Vegetarianism in Australia

[SurferMan]

Just look out for North Indian places, they are more carrot nibblers than South Indians, who eat far more meat. A fair portion of Paki places are also good with veggie food.

[rozellem]

EmNew, if stuck for a meal Indian will always have many options. Most Hindus I know are vegetarian and cook amazing meals. Indian specific food shops are also hugely cheaper than regular shops for the types of food they stock. For example if you want to buy lots of pulses and grains, then dont head for a regular health shop in a mall, but google Indian grocers/shops.

Lastly, as a newcomer in the First World. Please do yourself (and us all) a favour by not referring to other nationalities in a derogatory term. (Yes, looking at you Surferman!) I know it can be a minefield of new words, but just dont.

[AshB]

Hey Saffers, the ISKCON Temples all over Australia (Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane, Perth, etc) offer scrumptious purely vegetarian meals everyday (Sundays are the best with song and dance ) to the public (for a small donation), since coming to Aus a year ago,yes, I gave up eating meat in totality. Not necessarily to dress up in Indian attire to attend. I see lot of Australians there.All are Welcome.

If you are in Sydney - Harris Park and Wentworthville are little India (or Durban), being of North Indian ancestory I get most of my stock there.

And rozellem don't be too hard on SurferMan,

[OubaasDik]

You've got to forgive SurferMan - he seems like "he are a Dutchman" - heart of gold (maybe) and says what everyone else thinks, but are too sophisticated to say.

I particularly remember the thread where he was talking about his church and then wanted to go out and attract hoons to "donner" them.

Now, most of us believe that hoons deserve a good "donnering", but we talk around the subject and talk about "letting the law take its course" and so on.

This is getting far from the original veggie-ism.

The other posters have it right - in most cities you can find vegetarian restaurants and most restaurants have at least a few vegetarian of vegan dishes along with gluten-free. Don't expect them to be inspired.

If anyone gives you uphill tell him it's your culture - most Aussies have been so indoctrinated they'll believe it and shut up in case they get called racists ....

[SurferMan]

Hi there Rozellem,

Please explain which term you found offensive. I am pretty sure whatever term I used is not offensive, given that they/it and has and is used by the very people I associate myself with. (Indians and Pakistani) and whom I class as good mates.

Happy to take your input, but on re-reading my post, fail to see where I put my foot wrong. That's not to say I cannot be corrected or am perfect by ANY stretch. You may find it instructive to note that National Geographic and some official provinces on the Indian subcontinent (Yes it's not a full continent!) and Pakistan refer to themselves respectively as "Pakis" and "injuns" as a street term of social collective. Northern and Southern indians have terms that relate to one another as well, and they also have a well documented caste system that is practised daily.

The entymology of the words are believed to be based in Anglo/Indian orientation, much like "cuzzie, Coloured, darkie etc et al" These are words used by journalists, reporters, commentators, polticial parties in the daily South African discourse.

Depending on your level of sensitivity, you either find this okay all the way to offensive. I know of many folk of these respective descents who refer to themselves in these terms, both in public and in private, and it is my position that I do not take offence to this as a matter of principle, purely because it is impossible to please alll audiences. That said, I do take offence at outright racial slurs, and steer clear of these as far as possible.

You may find the cook book, Mangoes and Curry Leaves, a most enlightening read, and no, I'm trying to be patronisning. I learnt SO MUCH about Indian, Pakistani and Rajustani culture in that book it blew my mind. Cultural nuances such as hawking (Spitting on the pavement/ground is normal, but here in the "West" we find it offensive. now which triumphs, the right to practice your sulture, or the right of the incumbent Western person? Makes for an intetresting debate no doubt!

So I appreciate your input, and am happy to apologise for any errant verbal infraction I may have visted upon you. But I speak my mind so may upset a few viewers along the way.

[Mikej]

Hello AshB

Can you go to the restaurant only to eat or do you need to get involved with a ceremony of some kind.

Thanks

[SurferMan]

OBD,

You nailed it mate! I'm probably a bit bogan around the edges. I have a dark skin, and one of my favourite jokes at the old Pretoria stiff white club braais was to say I reckon I have a "bit of the old tar brush in me" Man it would fire up the Afrikaaners NO END. And THAT was the point, so what if I did (Which I don't know if I do or don't)

1: Can I change it? No.

2: Do I care? No

3: Does it bother me? No.

I prefer to have a good laugh at my expense and enjoy the smiles on a mates face than cock a leg at some semantics. Seriously, if you tried to keep up with all the PC club, you would die a shrivelled old fart in some joint running 3 square meals a day. Oh dear, I guess I just upset the retirement home folks! ooops. Time to head for the hills. :jester: :jester:

Sorry everyone, just trying to keep a smile on a thread that was talking about carrot nibblers....OOpppps :oops: :oops:

May I make some supplications by offering a free vegan recipe? Promise it will be good....

I think.... :ilikeit:

Edited January 30, 2015 by SurferMan

[OubaasDik]

OBD,

You nailed it mate! I'm probably a bit bogan around the edges. I have a dark skin, and one of my favourite jokes at the old Pretoria stiff white club braais was to say I reckon I have a "bit of the old tar brush in me" Man it would fire up the Afrikaaners NO END. And THAT was the point, so what if I did (Which I don't know if I do or don't)

1: Can I change it? No. Yes, can't be arsed to

2: Do I care? No

3: Does it bother me? No.

I prefer to have a good laugh at my expense and enjoy the smiles on a mates face than cock a leg at some semantics. Seriously, if you tried to keep up with all the PC club, you would die a shrivelled old fart in some joint running 3 square meals a day. Oh dear, I guess I just upset the retirement home folks! ooops. Time to head fo the hills. :jester: :jester:

Sorry everyone, just trying to keep a smile on a thread that was talking about carrot nibblers....OOpppps :oops: :oops:

Fixed that for you.

My take exactly - my interjections are (usually) more subtle and in the line of innuendos (Innuendo - *fnarr, fnarr*) than your more "broad" efforts.

I love seeing or imagining the shock I occasionally see on someone's face when I bring out one of my more outrageous ones.

For an explanation of "fnarr, fnarr" see http://viz.co.uk/ NSFW

[SurferMan]

PMSL OBD!!!

Maaaate, check this out. Warning, people with lheightened sense of humour, DO NOT click on this link.

For those with slightly broader humour, please get your gut muscles ready :offtopic: :offtopic:

[rozellem]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Paki

[RAD]

You know Surferman, I have been known to be very vocal with regards to racist comments on this forum. With you however when I read your post sometimes my jaw drops at many of the things you say BUT having said that, I am able to tell that you do actually have a heart of gold and I am able to tell that you DO NOT harbour any contempt for people of various colours. In my opinion, you deserve credit for that. So with that in mind I would like to enlighten you. I am of Indian heritage and I must admit, I have never heard anyone in my community refer to themselves as "pakis" or "injuns". Rozellem is right, this reference is a derogatory term. I will leave it at that.

Can I add: to those in Melbourne, there is a shop in Dandenong called Hindustan. It is on Greens road ( just off the south gipps land highway) This shop has Tastic rice but it's not packaged as the tastic packet we are familiar with. The packaging states it's from Thailand. I have bought this and am very happy with it , especially for my South African styled Breyani's. This shop has South African products as well. They have all all the spices you could imagine from most parts of the world. They are also really well priced.

Edited January 30, 2015 by RAD

[Maktub]

I think I know more vegetarians and vegans here in Ballarat and Melbourne than I do people who eat meat!

Lentil as Anything (Melbourne and Sydney, and looks like Adelaide coming soon) is awesome - and I love their concept of 'pay what you want' and giving back to community:

http://​http://lentilasanything.com

Other popular haunts in Melbourne:

http://vegiebar.com.au

http://yonggreenfood.com.au

The best app to use is UrbanSpoon - for all options, and all price ranges.

[EmNew]

Wow - am quite overwhelmed by the response my question has received!

Thank you all for your contributions in addressing the acceptance issue, providing the links / names of great eat out options, recipes and even some controversial 'pot-stirring'

I can't thank individuals due to time work related time constraints , but I really value all the replies and will be referring back to this post/topic regularly!

[OubaasDik]

EmNew,

This place is like that - you ask "where can I get the best vegetarian meal" and pretty soon after much discussion, everyone agrees you really want pork chops.

[SurferMan]

Hi RAD,

Thanks for the feedback, a most interesting circle of mates I must keep then! I got mates from Chatsworth (Yes they call it Chats) and Phoenix and we all used the terms. But it's a case of live and learn I guess. I do apologise if i stiffed you and or Rozellem one, it was not my intent but I am honest and did not make any of that up. These are real mates, many of whom I grew up with.

Just for info, i order my spices from 2brothers, darn good quality, gets here in no time and is really good value.

[SurferMan]

Another thing while I am so far off topic, LOL, I grew up in a town where the whites lived in one area, coloureds in one, and the indians and black folk another. We used to go in at night with the headlights off to visit and eat with my dad's indian mates. Man I tell you to this day I can remember Mrs. Govender's curries, and fresh baked rotis. (She used this ancient stone cooking top!)

But my NUMBER 1 dish was her fish curry. It burnt like seven colours of hell (I was a boy of about 9) but to this day I cannot replicate the taste 100%.

As kids, we had the Unfolozi river flowing down the side of the village, some 1-1,2km away.

We used to sneak down via secret pathways and then meet up to go and steal sugercane and ride the cane trains, called "Gollawynes". We used to run away from the "kerels" or cops back in the day, they almost never caught us. But I did get caught one day and got lashed 6 by the cops for hanging with my mates of colour, Still, was worth it, some of the best days of my life.

Ahh, the good times as a kid. Who remembers "Clay-lat?" You put a ball of mud on a whippy stick and moer the hell out of the other kids, and get it in return.

Edited January 31, 2015 by SurferMan

[RAD]

Hi Surferman, I'm a chassies(chatsworth) girl myself.....oh I can totally believe that the fish curry was that hot, fish curry is especially good with roti, and really even better with mealie meal roti, I don't know if you've ever had that? ...I'm a bit of a woes cos I cannot do extreme hot curry(lol)....although I find Nandos here a bit bland so I have to order extra hot...

Lol, I've not heard the word kerels in such a long time

[SurferMan]

PMSL,

Well RAD to this day i dunno what Mrs G "slat" into that curry, but frigging heck was it good. I remember sweating like a gym bunny but could NOT stop eating it. She made it with these huge onion ring slices, and with tamarind so the curry was sourish. I'm drooling just sitting here. I have never had mealie meal roti, "I DIMAND" the recipe with immediate effect! :jester:

We would sit there while my dad and her husband would knock back the ales while my mom and her chatted like two birds in the kitchen. Being a bit of a budding chef even back then, I would sneak in and watch. She had the most amazing array of herbs and spices on the known planet. The smells in that kitchen would make my head swim with culinary desire. She used traditional pots, and pans, and as I said, had a stone plate and proper Tandoor oven.

No I can do a hot curry, big time. i don't like the average "wit ou" who just tosses in some birds eye/habernero and then laughs when your brain explodes. (Experience alert, this has been my personal experience!)

I far prefer a super hot curry where the spices have been hand blended, are fresh, have been toasted where needed, and then correctly added at the right time to the pot. Where you can TASTE every spice, the nuances of each complimenting one another like a symphony conducted by a master. Utter gastronomic pleasure, ensuring the rush of endorphins that can only be ellicited by a master cook.

So many people I see buy that curry powder, err, I think it's Heinz or something, and then toss a bit of that into a stew and then baptise it a curry. Yuck! It's a runny mess with no flavour, the textures don't match, never has enough garlic and far too many potatoes added way too early. *Shudders*

I shall post you one of my all time favourites now. Courtesy of Mangoes and Curry Leaves, but with my stuff added.

Oh, although I dont eat bread anymore, I on occasion inhale a good old mutton bunny!

[SurferMan]

Vegan curry ahead EmNew!

This is my augergine curry. Could not find the recipe I was after in Mangoes and Curry Leaves.

You will need.

60g Tamarind pulp

1/2 a fresh coconut or frozen shredded

6 whole chillies (I use Nellore, Kashmirri or birds eye) I use 15-20 chillies in my version. Chop them up.

500g baby aubergines. use firm, plump puppies, not spongy ones.

1 teaspoons each coriander, cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon black (nigella/nigra) seeds

1 tablesppon fresh ginger, finely chopped up

10-12 curry leaves

500g onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder

Fresh coriander to top it all off with

4 garlic, crushed

Making it:

Soak tamarinf for about an hour or so.

Trim stems from aubergines and slit up the sides.

Toast your coconut for a few minutes, Then add your chillies, coriander and cumin. Toast for another 1min. Grind in stone mortar and pestle. Dont burn!!

add spash of oil to a pot and add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add garlic, ginger and the curry leaves and stir. Then toss in the turmeric and onions. After 20-30minutes (stove dependant) add your ground spice paste and cook another 10min. Add water if it sticks or catches.

Toss in 2 cups water, lob the brinjals in. add tamarind water (after straining and squeezing it. Cook till done.

[Mikej]

Ahh, the good times as a kid. Who remembers "Clay-lat?" You put a ball of mud on a whippy stick and moer the hell out of the other kids, and get it in return.

My cousin got hit in the head playing kleilat and needed stitches. It's a dangerous game and modern parents would faint if they saw their kids playing it today. We used to visit a friends farm that had a river with nice clay and my dad would tell us to run along and play kleilat. Nowadays he would probably get into a world of trouble for allowing us to play such games. We won't even talk about ketties.

[SurferMan]

Oh Mikej,

:oops: :oops: Warning, bunny huggers, animal lovers etc, please DO NOT read on.

We used to shoot pigeons and roast them on little twig fires. Speared fish, trapped them etc. Stole eggs out of nests, caught snakes, rabbits, rats etc. We were truly feral in our youth, but as I said before some of the best days of my life. My highlight was catching and killing my first crocodile. I swam across the river to the island to catch it. Steve Irwin se ****. No fancy , just a Cjalemba (cane knife for those who don't know) and a home made fork fashioned from an acacia tree. We used to net for monster river prawns that used to average 20cm in length. No more these days I hear.

As for kleilat injuries, my one brother hit me out cold one day and left me for dead at the rivers edge, among the crocs! Bugger! But here I am!

Edited January 31, 2015 by SurferMan

[RAD]

Surferman your Aubergine curry sounds delicious (minus the 15-20 chillies, lol).... It would go really well with the mealie meal roti but unfortunately I have always relied on my family members to make these rotis so I do not have a recipe. I think I have an Asha Maharaj recipe book somewhere that has a recipe. When I find it I will post it for you.

[Mikej]

My childhood was quite wild but crocodile hunting is a few steps up - respect boet!

[SurferMan]

Dude I was nuts in my youth man! My brother threw me out of an airplanes with no parachute. Yes he was a a HIGHLY decorated parabat and he caught me on the way down, but let's say I struggled to walk for a while after that.

[AshB]

Hello AshB

Can you go to the restaurant only to eat or do you need to get involved with a ceremony of some kind.

Thanks

Mikej -Don't have to get involved - just go through the restaurant and pick up your meals - the music is intoxicating though - remember its multicultured , most are Indians from the sub-continent ....................