I haven’t been running on all eight[i] this week. The weather has turned, and I feel like my seasonal affective disorder[ii] is about to kick in.
To feel happy, I thought I’d make some rice porridge with beef short rib meat.
Rice porridge is known by many as congee. I grew up calling it jook. I know “The Mouse” from Live2EatEat2Live Blog also calls it jook. The Mouse is a brother from another mother. He lives in Spamland[iii]. We’ve been following each other’s blogs for at least 16 years.
I’ve been thinking about The Mouse a bit lately as I continue to watch Hawaii Five-0.
In Season 7 episode 13, Lou describes the joy of dunking malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery in coffee. A malasada is a Portuguese deep-fried, yeast-raised doughnut without a hole, traditionally coated in sugar. I remember in 2015 eating half a dozen custard-filled malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery, but not dunking them in coffee.
I don’t know that I can find a Portuguese deep-fried, yeast-raised doughnut filled with custard locally. To compensate, I got a cinnamon scroll from my local patisserie and enjoyed morning tea by dunking it into a mug of black coffee.
The cinnamon scroll absorbed the coffee without becoming soggy. The mouthfeel and flavour of the sweet dough cut through the coffee’s bitterness perfectly. Unfurling the scroll and breaking off pieces for dunking made the whole affair most enjoyable. It was so good, I think I’d even do this in public.
Of course, when I think of Spamland, I think of Spam[iv]. I had Spam for lunch yesterday and today.
Recipe
Ingredients
Rice
Beef short ribs
Salt
Water
Beef broth (from previous beef short rib meals cooked in the pressure cooker)
Egg
Equipment
Pressure cooker
Microwave oven
Instructions
Wash one cup of rice until the water is clear.
Place the rice and beef broth in the pressure cooker, then add water until the total liquid volume is 8 cups.
Add salt.
Cook for 1 hour, then allow the pressure to return to 1 atmosphere naturally.
Strip the meat from the ribs.
Shred the meat and mix it through the rice gruel.
Aliquot enough for a dinner bowl.
Put the rest in a container and refrigerate.
When cool. Place a cup of rice porridge into a vacuum bag for freezing. There should be enough for six bags. Freezing the rice porridge will create resistant starch.
Poach an egg with microwave radiation.
Serve the rice porridge with a poached egg.
Thoughts on the rice porridge
This was a “no frills” rice porridge. It was not flavourful like my mother’s, which is my favourite food.
My version was filling, and I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t share this with anyone; it was bland and not a good example of how good rice porridge can taste.
[i] In Australian colloquial speech, “running on all eight” means someone is functioning at full capacity — mentally sharp, physically energised, and performing at their best.
[ii] A depressive disorder usually associated with the onset of winter weather.
[iv] Pork with ham; salt; water; modified potato starch; sugar; sodium nitrite. Modified potato starch is potato starch that has been physically, enzymatically, or chemically altered to change its functional properties (viscosity, stability, freeze–thaw resistance, gelling, etc.). It is still made from the starch extracted from potatoes, but its molecular structure has been intentionally changed so it performs better in industrial food processing.
Oh, the pain, the Dolphins lost their game to Manly last night. They were beaten badly, and it was hard to watch. The Dolphins have a bye in round 6. I hope the coach and players can sort themselves out for round 7 when we face Penrith, who sit at the top of the ladder.
A stick of butter
I like a sourdough Hot Cross Bun with my stick of grass-fed butter.
I bought half a dozen sourdough Hot Cross Buns from a bakery about a month ago. I like a Hot Cross Bun with fruit, especially citrus peel. I have no objection to creations like vanilla custard-filled Hot Cross Buns and Nutella® Hot Cross Buns. However, to enjoy the butter, a toasted Hot Cross Bun is my preference.
The Dolphins lost (badly) to Manly last night. Grass-fed butter makes everything better, so I enjoyed therapeutic butter with a little sourdough Hot Cross Bun and a mug of coffee. I now feel better.
@DolphinsNRL #PhinsUp
Standing Rib Roast
For lunch, I cooked a 2.450 kg standing rib roast. The meat had been frozen for about a month. After thawing the meat, I’d dry-brined it for a couple of days, and cooked it in a bench-top oven, which had been set at 120 °C. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to cook to my desired doneness.
I ate a couple of slices, the fat cap, some Vegemite® blue vein cheese sauce, and a Brussels sprout.
Hot Cross Bun Dessert
A warm sourdough Hot Cross Bun with whipped vanilla cream and ginger marmalade.
It was delicious.
Hot Cross Bun with vanilla whipped cream and ginger marmalade
The Dolphins won against the Sharks yesterday evening.
Full time Dolphins 🐬 defeated Sharks 🦈 38:10
During the game, I enjoyed munching on some of my Queensland nuts. I noticed my nuts were a little stale.
Queensland nuts can be “revived” because the nuts have a high fat content, which responds to gentle heat. The stale flavour and texture result from oxidised surface fats and absorbed moisture. The oxidation cannot be reversed, but the crispness, aroma, and flavour can be restored.
Method 1: gentle dry-roasting to refresh texture and flavour.
This approach works for salted, previously roasted Queensland nuts.
How to do it
Preheat the oven to 120–140°C (low–moderate heat).
Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking tray.
Roast for 8–12 minutes, shaking once or twice.
Remove when they smell fragrant and feel slightly firmer when you handle your nuts. Handle them carefully while they are hot.
Let your nuts cool completely—they will crisp as they cool.
Top tip: Warm salty nuts also taste good and have a good mouthfeel.
Why this works
The heat drives off absorbed moisture, restoring crunch.
The heat melts and redistributes the fats, improving flavour.
Low heat prevents the already-roasted nuts from burning.
If they were heavily salted, the salt will remain; if they were lightly salted, the flavour may actually improve because the heat reactivates the salt crystals on the surface.
Method 2: stovetop refresh (quick but riskier)
If you don’t want to heat the oven:
Place your nuts in a dry frypan over low heat.
Stir constantly for 3–5 minutes.
Remove as soon as they smell toasty.
This works, but Queensland nuts scorch easily because of their high fat content, so watch them closely.
Optional: re-seasoning
If the nuts taste flat even after crisping:
Toss them while warm with a tiny amount of coconut oil (½ teaspoon per cup).
Add fresh salt.
Let them cool fully before storing.
Storage to prevent future loss of freshness.
Queensland nuts keep best:
In an airtight container, and
In the refrigerator or freezer (their fats oxidise slowly at low temperatures).
Queensland nuts thaw quickly and don’t clump.
Taxonomy of Macadamia (Queensland nuts)
Macadamias belong to the family Proteaceae and comprise four recognised species, all native to eastern Australia. Two species—M. integrifolia and M. tetraphylla—produce the edible nuts commonly sold as “Queensland nuts” or “macadamia nuts.”
Scientific Classification
Rank
Taxon
Kingdom
Plantae
Clade
Tracheophytes → Angiosperms → Eudicots
Order
Proteales
Family
Proteaceae
Subfamily
Grevilleoideae
Tribe
Macadamieae
Subtribe
Macadamiinae
Genus
Macadamia F. Muell. (1857)
Recognised Species
The genus Macadamia currently includes four species:
Species
Common Name
Distribution
Notes
Macadamia integrifolia
Queensland nut tree
SE Queensland; N NSW
Primary commercial species; edible nuts.
Macadamia tetraphylla
Rough-shelled macadamia
SE Queensland; N NSW
Also commercially grown; edible nuts.
Macadamia ternifolia
Gympie nut
Queensland
Contains cyanogenic glycosides; not used commercially.
“Queensland nut” is one of several traditional and commercial names for Macadamia species:
Queensland nut
Bush nut
Maroochi nut
Bauple nut
Macadamia nut
These names reflect both Indigenous use and early European settlement history in Queensland.
The genus name Macadamia honours John Macadam[i], a Scottish Australian chemist, politician, and medical teacher.
Origin and Distribution
All Macadamia species are endemic to Australia, specifically:
Central and Southeastern Queensland
Northeastern New South Wales
Commercial production began in Australia but expanded globally—most notably to Hawaii in the 1880s. Today, the Republic of South Africa is the largest producer.
Key Biological Notes
Macadamias are evergreen trees reaching 2–12 m in height.
The fruit is a hard, woody follicle containing 1–2 seeds (the “nuts”).
The shell is exceptionally tough, requiring ~2000 N of force to crack.
Only M. integrifolia and M. tetraphylla produce nuts safe for human consumption; the other species contain cyanogenic glycosides.
Nutrient
Amount (per 30 g)
Amount (per 100 g)
Energy
906 kj
3020 kj
Protein
3 g
10 g
Total Fat
22.2 g
74 g
Saturated Fat
3.0 g
10 g
Monounsaturated Fat
17.9 g
59.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.34 g
1.13 g
Omega‑3 (ALA)
60 mg
200 mg
Trans Fat
0 g
0 g
Carbohydrate (total)
1.4 g
4.7 g
Sugars
1.4 g
4.7 g
Dietary Fibre
1.9 g
6.3 g
Micronutrient
Amount (per 30 g)
% of Australian RDI
Manganese
1.53 mg
31%
Thiamine (B1)
0.09 mg
8%
Copper
0.36 mg
12%
Magnesium
28 mg
9%
Iron
0.54 mg
4.5%
Zinc
0.4 mg
3%
Potassium
123 mg
3%
Calcium
14 mg
2%
Vitamin B6
0.08 mg
5%
Vitamin E
0.42 mg
4.2%
Folate
3.3 µg
2%
Selenium
3 µg
4.3%
[i] John Macadam (1827–1865) was a Scottish Australian analytical chemist, medical practitioner, university lecturer, politician, and a key scientific administrator in colonial Victoria. He is remembered because botanist Ferdinand von Mueller named the genus Macadamia in his honour.
I now live in a jurisdiction with a bicameral legislature. While we have the Australian Senate nationally, in the states or territories I’ve lived in, there has only been a lower house, meaning there is no house of review. I don’t intend to share my personal thoughts on upper houses; suffice to say, the lack of an upper house doesn’t seem to make much difference to state or territory governance (in my opinion).
There is an election this Saturday, and as has become my practice, I arrange to vote early. My early voting isn’t because I am a keen participant in my privilege as a citizen, but because of my desire to avoid other human beings as much as possible.
I listened to an interview with linguist and psychologist Steven Pinker. He is a Canadian‑American cognitive psychologist and a public intellectual, known for his work on language, human nature, and the surprising ways our world is improving.
His books include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, and The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. The interview I listened to focused on his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life.
I left with a better understanding that I don’t share common knowledge very often. It helped explain why I miss social cues and why I’m socially awkward.
I’ve also been listening to the Westminster Tradition podcast. It offers lessons for public service by examining public policy failures such as Robodebt and the UK’s Mad Cow Disease incident.
What have I been watching?
The truth about the toxic algal bloom spreading across the south of Australia.
I won’t comment on it because I have a connection to it through my job. I usually don’t watch Four Corners, and I won’t be watching it again anytime soon.
Democracy sausage made with Kransky and cheese with onion, cheddar, and sourdough, lined with whipped Vegemite butter.
A slice of white sourdough bread with a generous layer of whipped Vegemite butter for lubrication and umami.
One kransky and cheese sausage cut longitudinally and then bisected. Cooked on a cast-iron flat-top in the Weber Q+.
A couple of slices of brown onion. Cooked on a cast-iron flat-top in the Weber Q+.
The sausage was loaded onto the bread, and then the onion, and then a couple of pieces of aged cheddar cheese. I finished it on the Weber Q+ with the hood down, so the cheese started to melt, and the sourdough was fried in beef fat and whipped Vegemite butter.
I had another kransky sausage and made another meal with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce.
Democracy sausage, cooked in the Weber Q+ with some white onion, was served with a couple of poached eggs and freshly made Hollandaise sauce. The sauce was delicious, made with three egg yolks, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Vegemite and melted salted butter. However, the poached egg yolks broke prematurely, creating a mess on the plate.
A Kransky is a smoked, cured pork sausage originating from Slovenia, where it is known as kranjska klobasa. It is now widely produced and enjoyed in Australia.
Key Characteristics
Smoked (traditionally beechwood or hardwood)
Coarse‑minced pork (sometimes pork + beef)
Seasoned with garlic, pepper, paprika, coriander, and other spices
Encased in natural or collagen casings
Fully cooked and ready to heat or eat
Ingredients
100% Australian pork
Water
Salt
Mineral salts (450, 451, 452)
Antioxidant (316)
Vegetable gum (412)
Spices
Preservative (250)
Collagen casing
Naturally beechwood smoked
Per 100 g (standardised comparison)
Nutrient
Amount
Energy
~253–336 kcal
Protein
~14.9–18.9 g
Total Fat
~21–22.4 g
Saturated Fat
~9–9.8 g
Carbohydrates
~1–2.8 g
Sugars
~1–1.3 g
Sodium
~943–1013 mg
History of the Democracy Sausage
Polling day in Australia often smells of onions and tomato sauce. The Democracy Sausage — a sausage sizzle run by community groups at polling places — has become a ritual, part of Australian elections: a fundraiser, a social moment and a cultural symbol rolled into one. (Museum of Australian Democracy 2024).
Origins and early fundraising
Community fundraising at polling places dates back at least to the 1920s, with cake-and-tea stalls. The sausage sizzle emerged later, becoming widespread with the availability of portable barbecues in the late 1900s. The phrase “democracy sausage” entered popular use in the 2010s and became well known by the mid-2010s. (Museum of Australian Democracy 2024).
Why it stuck
Compulsory voting (introduced federally in 1924) and Saturday polling create large, captive, family-friendly crowds at local schools and halls. These constitute ideal conditions for community groups to fundraise with food. Over time, the sausage sizzle moved from pragmatic fundraiser to cultural shorthand for the civic act of voting. (Museum of Australian Democracy 2024).
Forms of the Democracy Sausage
Classic form
The archetypal democracy sausage is a grilled pork or beef sausage, served on a slice of plain white bread with tomato or barbecue sauce, and sometimes with fried onions.
The bread is not buttered.
Contemporary variations
Stalls have expanded their offerings to include sourdough rolls, gourmet sausages, vegetarian and vegan sausages, gluten-free bread, and accompaniments such as kimchi, sauerkraut, or cheese. Social media and crowd-sourced maps listing which booths offer which options have also encouraged variety. (Wikipedia 2024).
Reasons for the Democracy Sausage
Practical and social reasons
Fundraising: For many schools, churches, and community groups, the election-day sizzle is one of the year’s biggest fundraising opportunities.
Queue relief: Long queues make a quick, hot snack practical and welcome.
Community ritual: The sausage sizzle turns voting into a communal, family-friendly event and reinforces local ties.
Political implications of the Democracy Sausage
Non-partisan civic culture
Although run by local groups rather than political parties, the democracy sausage contributes to a visible, everyday culture of participation that normalises voting as a communal act rather than a purely private duty. This normalisation supports turnout in a system where voting is compulsory and helps frame elections as both local social events and political contests.
Soft political effects
I wonder if the sausage sizzle can have subtle political effects.
The sausage sizzle increases foot traffic at certain polling places, creates opportunities for informal political conversation, and can shape the mood on polling day.
I have thoughts about stereotypes, which may or may not be worthy. I wonder if the barbecues staffed by more young, environmentally conscious people include vegetarian and vegan sausages. I wonder what meat-only stalls say about the local politics.
I wonder if anyone has studied this and published their findings.
Range and variety of the Democracy Sausage
From humble snag to culinary creativity
Across Australia, you’ll find everything from the classic snag-in-bread to artisan sausages on brioche, plant-based options, and culturally inflected toppings. The diversity reflects broader food trends (health, ethics, gourmetisation) and local tastes; some stalls advertise their menus in advance so voters can choose a polling place based on what’s on offer. stalls advertise their menus in advance so voters can choose a polling place based on what’s on offer.
The likely future of the Democracy Sausage
Evolution, not extinction
I assume the democracy sausage will remain a fixture. I expect continued diversification (more plant-based and dietary-specific options), greater use of digital mapping and social media to publicise stalls, and occasional debates about health, waste (single-use packaging) and food safety. In the absence of major changes to voting day timing or compulsory voting, the sausage sizzle will remain.
