Hairstylist turned chef. Ok, maybe not quite.

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Natasha

Words have not been flowing so easily this week. Not sure why, but it’s time to give this a go again.

Food, walking and reading have been taking up the better part of my days recently. I finished Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential a few days ago – a very good read. I found myself relating to him a few times and learning a lot about the food industry.

First, I had to laugh when he wrote about his jobless days: “A few hours earlier, I’d been lying dazed and hopeless in my unmade bed, wondering whether to take another nap or call out for pizza.” Ah, yes. Just before beginning that chapter, I was myself wondering whether to take another nap, start another chapter, or go stuff my face.

Then, about not having the same days off as the rest of the world: “…Never having a Friday or Saturday night off, always working holidays, being busiest when the rest of the world is just getting out of work, makes for a sometimes peculiar world view…” Well, this seems an awful lot like life in a salon.

And, once more, when he was explaining the types of people that work in the food industry: “The business, as respected three-star chef Scott Bryan explains it, attracts ‘fringe elements’…They’re comfortable with the rather relaxed and informal code of conduct in the kitchen, the elevated level of tolerance for eccentricity…” Now, depending on what salon you work in, the vibe may not be informal or relaxed. But there is definitely an excess of ‘fringe elements’ and eccentric people in the hair industry.

I came to Australia to have an adventure. To live overseas for a while. And to try something different. As I have said before, as much as I love the hair industry and appreciate all of the opportunities it has given me, I am restless. Ready for a change. However, I still need to have movement in my day. Sitting at a desk does not suit me. I need to be on my feet, occupied, doing something with my hands. That’s why I thought I would try working in a cafe in Melbourne!

No such luck. Nobody wants to hire and train somebody, from the ground up, that can only hold the same job for a six month period because of their visa restrictions. Maybe it is just this city – Melbournians are ridiculously serious about their coffee.

Anyway, suffice it to say, I have had a lot of time on my hands since I arrived in Australia. And when I have a lot of time on my hands, my imagination runs wild. (Okay, maybe that’s all day, every day.) One of the crazy ideas that I have come up with recently was maybe I could be a chef. Maybe I will own a bistro with my man-friend one day! Okay, okay, let’s bring it back a bit…maybe…maybe…A FOOD TRUCK!

Thus began my search to find a food truck willing to take me under their wing. And you know what? I found one! I have only helped out two days so far, but it has been fun. I have been on register and also in the kitchen. IN THE KITCHEN! I even got my first chef’s cut! And by chef’s cut, I mean food-prep cut. I spent that day preparing basil, parsley and all sorts of herbs as well as shredding cabbage for coleslaw. (The coleslaw shredder is where I sliced my finger.) Kind of proud of it, though – kind of like cutting yourself on your shears for the first time as a hair stylist. A scar to wear proudly!

So, we will see how this goes. Perhaps one day I will attend culinary school. That is, if I don’t get distracted by all of the other things I want to study…photography…literature…journalism…Spanish/Italian/Portuguese/German/Sign Language and all of the other languages that I want to learn…oh, the things we’ve got to cram into our short lives!

(No photos this time – although there are more uploaded to my facebook page!!!)

Homesickness. Joblessness. And all of the other reasons that I’ve had poop in my pants recently.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Natasha

Well. I was just about to head to the CBD to do some research. On what, would you like to know? Well, I was going to see if the State Library had any books on museum conservation procedures. Then head over to the Immigration Museum to have a look around. All of this because, first of all, I honestly do find those subjects interesting. But mostly because I had applied for an Assistant Conservationist position with Museum Victoria. It would have been the perfect job for me – finally! A foot in the door with the museum world (my degree is in art history.) The position was a 6 month contract – awesome! Because, on an Australian Work & Holiday visa, that is exactly how long you are allowed to work at one place.

I had even called the woman in charge of hiring. We had a wonderful conversation. And then the HR panel did not pass my resume and cover letter on. C’est la vie.

So, here I am typing up the blog I have been meaning to post instead. I will venture out later.

My sister came to visit me last week and that was amazing.

There she is, being all cute with her coffee at the NGV cafe. We hung around Melbourne for a few days, going to museums, walking and, of course, cooking and eating.

There was also a lot of silliness involved. Because we are sisters.

We then traveled on to Sydney where we stayed at the Bondi YHA. Bondi, and the surrounding beaches, really are beautiful. The weather worked out perfectly for us, as well. 100-104F on Thursday and Friday. Those days were spent at the beach and in the water, as that is the only way to cool off around here. Saturday and Sunday were cloudy and about 75F, so we did our sightseeing on those days.

Oh! And we went to see Alestorm on the last night she was in town. If “Pirate Metal” sounds like an interesting musical genre to you, I suggest you check them out.

I also ate some chicken. You read that right, any of you who know me personally. I tried some chicken. That will have to be another post altogether, though.

My sister headed back home on Sunday and I have had a pretty tough case of homesickness since. I miss my friends and family! And I also miss the security of…you know, having an income. It’s safe to say that I am basically flat broke at the moment. I would go back into the salon world, but something between my power converters and salon tools is not working. My tools literally start smoking. And I am not looking to invest in new ones. Excuses, excuses, I know, I know.

And, while you’re sitting there reading this, wishing you didn’t have to go to work tomorrow, I am here to tell you that you would go stir crazy eventually. I was you a few short months ago. And now, I am losing my mind. But I suppose this is all part of the experience for me. I have had a job and been able to do basically whatever I wanted since I was 15. I guess not having that security and freedom is something that everyone should experience at some point in their lives. Gives you a different perspective on life. Hopefully one day, when I’m settled…somewhere…and I wake up thinking, “God DAMN, I don’t want to go to work today…” I will be able to look back on this experience and roll out of bed with a smile.

Anyway. The universe is trying to steer me somewhere, I’m just not sure where yet. And the sun is shining and I need to get some exercise. And I went to the library today and now have a stack of books on Frida Kahlo, Anthony Bourdain and digital photography that I need to pick through. I guess what I’m saying is that this post has ended.

I will note here, at the end, that, even though nothing has gone as planned and I have experienced some bad luck on the job front, I would not change anything about this. These are all lessons that need to be learned and experiences that need to be had. “It will all come out in the wash.”

Indulgence, Luck and a Little Bit of Melodrama at the Museum

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Natasha

Wow. Where do I even begin with this one? Let’s just say, sometimes the universe is mysterious.

A few days ago, in the middle of reading Sherlock Holmes, I had the urge to do some research on Frida Kahlo. I am sure that something sparked this sudden desire, I simply do not remember what. I was quickly enchanted by Kahlo’s story and decided to put Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic on hold so that I could read a biography of the Mexican painter.

Hayden Herrera’s book, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, seems to be the most popular. But I decided to go with Margaret A. Lindauer’s Devouring Frida: The Art History and Popular Celebrity of Frida Kahlo. According to some reviews, and even Lindauer, Herrera’s book does not accurately portray Kahlo as the strong woman that she was. So, I’ve opted to read Lindauer’s book first, followed by Herrera’s.

Moving along to the first two things that I’ve promised for this post: indulgence and luck. I have been fairly strict with money and diet recently. Whenever I do this, I end up on a bit of a binge later. Or today, ha! Yesterday, after starting my book on Frida, I decided it was a museum day. I made it all the way to the CBD, only to run into this:

Boo! What a random day to be closed. And this was after running around the CBD looking for cafe jobs and being terribly unsuccessful. Suffice it to say, I was down in the dumps at the end of yesterday.

Today, I woke up and decided that I was going to get myself some Mexican food. Today, I was going to indulge! Then, I would try again at the National Gallery of Victoria because I was longing for some museum time. But first, I was going to make some phone calls. After calling around to a few book stores and being informed that they were not hiring “at the moment” (which really means the entire season, come to find out), I stumbled upon an even better job opening. My dream job, really. I called to see if they would be willing to hire someone in Australia on a working holiday. The answer? Yes, please send your resume.

LUCK! But that is all that I am willing to say about that for now, I cannot risk jinxing myself.

After calling Evan, who surely thinks that I am manic at this point (yesterday, I was on the verge of tears from frustration and disappointment, today I was on the verge of tears from excitement and hope) I left for my daily adventures. I decided to check out a recently opened Mexican place called Guzman y Gomez. I went with the “mini” barramundi burrito. It was $6. And this big:

“Mini” is not a joke at this place. The containers to the side are the condiments I decided to take because I had just purchased the world’s tiniest $6AU burrito. I ate an entire container of jalapeños. Which was probably not the best decision…I ended up with some pretty serious heartburn. Which lead me to the frozen yogurt establishment next door. This indulgence was not planned. But my green tea frozen yogurt with cheesecake frosting was certainly delectable.

Green tea cheesecake fro-yo in hand, I continued on my path to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV.) I passed a man who was sitting on the curb looking quite forlorn and decided to shoot him a smile. Turned out he was homeless and asked very nicely if I had any spare change. He had come from Adelaide and been on the streets in Melbourne for nine days. I said, “Hey, man, I understand, I am low on my luck right now, too. But I have a dollar to spare.” It was my last one. “God bless you and may your luck change, too,” was his response as I walked away.

Finally, I walked through the doors of the NGV. Almost immediately, I was openly weeping. Why do I ever stray from the art world? It is where I belong. I love the way that I feel in a museum. I love the smells, the sounds and, of course, the sights. I love how my heart pounds and the gears inside my head start spinning. I love soaking in the minds of other artists and my own ideas that are sparked by them.

There was even a little bit of Warhol and Rothko:

Suddenly, I was back at my home town museum, the Smithsonian. I know all of the Smithsonian museums like the back of my hand. Again, shedding a few tears.

After making it through the European and contemporary side of the NGV, I ran smack into the Arts of Asia wing. Knowing that, if I were to set one foot into that side of the museum, I would never leave, I decided to put the arts of Asia off until tomorrow. I then headed downstairs for some more grub. (Well…I’d started out the day indulging, why not continue? I will be good tomorrow.) I went with an orange cake and a soy latte. Bad choices for my esophagus, scrumptious choices for my taste buds!

On the way home, I stopped at the library. This is what I came home with:

I suppose it is safe to say that I have jumped on the Frida mania bandwagon for the time being. And I am totally fine with that.

Oh! And remember the homeless man that I gave my last dollar to? On my walk to the gym, I found a five dollar bill with no owner. Today has been my lucky day. And I will be passing that luck to my sister when she arrives in two days by putting that five dollars onto her myki card.

This has become an incredibly long post. Cheers to those who have navigated my ramblings and made it to the end.

-fin-

Big, messy brain dump

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Natasha

Not really sure where I am going with this post…so, bear with me. I am not exactly in the writing mood, but the only way to get any better at it is to practice, practice, practice.

The next few weeks should really be fantastic. My sister arrives in Melbourne this Friday. She will be here for about 9 days. Half will be spent here in Melbourne, the other half in Sydney. I can’t wait to see my sissy-bear!

She leaves on the 20th, and on the 22nd I have tickets to see Against Me! That shall add to the fabulousness of January.

Then…and then! Evan arrives. I think he is trying to surprise me, so I do not know the exact date. “Somewhere in the middle of February” is all I know.

Things are looking up.

I am still only working once a week assisting in a salon. Who knew it would be so difficult to get a job as a barista? A little over a week ago I had two VERY promising trials at a cafe. I was supposed to sit down with the woman who would train me at the end of my shift to discuss my schedule and other paperwork. She then got a call and needed to go help out at another location. Said she would call me at the end of the day. When I had heard nothing by the next day, I called her. She answered, “sorry mate, I know I was supposed to call you yesterday! I actually just got off of a plane, can I call you in about an hour?” That never happened, either. And then the holidays happened in Australia.

They really take their free time here seriously. Which I think is absolutely fantastic. Exactly how I think the whole world should work. You put in your 8 hours, then you have your damn free time. You get your damn vacation time.

But holy shit. I could use a job. I am holding on to the hope that, although the cafe was open for the second half of this week, since nobody had seen my would-be barista trainer since before the holidays, she is still…on holiday. Tomorrow is Monday. Fingers crossed that I will get an affirmative phone call. If not, back to the drawing board.

Again, I could easily get a salon job. But I came here to learn something new. Maybe I have learned something new – what it’s like to be turned down from a job. Not to boast here or anything, but this truly is a new experience for me. I have never been turned down from a job before. Ever. This is a bit frustrating (…a BIG bit frustrating…) and a bit humbling, I suppose.

Anyway, the new housing situation is still going well. The landlords are great. We hang out just enough and I have just enough alone time. Balanced.

Hm.

Other new things I have done/seen/learned:

-Beers on the beach

-I have learned that you can order different types of fish from a fish and chips shop

-Because of above, I have ordered, eaten and learned what the most common type of fish in “fish ‘n’ chips” in Australia is: “flake” aka “gummy shark”…I have eaten shark.

-Apparently, there is no law against females bathing topless in Victoria. I will be getting rid of these tan lines, thank you.

-I have never in my life taken a cold shower. I do not like being cold. However, the other day it was 104F and I sure as shit took a cold ass shower.

-Made one of the ice creams from my previous post – the avocado coconut lime raw ice cream. It tasted like lime. Just lime. So, I added agave, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Still not my favorite, but much better. (Speaking of raw food, this raw pot luck must happen.)

-Sometimes, things just don’t go as planned. Try as you might to steer the universe in the direction you want it to go, sometimes it is YOU who has to change direction. And you’ve just got to give in and open up. I used to watch a certainly unhealthy amount of the Travel Channel. Mostly just Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain. Once, Samantha Brown said something along the lines of, “You’ve always got to have a plan B and C. Because sometimes plan A goes wrong. And then sometimes plans B and C go wrong and you’ve got to be okay with going along with plans D, E and/or F.” Well, I thought that I would immediately have a job in a cafe. 2 and a half months later, no dice. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?! Something. Nothing, maybe. But, nothing has gone as planned and I’ve got to be okay with that and keep on truckin’.

I’m sure that I have had other thoughts over the past few days. If I keep typing, this will turn into an even more jumbled, messy brain dump. So, here, I will bid you adieu. With a few views from my window.

Australian Heat

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Natasha

Holy…hot. Everyone I know is probably laughing right now. I purposely came to Australia to enjoy their summer. I really do not like being cold. I get grumpier every winter. So, when I made the decision to go down under on a work and holiday visa, I decided to wait out the summer at home, and then have summer part deux in the southern hemisphere.

All of the Australians that I met back in October/November, before summer officially commenced, said that I really didn’t understand how hot it was going to get. Apparently, the UV rays are more intense here. Well, I tell you, today…I believe it. The high was supposed to be 93F today, and it cleared 100F. It wasn’t supposed to hit 100F until tomorrow. So, tomorrow, I will be inside. Just in case anyone needs me.

And what would my post be without food?

This morning, I made…ready?…*drum roll*big breath in*…Hawaiian Buckwheat Coconut Banana Pineapple Raw Breakfast Cereal! Oh yes, it was just a delicious as it sounds.

(I added photos of the cat and the view from the backyard just because I thought perhaps this blog needed more of such images.)

I also went to the beach today, thinking it was only going to hit 93F. And ended up in the water the whole time because it was, in fact, over 100F. A good day, though. Ready for a cooler night.

And now, I will end this post because I believe that my computer is overheating.

SIKE! (That word still makes me laugh.)

Before I go, a friend and I have been exchanging raw ice cream recipes. Since this week will be really hot, I will likely try them all. My favorites are:

Raw Coconut Ice Cream

Raw Avocado Coconut Lime Ice Cream

Vegan Peach Ice Cream (can likely be made raw by replacing the brown sugar)

And this Raw Green Tea Ice Cream (I love green tea ice cream…hell, I just love ice cream.)

Thanks, Angi, for the suggestions!

New house. New year. Food.

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Natasha

I will start this post by saying, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A lot has happened over here this past week. The biggest thing, I suppose, would be that I have moved into a new house. It is only a few blocks away from where I was living before, but MUCH nicer and there is a cat!

A cat that now follows me around and thinks that I am her bed. Which is a-okay with me because I have missed having animals my life. It is also nice to be in a house that is treated like a home and not like…I don’t even know what to call the last house. Except that it was falling apart and nobody, besides me and one other housemate, cared to attempt to clean it. I am now renting one room in a house owned by a dude and his chick friend. And this is their home and they treat it as such. And there are windows in my room! I’m not in a cave anymore!

The house is right next to the train tracks. I actually enjoy hearing the trains go by. And the backyard has a straight view of the city. So, this New Year I sat out back with my old housemate and watched Melbourne city’s fireworks.

Now, for more food. I made chia-pudding again, but this time instead of mangoes, it was a vanilla-cinnamon chia seed pudding. And it was delicious. I used an organic Pacific Tahitian vanilla. “Pacific Tahitian vanilla” just sounds so…sexy to me. Is that weird? Probably.

And today I made a raw hazelnut chocolate cake. I actually messed up the recipe. I did not read the part where it said to divide the 3/4 cup cocoa powder. So…there was twice as much cocoa powder in the cake part than there should have been. (Is there ever too much cocoa, though? NEVER!)

They are quite a bit more dense and sticky than they would have been had I followed the directions properly. I also bought hazelnuts that were already ground, instead of whole. So, I wasn’t sure how much of that to put in, so I just guessed. They still taste like chocolate…which is a success if you ask me.

Now, off to read the letters and cards from home that have finally arrived. Still more on the way, the Australian post is not as fast as at home. “No worries, mate.”

That is, if I can get the cat out of the way…

Goggles! And, of course, more food.

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Natasha

Evan’s Christmas package arrived yesterday!!!!! He knows me so well, it was seriously a box of things that make Natasha happy. Among the other totally rad things that I got, he sent along the newest set of goggles that he made me.

THEY LIGHT UP.

SO. WONDERFUL. That’s my man.

So, more food stuff. I’m enjoying this combination of a raw food diet with seafood. Still enjoying my salmon and prawns. But other than that, I’m almost totally raw. Still making my peanut butter banana ice (no)cream. Delicious. Yesterday, I made some cucumber soup.

It was cucumber, coconut milk, the tiniest piece of garlic you’ve ever seen (wish I could have more, but my stomach can’t take it) and a bit of cayenne. Blend. Freeze. Blend again when ready to eat. Delicious.

Then, I prepared my breakfast. It was a Mango, coconut, chia seed pudding made by following this recipe.

Also delicious. And today’s lunch was a HUGE batch of kale chips. Won’t bore you with photos of that. But it was kale, cayenne and nutritional yeast. Tasty, tasty.

Bicycle! Bicycle!

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Natasha

It is now Boxing day in Australia, and a sunny, 72 degrees (22 if you’re on Celsius.) I’m always happier when the sun is shining (who isn’t?!)

I am also always happier after a nice bicycle ride. The other day, I bought a retro racing bicycle. It’s in pretty damn good condition. Some things are REALLY retro, though…for example, the brake pads. They aren’t worn down or anything…but they certainly have not been changed in 30 years. Hard as rocks! That should explain the squealing when I try to slow down. So, new brake pads, a little more air in the tires and a little lifting of the saddle and, viola! Perfect.

I have named my Australian bicycle Freddie Mercury. I think he will treat me well over the next few months. We rode down to Williamstown and it was beautiful. Not a difficult ride, about 8k there, 8k back. Fairly flat.

After the ride home I made some more banana ice (no)cream. This time, I added frozen strawberries. I keep forgetting to take pictures of this wonderful treat because all I can think about is eating it. I do have another banana freezing right now, so perhaps tomorrow.

Tonight, though, I will be seeing THE HOBBIT! Woo!

Quinoa for breakfast

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Natasha

I bought a box of quinoa last week and decided it was time to try it for breakfast. I will have to try it again because, since I’ve been having such good luck just throwing things together and not really measuring anything, I thought I could just skim a recipe and it would work out. Well, not this time.

I found this recipe, but just kind of…threw what I thought were good amounts of each ingredient together. I think where I mostly went wrong was that I decided to fry the apples and ended up with way too much butter on them. And then the soy milk was supposed to be “drizzled” on top and I dumped a bunch in. So, it was the recipe, plus some buttery soy milk. I was able to dump most of it out, but it still didn’t taste exactly how I’d hoped, haha.

However, I still have a ton of quinoa and plenty of apples. I will be trying this again, except next time, I will follow directions.

Shrimp and pumpkin. But not together. Sort of.

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Natasha

Actually, I just looked up pumpkin and shrimp recipes…and might have to try a curry next time.

I love food. Until earlier this year, I have been a strict vegetarian, vegan at times, even. The mac and cheese and fondue (FONDUE!) is what got me back on dairy. I dabbled in raw vegan diets. Maybe I was doing it wrong, or maybe I just didn’t have the time and patience for dehydrators…or maybe I just really like hot food…but that didn’t work out for long. But vegetarian for about 8 years.

A few months ago, I decided to add fish/seafood back to my diet. It took me a few months to actually DO it. I felt ashamed. I felt like so much of who I was revolved around being a vegetarian. Then I realized how ridiculous that was. But it was still hard to take that first bite of fish. A big slab of tuna at my dear friend Shea’s house. I had told her that I wanted to start eating fish again but had no idea how to cook it. So, she invited me to dinner where we would cook together. I wasn’t sure if I wanted my first seafood experience to be a public or private affair…it was a very stressful decision for me. But, Shea being a good friend, and someone who knows how to cook fish, I decided to go for it. I only ate about a quarter of my fillet. It tasted lovely, but the texture was so new to me (texture was a big reason for not liking meat in the first place) and I also just…didn’t want to shit my brains out later that night. (Vegetarians, you know what I’m talking about…) I gradually started having fish once a week. And now I might have it a few times a week, or not at all for a bit. If you saw my post from the Philippines, you know I’ve even had fish with it’s head still on.

ANYWAY, I am posting this because tonight I made some really delicious shrimp. I made my own ginger + red chili + honey sauce and marinated my shrimp in it. Not for long enough, I’m still new at this…veggies don’t need to be defrosted or marinated! They just taste good!

I didn’t measure anything, just threw it all in a food processor. Added some shredded carrots, and boom! Delicious.

And now for the pumpkin. There is no pumpkin puree in Australia. (“We make it ourselves!” Well, aren’t you all just a bunch of Bettie Crockers? Where are the pumpkins, then?!) So, Evan’s parents sent me a package: “Pie In A Box.” It had everything I needed, measured out and everything! I just needed to get a pie crust. Turns out they don’t have those pre-made here either (“We make our own!” Well! I would, too, if I had all of my kitchen appliances.) So, it turned out to be a pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust. Delicious!

Before I made the pie, I stole a little over a tablespoon full of pumpkin puree for a pumpkin, banana, cinnamon, soy milk smoothie. Not my idea, stole it from a favorite photographer of mine, Kyle Cassidy, whose life I follow online.

Well. Now for some Christmas carols in the park by the house. It’s almost 90F outside. Ah, the southern hemisphere.

Natasha Muller

The Grand Adventure

Category Archives: food