I was up (as usual) at about 05:00 and wrote up my blog (I do it in word first before committing it to Blogger) and down sized a few photos. I then went up to the roof kitchen and dining room. This is incidentally, where the sundeck and swimming pool is situated, but more of that later. I made myself a nice breakfast of bacon, fried eggs and toast. I am at the moment drinking (with the exception of the odd flat white when out) only tap water (well if it was good enough for the settlers and prisoners then that will do me).So breakfast cooked, eaten and the things washed and stowed away I headed into town along George Street, passing the New Law Courts with the City Hall behind.
Across Adelaide Street and then to the Wednesday Farmers Market that takes place at the lower end of Queens Street at Reddacliff Place.
This also contains the City Library, like the State Library across the river handy if you want free internet, it also contains the casino housed in the old Treasury Building, another historical building put to another use (similar to its earlier use but at least now you have a chance of getting something for your money)
The Old Treasury Building
The market crams lots into a quite small area, it is a farmers, food producers market, so this is what it does, I only noticed one deviation from this and that was one of the stall was also selling pendants and necklaces. All too often many victualing markets turn into a hotchpotch of general bric-a-brac, car boot and supposedly artisan artefacts stalls, this one hasn’t.
I walked around, just weighing up what I was going to buy, I fancied fish tonight and had spied that the fish stall had some Moreton Bay Bug meat on sale at a very reasonable price, they aslo had local oysters at A$13,-a dozen, this I noted for later (I didn’t intend hauling fresh fish around with me for half a day (though fair do’s, on the stall they do wrap it and put it in the chiller for you to pick up later, alas I only found out about this later).
I now had in my mind what I would be cooking later and that was bug meat cooked in a chilli-lime sauce. With that and sampling the fresh freebe’s (every fruit stall has dishes with, mangos, apples pawpaw’s, melons, peaches, plums to taste) all the time you hear “would you like to taste sir, no obligation” I also sampled a coconut yoghurt, Biltong, Beef, Roo, Emu Jerky (with various spices and Au natural), Because of the strict hygiene laws there is no fresh meat on sale, but a German stall does sell the whole range of pork dishes, from Wurst to Kassler . They also have the BBQ and roasting oven on the go for those that would like a Bock, Brat, Krakower or any other Wurst in a bun. (For lunch I had roast pork on sauerkraut with loads of crackling).But for the moment I had a fresh pressed frozen lemon juice with a raspberry topping (it was after all creeping up to 28°C and it wasn`t yet 10:00.
I decided to pop into the city library for an hour to read my mail and chat on the wildfood board and all the other stuff one must do now-a-days. I also wrote a few post cards just to keep those without an electronic means of communication informed of my goings on, there still are a few.
When I came out I went across the road to the main pedestrian shopping precinct, I needed to buy a few things, I think all I bought was another stack of post cards, having used up my last 3. But I window shopped and then decided to go back and have lunch at the German stand. I almost tried the stall next door, this was Spanish and had Paella (various types) on the go, but my German home won the day.
I then went to a small Vietnamese stall and bought, chillis, garlic, onion, red pepper and tomatoes, I went there because the lady was such a dear and they didn’t mind selling in ones and twos . I then went back to the fish stall, alas no oysters left ( I knew I should have had them earlier, but I was still full from breakfast.
But he still had bug meat and at A$ 15 a 500g pack it was a gift. Next door was a smoke oven doing hot smoked Tasmanian salmon with various herbs and spices.
I then hot footed it back to the hostel to get the bug meat into a fridge, stopping on the way to have a pie from one of the better pie shops (I have become quite a regular).
As I passed the Roma street travel centre (where all of the trains and busses come into town) I noticed 3 young lasses in front of me, I couldn’t resist taking a photo, this is how not to backpack!!
Not only that but they seemed to be lost, I asked were they wanted to be, they pointed at a map and I said you are heading in the opposite direction, the lasses, 2 scousers and a brummie a long way from home!! I never took that amount of swag with me when I went away on a two year sea journey.
Everything stowed in the fridges, I decided to cross the road and have a well-earned cold pint in the Hogs Breath Pub. Then back for a bit of sunning on the deck and general lazing around reading my travel guide for SE Asia.
I then took a few photos of the Brisbane YHA, just to show you what they have in the way of amenities.
It was by this time to get my spiced bug on the road.
I diced and softened an onion in butter (I am on holiday), while that was softening I deseeded and diced 4 birds eye chillies and a green chilli, 1 tomato, 2 cloves of garlic and 5 anchovy filets. I removed the zest from 1 lime, sliced and diced it.
I added the garlic to the onions and softened for a few minutes (not too long you don’t want then to burn, I added a teaspoon of tomato paste, cooked for a couple of seconds and added the tomatoes, chillies, lime zest and anchovies, I allowed to soften and then added a good splash of Teri-yaki sauce, I then put in ½ tsp. ground cumin and ½ tsp. ground coriander, also a good sprinkling of chilli flakes (I like mine hot). I cooked out the spices, adding a handful of fresh coriander, before added the bug meat and cooking in the sauce, it only takes a few minutes, do not, I repeat do not overcook it as it may go tough. A squeeze of Lime juice and away you go!I only used ½ of the bug meat as tomorrow I was aiming to do something totally different.
And that ladies and gents, was my evening meal.
28th November
I was again up bright and early (I am no matter what, too much going on and too much to miss). I decided on no breakfast or at least not in the hostel, I was going to the State Library to get some information about plants and birds and things and they have a very good café attached to the bookshop. I got myself showered, packed my day backpack and headed off across the William Jolly Bridge.The William Jolly Bridge
This takes you straight to all of the museums, galleries, theatres, cinema and the State Library on the South Bank. The library doesn’t open until 10:00 so I arriving at 09:30 had plenty of time to have a cup of flat white and a lemon muffin.
Breakfast over, the library was open, so it was up to the second floor reference section, there I spent a good couple of hours digesting books on Australian birds, tropical plants, shrubs and trees, needless to say I know a great deal more about them that I did before, interesting how many plants from the Antipodes’ are now common features of our gardens back home.
I also read my mail and done a quick post on a board that I belong to. I published my blog (it is the downsizing of photos that takes most of the time; I wish they had an automatic function that reduces down to the required blogging format.
That done I headed back across the bridge and to the Barracks complex to do my shopping for the evening at Coles.
Coles shopping list:
1 stalk of lemon grass
1 red pepper
6 mushrooms
1 bunch of sprouting broccoli
1 bunch of baby asparagus
I then popped into the Drifter for a pint (Drifter is the bar, café, restaurant attached to the YHA).
It was still early afternoon and it was hot, so I decided to marinade the remainder of bug meat for that evening’s meal.
I bashed and sliced ½ of the lemon grass
Chopped 1 red and 1 green chilli
Crushed and diced 2 cloves of garlic
Juice of ½ a lime
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
Placed the bug meat in a container with a good slog of Teri-yaki sauce, placed all of the above ingredients in with it and lid on and into the fridge for a couple of hours. While that was in the fridge, I creamed myself (sun cream) and went out onto the sun deck for a couple of hours.
5 o’clock prompt (you need to get in early before the surfing and day trip rabble gets back, as then it gets more than a bit hectic). I headed for the kitchen, chopped an onion (rough), crushed a clove of garlic, diced the remainder of the lemon grass and sliced half of the red pepper. I oiled (spray) a wok and added the onion, garlic fried until translucent. In the mean time I put a pan of water on to boil, on top went a bamboo steaming basket , into this went the washed and cut broccoli and asparagus.
Next I sliced some mushrooms and added these
to the onions, quick stir fry, then in went the contents of the container, quick stir fry just enough to cook the bug meat, tasted sauce adjusted with lime juice, salt and pepper, mixed in the broccoli and asparagus. How quick was that!Boy was it tasty, I even had enough for breakfast the next day!
I didn’t take any photos of the food (except a couple of steaks that 2 Sheila’s had cooking!Big Appetites those two lasses!
But did of the kitchen and other facilities in this first class Youth Hostel.
The Crockery section
Front Cooking stations
Rear cooking stations
Outdoor Eating area
Indoor Eating area
Communal area and lifts
Outside of the Youth Hostel
Reception area
Swimming pool and sundeck
Brisbane by nightI had met a new roommate earlier ( a constant changing clientele, the girls doing the rooms (housekeepers) certainly earn their keep (they don’t get paid only bed and board). He came from Manheim on the Ruhr and had worked for 10 years for a firm that I knew very well, MVM, I had worked on their ships generating sets many times in my past life on board ship and the Emergency generating sets at Gütersloh were also MVM. We had a good chat about this and that, he said he had had enough of work, had saved up and had decided to see Australia. He had bought an Estate car and put a mattress in the back and was traveling around Oz where ever the fancy took him, Gud on ya matey!
It was quite late when I got to bed, most unusual for me as I am normally in the sack at 22:00.
My next Blog will be from Adelaide as tomorrow is a laundry day, getting booked on my flight and then there is a Barbie tonight, all for A$5,- BYO! I shall, I shall.
See you in Adelaide mateys!
