What is your favourite food?

[Jerry_Atrick]

One of my favourite foods is the humble meat pie.. Four n Twenty is my favourite, which most people will dry reach on just hearing the name. I remember way back in prep and grade 1 in primary school, where once a week, mum would write my and my brother's lunch order on a brown paper bag, and in would go the 26 cents (for mine). My brother's order was a salad roll; mine was a pie. And I was like a dog waiting for his tucker to be served.. Oh.. and when it came, it was heaven tucking iunto a hot pastry case with that yummy gravy and meat inside (OK, it may have been horse or rat.. but it was yummy).

 

And then memories of going to footy games. In those days, it was Princess Park, which was also Hawthorn's playing ground, Arden Street, the MCG, Windy Hill, Moorabbin, and the like, where on blustery days, would grab a pie at half time with tomato sauce - was heaven. I still have one of the carry trays they used to sell them on.. liberated from Arden Street that was discarded by one of the sellers.

 

Obviously, I have growed up a bit since then.. but when I return to Aus, I make a bee line to the nearest 7-11 to get a pie.. Well, except they don't sell Four  'n Twenties anymore, but I found last time I was in Aus, Coles Express still did. Nice and warm, though the separate tomoato sauce packs where you can't inject the sauce and burn your tounge with the super-heated sauce isn't quite the same.

 

But, since I have growed up, my cullinary tastes have expanded. I can ear the fancy new modern food, and it is lovely. But today, I went to an Inidan restaurant in Bristol, and wowsers.. was absolutely divine. The fragrance of the spices and herbs, and chicked was definitely real, and even my partner could eat their chikpeas (she normally hates them). Their website is here: https://www.mowglistreetfood.com/

 

I have a couple of Indian fellas working for me, and they took me to this restaurant, which was to die for: https://www.dishoom.com.

 

It was better than today's, and on their web site you can even get some recipes. Australia simply doesn't compete in this cuisine, and Gaylords of Melbourne is, to me, a bit like a slightly upmarket Indian hole in the wall.

 

So, while I am not looking forward to the lack of Indian food in Aus, the Thai is amazing, and so are other cuisines. I really love fragrant food...

 

However, nothing will beat the humble pie.. ever..

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

I am not looking forward to the lack of Indian food in Aus

I wouldn't worry if I was you. In South West Sydney there are new suburbs which are being referred to as Mumbai or Kolkata because there are so many Indians living there.

 

At the end of June 2022, 753,520 Indian-born people were living in Australia, more than twice the number (355,380) at 30 June 2012. After the United Kingdom, the Indian-born population is the second largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 9.8 per cent of Australia's overseas-born population and 2.9 per cent of Australia's total population.

[pmccarthy]

I am the permanent professional pie purchaser for our aero club. I only buy the Angus Beef and Pepper variety, 32 pies at a time fit in my cooler bag.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I gave  @pmccarthy a winner because this is what I love about this forum - I just (rather assertively) disagreed with a post he wrote.. And I often do when it comes to climate change and renewables v. fossils and nuclear in Aus, yet, there is no grudge.. Just an honest response to a post of mine.. Sincerely, thanks @pmccarthy - a true gentleman.

 

 

[spacesailor]

England !

Indian food ! .

Curried chicken  ? .

Thousands of cats disappeared. 

N9T FOR ME  ,better & tastier, ' Curried goat ' .

Hoping we don't lose too many dogs ! . LoL

spacesailor

[facthunter]

I used  to be an enthusiastic Pie Eater, but there's a lot of fat, and salt in the Pastries  and I gave them up about 25+ years ago together with cakes and fizzy drinks. That's why I'm still around, with all my blood tests showing the right figures.  Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Pies these days are yuck. They were ok in the 60s and 70s, but have gone backwards since then, with their prices going forward - Greed!

[red750]

One of our favorites is fish and chips with a giant potato cake ( or scallop depending where you are from). Here is dinner from last Friday. Tartare sauce in the flake.

 

 

That's a 12" dinner plate for size.

 

When I read the OP, I recalled the photo of the Clampets at dinner, and Jed saying, "Bless this varmint we're about to eat, it ain't much, but at least it's meat."

[onetrack]

I have rarely bought a commercial pie for years, simply because they're made in bulk (and in many cases, 100% manufactured by fully-automated machines). But I do like the "gourmet" pie shops, where individuals make home-made pies with quality ingredients and they're fought over, and sold out rapidly. In addition, these little gourmet pie shops often produce a much wider range of pies than the commercial operators.

 

There's one notable local pie shop on the main highway heading East out of Perth, about 50kms East in a little town appropriately called Bakers Hill. I don't think the location was named after baked products, it was named after an early settler.

The Bakers Hill Pie Shop is located in a former service station, and it's almost compulsory to stop and grab a pie from the BHPS. Their range of home-made pies is substantial, and I've always been satisfied with any product I've ever bought off them.

A favourite of mine was their Lamb and Rosemary pie, but when I last dropped in, about 3 weeks ago, they were out of Lamb and Rosemary pies, and I bought a couple of Chicken and Vegetable pies to take home, and both SWMBO and myself reckoned they were excellent.

 

https://www.facebook.com/thebakershillpieshop/

 

As regards Indian food, I regard it as pretty low on the rungs of the food ladder. Vast amounts of potent spices overwhelming any actual food taste, and hiding the origins of the dubious meats used - and generally all floating in sauces and gravies, that add to the mystery food origins. I'll give the Indian tucker a big miss, thanks.

 

But Greek food, with lots of fresh salads, fish, chicken and other tasty meats, all cooked simply without overwhelming levels of hot spices, is what tickles my palate.

 

[old man emu]

Go to any food court in a shopping centre and you'll be lucky to find a pie-eater. They are always available, but most people will be eating a kebab, Indian or Chinese.  Should we lament the demise of pies? I don't think so. If I'm correct, pies (and pasties) are British foods. That's where we got the tradition of eating them. But since we opened our gates to all-comers, the basic foods in Australia have evolved as the culture has evolved. In the 21st Century, we should consider ourselves the "New Australians", who have evolved from the Anglo-Irish "Old Australians" through cultural cross-breeding.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Spring rolls have gone to the pack along with pies. Anyone remember the Golden Dragon restaurant in Sydney? (Goulburn street I think, not sure). Their spring rolls were a scrumptious meal, with almost king sized prawns and cabbage cooked just right, etc ingredients. That was in the late 50s I was there with my Dad, but never could get a spring roll like it since, just mass produced now, nothing in them and smaller than a those insulting Chiko rolls. 

[facthunter]

The only good thing about Chicko Rolls was the Dollies on the Vincents. Nev

[rgmwa]

50 minutes ago, onetrack said:

There's one notable local pie shop on the main highway heading East out of Perth, about 50kms East in a little town appropriately called Bakers Hill.

 

Agreed. It’s about half an hour from us. Have often called in there on the way to or from somewhere. 

[onetrack]

You'd never end up with a body like the dolly on the Vincent if you ate lots of Chiko rolls. In fact, you'd end up looking like the average older Harley Davidson biker.

 

[facthunter]

Geez, that's helpful.  Nev

[onetrack]

Just a little warning to watch what you eat, Nev - you're always advising us about the dangers of undesirable foods!

A diet full of Pork meat, and especially high fat pork products, along with sugars and high fructose corn syrup, do terrible things to your body.

[red750]

Only had 1 Chiko roll in the last 10 years. Loved it. The fish and chips (photo above) we have every second Friday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I can recommend the scallop pies on King Island. Seafood, they must be healthy.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Tonight, at the pub I stay in while in London, I am having the old favourite - El Greco burger. It is a burger with Halloumi cheese and chorizo sausage.. so Cypriot rather than Greek, and Spanish... Nothing technically Greek about it, but it is quite yummy. Once a week, washed down with an Aussie shiraz.. Yummo.

 

They joke I have a personal chef here.. By the time I have taken my bags to the room and back, the burger is on "my" table...

 

Love it.

[nomadpete]

Admin?

Where is the 'I'm jealous' smiley?