A Few of My Favorite Things

Posted at 11:00 PM, Monday, February 11, 2008

Over the weekend, I ate the best bagel I've had in years--crunchy and chewy on the outside, soft on the inside. Superb. The thing is, I made it myself, making use of Mark Bittman's recipe from his bible "How to Cook Everything" and also Joan Nathan's cooking instructions from "The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen." Bagels are available in Adelaide, but they are doughy and PRICEY--$4.00 for a bag of four mediocre bagels, and $1.70 each for somewhat better quality bagels at the Central Market.

I shouldn't make too much of how impossible it is to find a decent bagel in South Australia. The truth is, it's really hard to find a decent bagel even in Pittsburgh. (The only really good bagels are imported from H&H Bagels in Manhattan and sold out of bins at Murray Avenue Kosher.) It wouldn't be so bad if bagels were the only thing I couldn't find here. But there are lots more things near and dear to my heart that are sold nowhere in the country, and I miss them.

You may remember back in December how Bobby and I marked our anniversary over hot fudge sundaes. Of course, the hot fudge was homemade. It almost didn't get made, because corn syrup is sold under the name "glucose syprup" and is surprisingly hard to get for something that is so necessary for making candy. The recipe came from Mark Bittman's book and was quite yummy, especially with sliced banana, nuts, and whipped cream. Not only can't you find hot fudge sundaes in Adelaide, you can't even find ice cream parlors. Cafes will often sell gelato out of a freezer, and most everywhere has packaged ice cream bars. But I haven't found a place yet that makes its own ice cream.

The family restaurant is also missing from Australian life, although perhaps that's not such a bad thing. From time to time we go to Fasta Pasta, which offers a children's menu with a gelato cone at the end of the meal. No little package of crayons when you arrive, though. The kids really miss Eat'n'Park, the family restaurant chain that seems limited to the Pittsburgh area. I admit I also get misty eyed thinking of their menu that featured something for everyone, including grilled cheese sandwiches. Plus the smiley-face cookies at the end of the meal.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are another item that is well nigh impossible to find here. People do make the sandwiches at home, but they're unavailable in restaurants.

We miss General Mills cereals. Bobby is desperate for Wheat Chex, although he's a little less grumpy since we started buying Mini Wheats. Cheerios are available, made by Nestle, but they are way sweeter than their American equivalent, and I just don't enjoy them as much.

Many products that are sold in Australia taste different than their American counterparts. Brits will complain that the Cadbury chocolate sold here tastes different than the chocolate in England. Mars bars taste different here, and so do Nestle bars. Everything has more sugar packed in, presumably to satisfy Australians' bottomless hunger for sugar. (?)

I miss diners. There's really nowhere to go for a cheap breakfast. A cheap breakfast around here is under $10, and there aren't any homefries. And I miss brewed coffee, which just isn't to be found anywhere except on airplanes. You either get instant coffee for $1.50 a cup, or the ubiquitous espresso for $3 a cup and up. I brought my Melitta filter holder from America and use it every day, but there's nowhere near my office to get a cup of coffee in the middle of the day that won't put hair on my chest.

And finally is the lack of decent bread. I buy whole wheat bread at the supermarket (known as "wholemeal" locally), but I'm sure it's at least 60% white flour. Even the bakeries--of which there are many--do not carry the kind of solid, sturdy whole grain bread that you can find in America. Again, if you want good bread, you need to make it yourself.

There is much to love about Australia. But there are certainly those moments when I crave something, and know I won't be tasting it for a long time to come.