First Post

Here is the beginning of a frugal American who goes vego in Australia.

I moved to Melbourne in July with my husband (after about 3 weeks of marriage) because he got a job here (he's in a very specific field where if you get a job you basically have to go for it). We were very excited by the idea of moving to Australia, which had never remotely been in our plans before, and quickly looked up all we could about it online. We arrived in the “middle of winter” (with everyone apologizing for the terrible cold – about 50 degrees F!, which we sort of laughed at to ourselves). Very quickly though, we found ourselves becoming “soft” and succumbing to the joys of complaining about the “cold.”

So, what does this all have to do with food? And vegetarianism?

Having some free time coming here without a job, I was very excited to have the opportunity to explore the different markets around Melbourne that the guidebooks highlighted. Fresh produce grown in the country all year round?! Passionfruit? Custard apples? All of these exotic things to try! But wait, why are bananas $15 per kilo?!

Now about the vegetarian part: hub and I have always generally cooked vegetarian (and on special occasions would get “happy” - aka free range/organic – beef or chicken). Not too long after moving here (i.e. recently) we decided to become exclusively vegetarian (aka “Vego” in Aus lingo). The hubby used some good ethical arguments to sway him in a direction he already leaned heavily towards. I didn't really have any arguments for not being vegetarian besides “meat is yummy”...sometimes. This has been my attitude for the past 6 years or so (before that I was a vegetarian from about ages 12 to 21). So, why not. I find it more fun to cook vegetarian anyway, since I never really learned how to cook meat, and it gives certain challenges that require one to be more creative. The kind of creativity I find fun. So, I've been experimenting with different recipes (including trying to create meat alternatives in reaction to the expensive fake meat here).

Now for the "frugal" part. Something you should know about me is that I tend to be “cheap” - or frugal – which my close friends and family have always joked about. However, it is something that drives my buying choices, so if you're looking for tips of living more cheaply, you've come to the right place! The markets also tend to be a good outlet for this urge, selling $1 bags of produce on Sunday afternoons, where I've gotten some really great deals, but also find myself with trying to figure out what to do with 1 kg of x...

Cooking is funny, because you need to do it to eat (i.e. it's practical and you basically have to do it every day). So, it gives me a lot of chances to practice with different ingredients and combinations of flavors. And, I thought, why not document all these masterpieces. I work hard in planning and making them, they often look nice, and then a few minutes later they're gone. No trace left. Ah, but we have a camera! And I could make a blog! Problem solved. My food creations can now last forever. The only problem is that we can't smell or taste through the internet. Yet. But writing can describe things pretty well, right? Well, we'll see... Here I go....