WhingingPomDotCom

In defence of British food

2010-01-13T23:02:00.001-08:00

My dander was got up by this article in the Melbourne Age last weekend. In discussing whether Sydney or Melbourne has better food, the writer Simon Thomsen casually insults my homeland. "English food is mostly dull and weary because, like the people, the country is well worn and downtrodden. It takes French and Australian chefs to liven things up there".
I know our food (and this is effectively saying the same about Welsh, Scottish, Irish food imho) doesn't have the greatest reputation in the world, but anyone who's lived or visited recently should have noticed that there's plenty of passion about good food around - look at the proliferation of farmers' markets or the revolution in school dinners inspired by Jamie Oliver. Multicultural London has all the ingredients in the world if you're prepared to look for it. As for any improvemnet being down to French or Australian chefs, well what about the likes of Heston Blumenthal (arguably, along with Ferran Adria in Spain, one of the two most adventurous chefs around), Gordon Ramsay, Tom Aitkens, Angela Hartnett, Fergus Henderson, Shaun Hill, Richard Corrigan, Rowley Leigh: entrepreneurs such as Alan Yau (Wagama, Busaba Eathai, etc.) or Craig Sams and Josephine Fairley (Green and Blacks) plus food writers/presenters/activists such as Nigel Slater, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the above mentioned Jamie O?
Sure lots of people still eat at rubbish fast food joints or microwave their meals at home - I bet they do here in Oz too, and that your average RSL is not a haven of fine dining. I've had some great meals both in and out here in Melbourne, but it's not obviously better than London on the evidence so far.

Immigrant

2010-01-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

I visited the Immigration Museum in Melbourne's CBD yesterday. It's small but informative , with some very intersting exhibits , including some good interactive multimedia. It covers the overall history of Victoria, the raw statistics of migration, and many personal stories. I actually found myself feeling quite emotional there, perhaps due to an underlying realisation of my own immigrant status, and what a big step it is in life.
It also reminded me how lucky I am. My concerns and worries about getting a job, whether the exchange rate will improve so we can convert our pound savings at a decent rate, where to store all our belongings, how to keep up with British sport, etc. - albeit valid - are minor compared to those of many immigrants, some of whom arrived not speaking the language, who had little more than the clothes on their back, could be sent anywhere in the country to work, or didn't expect to ever see their family in the old country again.
Anyway, I can highly recommend the musem to Melbourne residents or visitors

The cricket test

2010-01-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

Norman Tebbit, a not especially tolerant British politician once suggested that "A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It's an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?"

Well I certainly don't pass this test as an Australian yet. I arrived with good intentions to make my adopted home my second team in all relevant team sports, but when I went to watch the 1st day of Australia-Pakistan at the MCG on Boxing Day, I struggled to emotionally connect with the Aussies, and instead watched the match largely as an interested neutral. Unfortunately this largely meant an uninterested neutral as it was not a particularly engaging days' play for the most part, with the Australian openers scoring comfortably and Pakistan never managing to apply the sort of pressure that made it look like they were about to take a wicket. The highlight came when Katich and Watson did their best to run each other out and dived for the same crease (Katich won by a whisker). Meanwhile I have been internetting late at night avidly following England's progress in S Africa and doing a fist-pumping "Yesss!" at the screen every time the Saffers lose a wicket. Question to anyone out there reading: am I morally obliged to attempt to invest emotionally in Australian sporting teams now I've made it my home?

By the way I wouldn't want it thought that I didn't enjoy my Boxing Day Test experience - it was a nice relaxing day out, chatting with friends, eating leftovers and drinking piss-weak lager (which is better than it sounds - no danger of getting woozy or too dehydrated after 8 pints of it) with the cricket ticking away in the background. And at least I haven't gone for the "anyone but Australia" approach, unlike one of our group, who despite being a) Aussie-born and b) of Indian extraction was proudly wearing his Pakistan replica shirt! Next year might be a slightly more intense affair as it will be the Ashes. Fingers crossed England do better than last time they were out here (lost 5-0 if anyone needs reminding) or I won't hear the end of it for a long, long time...

Work

2010-01-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

I have to confess, seeking work has not been my first priority since I arrived in Australia, nor even my second or third. Living with my mother-in-law (who in no way fits the stereotype of the old jokes) means that our living expenses are fairly low, and it's been nice to just relax for a week or two before getting on with things. We took 3 1/2 months to get to Australia, travelling mostly overland from London, and while independent travelling is not work, it's not stress-free either. So a bit of R&R has been in order (even more so for my wife who unfortunately has been ill with severe anaemia). Anyway, there's been Christmas, and New Year's Eve, and the cricket (of which more later) and the new Wii mum-in-law bought the family for Christmas...

But I can't put it off much longer. especially after reading this article in Whingeing Pom (who knew I had a magazine named after me!) It suggests that a lot of jobs in Australia are got through word-of-mouth via contacts. Fortunately, I have several contacts, at least indirectly, thanks to the many Australians who are or were working for my old employer in London. So, time to get on the grapevine. Any other advice welcome!

I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien...I'm an Englishman in Melbourne

2010-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome. I've just arrived from London with my wife to live in Melbourne, Australia. She's Australian, and so I am here on a spousal visa, which makes me a "legal alien" as Sting put it. My aim in this blog is to report on: what it's like living in a new country; what I do and don't miss about living in the UK; what I like and don't like about my new home, and what strikes me as odd or surprising. I may throw in some random thoughts as well from time to time. I hope that I will rarely if ever simply "whinge"... so let me know if I do!