Several weeks have passed since my previous post. Recently, my meals have predominantly consisted of beef and lamb, with occasional salmon.

I have also appreciated the favourable weather conditions and the opportunity for outdoor cooking. However, in my case, this primarily involves using the cast-iron flat top on my Weber Q+ barbecue.

It’s a long weekend, however, with the current heatwave, I think I’ll spend the gazetted public holiday working in the office. One of the benefits will be uncongested roads and good traffic flow.

What else have I been doing?

Apart from work, with new responsibilities and a larger span of control, I have been finding joy in watching Star Trek on my television.

Rather than rewatching old shows, I have been watching Star Trek: Discovery (ST: DIS), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (ST: SNW), and Star Trek: Picard (ST: PIC).

Since the original series (ST: TOS), Star Trek, through the vision of Gene Roddenberry, has advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion[i] (DEI) as a key foundation for the stories.

DEI is more evident in the three shows I have recently watched. The creators thrust DEI on viewers, and I know that in online forums, the “in your face” approach has upset many people who prefer subtlety over bluntness. I thought it was fine and not over the top. It reflects the society we know now.

Among these new Star Trek iterations, ST: SNW is the standout success (in my opinion). It was fun, with loads of whimsy and humour. The characters were fantastic and the acting superb. On the other hand, in ST: DIS, I liked the darker, edgier characters for their realism, while most of the characters and their actors were simply annoying. Who would have thought I would enjoy Jason Issacs playing Captain Lorca after his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy in the films adapted from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter book series? Michelle Yeoh is also stellar in her roles. Burnham, Book, and Tilly were the most annoying characters. If they had been “killed off” by the writers, I would not have minded.

The enjoyment with ST: PIC was familiarity with characters and actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST: TNG), plus the addition of characters from other series around that time. I am thinking of Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan from Star Trek: Voyager (ST: VOY) and cameos from other characters from ST: VOY and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST: DS9). I particularly enjoyed Commander Worf (played by Michael Dorn) and the change in his character. The humorous quips and his marriage of Klingon warrior philosophy[ii] with pacifism[iii] are welcome changes.

If you grew up with Star Trek and enjoy watching it, I highly recommend these new series. I will also watch Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek Academy at some stage. Of the three series I have just watched, I can see myself happily rewatching ST: SNW and ST: PIC but not ST: DIS.

Do you like Star Trek? Tell me what you think?

Tonight’s meal

Rump steak with spicy blue vein cheese sauce and honey-drizzled fresh fig.

I know I do not eat a lot of fruit, but when in season, I do enjoy some fruits, like Bowen mangoes and figs. I saw some figs in the supermarket yesterday and bought a couple. At $AUD1.50 each, I should have just bought one.

I also do not use many spices these days. My preference is to focus on the flavour of the main primary produce I am eating. The jalapeño-spiced blue-vein cheese was a concession so I could try it.

Rump steak

I cooked the steak in a water bath at 57 °C for 2 hours. I then seared the steak on a hot cast-iron flat top on my barbecue and augmented the sear with a gas torch.

Cheese sauce

I gently mixed butter, cream, cream cheese, and jalapeño-spiced blue-vein cheese in a small saucepan over low heat until it formed a sauce.

Fig

I washed the fig and then halved it. I warmed and coloured the cut surface on a hot cast-iron flat top in my barbecue. I drizzled some honey over the fig halves. I do not clean the flat top after each use, and I enjoy the crusty flavours that result from many layers of meat and fat.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meal

Do you like figs? I enjoy eating them. The steak was cooked how I like it, and the spicy jalapeño blue vein cheese sauce added a hot and savoury flavour to the sweetness of the fig and honey.

I thought the meal was nicely balanced. I’d happily eat this again. Given I have another rump steak and another fig, it’s likely to happen again soon. 😉

Now watching

After dinner, I’ll watch some “Tulsa King,” a television show starring Sylvester Stallone. Stallone plays an Italian mafia “capo[iv]” after being released from a 25-year prison term.

[i] Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are interconnected principles that guide efforts to create fair, respectful, and welcoming environments—especially in workplaces, schools, and communities.

[ii] Klingon warrior philosophy, as portrayed in Star Trek, revolves around honour, courage, and an unflinching acceptance of mortality. Strength—both physical and moral—is seen as the core of a meaningful life, and warriors are expected to face challenges directly rather than avoid them. Honour in battle, loyalty to one’s house and comrades, and a willingness to die gloriously rather than live without integrity define the Klingon worldview. It’s a culture that treats conflict not as something to fear, but as the crucible in which character is proven.

[iii] Pacifism is the belief that violence and war are morally wrong and should be avoided in favour of peaceful methods of resolving conflict. At its core, it holds that human life and dignity are best protected through non‑violent action—whether that’s negotiation, protest, civil resistance, or other peaceful strategies. Some pacifists reject all forms of violence, while others allow for limited self‑defence but still see non‑violence as the ethical ideal.

[iv] A mafia capo—short for caporegime or capodecina—is a mid‑level leader in an organised crime family. Think of the structure like a hierarchy, and the capo sits right in the middle.