I come from a land down under …
‘I come from a land down under’ as various biographical notes might indicate. Today’s the twenty sixth of January and is our national day, Australia Day. I woke at 6.30 to an archtypical summer day’s – blue skies forever and the promise of beaches
'A day of beaches...'
and barbecues as we celebrate our national identity. It’s not a national holiday as such, businesses are still open, people supposedly at work but in this little seaside village where the summer school holidays are still in existence, I’ve noticed a plethora of incomers and am guessing a lot of people have taken this week off as a last holiday before schools go back next week.
This is the day our nation celebrates its iconic nature. A day to celebrate national heroes and to eat food that is reminiscent of the country in which we live. So I might cook marinated lamb backstraps and roast vegetable and feta salad because the beauty of Oz is its emerging multiculturalism, its mix of flavours. To sweeten the day I might make a pavlova and berries
Pavlova with berries.
or moist chocolate-covered lamingtons or maybe a salad of tropical fruits (those that weren’t ruined in the terrible Queensland floods) and fine icecreams. But then I might just relax and do nothing and remember that people like Oprah Winfrey remarked on the vastly open and friendly nature of this place, how relaxed we were about life and who noticed the freedom and philosophy that harks back to the early nation-builders.
Today I’ ll look up at the flag flying over the house and I might even stick a tiny flag in the pavlova.
Ah, you remind me of Men at Work. Loved that song. 7th grade. Happy Australia Day!
Long time ago for me too. Before the love of my life and I met, I was dating a chap who sailed in the Australian crew that beat the Americans for the America’s Cup. The song was their theme and used to blast out around the streets of Rhode Island!
It’s so ridiculously and heartwarmingly Australian and the words are bizarre . . . just like us . . .
What I want to know is how many out there have actually tried a Vegemite sandwich? Hugh Jackman gave Oprah one and she LOVED it!
I know, we spent a lot of time in seventh grade (before the internet) trying to figure out what the heck they were saying and once we had the album with the lyrics, what they could possibly mean. 🙂
No Vegemite here, BUT I recently discovered Emily Barker. Just lovely, and i didn’t realize that Australians were into country music.
i’d venture to say that the lyrics were written very tongue in cheek. That said, we are an odd and diverse nation full of charming and rough eccentrics. I LOVE saying I’m Australian, we’re a pretty good bunch!
Oh heavens, country music!!! It’s huge! We have an annual festival called Tamworth and many fine country singers. This is a nation ‘built on the sheep’s back’ as the saying goes. The backbone of Australia has always been its country folk of which I’m proud to say I’m one. A nation of farmers who built the economy up until it could honestly be claimed to be a nation and not just a colony dependent on hand-outs from England.
Mesmered, it was so moving to read of your simple pride and love for your country.
In these days of political correctness, we are often made to feel ashamed of our roots and our patriotism, and I am sure this is wrong. It doesn’t mean you look down on other places, just because you love your own home..
Vegemite I don’t know, but there is something called Marmite in the UK which I believe is similar. You either love it or hate it. Alas, it no longer loves me!
The thing with Oz is that we are proud of the good bits and disgusted, vocally, with the bad. And Australians will always barrack for the underdog. There’s also a highly regarded phenomenon of mateship, idealized by the image of the ANZAC soldier and recognized worldwide in various arenas of war. I suspect the whole idea of pride comes from the fact that Australia rose from the ashes of convict transport in Dickensian times.
To rise beyond such a terrible early heritage with confidence and energy intact speaks volumes. My other point is that whilst we can be loud and brash nationally, essentially we have no concept of being better than anyone else and i do like that.
Vegemite is similar to Marmite. Better flavour but terribly salty!! It doesn’t love me much these days either!
Hmm… it sounds like maybe I should move ‘down under’! The food certainly sounds good to me 😉 Check out my attempt at a pavlova (of monstrous proportions!): http://gentlewomanthief.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/pavlova-of-doom.jpg
Happy Australia Day, Prue! x
Clare, your pav is wonderful!!!! You are an honorary Aussie!
And yes, our food is to die for. We have the best farmers and horticulturalists in the world. And great cooks and chefs. Summer is the time where we eat out of doors constantly and it’s all vitally fresh food.
We grow all our own through the summer and catch fresh fish. OH and I also farm prime lamb but I haven’t the strength of stomach to kill our own meat, I am afraid. I see them born and I can’t bear to see them die! When they leave for the sales, I go away from the farm for the day.
I love this post Prue! It made me happy to be Australian (not that I’m unhappy to be Australian of course!) Did you make a pavlova? Because I was craving one the other day but due to my never ending quest to lose weight, didn’t get one. Not that I AM losing weight (sob).
I thought we DID have a national holiday? It certainly was a public hol here in WA, though a few shops were open.
The pav is this family’s standard Australia Day fare. Loaded with cream and berries. But I have just acquired my cousin’s chocolate meringue recipe which is a chocolate pav joined together with mousse!!! It’s very big and so we need to have a few people around to eat it, but oh . . . it’s to die for!
Weight? WEIGHT? We just won’t go there.
Tassie didn’t have a holiday at all, maybe it was a state- government-decided thing. Everybody I know was still at work and husband was in Melbourne, same there. BUT… lots here in the seaside village so maybe a few took it as a holiday. Interestingly they have all disappeared today (next day). Maybe skiving off the job yesterday?
Aww. Missed commenting on the day itself. Hope you had a good one.
Quiet, as part of the family were away, but celebrated at the beach anyway with the mum, aunt and dogs.