We Roam Around

Hi All,

It’s been ages since our last post but since it is the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/) I thought i should do a post, especially because of the amazing meal I had yesterday at Josie Bones (http://josiebones.com/).

Josie Bones is in Collingwood and is run and owner by Chris Badendoch who previously appeared on MasterChef. You can tell the place is a labour of love of Chris as the menu is full of his ‘nose to tail’ style of cooking and food uses, and his other love, beer, is supremly catred to. There are over 300 beers on the menu and the beer menu reads like a book rather than just a couple pages. I was in heaven when I first walked in!

The event itself was called Wild Earth, Wild Beer with the focus of the beers being a style known as Lambics; aka sours. Personally not many people, except for dedicated beer enthusiasts have heard of or tried Lambis, and this was my first experience with them. Essentially Lambics are made using naturally occuring yeasts in the air/wood/environment and ferment spontaneously and they have a sour taste and can also include fruit added in the brewing process. I’m sure a brewer could give a much more detailed explanation and i was way out of my depth talking to some of the others at the event.

Anyway, onto the food and beer itself. First up we had prawn dumplings paired with a style of beer specifically known as a Berliner Weisse, it was the only Australian beer and was a Doctors Orders (http://doctorsordersbrewing.com) Cephalopod. We were actually sitting on the same table as Doc from Drs Orders so he was able to give us a heap of info, but essentially to gain the colour they used squid ink, hence the name. There was less than 1500l brewed so this rally is brewing on a micro scale. The beer itself was quite crisp and refreshing with just a hint of sour on the back. It was probably my favourite beer of the day, and not just cause we were sitting with Doc.

Food wise my favourtie course was the Confit Pork Belly with pickled peach. Pairing wise, the best was the Twice-baked gruyere and goats cheese souffle,paired with a Cantillon Cuvee St-Gilloise (very hard to get outside of Belgium I am told) and a Boon Oude Gueze. These were the sourest of the beers and matched and cut-through perfectly with the relatively strong flavours and oil in the cheese souffle.

A special mention has to be given to dessert also. A Boon Framboise marshmellow sandwhiched between chewy chocolate biscuts and served with the same beer used to make the marshmellow. Amazing!

If you are in Collingwood or Melbourne and want to check out some new beers, or simply want some amazing foods that will be expertly paired with beers (ever if you are not a beer drinker they will have something you would barely even think was a beer when drinking), i would strongly suggest you check out Josie Bones. We will definitely be going back.

-Shaun

Yes it’s true, Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador, and it is a unlikely/clever marketing strategy that still annoys many Ecuadorians to this day. When we were at Panama airport Chrissy was wondering why there weren’t more hats, but at that stage we hadn’t been to Ecuador and found out the truth!

There are a few different theories/reasons as to why they are called Panama hats. Back in the day, before air travel, the hats were ship[ped through Panama in order to get to the US and Europe, meaning many of the sellers saw the point of origin being from Panama and hence marketing them as Panama hats. Then the fact that various famous people began wearing them added to their marketability.

What are they and where in Ecuador are they made you ask? See below for information from a lovely young man we met in Ecuador who we are now buy the hats off. Us selling these hats supports a local, sustainable Ecuadorian business man and his family.

If you want to buy some (or pass info on to your friends) you can do so here:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190737634603

A Panama hat is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant ( Carludovica palmata). Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe. For some products, the name of their point of international sale rather than their place of domestic origin stuck, hence “Panama hats.” The 49ers picked up these hats in Panama, and when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal construction, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity. They’re also known as a Jipijapa, named for a town in Ecuador, one of the centers of the hat trade.

Panama Hat Rolling Tips

Rolling not folding:

Although Panamas are flexible and can be rolled without undue difficulty they should not be folded, scrunched up or mistreated. Such treatment will soon result in the straw cracking and damage to the weave.

Store unrolled :

Panamas should only be rolled for traveling and should never be stored rolled for long periods of time. The longer a hat is left rolled the longer it will take to return to its original shape. Steaming a misshapen hat can help it regain its shape, see “CARING YOUR PANAMA” below.

No dry rolling:

In intense heat the straw of the hat can dry out and become brittle. To attempt to roll the hat in such condition it could result in cracking! Humidify the hat by steaming it over a boiling kettle or misting with warm water.

Do not roll Standard weaves:

Standard grade hats with their courser weaves are less supple and flexible and thus more prone to cracking. It is recommendable that our customers choose the more flexible superior or fine grade hat for rolling.

The fiddley Fedora:

The fedora hat shape has a sharp ‘pinch’ at the front of the crown and can be liable to crack. If care is taken when rolling and the hat kept supple by humidifying one should be able to roll both Superior and Fine grade Fedora’s without problem.

It’s a sun hat, not a rain hat:

Do not wear your panama hat in the rain as excessive moisture will cause you hat to loose its shape. If you hat does become wet let it dry as close to original shape as possible and then follow the instructions below to reshape the hat.

 Caring For Your Panama

Handling Your Panama

Try not to pinch the front of the crown too much as this is what causes the front to crack. It is better to pick the hat up by the brim or by cupping the crown with an open palm.

Reshaping your hat

If your Panama becomes misshapen you should be able to recover the original shape of the hat by lightly steaming it over a boiling kettle and then shaping the hat by hand back to it’s original form. A blow dryer can be used on a low heat setting to dry the hat while you are holding its shape.

If the brim has become misshapen, you may iron the brim under a slightly damp cloth with the iron at a medium to low setting (high heat iron settings can cause burn marks to the hat). Then the Panama should then be placed over an appropriately shaped object such as a bowl and leave to regain its shape.

Cleaning:

If your Panama becomes dirty you should first try to remove dirt by lightly dusting it with a dry cloth. If the mark is stubborn and difficult to remove, in this way try using a moist facial or baby wipe. This should remove most marks, although care should be taken not to rub too hard. It’s recommend not to use soap and water.

Otavalo…. What a perfect little tourist trap!  Some people go out of their way to avoid touristy locations and I have to say to them – shame on you!  There are some places around the world that have every reason to be touristy, because they’re just that awesome!

Otavalo is one of my favourite touristy places, and as touristy places go… it’s really not too touristy.  There’s no way you’ll find a maccas on the main strip… or even a main strip for that matter.  But the Ecuadorians in Otavalo actually know some English and that’s what gives you the first clue that it is a town for tourists.  Apart from that, there are still goats roaming the streets, still strange local food everywhere, still little old ladies in traditional dress and the markets are still filled with absolutely everything…. Just everything.

I know that you’ve already heard me go on and on about Otavalo and its HUGE Saturday markets so what I really want to talk about is Posada Del Quinde (http://posadaquinde.com/).  I don’t care who you are, if you go to Otavalo and you don’t stay at Posada Del Quinde for at least one night…. Then you are a crazy person!  The price is a little more than some places around the area but it’s worth it.  It’s just amazing walking through the dirty, busy goat ridden streets then finding this hotel behind it all, it’s like discovering a secret garden.

The rooms and restaurant is filled with local art, tapestries and throws so it reminds you of where you are.  Although you have scorching hot water in the shower, a working toilet and a comfortable bed which reminds you that you’re staying somewhere nice.  The restaurant serves a mixture of local and international dishes and the food is good.  To the side of the restaurant is a collection of comfy couches surrounding a beautiful hot fire.   The staff speak English and make a mean cocktail!

Although I have to say that my favourite part of the hotel was the garden.  There was an impeccable open courtyard surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns, local trees and bushes, wildlife (including hummingbirds) and a beautiful view of the hotel which stood like an elegant Spanish elephant.  I just couldn’t fault this place!  I could have sat in that garden, drank Pina Coladas in the courtyard and lazed next to that roaring fire for ever!

So what I’m really getting at here, is that a fully recommend this place.  In fact, I found it an experience of our trip not just a place to stay.  If you can spare a little extra for a night or two (or a week or two if you’re lucky!) then do it, you will not be let down.  Make sure you stay over the weekend because that’s when Otavalo really shines.  I can’t wait till our next visit!

Adios!

Chrissy

So last weekend was another nice winters weekend in Victoria so we decided to take our first day trip since moving to Melbourne and we headed down the the Mornington Peninsula and Sorrento.

One of the great things about living in Victoria, and Melbourne in particular is the amount of easy dayt trips that are available if you want to get out of the city. The freeways are all fairly well designed and  located so it is quick and easy to get out and explore regional Victoria. The Mornington Peninsula is only 60 – 80 minutes drive away depending on what route you take and what town you end up in down there.

Sorrento is where one can catch the ferry across the channel that creates Port Phillip bay, so geographically it is quite exposed, with probably only a kilometer of land sandwiched between Port Phillip bay and the Bass Strait. Visiually the town has quite an old school charmwith heaps of old colonial style limestone buildings, one of those being the Sorrento Hotel which is where we had an amazing plate of mussells for lunch.

Driving back we took the long road and went through a few other towns such as Rye and Flinders and then ended up in Red Hill, which is the centre of the Mornington Peninsula wine district. There must be at least 50 plus vineyards all confined to a fairly small area, so there is no shortage of cellar doors. We stopped at Peir 10 (http://www.pier10wine.com.au) winery which was really busy and the staff didn’t bother to say hello so we drove a couple minutes down the road to Montalto vineyard and olive grove (http://www.montalto.com.au/). The service here was better so we tried a few wines, most of which were very young and green for my liking although Chrissy did find a nice light Moscato which would be perfect for summer drinking.

All in all, if you want a quick, easy day trip from Melbourne, then you should definitely consider the Mornington Peninsula. The country side is diverse and amazing and it has plenty of seafood and vineyards, what more could you want?