Australia: Melbourne Events

I know I've been pretty slack the last few weeks - but for good reason (or may just pure laziness). Melbourne is renowned for e world. Recently there has been an influx of events taking place in Melbourne so it is my duty to attend and write about them.

1. Art After Dark - Art Deco Exhibit: being the cultural centre of Australia, attracting artists, musicians, comedians, festivals, and shows from all over thFrom July through September, the NGV - National Gallery of Victoria is displaying exquisite Art Deco pieces (paintings, costumes, ad prints, architecture, furniture, ocean liner, automobiles...) from around the world during 1910 - 1939. Think flappers of the Roaring Twenties, Fred & Ginger, lamps with built-in ash trays, lime green radios, Chrysler building, Coit Tower, Cubism...well, that's all I can remember from the exhibit. Every Wednesday night, the NGV comes alive with Art After Dark where you get to experience the exhibit at night with dance performances, music, speakers, and food and wine. Perfect for an after-work date.
   
2. Sigur Ros Concert: Justin bought tickets to hear his favorite Icelandic band perform at a sold-out show in Melbourne (during the same weekend as our company ski trip which we had to miss thanks to dumb ass). I had never heard of them before so I was even more reluctant to attend. Little did I know, Justin's been playing their music around the house for months which I instantly recognised and took a liking to. Hearing them live was even more spectacular. Sigur Ros sings in their own made-up language. It is hard to describe their music but it is theatrical and melodic and unlike any other sounds I've ever heard. If they are touring in your city, I highly recommend checking them out.
   
3. White Charlie's Grand Opening: Kyoko took Rita, Stephanie, and me (all fellow expats) to a bar opening owned by her friend in Prahan where we rubbed elbows with TV celebrities (one I even recognised) and Miss Australia. After waiting outside in the freezing cold (don't forget - it's winter down here) for the longest 15 minutes of my life, the owner finally came out to greet us and let us in past the queue. Packed with attractive fashionable Melbournians air kissing each other, it felt like a wannabe glitsy Hollywood event in a small town (I tend to forget that Melbourne is one of the biggest cities in Australia).
   
4. Altar Boyz: Nokomi scored free tickets through work for a musical comedy about a religious boy band. It was cute and hilarious with cheesy music and dance moves reminiscent of the Backstreet Boy / N Sync days. While the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed the live show which won Best Off Broadway Musical, Justin wasn't very amused - he thought a 5-minute SNL skit was enough to do the theme justice.
   
5. Taste of Melbourne: A couple weekends ago, Yamen and Joanna came down from Sydney for work. While the boys went to the footy game in Geelong (an hour and a half away from Melbourne), Jo and I went to a food and wine festival at the Royal Exhibition Centre where top restaurants in the city (Nobu, Court House, Circa, The Stokehouse, Longrain) showcased their signature dishes. We were regaled for three hours with wine, honey nectar, black cod, slow cooked pork belly, and fabulous desserts (our favorite was a Greek donut filled with turkish delight on top of panacotta). At $25 for admission plus $8-$16 per dish (appetizer size), Taste of Melbourne was a bit of a ripoff but we were stuffed nonetheless and had the best time eating the Sunday afternoon away. We capped off with a nap at the Crowne Plaza where Jo was staying.
   
6. The Mummy Premiere: Annie and I went to see Edge of Love (Sienna Miller and Kiera Knightley) at the Melbourne Central Hoyts Theatre and accidentally stumbled upon the red carpet premiere of The Mummy. When we were getting our tickets, we heard all this commotion with dragon dancing typical of Chinese New Year. We quickly found out that it was the movie premiere and Brendan Fraser (Annie's favourite Hollywood crush) was attending. We managed to squeeze past the crowd scoring front-row standing spots behind the velvet rope. After waiting for 15 minutes, Brendan Fraser finally made his appearance and shook everyone's hands and signed autographs. When he got close to where we were standing, Annie had an actual conversation with him asking him how his flight was and how he was feeling. He apparently winked at me according to Annie but I was too busy trying to get a notebook for him to sign for her. His appearance was disappointing in person to say the least. His balding scalp was haphazardly covered up by hair plugs while his makeup was thick but didn't hide his aging skin. He is not as tall as he appeared in the movies and certainly not in the best shape. Poor Encino Man looks nothing like the poster.
   
7. Yoga Expo: One Sunday we spent the entire day at the Melbourne Showgrounds where the yoga expo took place with free classes offered by various schools in Melbourne and panels with yoga experts and tasty vegetarian meals. It was a very relaxing day and helped us re-center ourselves, reminding us of what we learned in India. It's amazing how much we let our environment affect us. Now that we are working and living in the city again, we get so caught up with the every day life that we have almost forgotten what it means to let go, live healthy, live simply. Attending the yoga expo helped remind us of that again.
   

Aussie Phrases of the Day:
Save it for Ron - saving something for later on
Save it for Justin - saving something for just in case
Example: Justin: why are you putting that piece of cake in your purse?
Me: Saving it for Ron! And for Justin!

Australia: Long Black or Flat White

A long black may sound like something out of a porn flick, but it is actually a type of coffee you order when you step into a cafe. If you try to order by saying "a venti coffee" like American Brian did when he first arrived, it will have the same effect as saying "a large food and a small beverage." You will inevitably be given a weird look and then asked, "What kind of coffee?" (American Brian cracked under pressure and ordered a hot chocolate instead.)

Melbourne has a very prevalent and perhaps snobby coffee culture, which I was quite surprised to discover upon arrival. Streets are lined with fashionable cafes; walking from my house to the train station, I pass by six cafes every morning in just one block. Melburnians take their coffee very seriously. It is not uncommon for someone to have their own espresso machine (our house mate Ben has his imported from Italy). It is never brewed coffee but espresso served in a variety of ways. Trying to find a cafe that serves brewed coffee here is like needle in a haystack or coffee bean in marbles. Coffee art is also popular (made by pouring the frothy milk to form objects as shown on pictures) and shows off the artistic skills of a barista.

To arm you with coffee knowledge so you don't end up like American Brian on his first order, here's a brief description of the possible choices of coffee you can expect to find at any cafe (copied verbatim from this poster I found):

• Espresso/Short Black - A short black coffee (30ml) with a thick golden layer of 'crema' served in a demitasse cup.
• Hot Chocolate - A sweet rich chocolate indulgence to which freshly steamed milk is added & topped with freshly whipped cream or froth, served in a long glass.
• Cappuccino - Normally 1/3 espresso to which freshly steamed milk with a mountain of thick dense foam is added, served in a cup & dusted with chocolate powder.
• Long Black - Half a cup of hot water to which two shots of espresso are added.
• Flat White - A shot of espresso (30ml) to which freshly steamed milk with a small amount of foam is added & served in a cup.
• Short Macchiato - An espresso (30ml) stained with a dash of hot/cold milk.
• Caffe Latte - A double shot of espresso (60ml) to which freshly steamed milk with a small amount of foam is added & served in a glass.
• Babyccinos (not on poster) - Frothy steamed milk served in a tiny cup that moms can get for their babies. A personal favourite.
  

I was never much of a coffee drinker aside from the occasional visit to Starbucks back home. But many meetings here - social and business - are conducted in cafes, so I've learnt to adapt without even stepping foot in a Starbucks. I usually go with a weak skinny cappuccino (less espresso with skim milk) or a skinny chai latte with cinnamon and honey wherever chai is served. With local cafes getting most of the business, it is no wonder that Starbucks is closing 61 of 84 stores here in Australia because frankly, there's just no demand for it. Australia's coffee aficionados like to taste their coffees, not syrupy [insert fruit] creme frappuccinos with extra whipped cream that is signature of the Seattle chain (which I have to admit - I do love a Green Tea Frap). Perhaps Starbucks should have conducted better market research before trying to introduce a European cafe culture where it already existed unlike the U.S.