Monday, September 19, 2011

A story about the Lamb and a jar of Vegemite

By Zane AL-Said


Before starting my career at the abattoirs I started at Charles Sturt School in Albury NSW.

Varsity life can be complicated more so if attending college away from home. The simple things that a young adult takes lightly instantly become all consuming. Easy matters like, cleaning, shopping, budgeting and cooking.

The later two remind me of a ungainly time in my college career.

I attended University with support from the Australian government. The scheme was called as Austudy and it concerned giving what the governing body determined was acceptable finance for someone studying and living away from home.

Regretably the government's assessment and my own per this level of funding disagreed fantastically.

The amounts are superfluous, as they'd have no relative meaning.

I attended varsity at a point when Twitter was a verb sometimes used to refer to chattering swiftly about trivial matters...come to think about it!!!

At the end of each fortnight I would have enough money to buy 1/2 of nothing. Also, the cold months in Albury where intensely cold and my appetite would increase with every degree the temperature dropped.

The average student's nutritive intake consisted mainly of corn flakes, 2 Minute Noodles, bread, butter and Vegemite.

Vegemite was the best. It lasted for a long while transported without fuss and become the academics jerky.

During my second year I was fortunate to be boarding with a generous family and an international student from Malaysia - Jesse. I recall both my hosts and I where forever in amazement of Jesse's cooking ability.

Jesse could breath culinary life into the most elementary ingredients and the rest of us would stare longingly at the aroma trails left by his last creation as it wafted toward his bedroom.

I watched Jesse at work in the kitchen and presumed that I was learning much about his craft and technique.

The day arrived when my Austudy account was replete and the market called to me. I was predestined to create just as my international inspiration had shown me.

Even better, I had the great fortune of a fresh bundle of Lebanese bread sent from Sydney as a treat. My favorite.

I appeared at the kitchen after my shopping expedition with 250grams of cut lamb, cream, veg some herbs & spices and mountains of keenness.

The kitchen journey started at 4PM and finished very wretchedly at 7PM.

It is a complete riddle to me how Jesse made the effort look so effortless however I managed to burn everything including the utensils...

Who knew that lamb could be overcooked.

Who knew that veggies cooked at different intervals to lamb.

Who knew that cream had a boiling point, which produced cheese once exceeded.

The kitchen smelt like a hearth that had been doused with water. The saucepans were darkened and warped. The sink was more full with plates and implements than the cabinets had been earlier that day.

And all that was left was a stinking heap of shriveled, coagulated brown mush on a finger marked plate.

My hosts and flat buddy where extraordinarily gracious in their non-acknowledgment of the tragic event however their teenage daughter appeared at the scene of the tragedy much later on. Without knowing what tragedy had befallen me or the lamb she commented on her way out the door "Is that for the dogs. Here, I will feed 'em".

Thank goodness for Vegemite and Lebanese Bread!




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