So, last week I posted about how I had finished February in my usual eating routine. This week has been a little unusual. A day in Sydney, a dinner out I didn’t end up getting to, and senate estimates put my week out of whack.
Monday Maccas
Rather than the usual Salmon Monday, I went with Maccas Monday after flying back from Sydney.
Two Big Macs
Please do me a favour
I think I’ve managed to work out how to use e-mail lists for sending post notifications and newsletters. I’d love it if you would sign up using the ‘form’ in the side bar (if you’re using a laptop or desktop) or at the bottom of the post (if you’re using a mobile device).
By subscribing you’ll receive a personalised e-mail from me and from time to time, apart from the blog post I’ll share something new, like my ideas for a cook book sometime this year.
Tuesday dinner out turned into dinner in
I was meant to go out to dinner on Tuesday night with friends from work (hospital) but I ended up having to do something work related.
I ended up buying a roast chicken from Coles and making a roast chicken sandwich.
Roast chicken roll with aioli and spring onion cream cheese
Wednesday Senate estimates
Three times a year public servants appear before senators to answer questions about their program areas. In days gone by I’d eat a steak at the Hellenic Club, however, lately, my boss has been taking a few of us out to dinner which has been a very pleasant change.
I have no photographs of dinner, just the large coffee I had in the morning.
Happy #humpday I need a large one for today. Thanks Urban Bean
I also have a shot of an abandoned building near where I work.
Canberra, our national capital. Home of fine public art with #abandoned buildings left for years surrounded by fencing suggesting activity but #noactivity
Dinner was leftover chicken on a piece of bread that was smothered in oil and heated in the oven to give it a fried bread effect. I laid the skin over the top to help stop the stringy breast meat from drying out too much. I’m not a fan of breasts, I much prefer thighs.
Leftover roast chicken on a fried cream cheese bread roll with peas and corn
The best thing about Thursday was that even though it wasn’t pay day, it was the start of the NRL season and the Brisbane Broncos defeated the Cronulla Sharks.
The 2017 #NRL season kicks off tonight. Let’s GO Brisbane Broncos. Coffee with Urban Bean almond and white chocolate muffin.
Friday means a day at the hospital, and…
Lunch in the staff tuck shop. I went with roast vegetables. They were very salty.
Meat-free Friday roast vegetables
Dinner was a concoction that included a Chicken Maryland, two mushrooms, lots of Coon cheese, peas, corn and a piece of bread.
Cheesy Chicken Maryland on oven fried Colby cheesy bread with mushrooms, peas and cornTriple chocolate ice cream
How did I cope?
I really prefer routine.
Final thoughts
I hope you had a good week. Did you eat well?
Can you do me another favour please
I’m sort of transitioning my blogging to balance between food blogging and light hearted ‘medical’ podcasting. Please check out the podcast at drgarylum.com/blog
Scotch fillet steak on a Saturday night is even better if it’s a steak sandwich
I watched a Nicko’s Kitchen video on YouTube recently on how to cook a perfect scotch fillet steak. My technique is slightly different in that I follow the Heston Blumenthal method of rapid flipping every fifteen to twenty seconds.
Anyway, I wanted a steak sandwich for dinner. I liked the way Nicko crusted his steak by using Dijon mustard and chopped chives. It looked very pretty. It also added a nice taste too.
What you’ll need
Scotch fillet steak
Salt
Olive oil
Butter
Thyme
Chives
Dijon mustard
Cracked pepper
Lettuce
Tomato
Swiss cheese slices
Bread roll
Here’s what you do
Slice the bread roll into halves
Apply some Dijon mustard to the inside of each half
Add a slice of Swiss cheese
Put the bread under a grill for a few minutes to slightly melt the cheese
Remove some lettuce leaves and wash them
Slice the tomato and allow it to rest on some paper towel
Apple some pepper to one side of the tomato
The steak should have been in the refrigerator for about half a day at least uncovered
Take the steak out at least an hour before you’re ready to cook to get it to room temperature
Rub some olive oil all over the steak
Season the steak with salt
Get a pan smoking hot
Put the steak in the pan and flip every 15 to 20 seconds and cook until you like it
I like my steak rare
Add some thyme and a bit of butter and allow the butter to melt and the thyme to flavour the meat
Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes
Coat one side of the steak with Dijon Mustard
Flip the steak over onto a plate of chopped chives and coat the steak
Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard [Click on the photograph for a full view]Slice into the desired thickness
Prepare the steak sandwich with the bread roll and melted cheese
Enjoy a nice juicy steak sandwich
Scotch fillet steak with chives and Dijon mustard sandwich [Click on the photo for a full view]
Parting words
I regularly post photographs of food to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Please feel free to connect with me on any social media platform. I also have a podcast. It’s not food related but each show is short and it’s named Medical Fun Facts. You can find it in the iTunes podcast store as well as Stitcher. A show drops every Monday and Tuesday. It has a little cynicism, a little scepticism and occasionally some sarcasm.
The Royal Darwin Hospital and the 2002 Bali Bombings
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I originally wrote this on 12 October 2012, the tenth anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings and I had it on the Old Yummy Lummy blog. I thought I should update the post a little and bring it over to my current blog. I’d welcome comments and feedback.
This post is not like my regular food posts. Today I’m recalling the memories and experiences from October 2002. This post is by no means a complete recollection, I don’t want to bore you with minutiæ, it may not even be the highlights, it’s more likely the things that come to mind as I write. I’ve decided against including clinical images. I realise most readers of this blog prefer to see food rather than burnt and traumatised human flesh.
Saturday night 12 October 2002
I attended a dinner meeting of the then Australasian College of Health Service Executives (now the Australasian College of Health Service Management). It was a good night, I spent time with my friend and colleague, Dr Len Notaras plus many others. [That had been a good year. On 20 May, I accepted Len’s encouragement to act as the Executive Director of the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) while maintaining my role as Supervising Pathologist and Director of Pathology for the Northern Territory Government. ]
That night in Kuta, Australians, other foreign nationals and the local people of Bali and Indonesia were enjoying a night out. Map http://goo.gl/maps/ZHdGP
While we slept in Darwin bombs exploded in Kuta. In the end, it’s thought 202 people died and another 209 people were significantly injured.
Sunday 13 October 2002
That morning the news services reported on the bombings. There was not a lot of information about the health needs that would be required for the people injured. A young man who was slightly injured managed to catch a flight from Bali to Darwin and he presented to the Emergency Department at RDH. He provided the first insight for us on what happened. Later in the morning I was receiving telephone calls that we needed to meet at the hospital because Darwin may be used as an entry point for the survivors who needed acute critical care.
At Richmond, RAAF flight crew were departing in a C-130 to pick up some of our doctors and assess the situation in Bali. The initial thinking was there would be a scoop and run operation of walking wounded (as opposed to stay and play). The early information was vague and inaccurate. We had a general surgeon (Dr David Read) and an anæsthetist (Dr Sue Winter) take satellite telephones with them from the RDH. These two doctors were reservists and full-time staff specialists at RDH. With our RDH telecommunications devices, we were able to collect raw information from the field. Such information proved invaluable and much more accurate when compared to information from official sources.
Getting together at the Royal Darwin Hospital
In the early afternoon, the hospital executive including senior clinical leaders met to discuss how we would manage patients being flown across. We didn’t know how many patients nor what condition they would be in. We called in a lot of staff, being careful not to call in into work the entire staff knowing this would be a multi-day campaign and we were conscious of fatigue. Many clinicians, pathology scientists, professional officers, administrative and general duties staff volunteered to help. I have memories of garden staff coming in to move equipment and patients as we decanted patients and equipment around the hospital, to the collocated Darwin Private Hospital and to home.
The RDH Boardroom which acted as our command and control centre. It’s not like the modern day room we have in the Australian Government Department of Health (Health).
Moving patients out to make space
We agreed to decant the two general surgical wards on the second floor, we got all the patients in the hospital in the know and many agreed to go home or somewhere else. We decanted the less sick patients who needed to stay to an old vacant cafeteria area. Some patients we had to force to stay, they wanted to leave to allow their place to be taken by a bombing victim. By the end we had discharged 100 patients to make room and to free up staff.
We moved high dependency patients to the co-located Darwin Private Hospital. We were lucky, we only had one patient in our Intensive Care Unit. We were lucky, Darwin was hosting a meeting of anæsthetists that weekend. We were lucky we had a reasonable amount of time to prepare.
Like any other hospital, despite making bed space available, we still had patients presenting to the ED to be seen. I recall one of my pathology staff fell from his bicycle and needed attention in the ED at the time. A young girl swallowed a fish that went down the wrong way and ended in her airway. She needed urgent attention while the ED went about quietly and calmly preparing.
By the evening we had the second floor clear, the medical wards had also reduced their patient numbers, the ICU had a single patient and we had kitchen and support staff in to keep the hospital going.
Accurate information makes all the difference
Throughout the night we received calls from Dr David Read and Dr Sue Winter who had flown to Bali with the RAAF. We were on the telephone with DFAT and other agencies. The then NT Minister for Health came through at 2100 ACST and she did a walk through with Len and me. We knew in the early morning the first flight would come in and then over about six hours we would receive all the patients. We knew some patients were also being flown to Perth. It was spooky walking through the empty surgical wards of a silent hospital.
During the evening a burns and critical care team from Adelaide arrived to assist. The team from the Royal Adelaide Hospital worked seamlessly with our staff. We had local General Practitioners volunteering to help.
Food, money and letters
It became known across Australia what we were preparing for and over the next thirty-six hours what we were doing. The news spread across the world. Within Australia, Australians were calling us and sending us food. One lady from Adelaide sent up a heap of pies by an overnight courier. Another lady rang a local Darwin pizza shop and sent pizzas.
In the weeks following I received letters from school kids from around the world. A bloke in Texas sent me hundreds of US dollars in notes and coins in an envelope.
Monday 14 October 2002 Bali bombings
The patients arrive
Over the Monday morning and early afternoon, four flights of RAAF C-130 Hercules flew in and brought patients to us with burns, trauma and high speed shrapnel and blast injuries. I remember the smell of the patients, the burnt flesh. I remember how they looked, the most severely burnt patient had no ears, lips or nose. I thought one patient who was being wheeled in in front of me was dead. Then his arm moved and I knew he was alive. He did not survive. I was in the ICU before he died. His bed was gushing with fluid that was coming away from him. We later learnt he wasn’t Australian, he was Greek. Our ICU team were able to make contact with his family in Greece. They were told in his last hours a hospital chaplain held his hand, spoke, sang and prayed with him as he died.
Surgeons and physicians working together in perfect harmony
If you’re medically or nursing qualified, the most fascinating and invigorating and spirit enhancing thing was watching specialist physicians, surgeons and their trainees along with other medical practitioners and registered nurses working together. I mean truly working together. The traditional medical referral system was halted for a day or so. Surgeons worked their science and art wherever they could. Debridement and fasciotomies were being performed in wards, corridors and operating theatres. Physicians were working as metabolic teams. They didn’t know their patients, there was no time and many of them were too sick for a relationship with their doctor. We enlisted medical students to ferry pathology results and assist in other very useful ways. The pathology and radiology areas were run ragged.
What about pathology, the heart of medicine?
I made time to visit Building 13, my building, the Pathology Department at RDH. My close colleagues in the laboratory, my friends were working frantically. Results were needed by physicians to stabilise and resuscitate patients. The hæmatology, chemical pathology and blood transfusion laboratory scientists were working around the clock.
An infection control and prevention nightmare of epic proportions
Over the days my speciality interest in Clinical Microbiology was needed. The hospital in Bali did a great job but they ran out of supplies and equipment early. To keep cool and to find relief, many patients before the burns took over were conscious enough to cool themselves with water from wherever they could find it. The water wasn’t always clean. Some patients were sitting in water. Bali is replete with multi-antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The patients’ burn wounds were being infected before they left Bali. We spread multi-drug resistant bacteria around Australia as we transferred patients around the country. We had introduced an infection control nightmare. I struggled to stay on top of that plus everything else. Fortunately, Darwin has the highest concentration of infectious diseases experts in the universe.
Rack, pack and stack
After all the patients arrived, the job was to assess, resuscitate and for the severe burns patients transport to a burns unit in another state.
With colleagues in Health in Canberra and the connections we had with the ADF, senior clinicians from RDH arranged for a milk run around Australia to transport burns and some trauma patients around the country. We did our best to place patients in their home state or territory. That couldn’t always happen. Their clinical needs were paramount. Some patients managed to get direct flights into Brisbane and Adelaide via other aeromedical evacuation (AME) services. I recall with some happiness seeing the Brisbane team arrive and recognising a senior staff specialist from the Princess Alexandra Hospital come and retrieve a couple of patients.
I can remember so many inspiring stories from the days and weeks afterwards. We had visiting dignitaries from within and without Australia. We received updates from burns bosses in the other Australian centres about the patients we shared, those summaries were shared with staff so they knew the destiny and outcome of the patients they got to know briefly but intimately. The cooperation amongst the burns units around Australia was great. There was a lot of information sharing between everyone.
Back to pathology
It was about that time I applied to become the permanent General Manager of the Royal Darwin Hospital. I remember the feeling of being turned down. May to December of 2002 was the most meaningful period of my career. I’ve done lots of other things and done things I’m proud of. The proudest career moments though for me were sharing time with everyone from Royal Darwin Hospital. Working with the best hospital staff anywhere on earth. I’m conscious that most people think their workplace, especially if it’s a hospital thinks where they work or where they trained is the best. I just know what I know and I’m happy with that thought to last me forever.
While I wish I had been appointed the permanent General Manager, it was good to return to pathology and move on to do things like chair the Public Health Laboratory Network, become vice President of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and chair the board of Proficiency Testing Australia.
Mr Howard, OM, AC inspired the NCCTRC with Dr Len Notaras
Since then the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre has been established. I was there when it began and now I work in the Australian Government Department of Health and part of my job (from 2007 to 2012) was the administration of the funding agreement associated with the NCCTRC. I work with my friend and colleague Dr Len Notaras, AM just like I did when I was in Darwin. The icing on the cake has been the contract between the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and the NCCTRC. I did the bulk of my medical and specialty training at PAH. It is fantastic to see them working together. RDH and PAH are my two favourite hospitals, the hospitals that built my career, the hospitals that made me the person I am, it is such a good feeling knowing they have a working relationship around trauma.
War and disaster conference 2012
Last weekend (remember I wrote this originally in 2012) from Thursday evening to Saturday evening I found myself in Darwin for the NCCTRC’s war and disaster conference. I had the best time. We had a dinner with Hon. John Howard, OM AC speaking about the Australian Government’s experience at the time of the first Bali bombings. The new Chief Minister Hon. Terry Mills spoke too. Kamahl was there too to entertain us. Len Notaras’s wife, Robyn Cahill also sang at the dinner. On the Friday we had a clinical symposium for the RDH and visiting PAH clinicians as well as some special guests like Dr Mark Little from Cairns Base Hospital. He spoke about the evacuation of the Cairns Base Hospital for Tropical Cyclone Yasi. On the Saturday we had a Clinical Conference which I spoke at. I also did some media. Here is a short clip of an interview. I’ve been told other aspects of what I said were reported elsewhere http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-04/bali-bombings-doctors-warn-on-disaster-response/4295686?section=nt
You can’t get more Australian than a barbecue
Back to 2002. Move the clock forward four weeks and we had a barbecue. There was some criticism given the nature of most of the wounds were burns. We thought about it and agreed that the best way to thank the entire hospital was to hold an event revolving around food and letting everyone have some down time. A barbecue was still the best option. So in mid-November, Len and I and others from within the NT health bureaucracy arranged a huge staff barbecue. I cooked meat and happily fed the hungry. I remember Rodney, one of our groundsmen coming back four times. I remember that night arranging for platters to be delivered and for Len and I to walk through every ward and to speak with and share food with everyone on night duty.
The staff barbecue. I cooked lots of meat.
Honoured
Move the clock forward a year and some of us were included in the special 2002 Bali bombings investiture. I thought long and hard about it. Was I worthy. I wasn’t sure. I decided to agree to accept membership of the Order of Australia. Afterwards there was criticism. How did people get chosen? Why only so few? I queried whether I should relinquish my membership. I spoke with people close to me and I was reminded by so many that I represented the hospital, the people of RDH. Whenever I look at the lapel pin in my jacket or sign my name with the post nomials, I think of the victims and I think of the people at RDH. I try not to always think of the same person but to think about everyone I can remember from that time.
Importantly the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has grown significantly. The relationship between Darwin and Bali has blossomed. The relationship between RDH/NCCTRC and Sanglah Hospital is fraternal and now involves regular staff exchanges. The relationship between the people of Bali and Australia has become intimate in so many ways. Whatever the motivation was for those responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings on 12 October 2002, the result has been a development of preparedness and response from the health sector and a closer bond between the peoples of two countries and two cultures.
Regular readers of Yummy Lummy know of my deep seated love of vanilla slice. Last year I took a driving holiday to Geelong and back and much of that trip focussed on my favourite pastry.
Last week twenty Canberra Food Bloggers took a trip to Fyshwick (better known for Australia’s pornography industry, brothels and sex shops) to visit Owen at Dream Cuisine and enjoy his pastries. At the time Owen mentioned that his vanilla slice isn’t a constant feature because they are a little labour intensive and he needs a full complement of staff if he’s going to make them available. He did hint though he may have some ready for this week.
While I was at work yesterday (Friday) I thought I’d give Dream Cuisine a call to see if I should plan a Saturday breakfast in Fyshwick. Owen answered the telephone and said he would get his chefs to prepare some for Saturday. I was stoked.
So this morning I head out to try Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice. Would it be good? Would it compare with my favourites? Who knows, either way, I knew that the Myrtleford Butter Owen uses and his amazing custard would make me happy. I was pretty confident I’d like Owen’s version because he mentioned caramelised pastry. In my mind that would at least put it into the Gumnut Patisserie league.
So when I arrived there they were in the display case. Four slices of happiness with “Dream” written in icing sugar on the top piece of pastry.
I asked for a flat white coffee and a single slice.
When I checked in using the swarm app I become Mayor of Dream Cuisine
A photo posted by Yummy Lummy | Gary Lum (@yummylummyblog) on
I always like to see Bundaberg sugar at a cafe or restaurant. In my mind it’s the best sugar in Australia and helps me think of my maternal grandparents.
So what did I think of Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice? As I mentioned on Instagram, it was sensationally dreamy. This is a show piece vanilla slice. There’s no way a Victorian could call this a snot block and if a Victorian did call it a snot block and I was Owen I’d be insulted. Does it meet my expectations for a good vanilla slice? Yes and no. Yes, this is delicious. The caramelised pastry was crisp and sweet and full bodied in flavour. The custard was delicate. It was sweet but not too sweet and it had the right amount of vanilla. All together it was fabulous. But no it’s not my perfect vanilla slice because this is a fancy pastry that tastes really good. For me, my perfect vanilla slice has all this flavour but it also has the right texture and consistency. I want that caramelised pastry to be firm but not soggy and not crisp. I want to be able to bite through it without it fracturing, it needs to break apart. A fork needs to be able to do the same thing. In my perfect vanilla slice the custard won’t squeeze out when pressure is applied to the top and bottom pastry layers either by my teeth or a fork.
I’d highly recommend Dream Cuisine’s vanilla slice to pastry lovers. If you live in Canberra, there’s no excuse, you need to visit Dream Cuisine. It’s not only in Fyshwick. If you’re visiting Canberra, put some time in your diary to make a visit, stay for a coffee and enjoy a treat. The service is great. It’s friendly and you’re served with a smile. They also have good quality containers for takeaway too.
Lake Ginninderra
I bought my afternoon tea while I was there.
The lavender and salted caramel macarons are to die for.
Cheesy Chicken Maryland on toast | Check out my Chicken Maryland recipe
Chicken Maryland posts are reasonably popular on Yummy Lummy. I don’t know why, but I get most visitors who want a Chicken Maryland recipe. This recipe isn’t healthy. This recipe isn’t low fat. This recipe has no vegetables. This recipe is tasty. This recipe is comforting. This recipe means you use your hands to eat the chicken. This recipe has no leftover juices that get wasted.
Cut a hamburger roll in half and lay out on the tray
Butter the bread if you like or spread some olive oil
Place a piece of chicken on each piece of bread
Sprinkle on the cheese, salt, chicken salt, pepper and mixed dried herbs
Put into the oven for 1 hour
Rest for 20 minutes
Shoot a photograph
Eat with your hands being careful not to be so enthusiastic you eat the bones too
Don’t eat the bones
Wash the dishes
Write the recipe
Blog (verb)
3.5.3208
If you make this be aware that you’ll want to do it again. It’s quite moreish, that’s why I did two pieces of Chicken Maryland. It fits nicely too with just one bread roll. The best part is that the bread toasts and becomes crispy with the chicken fat and cheesy goodness in the oven.
This is a perfect meal for when you come home and need to do other things while a quick and easy meal is cooking.
Earlier today, being pay day, I had a raspberry hazelnut meringue torte from Urban Bean Espresso Bar for my lunch.
Raspberry and Hazelnut Meringue Torte
Please try the recipe and let me know what you think.
What do you cook when you want something quick easy and comforting that you can eat with your hands?
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