The BB cafe

[Kazzl]

The BB cafe is open for business!
Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum.

The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a pool outside, a bbq area, an annexe with comfy beds for a quiet sleep, tv, dvd, books and whatever else you would like to have here.

Most of all, it's a place to meet friends and fellow travellers for a bit of company. Talk over problems, tell jokes, share your day, escape into a world of your making. Grab a coffee and pull up a chair ... 

So, with a nod to the wonderful Carole King (Hard Rock Cafe) ...

Now if you're feeling just a little bit lonely
Don't sit at home just mopin'
Come on down to where the friendship flows freely
You know the door is always open

At the BB cafe
Come to the BB cafe
They will help keep your blues at bay
At the BB cafe

Important Message from ModSupport: 
The main intention of the BB Cafe is to encourage light conversation. Please look after your fellow community members by nuturing the BB Cafe as a place to escape some of the more pressing issues in life and save those conversations for personal threads. 

[Fiatlux]

Good morning lovely cafe friends,

I love prawn money bags. Haven’t had them in years. When my daughter was younger, she wouldn’t eat seafood especially prawns. She couldn’t get past the look of them, especially with the heads on. We went to Yum Cha lunch when she was about 13 and she tried the prawn dumplings and crab claw. From that time on, she decided that she could eat seafood as long as it’s disguised.

This entire week it has been drizzling and sunny and drizzly again. This morning as I look out the window there is still a light shower. It’s definitely a comfort food kind of week.

Last night a made a larger Thai Chicken stir fry with basil and chilli and coconut rice. I have just enough leftover for my dinner tonight.

This morning I had gluten free wholemeal toast, which can be like eating saw dust. So I topped it with a treat of Nonya Kaya, a delicious coconut and pandan spread. Sometimes it is called a Jam but it’s not as sweet and it contains eggs so I wouldn’t call it jam. Just some of the sweet treats I ordered from the Asian grocery store. Mochi a Japanese rice cake was the other sweet treats I ordered, but these were eaten long ago. I am starting to like Asian sweets especially as they tend not to be too sweet. Coming from a European upbringing I was more used to Tortes, Pastries and Gateau’s. I like the different flavours of Mochi and are generally gluten free being made from rice.

On to my second cup of coffee this morning and I am so looking forward to the weekend. Have a great day and weekend everyone. Fiatlux 🙏🏼

[sbella02]

Fiatlux, from your description, I can't even express how much I want to try Nonya Kaya, coconut and pandan are two of my favourite flavours EVER. And Taro. Yum.

Mochi is also really nice, I've always wanted to try making it myself to be honest!

I love Thai food. I had some delicious homemade pad see ew the other night, and goodness me that was so special. What's your favourite cuisine?

SB

[Fiatlux]

Good day darling cafe friends,

Hope and pray that you are all well.

Today I feel exhausted. Completely lack motivation. I am at work but I’m only managing the bare minimum. It’s lovely breezy and sunny and I should be outside soaking up some rays, but the neighbours have tradies onsite, drilling and being very noisy, so I have to shut the doors and windows.

sbella, I can’t decide on my favourite cuisine. I love most Asian dishes and I switch between Thai, Indian and Japanese, but growing up on European food I often crave those flavours and they satisfy my appetite and my soul.

Yesterday I made a Hungarian Chicken Goulash the way my mother taught me and it filled the house with a familiar delicious scent of sweet roasted paprika. When my son arrived for dinner he said that he could smell dinner from the front door. Just like going to my mums house for dinner. 

We hear a lot about classic French cuisine and it does live up to its reputation if done well. I had the fortune of staying at The Lake House in Daylesford, Victoria for a week of RandR. The menu was classic French, even the staff spoke French and my husband and I were salivating. I remember saying to my husband, how does someone make chicken taste so good. The chicken dish was like no chicken I had ever eaten before. I even loved the Eel dish. Every dish, every meal was better than the last. Who needs to go to Paris for good French food? We also have a little French deli nearby that I visit for Terrines and Pate. It’s all very decadent.

We have dinned out quite a lot in our almost 40 years and have had plenty of great food experiences. On super special occasions, it’s lobster tails and Moreton bay bugs… yum!

Have a wonderful week everyone and spoil yourself as life is short. Fiatlux 🙏🏼

[blondguy]

Hello Fiatlux and everyone else too! New Members are always very Welcome to Post too!!

What a wonderful positive post!  I havent been to Daylesford since I was 2...I am salivating here with your description of so many beautiful dishes Fiatlux. 

The Lake House is a magnificent destination with their exemplary menu and the exquisite dishes you mentioned. French is a beautiful language yet unfortunately my French teacher was short tempered and lacked basic self control when his students didnt understand. He would resort to physical tactics to make his point.  

That was a long time ago just prior to metrication. Excuse me for the lengthy response Fiatlux...ooops!

Lobster tail, I wish!  If you ever travel overseas again you must try some King Crab...ex Bering Sea. If memory serves Alaskan King Crab is available in one seafood importer for approx $220/kilo....Oh my!  I had some King crab when we lived in Vancouver CA and it was beautiful.

Love your post and will be hungry now on a continual basis!

my kindest always

Paul

[HamSolo01]

A very good (late) morning to you all 

I've polished off Dostoyevsky this week and so will contemplate that for the next while. I've also polished off 2 coffees before 12pm. Now I have relegated myself to black tea and water and the prospect of job applications. At some point late stage capitalism will be turned around, until then let the good (used loosely) times roll! 

I will be sitting over here in the Autumn sunlight with Erik Satie's Gymnopedie 1 on repeat while I write up some applications, do some online shopping (because malls are like Dante's Inferno for me) and figure a few things out within my psyche by exploring all things John Verveake 

I'll have to knock the dust off this chair of course, but anyone and everyone is welcome to join me! 

[Fiatlux]

Hey everyone and Happy Thursday,

Paul, it has been a long time between visits to Daylesford for you then.

I last stayed there in March 2020 when my daughter and son in law visited from the USA. It was a long weekend stay just before that dreaded thing that we don’t ever want to speak of again. We were fortunate to get in.

Daylesford also has the most fantastic Sunday market. It was brilliant and I am glad that it has started up again.

My son in law purchased some salami’s made from Australian game meats to take home to the USA to share with family. Wallaby salami is apparently rather good.

When we were kids we would spend Boxing Day at Daylesford Lake. The Hungarian community would hold an annual picnic there. I was fortunate to take my own children to the picnic as it has since been cancelled as the Local Council wouldn’t permit it anymore. 

HamSolo, I would be interested to know which book you have just polished off. Dostoyevsky hasn’t been on my reading list but have heard of him at least. His own life story is somewhat of a masterpiece.

Coming from a Hungarian background, my mother was the avid reader of my parents. She was educated which was rare for a young girl who was orphaned in 1946. Her grandparents were determined that she wouldn’t be a peasant girl.

My father on the other hand was from a peasant family and being the first born and only boy was also allowed an education. He however was in the Military right up to the time that we defected to Australia in 1970. 

My mother would read every book that she could get her hands on which was translated into the Hungarian language. 

When we moved to Melbourne in 1971 my parents found a bookstore in Chapel St, Prahran that was run by an elderly Hungarian speaking man and he had books in lots of different languages. My mother borrowed books from him as they couldn’t afford to buy them. Gosh I still remember taking the tram there and the smell of those books. My mother read a lot by Russian authors.

Thinking back to that time I remember my mother telling me that lots of books were banned in Europe. 

Wow, that is all I can write about reading as I haven’t done much lately.

Yesterday I did make the best basil pesto pasta ever. Yum. I love the stuff. And baked. Banana and Raspberry Muffins this time. Sugar free and gluten free so I don’t feel too bad about having them for breakfast and added in a large cup of linseeds this time. They are pretty delicious.

Have a lovely afternoon and evening everyone. Fiatlux 🙏🏼

[HappySheep]

Happy Friday everyone,

I've never been to Daylesford. I'll have to put it on my bucket list.  I've never been to a Hungarian picnic either - so I'll have to broaden my friendship circle. It sounds fabulous.

I have been to several fabulous bookshops in Chapel Street back in the day.  There used to be a great LGBT one when young Gays were desperate to find themselves represented in stories but you couldn't find any in mainstream shops. I could have lived in that bookshop (actually, there are still bookshops I could live in. A great bookshop is a marvellous thing).

HamSolo, I'm also interested in your thoughts on Dostoyevsky. As a (sometimes) avid reader, I've only read Crime and Punishment - which I absolutely adored. I'm a huge fan of gothic melodrama in my novels.

Home made pesto is the best!

Regards, HS.

[mmMekitty]

😸Happily curled up on the lounge, in the sun, purring to Satie... having had a bowl of pasta with pesto. Ah, this is contentment!

I used to love going to bookshops, browsing for hours, new or used. I enjoyed finding books that, when I read the synopsis, would intrigue me or excite my imagination. I don't get the same feeling when searching for audiobooks to listen to online. I think I miss enjoying the feel of a book in my hands, opening it, (hardback), to read the flyleaf on the dust jacket, smelling the books, too. It was all a part of a rich experience.

Hugzies

mmMekitty

Great avatar, Happy Sheep. 😺

[Fiatlux]

Good morning everyone and lovely to see you all at the cafe,

mmMekitty and HappySheep, haven’t seen you here in a while, lovely to catch up.

Oh, isn’t Erik Satie such a beautiful composer. So glad that he’s on Spotify. I can work, cook and read and relax to him. Thanks to HamSolo I am rediscovering him.

Last night I looked up the works by Dostoyevsky and before I order any of his books, I thought I’d ask my son if he has any of his novels.

My dear big boy is home with flu, so I had husband take him some pasta and muffins the other night. Fingers crossed that he is fine on Sunday for dinner. I am planning a beef ragu with pappardelle. I am going to find an Italian recipe for this one 🙏🏼🫶 Fiatlux 

[blondguy]

Hey everyone and a special mention to the bulk of the people who choose to 'read' the forums  and are not  members which is approx 70% of the hits (visits) Beyond Blue have per month. Thankyou so much for reading our forums and whenever you wish you are always more than Welcome to post!

Hey Fiatlux and thanks for the reply! Occasionally I have difficulty with agoraphobia which can sometimes limit my travels even to a super excellent restaurant. Im sure you understand. 

Hey Hamsolo!!! You are and always have been a super kind contributor on the forums and great to see you!

Hey HappySheep! Great to see you too! I adore your gorgeous profile pic!! Do you like Law & Order Criminal Intent...or have you seen Crimson Peak? Fantastic stylish gothic who done it thriller movie

Hey Kitty....I wish I could cook as well as you and Fiatlux do....and yes Im serious 

my kindest always....x

Paul