In the mid 1970’s I heard a bureaucrat [Bob Lansdowne] argue that social change came from shifts in compassion or compulsion-he was discussing our relationship with Indonesia and argued that compassion was in short supply. He was suggesting that huge disparities in income and wealth in an increasingly open and global environment were a recipe for instability and conflict–and that we should be afraid of the consequences of failing to address it. His concern is even more relevant today.
French? Garlic, butter, snails and frogs. Italian? Pasta, cured meats and tomatoes. American? Burgers, gumbo, lobster. Australian…?
How do we define what makes Australian food Australian? Our national dishes – meat pie, pavlova, lamington – are cobbled together from the cuisines of other countries. We’ve got a century or more of food culture under our belt now, but it’s still so hard to define what makes Australian food Australian.
I asked this question because nothing seems to actually change or progress. For example, why are we asking how to legalise same-sex marriage? Shouldn’t we be asking how do we redefine marriage? Or how can a legal framework be less discriminatory? I am asking because I care, and you should too. We can make a difference, we just have to stop doing things in the way they have always been done!