Welcome to my website
This page presents my latest blog entries and the menu bar at the top will take you to information that used to be on the old Rita's Bite website. It should make it much easier for you to read and comment on the various sections.
If you want to find a past post, I encourage you to use the Search function on the top right hand side of this Home page. Type in your key word, and it will bring up all posts which have used that word in them.
Many of my readers use the Restaurants page for times when trying to decide where to go for dinner. They can scroll down a cross section of Hobarts restaurants, see what Rita and her readers had to say about them, then call and reserve a table at their final selection. Problem solved!
Recent Posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Cooking, cooking
I know I’m the biggest sucker out for the buying of countless glossy, well-illustrated and photographed cookbooks, but the cookbook I rely on most, and is my true bible, is my well-worn, dirty (with cooking smears), yellowed school copy of the Central Cookery Book, by AC Irvine, a late “mistress of domestic science” with our Tasmanian Education Department.
In what was, in the good old days of 1961, called E Class (first year high school) at Huonville High, the sexes were firmly separated, with all the girls being forced into Home Economics and Sewing, and the boys into Woodwork and Metalwork. No ‘ifs’ ‘buts’ or ‘maybes’ about it.
If you were a girl, you completed at least one year of cooking and sewing before you were expected to choose which career path you would take and select one of 3 pathways at the end of first year high school: professional (where you learnt French and German along with the standard Maths, English, Science and Social Studies); commercial (where you learnt typing and shorthand, along with the standard Maths, English, Science and Social Studies); or a course called Secondary, which meant you did a bit of everything but at a lower level, and you got to leave school in your third year of high school with a Secondary Certificate in your hand, which obviously wasn’t as high a qualification as the full four year high school Schools Board Certificate.
We were all issued with our Central Cookery Book at the start of E Class, and the boring year of cooking began. Each week was alternated, so Home Ec one week was a double period of sewing, then the next week it was the double period of cooking.
I dreaded the sewing more, as I detested it then, and still detest it to this day. But the cooking class, despite having a pathetic teacher with absolutely no passion for her product whatsoever, and being so totally rigid in her cooking style, still managed to make me feel like I was in that place to stay – and life has proved that to me ever since.
Using the Central Cookery Book as her guide, our teacher took us through the rigours of recipes I had never heard of before (and haven’t since, I must say!) like Scotch Collops! Who the hell gets off on a dish of Scotch Collops? Who the hell would KNOW about them, unless you went to high school in Tassie in the 60’s?
Whatever – it was in this space that I learnt, as all girls in that era did, skills it was deemed necessary for girls to have in order for their future husbands and children to benefit from having a wife and mother suitably trained!
The Central Cookery Book contains the most valuable information ever. It is especially good to flick through when you want ideas for paring back a recipe to taste the true flavour of today’s excellent products. Remembering that the author of this tome, AC Irvine, was ‘late’ when I was at high school, she obviously was from the previous century when she scribed the cookbook so you really are looking at recipes from the 1800’s in Tasmania when you read it.
I don’t know if they still print this gem, but if you ever see a copy at a garage sale, or in a bookshop, as Molly Meldrum says, do yourself as favour, and buy it. I reckon you’ll get a modicum of use from it, as from the latest Jamie Oliver!
Hobart Food for Thought
About Rita
- Rita
- Love being alive. Am passionate about preparing & eating all kinds of food. I spend a lot of time pondering the vagaries of mankind. The opinions and thoughts I express in my blog are merely those of one person - me.
News/Gossip/Jobs
- I believe a representative from the Meat and Wine Co steak restaurants was in Hobart at the weekend sussing out a possible venue for a new branch of their restaurants.
- Rita has heard about plans for a large scale restaurant and conference centre planned for the heart of the city at 188 Collins St, on the ground floor site of Centrelink and other federal government departments, Commonwealth Bank Call Centre etc. It covers the areas of the Wall of Friendship etc and looks on paper like a big investment by the building owner. It will be interesting to see if this development gets legs....
- For those who thought the imminent sale of Cutie Cups was due to business diminishing, let me hasten to assure you that the sale of the business is mainly due to pregnancy! The business itself is still doing excellently well. Best of luck Shanna.
- Rita wants to know how come she found mould on the top of her Vegemite in the jar the other day? That has never happened before!
- The Priory at Bothwell (whose sister luxury accomodation venue is Islington in Hobart) have a cooking classes deal arrangement with Agrarian Kitchen at Lachlan.
- Meadowbank are currently doing Fri night meals till April.
- Moorilla are now doing breakfasts 7 days a week, 7.30-10.30; lunches 7 days, 12-2.30; dinner (til Easter) Fri and Sat nights from 6.30
My Blog List
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Our weekend was:1 day ago
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Dear John,3 days ago
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A laneway coffee festival is born1 week ago
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New Menu Pics and Other Things2 weeks ago
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Tasmanian Gothic2 weeks ago
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The Observatory - Mans Worst Friend2 months ago
Sites of interest
True free range or organic suppliers (forget the pc-ness!)
Champions of Hospitality
So said Lord Bumpy in a comment on my blog. So - here is the spot for it guys . . . your wish is my command. Contact me with your nominations, and I'll enter them here.
- Graham Oddie, VET Hospitality teacher at Claremont College (Justin, Moorilla & Ainstie Wagner)
- Mary Young, VET Hospitality teacher at Elizabeth College (Ainstie Wagner)
Excellent customer service has been received from:
- Mark at Flathead (2010) - Chris
- Dan at Kaos (2010) - Rita
- Maureen at the Cascade pub (Christina) - first nomination for 2010!
- Tony Machen at Tas Hotel and Club Supplies (Danielle Clark)
- Steven at Tas Hotel and Club (Christina)
- Tony Heath from Republic (Christina)
- Natalie at Monty's (Rita)
- Simon at Solo Pasta (John Mahindroo)
- Dave at Kawasemi (Christina)
- Elysia at Piccalilly (Rita)
Rita buys all her kitchenware . . .
And remember - ANYONE can shop there, not just people in the trade. There are no prices on items - you have to ask!
