Syrup and Tang » local

Vanilla slices – glorious, perhaps mundane, quite mysterious

Duncan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:18:52 +0000

The vanilla slice is one of those standard, humble Australian bakery items that qualifies as "good old" for its longevity and as "humble" because of its modest level of finesse. But there are mysteries in all this (and questions for readers at the end)... What was your childhood vanilla slice like? Did it have a different name? And how long has it been around?

Eating your politics (or prejudices)

Duncan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:19:37 +0000

I'm curious about how political/social beliefs or traditions shape where people will shop or dine. A timely example is that of Max Brenner, the Israeli chocolate company, which is broadly popular in Australia, but an unacceptable place to visit for some consumers. I wonder what other examples exist here or elsewhere?

Can the honest reputation of foodblogs survive the PR-foodblogger relationship?

Duncan — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:23:15 +0000

It seems foodblogging has matured far enough to be entwined in a pretty tiresome game of cat and mouse with restaurateurs and public relations (PR) companies, egos, money and more. It's worth contemplating what the fallout will be.

This article has been brewing for a few months, as I tried to reconcile my opinions about freedoms, community, advertising and blogging with some of the changes that have been happening in Melbourne's foodblogosphere.

The flexible macaron Top 20 and why I'm off it

Duncan — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:30:05 +0000

Many people have asked me why I'm not participating in the Melbourne Macaron competition, I've decided I need to write an explanation of my perspective. It's about rules and fees and up-front transparency.

Short and sweet: it seems Adriano Zumbo will be a Melbourne fixture

Duncan — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:06:17 +0000

The Age newspaper this morning mentioned in it's local gossip column that Sydney pâtissier and Masterchef regular Adriano Zumbo is on his way to having a presence in Melbourne. I wonder if that explains his increasingly frequent visits!

Could this mean tastier times to come in Melbourne?

Macarons at Liaison café

Duncan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:27:57 +0000

For those of you who like my macarons, click here to read more about what's happening at Liaison café in Melbourne.

Macarons by Duncan – a project comes to fruition

Duncan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:34:44 +0000

[UPDATED: PRODUCTION HAS ENDED FOR NOW. SEE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT]Some people are organised enough to document a project and then tell their readers all about it, blow by blow. Not me. All good intentions of snapping photos evaporated as I juggled the eccentricities of an induction stove, the buttons and dial of a fancy Rational oven (it does almost anything, except tell me why it's not doing what I want!), and the largest macaron batter I've ever made! You see, on Monday I stepped into the kitchen of the new food venture, EARL Canteen, by Jackie and Simon.

Soulless food: My Kitchen Rules

Duncan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:04:10 +0000

Yet another unreality food show has hit our Australian telly screens. My Kitchen Rules, where teams representing five states vie for the title of most-self-confident but not-quite-expert home entertaining maestros. People showing off to each other isn't exactly my idea of fun cooking viewing, but hey, maybe there's something to enjoy in it.

Imported pastries at Woolworths/Safeway

Duncan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:37:51 +0000

Woolworths clearly weren't satisfied with selling imported "artisan" bread all the way from the other side of the Pacific, but also have a diverse range of pastries from Europe. They've been selling them for at least a few months, but I've been slow to write about it.

I visited Costco (Australia) and my blood ran cold

Duncan — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:22:57 +0000

Many Australians are aware that the US behemoth Costco, bulk retailer extraordinaire, opened its first warehouse in Melbourne recently. Costco has received more than a bucket of free promotion through all the media attention it got (and I guess I'm not helping). I've been to Costco in the US and wanted to see what the Australian experience would be like. It's striking how a novelty in one context (me being a tourist in the US) feels so different and unwelcome on my home turf.