ANZAC Day 2014

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us. Where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours … You mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away the tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace after having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well.”

Turkish President and Gallipoli veteran, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1934)

Part of experiencing the cultural aspect of our cruising life is to help celebrate holidays unique to countries we visit. We first heard of ANZAC Day when we visited Pitcairn Island way back in 2009. We didn't fully understand the meaning of the day, but did sample some special cookies that were associated with the holiday. It wasn't until we were in New Zealand that we realized the significance of the holiday. Now, we are here in Australia and it's April 25^th, ANZAC Day again.

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, known nowadays as ANZACs, joined the British allied forces in Europe to fight in WWI. They boarded ships here in Albany and landed at Gallipoli, gateway to the Ottoman Empire with the objective of capturing the capital city of Constantinople and providing access to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. They arrived in Gallipoli on April 25^th, met heavy resistance and suffered major casualties in their 8-month long, unsuccessful campaign. During the 1920s, ANZAC Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died during the war. At almost 65%, the Australian casualty rate (proportionate to total embarkations) was among the highest of the war. Subsequently, the day has come to be a national day of remembrance to commemorate all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served." It is very similar to Memorial Day or Veteran's Day in the USA and the associated ceremonies are just as moving.

Albany, in particular, is commemorating this ANZAC Day in a big way. Troop ships departed from Albany back in November 1914 and for many men, this city was the last place in Australia that they saw. There's a prominent memorial at the Albany Anzac Peace Park downtown and several centenary commemorations are taking place here on ANZAC Day this year.

As we drove up the road to Mount Clarence, we felt a rise of emotion as we passed by the grove of trees that line each side of the road. A small plaque stands beside each tree, a memorial to a solder who had fallen in military service.

At the car park at the top of the hill, we noted fencing at the entrance to the stairs leading up to an iconic memorial. We politely ignored the “keep out” signs, skirted around the fence and proceeded up the steep, stairway. (Yes, we are scoff-laws … no need to point it out!). We did so with the intent of seeing the ANZAC Desert Mounted Corps Memorial situated on the very top of the mount. We were told that the striking statue represented a mounted Australian soldier assisting a New Zealand soldier whose mount had been injured. A bit of further research indicated this might not be the case. It is, instead, an Australian and a New Zealander dismounting to enter battle on foot. The purportedly “wounded” horse is actually Bess, the only New Zealand horse to return home after the war. Interestingly, the original statue stood in Port Said, Egypt and was destroyed. This statue is a copy of the original and a second copy stands in Australia's capital city, Canberra.

Anzac biscuits (we call them cookies) have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of WWI. Some claim the biscuits were sent by wives and mothers to soldiers abroad and because the ingredients did not spoil easily, the biscuits kept well during naval transportation. Though they're available commercially on supermarket shelves today, I plan to bake some in honor of ANZAC Day.

Here's the recipe … and man, are they ever good!

ANZAC Biscuits

Recipe Type: Cookie

Cuisine: Australian

Author: Marcie Connelly Lynn

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats ¾ cup (175 gr) butter or margarine
• 1 ½ cups flour 3 Tbsp golden syrup
• 1 ¼ cups sugar 3 Tbsp boiling water
• 1 cup shredded coconut 2 tsp bicarb/baking soda

Instructions

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Melt butter and syrup* together.
3. Mix boiling water and soda.
4. Blend into butter mixture and pour over dry ingredients.
5. Mix well.
6. Place rounded teaspoonfuls on lightly greased trays/cookie sheets. Allow room to spread.
7. Bake in a slow 300F / 150C deg) oven for 15-20 mins. Watch them … they burn easily.
8. Loosen while warm and leave on trays for 5 mins, then transfer to wire rack.
9. Makes 2 trays of 16 biscuits.

Notes

Golden syrup is not readily available in the USA. The following seem to be reasonable substitutions … honey, maple syrup, molasses or a a mix of ½ dark corn syrup and ½ brown sugar.[br][br]Thanks Catherine, Kay and Pauline for providing ANZAC biscuit recipes to share.

3.2.1290

Valentine's Day 2014

 

If you've been following the blog for awhile, you'll know that I like to celebrate holidays whenever possible. Valentine's Day, in particular, is a wonderful day for lovers to celebrate and we definitely qualify. David's easy … he goes along with my romantic notions. Remember, he's the guy who tied yellow ribbons on Nine of Cups for my Australian homecoming!

Well, since I'm writing this in time to post for Valentine's Day, it's hard to know how the day will turn out. Here's the plan … we'll have thrown off the docklines at Crown Marina yesterday and headed out into the Gulf of St. Vincent to some anchorage along the way. We'll savor the quiet and the wonder of being at anchor once again. We get up early on Valentine's Day morning and head to Kangaroo Island. We'll be anchored by afternoon. The champagne will be chilling throughout the trip and will be perfect for sipping once we're settled into our anchorage for the night. A nice dinner (maybe blue crab or a fish caught en route) and a movie aboard. Actually, that sounds perfect for any night, no matter where we are … and it doesn't even have to be Valentine's Day.

I'll get back to you on how the day really turns out versus “my plan”. For some reason, reality and my plans don't always coincide. Go figure.

The Year of the Horse - Chinese New Year Down Under

 

When I read on-line that there would be celebrations in Adelaide's Chinatown for the Chinese Lunar New Year, I put it on our calendar. We've never celebrated Chinese New Years before. January 31st was the official date for the beginning of 4712 on the Chinese calendar, however the celebration which the Chinese call Spring Festival was being held on February 1st. Since the actual Spring Festival continues for another 15 days until the Lantern Festival, celebrating a day late didn't seem to be a problem.

Chinatown is adjacent to the Central Market in Adelaide on Moonta Street, … a pedestrian mall lined with Chinese restaurants and shops. It's not a large area comparative to San Francisco, New York or Sydney … just the one street, but the local crowds spilled onto nearby closed-off streets, spirits were high, the temperature was sizzling and we were in store for some fine entertainment. Because of the heat, the festivities didn't start till 4PM.

Traditionally, the Lunar New Year festival was a time to honor ancestors and local deities. Evidently, within China, regional customs and traditions vary widely. Sometimes family reunion dinners are held New Year's Eve. A thorough cleaning of the house is important to sweep away any bad luck and welcome new luck for the coming year. Red, corresponding with the element of fire is the traditional color for the Lunar New Year, symbolizing good fortune and joy. Bright red decorations, lanterns and globes were everywhere. We wore our red shirts … we need all the good luck we can get.

Food, craft and commercial stalls were set up everywhere offering everything from …. yum cha (afternoon Chinese tea with dim sum type dishes), mask painting and cold Tsingtao (Chinese beer) to yiros (kabobs), discount phone services and excursions for cage diving with great white sharks.

Some people were dressed in traditional Chinese finery for performances or just for the celebration. A stage was set up in the middle of closed-to-traffic Gouger Street and singers and dancers kept the crowd entertained.

Stores, kiosks and street vendors sold red trinkets and good luck charms to honor the day. It was an enormous ethnic street fair inviting everyone to join in.

The highlight of our day was watching a traditional lion dance (Shi Zi). The lion performs the traditional custom of "cai qing", literally “plucking the greens”. Unlike the dragon dance in which many people are involved, the lion dance is only two young men in costume accompanied by the beating of drums, gongs and cymbals which are synchronized with the lion's movements.

A pink-masked “laughing Budha” appears out of nowhere and teases the lion with his fan to the delight of the crowd. With extremely cat-like movements including licking his paws, crouching and curiously investigating his gift of greens , the lion moves forward. His eyes moves, his tongue moves, his tail wags and when he lies down, his whole body quivers as if he's breathing or purring.

Local shop keepers leave out “greens” to which a red envelope (traditionally containing a money gift) is attached. When the lion finally “eats” the greens, he spits them back out, but keeps the red envelope. The lion dance is said to bring good luck and fortune to all involved.

It is the Year of the Horse in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. If you were born in the year of the horse (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014), you're energetic, bright and intelligent. You have excellent communication skills and enjoy being in the limelight. On the downside, horses are known to be impatient, hot-blooded and sometimes pessimistic. They're not particularly good at managing finances and sometimes have bad tempers.

In order to accommodate being down under, the Year of the Horse has an equivalent Australian animal … it's the Year of the Kookaburra. What's your Chinese Zodiac sign? How about your Australian Chinese Zodiac sign? Check it out and its attributes.