A week of discovery

1. You don’t have to spend a fortune to start backyard beekeeping.
2. Marua (Maah-rua) Road, Ellerslie.  What a great street.  My new favourite lunch spot, my new favourite food store and a second hand bookshop all in a few hundred metres.
3. Mexican Specialities – cafe and Mexican importer – YUUUMMM!
4. Asian food wholesaler / retailer: Shaji’s Spices.  These guys have every kind of seed, pulse and spice under the sun, at great prices and they’re just passionate about their food.  And they get five deliveries of fresh Indian bread a day.  Five.  How cool is that?
5. Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower has (thick) glass panels in the floor of the observation deck so you can walk over hundreds of metres of thin air.  Which might have been a problem for me if I hadn’t already discovered...
6.  I can overcome my fear of heights.  Tree Adventures.  Fun and sore arms.
7. Auckland Council gives 2 hours worth of consultation free about improving the energy efficiency and healthiness of your home.  And then EECA give grants for things like insulation materials and workmanship.  But we all knew that already, right?
8. Wool insulation just isn’t as good as fibreglass, inch for inch.  L
9. A great Italian pizzeria in central Auckland.  Real pizza.  At last.  Thank goodness.  These guys are super friendly too.
10.  Medievo: an Age-of-Empires-esque computer game which I can play within my browser.  That could cause much distraction...

Being a good cook is...

Fish are cunning, be prepared.  Kiwiana.

Being a cook is not about using the trendiest, costliest ingredients and mixing east and west in ever more surprising cocktails.  It's not about perfection, or panache, or even a certain je ne sais quoi.  That might be what being a chef is about, but how would I know - I am a cook.
Being a cook is about taking what your budget, your friends or mother nature sees fit to grant you and making it into a yummy dish just in time for the ravenous hoardes to work up an appetite.  And then taking the same ingredients and making them into something different but equally yummy on day two and day three.  It's about taking advantage of a glut today and preparing for tomorrow.  It's about whipping something delicious up for three guests and then keeping a smile on your face and a clue in your head when six guests arrive. 

Beetroot in my veggie garden

It's knowing when simple and tasty is better than ambitious and risky.  It's getting the most out of other people's recipes without being chained to them.  It's about enthusiasm and pragmatism.  It's knowing why sharing food is a joy and a vital part of being a family, or being a community.

Anglo-Saxon versus Mediterranean

As I settle into an office-worker's routine here in Auckland, I feel that something is missing.  And that might be the 'je ne sais quoi' of the mediterranean lifestyle.
Don't get me wrong, I've gained a lot.  It's wonderful to have democracy, (relative) freedom from racism, ageism and sexism, professional respect and opportunity, financial/job security, a choice of things to do in the evening, and decent chips.
And yet... Italians, for all the scorn they garner for having a shambles of a state, really know how to live.  Without even having to think about it, they know what's important in life and what not to sweat over. 
Now I'm here, I spend about two hours a day in traffic, I don't have time to cook, I don't stop to ask neighbours how they are over a coffee in the morning, I don't stop to take photographs as often, I don't eat lunch at home with my loved ones, I don't feel part of a community.
I miss the contact of kissing people on both cheeks in greeting.  Us anglo-saxons can sometimes be so wrapped up in our own world that we forget what it's like to connect with people.  At an Italian gathering, everyone says hello to everyone else, and no one leaves without wishing everyone goodbye.  Every gathering involves sitting down to eat and drink together.  Small talk is never "what do you do?" but "how are you?" - about the person not their job.  Work just isn't what they live for.
So, as so many people have asked, do I like my new life?  Yes, I do.  Do I miss Italy?  Oh yes.

In Praise of the Pukeko

Pukeko spotting in downtown Auckland

This is my first attempt at putting video online, so forgive the clumsiness! 
Despite the pouring rain I enjoyed Auckland's Saturday Farmer's Market yesterday.  I saw these cheeky pukekos en route - right in the middle of the city.
I got some lovely bread - bread made the real way, sourdough and all.  To hear more about why it's so important, look at the writings of Felicity Lawrence.  I also loved the Turkish food stall - easily the nicest humus, pita and harissa I've had, and the feta was darn good too.
The veggies weren't the cheapest but they were local and seasonal, and some were organic.
A local energy company is running a series of funny ads featuring pukekos - they're a bit more amusing than mine!

*     *     *

In Italiano!: Il piacere del Pukeko
Nonostante la forte pioggia, mi sono divertita al mercato dei agricoltori nel centro di Auckland ieri.  Ho visto questi uccelli impertinenti sulla strada - proprio in centro della citta'!

The Job Lot

Jobs, or should I say careers, were a big part of the decision to move to New Zealand. Oceania was touted to be weathering the global storm better than most places, and it would certainly have a more modern, merit-based approach to recruitment than Italy.

I don't want to tempt fate by speaking too soon, but I've had a really good interview (my third meeting with a potential employer), and I might soon be a gainfully employed person once more. Relief! Self-worth!

Going out for a pub meal tonight to celebrate with the housemates. Review to follow.

* * *

The Horse and Trap pub just across the trainline in the trendy Mount Eden quarter gets a big thumbs up. Nice terrace, nice atmosphere, and some nice offers to pull you in. The boys had chosen to go there for the Friday night deal of pork ribs for $5 (€2.50 or £2.30) - big bowl of 'em. My pizza was slightly less bargainous, being $17.50 (€9 or £8) (but considerably cheaper than the Italian restaurant the other night which was $24 or €12.30 or £11). It was called:

Grazer - roast red capsicum, garlic, spiced pumpkin, eggplant, topped with mozzarella

and its kind hasn't been seen within the Italian peninsula. In fact, I'm not entirely sure it classifies as a pizza. Was nice though. I can't imagine what our pizzaiolo would say about the so-called:

Italian - chicken, bacon, blue cheese, onion jam

except that it's not. Still, who's complaining? I'm getting used to paying $34 for the absolute cheapest bottle of plonk (which, to be fair, was quite drinkable), when good wine in Italy was easily half that. I guess I should switch back to beer drinking. It's not cheaper, but they do make some great ales here. I enjoyed Monteiths Original.


In Italiano!: Il lavoro
Il lavoro constituiva gran parte della decisione di trasferirci in Nuova Zelanda. Sembrava che si sosteneva meglio nella crisi mondiale, e comunque, l'atteggiamento neozelandese sarebbe sicuramente piu' moderno e piu' basato sul merito di una persona rispetto alla situazione in Italia.
Non voglio parlarne troppo presto, ma sono ottimista di aver trovato un lavoro; ho fatto un buon colloquio. Che solievo! Che ritorno di autostima!
Esco con i coinquilini a festeggiare - commenti sul pub saranno publicati dopo!

* * *

Mi piace la Horse and Trap nel quartiere del momento Mount Eden. E' un ambiente bello con un terrazzo fuori. Ho mangiato una pizza, ma non e' stata per niente come le pizze in Italia. Si chiamava:

Grazer - peperoni rossi arrosti, aglio, zucca speziata, melanzane, mozzarella

In realta', non sono convinta che se la possono chiamare "la pizza". E' stata buona comunque. Non sono sicura che cosa avrebbe detto il nostro pizzaiolo italiano della:

Italian - pollo, pancetta, gorgonzola, confettura di cipolla

a parte che non lo e'.
Il vino piu' economico del pub costava $34 (€17,50), non era male. Al posto del vino dovrei bere la birra. Non e' piu' economica, ma se la fanno bene qui. Mi piace la "Monteiths Original" birra rossa.