Munching Through Melbourne

(steve)

Here we are in Melbourne, the city of food and art according to Lonely Planet. We arrived in town to eat, and eat well. Melbourne is a port city on southern coast where the Yarra River meets the sea. With nearby gold strikes in the mid 1800's, Melbourne became an overnight sensation filled with immigrants from China, Greece, and Italy. The blending of these different cultures resulted in a widely diverse city. All three cultures contribute to create a sophisticated feel to the city, from the architecture and fashion to the cuisine. Certainly, Melbourne deliberately moved at a slower pace compared with Sydney. It was fun to stroll through the secluded pedestrian lanes and sit in small cafes.



Luckily for us, Chinese, Greek, and Italian cultures bring along some of our favorite cuisine. Our gastronomic stay in Melbourne was filled with a wide range of tasty treats from a variety of locations. Two notable spot were Stalactites (Greek) and Cafe Segovia (Modern Aussie) that particularly pleased. We also visited Max Brenners to sample their range of fine melted chocolate concoctions to round out the gluttony.

The centerpiece of our visit was definitely the Good Food and Wine Festival. Held in the Melbourne Convention Centre, the event brought together a wide range of food products to sample. Karen had read about the event while we were in Sydney, causing us to rearrange the schedule specifically to fit it in. Some examples of the products include everything from gourmet yoghurt to olive oils and also a wine and beer tasting area. To our surprise, a friend of ours from Brisbane (Tam, from the West Coast Wilderness team in New Zealand) was going to be in the city at the same time and wanted to meet us there. Armed with our wine glasses, the three of us roamed the floor for an afternoon and had a great time. During the show, a series of celebrity chefs gave demonstrations in one corner of the event centre. They broadcast the demo on a big screen accompanied by glib comments. One other surprise came when we stumbled across the New Zealand Wine display. Inside were two wineries that we had visited previously. We chatted about the visit with the Kiwis and they were all impressed we would remember. It was also interesting to sample their wine again and note differences from our first impressions. The festival was fun, and we hope to attend more of them at home now too.



The very next morning we walked down to Queen Victoria Market to join the Foodie Tour. Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air marked in the southern hemisphere. The market filled about 7 hectares, complete with over 30 butchers, a huge deli section, cafes, produce halls, and merchandise of all shapes and sizes. If you were looking for something, chances are it was there. Our tour of the market focused on the food aspects. We started with the meat hall, where the butchers catered to specific portions of the populace (Greek, Italian, etc.). Along the way we were instructed on the differences between male and female pork, specialty vs. volume butchers, and a load of other little tidbits that often go unappreciated with a stroll along the booths. Our journey through the deli section included a number of sample stops to stuff our faces. The booth owners/operators were usually really nice and answered all manner of questions. It must be so nice to have that huge repository of experience to tap into at will. We decided that the market was about the coolest shopping experience we've ever had, and that it's too bad we don't have anything quite like it back home.