It’s been a challenging week. I’ve been surprised by some unexpected incidents and developments. I’m grateful for the people I work with who are superb humans.

I saw a piece of pork in the supermarket meat display, and it looked like it would make a good meal. The meat was pork belly, with a good layer of fat over the muscle.

What have I been reading?

Mean Streak[i] by Rick Morton[ii]

A friend at work recommended this book. He’d read it over Christmas break and thought I might be interested[iii]. I finished it in a couple of days.

What have I done?[iv] by Ben Elton[v]

I heard Ben Elton on the “No Such Thing as a Fish” podcast when he was a guest because Anna is on maternity leave. Elton was spruiking his book[vi]. Because he’s helped create some of my favourite TV shows, I thought I’d listen to his autobiography (which is made better because he reads it).

What have I been watching?

Hawaii Five-0

I’ve always enjoyed procedural law enforcement shows, and when you add surf, surfing, and the ocean into the mix, I’m completely hooked! It also has a fat man mentioning Spam from time to time, what could be better?

The cast is replete with Australians.

What have I been eating?

I’ve been enjoying a good mix of beef and lamb.  The beef includes mostly mince, economy T-bone steaks and thinly cut scotch fillet (ribeye) steaks.  The lamb consists of economy lamb chops.

Pork belly

Ingredients

• Pork belly
• Salt

Equipment

• Barbecue grill (Weber Q+)

Instructions

1. Dry brine the pork belly overnight.
2. Turn on the gas.
3. Cook the pork until the skin becomes crackling.
4. Slice and enjoy.

Thoughts on the pork belly

The crackling could have been better, but the muscle flesh was moist and juicy. With just a gentle squeeze, the juices oozed out on my cutting board.

The meat was nicely seasoned and tender. The meat was moist and juicy in my mouth, and the fat coated my lips just how I like.

Photographs

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[i] Morton, Rick. 2024. Mean Streak. Gadigal Country, Australia: Fourth Estate.

[ii] Rick Morton is an Australian journalist and author known for his deeply researched reporting on social policy, inequality, and government accountability. He has built a reputation for combining rigorous investigation with emotionally resonant storytelling.

[iii] Mean Streak exposes the deliberate, systemic wrongdoing behind Australia’s Robodebt scheme, tracing how senior officials and politicians implemented and defended an unlawful, automated debt‑recovery program despite clear evidence of its inaccuracy and harm. It combines rigorous investigation with human stories to show the immense damage inflicted on vulnerable people and the institutional failures that allowed the scheme to persist.

[iv] Elton, Ben. What Have I Done?: My Autobiography. Pan Macmillan, 2025.

[v] Ben Elton is a major figure in British comedy and entertainment, known for shaping the landscape of alternative comedy in the 1980s and for an extraordinarily wide-ranging career. He is known for co-writing iconic sitcoms:

The Young Ones (1982–84)

Blackadder (series II–IV, 1986–89)

Mr. Bean (contributor)

[vi] What Have I Done? is Ben Elton’s energetic and candid autobiography, tracing his rise from the 1980s alternative‑comedy scene to becoming a prolific writer of sitcoms, novels, plays, and major stage musicals. It blends sharp humour with forthright reflections on creative triumphs, public criticism, and long‑running professional relationships, offering an unfiltered look at a career spent provoking, entertaining, and occasionally settling old scores.