we had
entered the incredible kingdom of food Down Under. A Pacific country with
strong European traditions, naturally situated on the crossroads between
East and West, Australia was emerging as the most convincing point of
connection between Oriental and Occidental products and cuisines. We were
enchanted by the imaginative creations of Australian chefs, who presented us
with a Five-Spice Duck Pie with Ginger Glaze, Miso-Flavored Oyster Gratin,
and New Zealand Scampi with Green Tea Sauce.

Australian food is the Pacific equivalent of border cuisine, like Tex-Mex in
the American Southwest. It is multicultural eating at its best. I was
astonished by the ease, casualness, and skill with which even Australian
home cooks juggle Asian and European ingredients and techniques.
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Bob