Anthea's blogs

Don't throw away your choices when it comes to food

by Anthea on 17 August 2010

How many things have you thrown away today? Did you make a cuppa before work and throw a teabag in the bin? Did you get a takeaway coffee and throw away a sugar packet, a stirrer and then the cup? Did you bring your lunch from home and bin the cling wrap that your sandwich was wrapped in? Did you buy your lunch and grab too many serviettes that went unused and into the rubbish along with the plastic cutlery and box?

Sometimes convenience also doubles as disposable. And sometimes disposable is unavoidable, especially when it comes to food; and this is for good reason, good health reasons. Not everything can be re-used but a good start to minimising waste, and therefore detrimental environmental impact, is to reduce.  You can start this at home and start today. It’s super easy! How many things on the following list could you tick off this week?

The Meatless Monday food phenomenon

by Anthea on 2 August 2010

Put your hand up if you've heard of Meatless Monday? No? That's OK, not many people in Australia are aware of the movement that was launched here in December 2009.

The Meatless Monday movement began in the USA in 2003 in attempt to improve health and reduce manmade green house gas emissions that are produced by the meat industry. It is a concept rehashed by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that originated during World War I and II when the USA introduced the idea of going 'meatless' one day a week as a form of rationing. The modern version aims to reduce meat consumption by 15% by encouraging people to go veggie once a week. Other countries involved are Canada, Netherlands, Japan, UK and Australia to name a few.

Thai hawker food review: Banana pancake

by Anthea on 13 July 2010

Like most backpackers visiting bustling Bangkok for the first time, back in 2005 I found myself on the Khao San Road. A Mecca for budget travellers the area is a melting pot of cultures and accents from all the around the world.

In the evenings the road is pedestrian only. You can perch on a plastic stool at one of the pop-up street cart bars in the middle of the thoroughfare and enjoy ice cold beers while sampling some of the best hawker food in the world.

The smells of Thai cooking mingle with the sticky heat of the night: grilling chicken, fish sauce, nose-tingling chilli. Most meat dishes are cooked on skewers over white hot coals, while Pad Thai noodles are tossed lightning quick in giant woks.