Mayhem

Hello out there. Yes, I’m still alive and well. Thanks for checking on me. Often.

I realise it has been the longest I have ever left between posts and I am noticing an interesting pattern in my traffic statistics – the longer between posts the more often you visit. Not a particularly good incentive to keep posting, but it really is about time.

May has been a busy month. My friend, Ray, arrived from Australia on 5^th May for a month, my Mum arrived on the 10^th for the summer, the same day my friend Geraldine (the one with strong opinions on bolognese) arrived from France with brother and boyfriend in tow and I had an exam. All lots of fun except the last part.

So if I’m still alive I must have been eating stuff. Yes, lots of it. To get things moving again I thought I’d share some photos of some of the things I have been eating in May.

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Healthy recipes for the new year

All aboard the healthy bandwagon. Destination: New Year. Route number: 2013.

How are your new year’s resolutions coming along? I have five. I have already broken 3. Oh well, I am doing better than I was this time last year, by which stage I had broken all of them.

This post is somewhat out of character. I do not usually jump on the healthy bandwagon. Especially not in the most miserable month of the year. But I was encouraged to at least think about healthy food this week (even if I haven’t eaten any) because I wrote a guest post for MPN Online suggesting healthy recipes from across the blogosphere.

In the process I was reminded that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. I started by trawling through my own blog for healthy recipes and was pleasantly surprised to find many more than I was expecting.

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Anthropology of Food Christmas Party

Last Saturday we had a Christmas party for our Anthropology of Food course. One of my classmates, Maria, kindly hosted the event and the idea was that everyone bring something that is eaten in their home country at Christmas.

Well, rules are made to broken and I was the first one to do so. I was planning to make this:

... a canape my family almost always have either on Christmas Eve or Day in Australia, though I can't speak for other families.

Instead I made this:

... which we have never had on Christmas, but I couldn't find the pork mince I needed in Sainsbury's and I felt like making the tart.

Juliana also broke the rules with a palm heart pie, which like her was Brasilian, though not Christmassy:

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The Anthropology of Food

At the beginning of October I started a Masters in the Anthropology of Food. I wanted to wait till I had done a few classes before telling you about it. I could say this was because I wanted to give you a taste of what the lectures are about, but actually it’s cause I didn’t really know what to expect.

When you tell people you are going to study the Anthropology of Food, you are either met with a blank stare or an encouraging smile, inevitably followed by the question:

“... and what exactly is that?”

Well, until a few weeks ago I didn’t really know the answer.

“You know what anthropology is?” I’d reply.

“Yep.”

“Well, it’s like that... but related to food.”

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'Twas the night before xmas...

Some very dear family friends of ours, Claudia and Richard, always make our Christmas Eve a special occasion with their talent for telling jokes and reciting funny poems. This is one of my favourites and I am very sorry that I will not be hearing it in person this year, them being on the other side of the world in sunny Australia. I will do my best rendition tonight, but it will never be quite the same.

Feign German accent.

The night waz Christmas and all waz still

The stockings waz hung expecting the fill

And nothing waz stirring not even a louse

For fear dat Saint Nick would nix cumerous

Mudder said children go by the bed

And Mudder she fixt the tree instead

She lifts the night dress to carry the toys

And who waz peaking it waz de little boys.

Mudders night dress waz up in the de face

And the children could see a big bare space

Hanz said mudder vee see the toys in de lap

But who is for dat little fur cap

Shush said mudder and she laugh out right

I think I give dat to your papa to night.

Happy Christmas everyone. I hope Christmas entails plenty of fine food, bubbles and general merriment for you all.