'Axis of evil' snackfoods, with lebanese falafel standing in for Syria.
A nice little deli (Deli-cious, I think it's called) opened up a month or two ago in Mitre St. and Gam and I have been making an effort to shop there because so many of the small businesses that occupy that tiny area don't seem to last. This one has the least-visible shop front and probably needs some better signage, but it's a great little shop- we've mostly been going for the cheap snacks and several bottles of some particularly good anchovies. The nice people who run it have also given us a free bottle of soft-drink on hot days (although we went in the evening today and they gave us some anyway) in the hope it will encourage repeat business.
Today we bought some ultra-cheap chocolate biscuits made in Venezuela ($1.99 for 400g, and they're wrapped in little packs of 4- bad for the environment but very handy) and some strawberry wafers that turned out to be made in Iran. Normally I'm not keen on bought biscuits, preferring to make my own, but I was surprise at how the wafers were so light and deliciously scented- like strawberry-flavoured air. It must be years since I've eaten wafer biscuits, but the Australian ones I've eaten have a lot more of that horrid greasy 'cream' inside, whereas the Iranian ones had next to none. We practically had our own little 'axis of evil' of foodstuffs going on... we're unlikely to find anything from North Korea, but we're going to keep an eye out for something from Syria next time we're in the store! I'm sure George Bush probably couldn't tell the difference between Venezuela and North Korea on a map, besides, and Hugo Chavez probably annoys him more than that puffed up little dictator who runs NK. Hugo Chavez can actually run a country for one thing, which puts him in a separate category to both Bush and Kim.
Shankleesh drizzled with olive oil- yum!
I also found a new kind of cheese that I'd never tried before- it was round, covered in herbs and wrapped in plastic. When I took it to the counter the guy who (apparently) runs the store asked if I'd tried it before and when I said no, by way of warning he said it was 'off' cheese, and explained that it was very good eaten mashed with olive oil- he suggested it for breakfast. The price sticker was covering the name of the cheese so I asked the name so I could look it up on Wikipedia when we got home: the name of the cheese is Shankleesh, but the Wikipedia entry spells it as Shanklish. It wasn't as pungent as I was led to expect, and it was indeed delicious mashed with olive oil; I ate it on some pita bread. Probably I should have had some rocket with it (we have managed to grow some that my parents brought up with them from their garden in September) but I forgot. The only ingredients listed other than milk and salt were oregano and paprika- it was definitely hot paprika, hot enough to raise a sweat on a warm evening, at least.
The Shanklish was only $3 for a fist-sized lump, so I'll definitely be buying it again (cheap cheese! I have to keep this place in business!). Anyone thinking of trying it should take note, though: the serving suggestions in Wikipedia sound delicious, but the cheese is absolutely nothing like Gorgonzola.
1 comment:
The cheese looked very yummy. I will have to keep an eye out for it. I always like to try and keep some of the smaller shops in business too, so good on you for making the effort!
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