I don’t shop for food outside of my ‘hood all too often these days and so a recent visit back to the Queen Victoria Market made me realise the distinctiveness of the aural landscape of Melbourne’s markets. Markets in Footscray are dominated by vendors spruiking their specials in Vietnamese, generally whichever fruit is cheapest and… Continue reading The sultry sounds of Queen Victoria Market
Author: Phil Lees
All aboard the gravy train
There is enough beef waste in the US to fuel trains. Via The Guardian: US rail operator Amtrak may have given the term “cattle car” a whole new meaning with the first test of a biodiesel train that runs on beef byproducts. Operating on a $274,000 (£178,000) grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, the state-owned… Continue reading All aboard the gravy train
Trolling as the food writing
Terry Durack over at the Age manages to both pit Sydney against Melbourne and suburb versus suburb by attempting to pick the worst suburb for eating in each city. There is good food to be found everywhere in Australia – it may be behind closed doors or in people’s backyards rather than in restaurants or… Continue reading Trolling as the food writing
West Footscray Station, Evening
Taken on the iPhone, post-process with the Camerabag app.
Food blogger tip: How to block the worst diet ads from Adsense on your blog.
I both earn money from AdSense and pay Google for ad space – so seeing a terrible looking ad on my blogs and getting exposure hurts. If you do visit a couple of Australian food blogs, eventually you’ll be served up with this diet ad – as Simon mentions over at his site: You might… Continue reading Food blogger tip: How to block the worst diet ads from Adsense on your blog.
Getting my focus back.
The Australian food bloggers’ conference (which I’ve also written about over at SBS) seems to have had the effect of lighting a gigantic fire under the collective arses of Australia’s food bloggers. I feel like I’m back on the blogging bandwagon and have a decent reason to post again. The conference gave me real chance… Continue reading Getting my focus back.
Pancakes at Fandango
This is my favourite breakfast in Melbourne. Ricotta whipped with honey, maple syrup, strawberries, banana and pancakes with bacon. You wouldn’t want to eat it often but your life is incomplete without it. It hits the perfect savoury/sweet balance; that urge that can only be sated by true American barbecue, slow-roasted vegetables or a caramelised… Continue reading Pancakes at Fandango
Sensory Lab, Melbourne
I don’t take coffee too seriously. I’m aware that there are more aromatic compounds in your java than in a glass of wine but I don’t personally seek them out even though I draw a good part of my income from describing tastes to other people. Call it a cognitive dissonance reduction strategy wherein I… Continue reading Sensory Lab, Melbourne