Food

We had fun shopping for food yesterday. With less than a week's worth of meals here before our trip, we didn't want to buy more than we could use (and this is coupled with LK's mad drive to use everything in the fridge and freezer before we leave, as well).

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of will power in play when we go to the Italian market. You just know you're going to buy some sausage, pizza crust, olives and ciabatta. We skipped the cheeses and fresh pasta (that turned out to be a mistake) but left with pride that we had limited our purchases and a commitment that no matter what we would eat this stuff before we left.

Then a nasty thought came into my head. It's the very short truffle season here in Tassie. They won't be available again for another year, and we weren't all that far from a store that was selling them. (And that's why it was a mistake not buying the fresh pasta, although LK is approaching the possibility that I can try my new pasta maker toy and we'll make our own.)

So now the truffle is sitting in a glass bowl in the fridge with four eggs and some butter. After a couple of days it should have done the rather easy job of infusing them and will serve the nobler purpose of being the key ingredient when I ask, "Yo, LK, what's for dinner."

All of which is a long way round of telling you that this is a fantastic area if you love your tucker. And there are plenty of people who love their tucker here. I think there are more foodies than possums out this way. Two of the best (foodies, not possums) live about half an hour away from our place.

Steve Cumper is the creative chef behind the Red Velvet Lounge in Cygnet, which I wrote about last year.  Matthew Evans lives in Cygnet, too. He used to be a major restaurant critic in Sydney, but has moved down here to do his own farming and get closer to the food and its sources. Mind you, it's not quite the same as if you or I decided to chuck it in and become farmers, since he is the subject of an ongoing TV series that chronicles his experiment. (OK, it is kind of the same if "you or I" includes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. You Americans will have google his name if you wish to know more.)

Both of these guys spend part of their time in Cygnet writing blogs that I follow. I don't know if it's the cool weather or the long nights of winter, but they have both recently posted about living down here. I think it would be hard to say it any better than they have:


 


Check out Steve Cumper's love letter to this region here.



And here's Matthew Evans' answer to a question LK and I hear quite often, as well.