From a Korean chef shocked by the varieties of rice, to a Colombian man who ponders the lack of a national dish, overseas-born Australians share their culinary surprises
When I first bought chicken in Australia, I was horrified to see how much blood oozed out of the packaging and congealed on my frying pan. I forgot that I was used to buying halal chicken in Malaysia, where the blood was drained from the carcass. I was so put off by my new Australian meat produce that for three months I shopped at a kosher butcher since it employs similar blood-draining techniques. The day I could buy and cook meat from a standard Australian market was when I knew my tastebuds had evolved.
Do not let that paragraph fool you into thinking I am a capable cook with high standards. In fact, I never considered cooking an essential adult life skill because I subsisted on delicious, cheap hawker food in Malaysia. In 2014, I migrated to Australia and had to change my food habits because eating out daily was too costly. Luckily, learning to cook in Australia was a delightful journey, even if I had to first master the basics. I read local recipes and watched local cooking shows to understand techniques (roasting, baking) and shortcuts (use the food processor to mince onions; always use store-bought filo pastry). I roamed markets and grocery shops and became familiar with different produce (broccolini, kohlrabi) and herbs (sage, rosemary).
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