Australia Day 2004 Menu Reflections

To Gawen Rudder the question, "What food, and drink, came to mind for Australia Day?" seemed fair enough. The Americans have their Thanksgiving turkey, whilst our adolescent country is yet to agree upon - let alone define - its very own distinctive Australian fare.

The wonder of Australian food and wine is its incredible diversity; so why was I surprised at the amazing range of responses? Proving there's more to our food than Lamingtons and VB, members' discussion and debate on our Australia Day menu ranged from environmental to political, gastronomical, oenological and nostalgia . . .

Belinda Jeffery's Australia Day memories took her back to family picnics at Paradise Beach on Pittwater, "sitting on a log with my sister, wrapped in a towel from yet another swim, eating slices of watermelon and seeing who could spit the seeds the furthest (she was bigger and always won!)". She remembers "the sun on my back, the trickles of salty water running off my plaits and the sticky watermelon juice dripping down my arms, and to this day I can hear the cicadas, smell the gums and feel the fine white sand between my toes".

Jan Power sends thoughts from Queensland of "over-ripe mangoes dribbled down the chin, mango chutney competitions, blowfly and bin rituals. The sounds of summer, crabs claws cracking and fat, fecund figs falling off backyard trees and rotting on the ground."

Mary Atkins finds that every surf club has a barbecue breakfast function - as do most of the service clubs and community groups. She believes t hat barbecuing has established itself as our national cooking technique, be it the sausage sizzle or something grander. As our economy "has ridden on a sheep's back" for most of recent history and lamb is an Australian culinary signature, Mary chose lamb, either the perennial favourite of crumbed lamb cutlets or something more contemporary.

Not surprisingly, Meat & Livestock Australia's David Thomason agrees. "It's always open house at our place on January 26 with family and friends stopping by for lamb chops sizzling on the barbie - Australia's national meat! This year we cooked up a lamb feast again, spending the day appreciating the wonderful food (and wines) we have here." Only problem for David is that one day is never enough."So why not do it all over again?" he asks, "why limit ourselves to just Australia Day?"

Similarly, for Gabriel Gate barbecues come to mind - sausages, lamb chops, chicken pieces, salads, plus cheese or chocolate cake and fruit salad, washed down with beer, white wine or sparkling."But what," our Australianised Frenchman asks, "would Australians say? More importantly, what would you say? 'G'day mate! Let's welcome more people to this great country!' "

John Newton is not quite so optimistic, pointing out, "Anyone who turns up on our doorstep is turned away quick smart. No room at our inn - unless of course it's the Baxter Inn - behind razor wire" and wonders "what they eat in the concentration camps - sorry - detention centres".

"What foods, flavours or ingredients most make me proud to be an Australian on our National Day?" asked Vic Cherikoff."They would have to be unique to this land. Their traditions of use, although integrated into our fusion cuisine styles, would need to be long and deep. What other nation can claim the use of foods from the longest, continuously living culture on the planet? The dishes in the meal would need to balance salt (reflecting the sea), bitter (from the inland), sweet (the rainforest), sour (from our woodlands), aromatic and pungent (from any of these environs and more) with due attention paid to textures, from smooth to crisp and colours of richness to equal our splendid vistas". Vic starts with an ivory white-fleshed perch fillet crumbed and fried in the speckled purple and green fleck of alpine pepper and topped with fat rock oysters smoked in paperbark. On to a main of game meat from the outback with a rich sauce of quandong and shiraz spiked with forest anise to  stimulate the appetite and tonify the spirit. Finally, our National Dessert: rolled wattle seed Pavlova, with a wild-herbscented biscuit crumble and a garnish of glace riberries.

Every year Max Lake does a large bowl of pasta salad of cold spirilli flavoured with chopped makrut lime, coriander and fresh mint leaves, the best fish sauce and enough cold pressed peanut oil to toss easily."Very satisfying", he reckons, "and always enjoyed by my mob. Maybe a few chopped little green scuds if the table accepts a chilli hit along with the rose fragrance."

Loukie Werle also does pasta - with a difference: pasta with pippies that fits the occasion perfectly. (For her recipe, go to www.foodmediaclub.com.au).

Perth-based bon vivant Peter Forrestal quaffed a celebratory Jansz Premium  Cuvee, Vintage 1999; fittingly, the 2004 winner of the National Australia Day Council's Perpetual Trophy for 'Australia Day Wine of the Year'. After the bubbly, "One or more of the  quintessential Aussie drinks, like sparkling shiraz (great with roast), Rutherglen muscat (one of the lighter ones for summer drinking) and Hunter semillon".