culture diet - april 2k25
what to consume across the city and the web
as this is now a monthly (more or less) series, I was originally planning to send this out last week, which was still more delayed than I would have liked, but felt reasonably belated
but then I got food poisoning. I won’t name names but I’ve spent the last four-ish days inside (in this weather!) on the couch too weak to do anything more than passively watch youtube which, for someone who frequently consumes three sources of media at a time (phone + laptop + tv), is a big deal
it’s sucked, physically and socially. i’m sorry to my friends for the events I had to pull out of. but mentally, it’s been kind of nice – a lesson in slowing down, rejecting hyper-productivity, reducing overstimulation (and stimulants – not being able to keep any food / liquids down means I haven’t been consuming any caffeine)
just BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), a stomach-soothing diet invented by a filipina doctor in the 1920s, otherwise known (ironically) as the bland diet
see also the subvariations:
BRATT - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, tea
BRATTY - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, tea, yogurt
CRAM - cereal, rice, applesauce, milk
I feel like you could make some decent recipes within these confines if you’re willing to get creative. banana rice pudding, tea-soaked bread pudding, cereal-thickened lumpy dick (milk pudding). but I’m really looking forward to eating acid again
following the hot cross cinnabon hype, several actual cinnabons are coming to victoria
move over cured anchovies, garum (fermented anchovies) is having a moment. throwback to our ancient roman dinner with slow supper
icymi, there’s an aus x us “war on beef”, and apparently in 2017 the now defunct DAWR released a beef review? with this1 as the cover image?? great name tho
on that note, this is what tariffs mean for asian grocers in the us: “we're all going to be crying in h mart” (see also)
and on that note, the rise of “western food” in asia may trigger demand for australian wheat
APRIL
pop-up tuesdays feat. morris danzen - tues 15 april at aster -$89
hot ‘n’ sizzly bbq by foxxy (fellow puerto rican, shout out) - mon 21 april at shop bao ngoc - free entry, food from $35
sri lankan snacks by viveik - thurs april 24 at sleepy’s - $65
pop-up omakase by kobayashi - tues april 22 and 29 at shadow play - $240
MAY
dykotomy by girls can eat too - sat 31 may - location / price TBA
ONGOING
FREE FOOD for community - EVERY SUNDAY at the motley bauhaus
ob*nzai m*ama2 obanzai plate (fitzroy) - did I like my meal here? uuuuuummmmm….. but did I like the concept? you bet. and sometimes that’s all that matters. in those case, it wasn’t. not sure I’ll be back
marmelo celeric nata (cbd) - I was expecting a pasteis de nata that swapped the standard filling for some sort of savoury cheese custard type vibe but this was in fact a standard custard tart (I believe) topped with spanner crab and said celeriac. and as someone who put tasty cheese on my ube choc hxb, I was into it. you might be too if you can look past the price ($25)
nora thai bai-leng pad kai (cbd) - despite ordering an “authentic thai spicy” fish intestine curry (their highest spice option) and receiving something about 12 grades lower, I rate nora. particularly for introducing me to malindjo leaves and serving them in such an appealing format (with egg)
florian (specifically, karrin) x hotnoodle sujuk and jeow (carlton) - seriously nothing better than some sort of spiced ground grilled meat (in this case, beef) with a sauce (in this case, a garlic / chilli / lime / fish sauce vibe). bring it back
toddy shop mutta roast (fitzroy) - a luxury of a dish any time, let alone an egg crisis, feat. a jammy bed of eggplant
bearded pig brisket + mac and cheese + (unpictured) burnt ends (heidelberg west) - as a token american I declared this spot one of the best barbecue joints in melbourne and apparently others agree cause they have constant lines. worth venturing out of your way for. get the burnt ends!!
bar liberty potato dumplings (fitzroy) - the highlight of my first (believe it or not) and last visit during it’s current iteration. sorry zack. I was always intrigued by the carrot version of these silesian dumplings that I saw on tiktok but I’m guessing potato is way better – especially this rendition. here’s hoping they stay on the menu
#1000 bread cream and red bean brioche (cbd) - my consolation prize after the baker’s dozen was sold out. clearly inspired by maritozzi which always looked boring to me but if it’s anything like this, I’m sold
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