Cuisine

Jan 11, 2012 | Post by: Phil Lees No Comments

Police on an Olympic Doughnut break, Footscray

Sampling Victoria’s finest jam doughnuts in downtown Footscray

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Nov 26, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 5 Comments

May contain traces of glutton.

Spotted on a packet of pork and cabbage dumplings, Footscray

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Oct 27, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 8 Comments

Did McDonalds cause the decline of violence in America?

Violent crime has been on the decline in the US since 1990, and largely, the reasons for the decline have been inexplicable. Steven Leavitt (of Freakonomics fame) and John J. Donohue III argue that around 50% of the reduction in crime is the result of earlier introduction of legalised abortion

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Sep 16, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 3 Comments

Why are carrots orange?

Carotene. However, if you happen to come across heritage varieties, you’ll notice carrots run through a spectrum of white through to yellow to hues of deep purple. So what caused the dominance of the orange carrot? Ex-Cambodia Daily editor and current Washington Post staffer Suzy Khimm delves into the political

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Sep 13, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 4 Comments

Sausage sizzle or popup charcuterie?

Photo Credit: Wooster Collective I worked in a food truck for a few months in 1996. The truck parked at automotive parts swap meets and out the front of the cow pavilion at the Royal Easter Show. I cooked hundreds of frozen hamburgers, industrial soy-beef patties defrosting on the grill

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Jun 27, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 1 Comments

Teddy’s Bigger Burger, Hawaii

My favourite trait in Americans is the lack of fear. It spawns an infectious entrepreneurialism. It tempts them to cook a patty of ground chuck to medium-rare over fire rather than safely char it to a risk-free tasteless puck. The above was hands down my favourite hamburger of 2010, from

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Jun 10, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 7 Comments

Takoyaki

I don’t understand the attraction of takoyaki. They’re balls of octopus and gluten served fresh on the streets of Japan, coated in a three types of umami: mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and their own special barbecue sauce. They turn out of their aebleskiver-like pans with a gluey consistency, a barely formed

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Apr 30, 2011 | Post by: Phil Lees 2 Comments

Indentured Labour: Camy Shanghai Dumpling House’s secret, part 2

Last time that I mentioned Camy Shanghai Dumpling House, I conjectured that the popularity was due to its open secret status and cheapness. At least now we know where the cheapness comes from: not paying their staff. From the Herald-Sun: Mr Chang worked 13-hour days from 9.30am-10.30pm with only five-minute

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