An article from the travelling photographer Mira Zaki who visited us August 2009. Visit her blogsite at http://mirazaki.blogspot.com

Since I arrived in the glorious and cool but sunny winter in the South of Australia- the state of Victoria, the city of Melbourne, I had a mission- to figure out- how and why the food of Australia tasted, in my experience, the polar-opposite of the food I’ve tasted in the USA. This is a project that is going to take much more time and research than I anticipated to form itself into a book- but- of course, as a former student for 10 years time, I continue to find delight in learning and allowing myself to be a sponge to learn, learn, learn… about well.. everything and anything… about different cultures, lifestyles, ways of.. being and doing that are not my own. I arrived with a very marginal amount of knowledge of the practices of food production here, not nearly enough to even be considered knowledge, really, but.. I was given the most unexpected and wonderful crash course by the HEAD CHEF of a delectable Aboriginal restaurant here called “Tjanabi” pronounced just like it is spelled with the T being silent. The generosity of not only the manager to allow me to shoot my lunch there, but the waitstaff, the Head Chef, and sous- chefs still blows my mind every time I think about it. I can’t seem to accurately describe the absolute genuineness and sincerity that is found in Australians- there’s no agenda, there’s no expectation, there’s just a true human connection- past all the bullshit, past all the pretense and the song-and-dance you have to do when you first meet someone …and at the end of my shoot, the Head Chef very quietly said to me “thanks for being here, it was nice to meet you” and my GOD his words pulsed through my veins directly up my left arm and into my heart, I felt like he really meant it.. like HIS life was changed by meeting me?! ( I feel the opposite was true, but nonetheless what a heart-warming feeling!)

So, here’s how it started. A friend recommended this restaurant to me, and as I was looking back at all the images I shot so far (about 1200, whew) I started to think.. what food represents Australia? WHAT is true Australian cuisine? Vegemite? Meat pies? I just couldn’t place what is thought of as Australian food- what did they invent?! So, I looked at the website of this restaurant, Tjanabi, I was first and foremost thrilled that an Aboriginal restaurant still exists, and as I read on about the background, I found that the restaurant name means “celebration” to celebrate as the owner says the spirit of the great city of Melbourne. Perfect. I emailed them asking if I can shoot my lunch sometime in the next week, expecting to get a response in perhaps 6 weeks time, only to find that the manager answered me immediately, saying he was most pleased to accommodate my request. The entire staff welcomed me as I was shooting my lunch outside, the manager came over to shake my hand and introduce himself and then the Head Chef came out, too, and asked if I wanted to shoot some other dishes as they were coming out. Um, WHAT?! Is he kidding? AM I dreaming? First of all, WHAT HEAD CHEF IN THE WORLD has the time or CARES to meet a photographer?! And?! I get to shoot these dishes that I wanted to shoot but couldn’t afford to pay for all 6 of them (nor would I be able to eat them all).. amazing.. he even helped carry my things inside.. and then…there I was behind the scenes in the “Staff Only” part of the restaurant, shooting kangaroo chorizo, wallaby, crocodile, emu, beef, and other glorious assorted accompaniments indigenous to Australia.

I had a few more things to shoot, but, I decided to eat my own food, and waited for the lunch rush to be over. The manager of the restaurant offered me a book written by the owner of the restaurant, Carolyn Briggs while I was waiting. I was browsing through the book which was about the Aboriginal roots and influence in Melbourne and her personal connection through her ancestors even up until her own grandparents! When things finally quieted down, the Head Chef invited me into the kitchen to show me a few things, answer all of my questions, and gave me a brilliant crash course in the herbs they use that are grown only in Australia/The Southern Hemisphere, how the drought and fire has been affecting them, what solutions exist as proposed by the government to address the drought, and how he is constantly creating new and efficient ways to use or compost every part of the produce, herbs, and meat that comes his way. It was especially encouraging to know that he knows exactly which farms produce the food that they use in the restaurant. I was absolutely floored to be given this kind of attention as just an American photographer who specializes in travel and food- truly- much more than I could have asked for- just the “pleasure” of accepting my request to shoot my lunch was enough! I look forward to going back to the restaurant to talk to my new friends and to give them the photos I took. I hope they post them up on their website!

And the moral of the story is… when in Melbourne…