My Very Own Australia Day!

The mail was late arriving today and I was getting worried it wouldn’t come at all. But it finally did and when I saw the slip from the post office saying I had a package to pick up I literally ran back to the house to get the car keys and speed off to pick it up. My Blogging By Mail package was here! It came all the way from Australia and the absolutely amazing Ellie of Kitchen Wench. It was opened by customs but appears to all be in one piece. A million and more thank yous to Ellie, I was so happy when I got my package. She did an excellent job of including some Aussie favourites and things that I enjoyed regularly when I was there that I can’t get here, like Tim Tams! I think the reason I like Tim Tams the most (aside from the fact that they’re delicious) is that when I first arrived in Oz, after a 23+ hour flight as well as a 3 hour layover in Vancouver and a 17 hour layover in Taipai, the first thing that the Aussie who picked me up at the airport offered me to eat was a chocolate Tim Tam. I was hooked immediately. Later I was also introduced to the Tim Tam Slam. I thought the Tim Tam couldn’t get any better, but then I had it like this: you bite off opposite corners of the Tim Tam and use it like a straw to suck up a warm drink (hot chocolate, coffee, etc…) but just until the liquid hits your lips, then you have to shove the whole Tim Tam into your mouth or else it was disintegrate into your drink. It’s fabulous. Before I get going too much on the Tim Tams, I’ll explain what else was in my package:

-Homemade Anzac biscuits. I don’t know quite how this oatmeal-coconut cookie came to represent Anzac, but Anzac Day is celebrated every year in Australia and New Zealand to commemorate the two sets of troops fighting together at the Battle of Gallipoli. Or something to that effect. Darn good cookie. Or biscuit.
-September’s issue of delicious. magazine. I’ve been looking for delicious. here but have yet to find it. I’ve heard so many good things about this magazine, (voted the world’s best food magazine) and I’m very happy to have an issue.
-2 giant caramello koalas. Caramel filled chocolates in the shape of koalas. There are also some frogs and other animals filled with a variety of gooey goodness that I sampled while in Oz.
-Barnes Australian honey. I’m sure it will be wonderful.
-Vegemite. I’m sure this will not be wonderful… I’ve tried vegemite. Actually, I tried it shortly after my first Tim Tam. This only served to reinforce my belief that Tim Tams are amazing and vegemite is not. I hear it’s an acquired taste. I’m always willing to give something a second chance so I sampled some again in a very very thin layer on some buttered toast and for the record it wasn’t horrible.
-Eucalyptus and honey hard candies. I’m sure they’re good all on their own, but would especially help to soothe a sore throat.
-Ground bush tomato. I asked Ellie what this would be used for and she said as a rub on meats, as a spice, in soups, etc. It smells super.
-Ssangwha tea of dongsuh. This is a Korean tea, used for healing what ails you and is apparently quite potent.
-Natural confectionery co. dinosaur lollies. I was thrilled to get these! By North American standards they would be called gummy candies, but in Oz they’re lollies and I used to get them from the bulk bins at the lolly shop on campus to eat during class.
-Tube of Korean hot pepper paste. I like hot and spicy things so I’m looking forward to trying this very soon.

And that was my package! Once again, I’m infinitely grateful to Ellie for her generosity and excellent package. I’m so happy with everything!
Also a big thank you to Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness for organizing this event, I’m sure it wasn’t easy to sort out 89 bloggers and packages but she did a wonderful job. Hurrah!


Technorati Tags:
Food + Blogging By Mail + Australia