Tastes Like Home

It's funny how besides people, food is one of the main things you miss about 'home'.  Now we've managed to find almost every single item we were missing when we first moved here (Jeremy has done copious amounts of research!)  Some foods can really evoke a specific feeling or make you think of a particular person, place, or moment.  Here are some foods that are 'home' to me...

 Grandmaman's meatloaf.  Even back in the day, when I was a very picky child, I always enjoyed Grandmaman's meatload.  Yummy with onions in the meat and pastry on the outside...just pure deliciousness!  She always makes it for me when I visit, and she made it when she came to visit as well :)

 Beavertails.  If you haven't heard of this delicious pastry and a Canadian casually brings it up in conversation, you will probably be quite disgusted.  In fact, a friend from Toronto exclaimed "That's inhumane!" (So apparently Beavertails are a regional delicacy).  It brings back memories of family skating outings on the Rideau Canal. Getting a Beavertail was a great treat and I savoured every bite as I held on tightly with woolen mittened hands in all my red cheeked glory.

 Poutine.  The best kind is from a chip truck after a night out.  The gooey, melty cheese just hits the spot.  (Not recommended for regular consumption - this was probably a 2-3 times a year kind of thing.  You need to space it out so you really appreciate the moment!)

 Shawarma!  This particularly reminds me of my second year of university, when I was 20.  We lived in a dingy, likely quite unsafe apartment building in an unsavory part of town and probably shouldn't have been out after dark...but I loved wandering across the street to get a tasty shawarma.  Ottawa has a large Lebanese population, which is evident in the cuisine.  Shawarma musts: pickled turnips and toum (a thick creamy garlic sauce).  This is something you don't want to have at the very end of the night, lest you wake up in the morning with the craziest garlic breath ever!  It's also not very wise to eat right before going out (see earlier garlic breath comment)  Australia has kebabs and yiros, but they're just not the same. 

 Tourtiere!  Every year at the extended family Christmas get together with my mum's side of the family, we have at least a couple of tourtieres (a traditional French Canadian meat pie).  My Aunt Michelle often makes several at a time, and I like to tease her by calling them 'torture pie' (but they're actually quite nice.  No room for snobbery here - the best accompaniment is good ol' ketchup!

 Willy's Pizza - the BEST pizza in Ottawa.  Australia just does pizza differently than North America.  My favourite order is pineapple, bacon strips, and feta cheese.  OMGGGGGG.  Again, more like a 2x a year kind of thing...and something I definitely need to put in my mouth every time I visit home.  Situated conveniently next to Grace O'Malley's, it was the perfect place to grab a slice while waiting for a taxi.

This has all just made me more excited for my trip home in May!

Quick Fringe update: We're just about to head out to meet up with friends and see "Wolf Creek: The Musical".  Last Saturday, our friend Leanne was visiting on her 'Farewell Australia' tour (she did her Master's in Physiotherapy at UQ, which is where we met, graduated, worked in Brisbane for a year and is now heading back to Canada).  She was nice enough to put Adelaide on her tour and she timed it very well (opening weekend of Fringe).  We wandered through the Garden of Unearthly Delights, saw the Fringe opening parade (kind of...the crowd was so huge we mostly just caught the upper 10%).  Can't wait for more Fringe!