I'm a city slicker - I lived in the city of Bloemfontein in South Africa until I was 16 (all you South African's out there, DO NOT mock Bloemies - it's a great city in spite of its absence of scenery!), moved with my parents to Auckland, New Zealand in 1996 and lived there ever since ... until the day my husband and I decided to accept a job opportunity in Caboolture, outer northern Brisbane in January 2010.
My dad always joked that one day, I would end up with my Australian husband, Russell, in a little outback town covered in dust, standing on the edge of the road that runs through the one-horse town, with a snotty-nosed child on my hip, another bare-footed child clutching my leg, and the other kid holding my waist - all with a distant, lonely look on my face as I gazed into the Australian desert...
I was wondering whether my father's "prophecy" was coming true when this unheard-of place called Caboolture was to become my new home...
But what a pleasant surprise this has been. These "country" people know how to make you feel welcome. No tartan shirts in sight, or pregnant barefooted mums roaming the streets - just good, honest, salt of the earth, Aussies. The massive mall is swarming, more so than Auckland's Syliva Park and Newmarket's 277, but with a lot more, "hello, luv, haw are ya?". These people know what community is all about. For all of the convenience and vibe that us "uppity" city lovers crave, there's a lot to be said about the runner who slows down as he runs past, just for a quick chat, and the mum who gives you her phone number 10 minutes after meeting her for the first time. There are retired folk begging to babysit my 3 little gentlemen and dinner appointments galore - I'm feeling the country love everywhere!
I have hardly cooked a thing in the month we've been here. Apart from dinners and savouries sent home by lovely folk to help with the chaos of setting up house, it's too hot to even think about standing in the kitchen. I do miss the breeze of Brown's Bay and the cool of Mission Bay in the evening, and the absence of FLYING COCKROACHES! I toughened up enough to make - wait for it - Chickpea curry!!! This is one of LOVEIT! FOOD's signature dishes and I just needed to make it for the weekend potluck lunch. I know, curry in an Aussie summer, what was I thinking? Well, the well-adjusted Aussies wolfed it down with requests for the recipe. I have been hoping to leave the recipe under wraps until our book is published, but after a bit of arm twisting, I have decided I will give it to you all - NEXT MONTH! In the meantime, enjoy the FALAFEL recipe on our facebook page, since it's a great summer lunch or dinner treat - and you can't buy ready made chilled falafel mix in Australia!!!
I think I need to mention that we are living about 20 minutes south of Caboolture in North Lakes (still classified as Brisbane), with a Westfield about 3 minutes from home ;-) does this still count as country living??? Maybe this is the transition to the dusty outback town my dad still likes harping on about....
Happy eating!
Christia
