Australian Foreign Policy

So a couple weeks ago, I was thinking about something distinctly "Canadian" that I could share with my unenlightened roommates. Between maple syrup & Canadian bacon, something everyone knows about, I elected a French Canadian Classic: the noble Poutine. Much like with my previous post regarding ramen, here is the wikipedia page for the unawares:

Source: Wikpedia

Poutine is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curd, covered with brown gravy and sometimes additional ingredients.... The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy is a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper. Fresh cheese curd (not more than a day old) are used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy must be added immediately prior to serving the dish.

So after browsing through the local supermarkets, I was able to find most of the ingredients to make this, most noblest of traditions. Unfortunately, Brown Sauce, the ubiquitous secret ingredient of Poutine, was no where to be found. I asked my mom to send me a packet of the stuff. And lo and behold, after about a week, it arrived. I had to pick it up from the post office, and what I got was a bit of a surprise...

Atypical of Australia (fear of things coming on boats), it appears that Australians have a deep-seeded fear of things coming in packages. So while my beautiful gravy mix languished in an Australian holding cell, unbeknownst to me or my family. But finally, after suffering through that horrible ordeal... here it was. I actually haven't made it yet, but it's nice to know I have a piece of Canada with me (or very shortly... in me!)

Happy Eating,

Rick