A beautiful warm day, friends over and little kids running about, a table full of food and a couple of eskies full of beer. if the founding fathers could see us now they’d say; “Good onya, this is exactly what we had in mind when we sent all those convicts, dregs and no-hopers over there to set up a country.”
Well, they probably didn’t think that at all, it was more like; “Orh, Shit. This is not anything like the postcards. How are we supposed to grow English breakfast Tea in this dry barren dirt?” But we are glad that the convicts and the free settlers had the smarts to get it together and create a nation which has been fortunate enough to avoid the upheavals and invasions suffered by so many ancient regions throughout the world. And we have some fair beers, too. Although this was not always the case. More of that in a later post.
For now I will take you through an Australia Day barbecue. First, by way of a cultural history lesson, here are some facts. Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 each year. The day was originally called Anniversary Day then, from the early 19th century, it was called Foundation Day. In 1946 the Governments of the day all agreed on Australia Day, to be celebrated on the same day. We all used to get a Public Holiday on the Monday after Australia Day, then we didn’t and now we do again, I some states at some times. Or something. I don’t think anyone really knows how it works, we all just leave work on the Friday and say to the boss, ‘See you Tuesday.’ Everyone whose boss doesn’t say anything gets the day off.
Well, they probably didn’t think that at all, it was more like; “Orh, Shit. This is not anything like the postcards. How are we supposed to grow English breakfast Tea in this dry barren dirt?” But we are glad that the convicts and the free settlers had the smarts to get it together and create a nation which has been fortunate enough to avoid the upheavals and invasions suffered by so many ancient regions throughout the world. And we have some fair beers, too. Although this was not always the case. More of that in a later post.
For now I will take you through an Australia Day barbecue. First, by way of a cultural history lesson, here are some facts. Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 each year. The day was originally called Anniversary Day then, from the early 19th century, it was called Foundation Day. In 1946 the Governments of the day all agreed on Australia Day, to be celebrated on the same day. We all used to get a Public Holiday on the Monday after Australia Day, then we didn’t and now we do again, I some states at some times. Or something. I don’t think anyone really knows how it works, we all just leave work on the Friday and say to the boss, ‘See you Tuesday.’ Everyone whose boss doesn’t say anything gets the day off.
Around at Prof. Pilsner’s place the gang gathered for a BBQ. The table overflowed with steak marinated in Bundaberg Rum, mustard, fresh rosemary, honey and olive oil, some of the biggest, juiciest Australian prawns I’ve ever had, kangaroo in Cooper’s Special Vintage Ale (2004) and BBQ steamed whole Red Snapper with chilli and fresh herbs. To celebrate the diversity we enjoy in Australia, we also threw on some fried rice, BBQ’d dim sims – you have to try them - and Greek style lamb with chilli, oregano and lemon.
The conversation, as is normally the case, was fairly immature, rude, puerile and too boring overall to bother you with here, but let’s just say we can all be thankful that we have the freedom in this country to take the piss out of just about every aspect of every facet of every persons life, belief system, work status and sporting allegiance and everybody else just takes it in the light hearted manner it deserves. Know what I mean?
The beers were fairly straightforward representatives of the Australian standard lager – VB, Melbourne Bitter, Crown Lager, Cascade Premium, Tasman Bitter and Boag’s Draught. No nonsense beers for a hot day of trash talk and catching up with mates. And plenty of them.
I will leave the story here because the youngest Pilsner had a big day yesterday with everyone around and no daytime kip ad now she’s bugging me for everything from a cuddle to more prawns and a bottle and I will have o tend to her ever changing needs and whims.
Hope you all had a good Australia Day and stopped for a second during the day to reflect on just how God-Dammned-Blessed-and-Lucky we are to live in the great wide brown land. Down Under.
Cheers,
Prof. Pilsner
