This morning I’m squeezing in one last stroll around Brisbane before we fly to Perth — a five-hour flight that crosses (I believe) two time zones.
Our talks are going well, but Saturday was time off (though I did get up early Brisbane time and do some “day job” stuff — this is a long time to be away from The Office, and life doesn’t stop just because I’m in Oz).
So Lizanne and I took a deliciously long, slow ferry to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, reading along the way (so nice to travel with another librarian), posed for pictures (we were allowed to take our own pix once we bought a picture from the sanctuary, which seemed fair enough), fed kangaroos, tried to see a wallabee (he was not receiving visitors), and then came back to downtown Brisbane to potter around and have a quiet Indian meal.
I should add I had been warned that koalas are cranky and prone to peeing on people. This koala — I believe his name is “Spanks” — was quite docile and seemed to enjoy his day job. He has been posing with visitors for four years now.
The previous night David Shaun Feighan squired us to Il Centro, which is known for its sandcrab lasagna. David shared a bite of his, but (mindful that calories do count even across this many time zones) I went for a lovely avocado-sandcrab salad that when I took a bite transported me to an identical moment a year in the past, at Passionfish in Pacific Grove (thanks, Walter!).
Both versions were delightful — avocado and crab are sweetly complementary, and it’s a cool-as-a-cucumber dish that cuts through muggy warm nights — though Il Centro added a thin ring of tomato puree which didn’t add to the dish at all and which I scraped away.
It is uncanny how much sandcrabs taste like my beloved Dungeness — even the texture is identical, firm and flaky without a touch of mealiness — and it was also one of those moments when I realized I had flown halfway round the world and yet was still on the Pacific Ocean, my departure point from the continental U.S.
To return to the real issue — the food — the major difference between the versions by Passionfish and Il Centro was the avocado, which at Il Centro was smooth as buttercream and gossamer on the tongue.
Do I prefer the unctuous, street-fightin’ heft of a California Hass or the more angelic quality of an Australian avocado? It would be nice if life’s problems were never harder than that.
Posted on this day, other years:
- SLIS keynote and presentation, PDF flavor - 2006
- My Blogger Code - 2004
- Usability and the 2004 Election - 2004
- Look, I Have a Digital Camera - 2003
- Happy Birthday, Marylaine! - 2003
- IL Con-Grunting: Rich Wiggins on "Why Google Won" - 2003
Ah, koalas and crustaceans, that brings back sweet memories of Oz. Koalas feel like cheap carpet and smell like eucalyptus lozenges, but they are gentle beings. We have more than a few culinary moments from Australia, the mudbugs, the alien-looking fruit, a french cafe on a back street, ‘roo steaks, Tasmanian pinot noir, …
My strongest memory of Australia, and a link to Powder, is Anzac Day in Brisbane. Shops closed until noon, the streets lined, veterans in full dress, American jeeps marked “Warning Left Hand Drive”, and “Waltzing Matilda” on bagpipes. Anzac Day commemorates the Gallipoli landing, the first action for Australian and New Zealand troops. I’m still nearly speechless about it, the courage and sacrifice of Gallipoli and the pride of a new nation all mixed together.
Karen mentioned that Lizanne Payne from the Washington Research Libraries is a great travel companion, but I can confirm that both Karen and Lizanne are a joy to travel with. If you read Karen’s post about listening to Obama in the Darlinghurst Hotel, let it be said that some of the Australians were a bit emotional as well.
Mind you, it is hard to work out if Karen and Lizanne are more passionate about libraries or food. I suspect the two might be on par. Sydney does indeed do great Asian fusion food, so it was great to try out Arun Thai. This is a restaurant that is less likely to appear in the guide books but it is great food. Unlike so many other great Sydney Asian restaurants, Arun Thai is not full of hard surfaces so it is less noisy and you can actually hear yourself think.
I am looking forward to showing Karen and Lizanne food from Melbourne. I grew up in New South Wales but live in Victoria, so I don’t want to get into the Sydney / Melbourne rivalry thing (which makes the LA versus San Francisco face off look like a picnic). Sydney has some great places (and the world’s most beautiful harbour) but Melbourne is the food, culture, fashion, and sporting capital of Australia. Maybe it has something to do with the cooler climate. For example, fashion: consider the way women in Melbourne verus Sydney dress and wear make up – sorry there is no competition; Sport – look at the attendance figures at sporting events between the two cities; and then there is the food! Granted Sydney does Asian fusion much better and yes they have Testsuya, but Melbourne rules when it comes to Eastern and Western Mediterranean and European food in general. Think Pearl, Cumulus, Press Club, Mecca, and Mamaganush, the list goes on. And of course then there are places like France Soir and Vue de Monde and the Victoria, South Melbourne, Victoria, and Footscay markets. If in doubt try Googling “Melbourne and Food†or check the food blogs for “Vue de Mondeâ€. Go on I dare you :-).
I hope only free-range marsupials were cuddled!
David, I got your last name all wrong! Chalk it up to one too many glasses of great Australian wine.
We are both looking forward to Melbourne VERY much. Lizanne is fighting off a bad cold and the back of one of my ankles is rubbed raw, but we are soldiering on. 🙂
It’s also delightful to see so many beautiful state library buildings. Too many of the SLs in the states look and feel like reeducation centers in juvenile correctional facilities. The SLs here are beautiful… and well-appreciated, based on the foot traffic!
George, I think that koala has a better day job than most of us. 🙂
Thank God you got to pet a koala. Libraries, technology and professionalism be damned — Kimchee and I never would have forgiven you if you’d made it all that way and missed that opportunity. Yes, I need to look into this as a potential future day job.