SC - Re: Pumpkins down under

[Glenda Robinson]

Mari,
> Pumpkin in Comparative Cultures 101...
>
> Okay - Australia was founded by the British in the 1770's....

Not quite. Cook 'discovered' it in 1770, but New South Wales wasn't
settled/invaded until the first fleet in 1788, and, I'd say, that nothing
really got going in the way of food etc until the 1800s - If I recall the
Sydney Cove area soil wasn't that good for European vegies, and there could
have been a drought too, if my hazy memory of Australian history studies in
High School recalls. I think they ate a lot of local wildlife in the early
days, and then, as 'Western food' became available, stopped this because it
wasn't 'the done thing'(mmm Roo Tail Stew or Possum pie - I've got the main
ingredient for that one living in my workshop roll-a-door, but she's just
too cute!).

>
> Pumpkins are pretty much regarded as "dinner vegetables" here - exception
> being (in Queensland at least) Pumpkin Scones (a la Lady Flo)  The notion
of
> using them as a sweet has always been an intriguing one (and peculiarily
> *American* in my zone.... but that could be the Comic Offworld Alien in me
> speaking.... :-p)

Ditto! Nothing like baked pumpkin with a roast dinner. In all my 36 years
I've seen pumpkin pie once, as an experiment, as my friend's father worked
some of the year in Texas.

>
> Just an aside - I thought the tradition of eating Pumpkin pie (or Squash
> pie) devolved from the 1st Thanksgiving meal when the Native Americans
> brought their produce to share with the Pilgrims.... Or should I give up
on
> comparative culture history and go back to cooking??

So did I. Maybe it's one of those cultural cringe things.

>
> Mari
> Brisbane, Australia
>
> Mmmmmm Mel Gibson! Pity he's lost his accent.... :-p
>

What? Our Mel? - now known as our favourite adopted Australian - apparently
it used to be Tom Cruise until the break-up. BUT.. we can legitimately claim
Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush, Portia de Rossi and of course Elle MacPherson
(and maybe Paul Hogan, but do we really want to any more??), and on a more
reenactment front, the Nintendo ad....

Glenda.