At this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Festival we went to two lectures. How very cerebral, very Melbourne. The first was by Jamie Oliver. I am not sure whether this was part of the official MF&WF programme. It was organised by the Wheeler Centre, at the Regent – a great venue. We were up in the gods even though I booked early enough to be given a copy of this cookbook – not sure I would have
purchased same, but I’m pleased to have it. The crowd was young and mixed gender which was good to see. Not our usual aging baby boomer crowd! Jamie was interviewed by Matt Preston. He bounded on to the stage full of energy, although we thought upon reflection, he looked exhausted. Was in Australia to promote his Ministry of Food. A site in Queensland (in the middle of the election – not enough to save Anna) and an announcement with Ted that it’s to be rolled out in Victoria at a site yet to be chosen (Ted being a deliberate sort of fellow – not hasty).
Anyway Jamie was great. He is really passionate about a sense of community, and about sharing knowledge about how we can look after ourselves and his family. He is completely non-judgemental – about the dinner ladies in the UK who gave him so much grief when he embarked in his crusade about school lunches in England (no training, not valued, ignored by school leaders – why wouldn’t they be cross?), about a mother giving her six year old a can of red bull for lunch (she was told her son lacked energy in the afternoon). Very generous about sharing credit – the film-makers, clever editing making it a film people would want to see, the television producers who decided to commission his film about an egg – that transformed the egg buying habits of Britons overnight. All great. He is an enthusiast and practical, wants to get things done. Got half the audience (including me) to stand up and commit to emailing their local pollie to call for education about food in schools (not done yet – but I will). His dream is that every child will come out of school knowing how to cook five decent, healthy meals. I’m happy to help. Also wants sensible regulation of the big supermarket conglomerates – make ’em have as many healthy as unhealthy specials! Have some truth in food advertising and food labelling.
The second lecture was by Anthony Bourdain, the edgy, cool, celebrity chef. He strode onto the stage, and thereafter prowled around it in his jeans and leather jacket looking suave and smart. But his message was surprisingly similar to Jamie’s. Sharing food is about a sense of connection, respect for other cultures, other people, your host. Yes, he travels the world in exotic places and that message applies everywhere. Be polite. Accept everything that is given to you. Eat what the locals eat. Avoid the Hilton Hotels – the staff there don’t know how to cook spaghetti bolognaise ’cause they don’t eat it. Eat at the caravan on the street where there is a queue of locals – local chefs normally take care not to make their customers sick. Don’t put heaps of wasabi on your sushi in a master sushi maker’s restaurant in Tokyo. They have spent years perfecting their craft of making delicate sushi rice. They don’t want to see that craft dishonoured. They want it recognized, appreciated. In answer to questions he didn’t criticize celebrity chefs – he was one! Overall the fact that chefs are now celebrities, and appreciated, is a good thing, means good food is appreciated more. Declined to criticize Jamie Oliver – he has single handedly transformed English supermarkets – for the better! Declined to criticize five star restaurants – the places where chefs learn their craft, the techniques of good cooking, and we need that.
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