Mexican spiced rice and rice bowls

Rice bowls are my answer to the demands of having a healthy meal when life is busy.  Once we have the rice, it is not so hard to build a bowl of goodness around it.  Our latest favourite rice recipss is a Mexican spiced rice that we stumbled across when it was a component of a Plant You recipe for meal prep burritos in January.  I have lost count of the number of times we have made the spiced rice since.

[Top photo: Mexican spiced rice with seasoned black beans, air fryer roasted cherry tomatoes, pickled red onion, lettuce, pickled purple cabbage, red capsicum.)

It is a simple recipe but has favourite spices and tastes lovely.  Great flavour for a little effort.  It can be easier with dried garlic but I really love adding jarred minced garlic instead.  Once the rice is made, it feels a lot less effort to chop some raw vegies, add some tofu or beans, rustle up any leftovers and a dollop of yoghurt or a squeeze of lemon juice and dinner is ready with a great tasty rice.   

 

Yesterday I had one of those crazy days when I felt overwhelmed by life.  I was working from home but it did not feel relaxing.  We are having a busy week with appointments, an exhibition, a movie and a walking tour.  At work I had meetings, last minute requests and new systems that challenged me.  My dad came at lunchtime to attach a new door handle on our backdoor.  The door knob had totally failed a week ago so he came over and hacksaw off latch.  We then gaffer taped over the hole until he was able to return.  At 5.30pm I had a history society meeting but wanted to print the minutes before I left.  The printer needed more paper and once I got it printing, it jammed halfway through.  So I rushed over only to find only half the subcommittee there.  I came home with a promise of doing the minutes and then heard that my next door neighbour's gorgeous little cat with the black love heart on her nose had died of kidney failure.

On days like that I start thinking I need to simplify my life.  One easy solution was this spiced rice that we had had on Monday.  I had cooked it on Sunday so that we had an easy meal on the first night of the working week.  Now I am planning to make this or other easy grains each week on Sunday night so I just cobble together a rice bowl of sorts each Monday.  It could be one small change to make life easier! 

One thing I really like about this  is that it does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.  I have had problems with burnt and/or dry Mexican rice before.  So when I looked at the amount of water on the Plant You recipe, I decided to increase it.  Most times it has worked but occasionally it was a little wet.  As we usually have leftovers, this makes sure that the rice is not too dry the next day (or the day after).  If you prefer a drier rice, I would suggest 4 cups of water rather than 4 1/2 cups.

The above photo collage shows the ways we have accompanied the Mexican spiced rice:

• Top left: fried chopped panisse, seasoned fried tempeh, tofu scramble, grated carrot, lettuce, cucumber and red capsicum.  (Below you can see Sylvia's version of this that also includes sauerkraut)
• Top right: tofu "beef", lettuce, tomato, purple cabbage and chipotle lime cashew sauce.
• Bottom left: cheese and bean quesadillas with the spiced rice, lettuce, cabbage, red capsicum, yoghurt, salsa and feta.
• Bottom right: lettuce, red cabbage, tomatoes, corn, seasoned black beans, feta and crispy fried Field roast chorizo crumbles

You can see that not all the rice bowls we have had were Mexican themed.  We have also had the spiced rice with tortilla chips, tacos, and/or an adobe sauce.  I have previously enjoyed Mexican rice with corn, peas and red capsicum which would work well cooked in this or even some herbs or spring onions stirred in after cooking.  
 

 

This Mexican rice is truly a versatile side dish with many possibilities.  I would like to try it in an enchilada with beans and cheese or maybe in a a nacho bake layered with a chilli con carne, cheese and corn chips, and of course in a burrito.  It would also go well with a variety of salads on the side.  I have even taken it to work for lunch with raw chopped vegies and chickpeas and yoghurt.  I am looking forward to experimenting with it as one of our regular Monday dishes.

More Mexican-inspired recipes with rice on Green Gourmet Giraffe: 

Mexican rice in the microwave (gf, v)
Mexican rice (with salsa) (gf, v)
Okinawa taco rice - meat-free (gf) 
Spinach, pumpkin and bean burritos (gf)
Stuffed squash with tex mex rice and beans (gf, v)

Mexican spiced rice
Adapted from Plant You
Serves 6

 To fry the rice:

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cups white long grain rice, (I use basmati)

 Spice seasoning:

• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp garlic powder or paste
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 

To boil the rice:

• 4 to 4 1/2 cups water (or less)
• 1 tsp stock powder 
• 1 tbsp lime juice, optional, for brightness

Put together the spice seasoning mixture first so you are ready to add it when rice is cooked.  I usually heat the frypan on low while I do this.

Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Once warm stir in rice and fry for about 2 minutes over medium high heat.  Stir frequently.  It will smell toasted when it is ready but I find it fries a bit while adding the spices so a little underdone is better than overdone.

Add spice seasoning and stir constantly for 1 minute over low heat until well mixed.

Pour in the water and stock powder.  Stir well and bring to the boil over high heat.  Simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and leave lid on to continue absorbing the steam for at least 10 minutes.

Serve hot or warm.  The spiced rice can be made the night before or kept in the fridge for a few days. 

On the stereo:
Chelsea Girl: Nico

Roll Bae, cinnamon buns in Brunswick

We are a sucker for a good cinnamon scroll!  And Roll Bae in East Brunswick gets our thumbs up for their soft gooey scrolls with plenty of fun flavours.  They also do a great line in vegan scrolls.  If you are after one, beware that they sell out.  Sylvia went there with E a few weeks back but by noon there were no vegan scrolls left.  That was why we managed to arrive there at 9.30am yesterday.  She was determined to sample a scroll and was very glad she did.

The cafe is painted a light green and has some fun details that make it a lovely place to eat in.  I loved this little ceramic cinnamon scroll by the counter.  Also livening up the cashier section where we ordered are a candle, flowers and some cute little bunnies, one of which seems to be riding in a carrot!

The first thing we did upon entering was to check out all the scrolls.  The Triple cheese and vegemite was the one savoury option and very tempting.  Sylvia was sad there was no vegan apple scroll this week but was pleased to be able to choose between the Biscoff and the Original.  I was happy to have a large selection of non-vegan scrolls including Tiramisu, S'mores, Bueno and Apple crumble.  

There are a selection of hot and cold drinks including espresso, piccolo, magic, chai latte, hot chocolate, iced matcha mango sago, iced banana pudding matcha and iced pistachio cloud hojicha.  The main food is scrolls but you can also have toasties, pies and hash browns.

The cafe reaches back into the end of the building with a narrowed space down the end.  I really liked the large mirror at the end of this space so if you were facing away from the front you could still see some of the activity there.  Mention must also be made of the gorgeous lead light design above the back door.

The back section also has a bookshelf for browsing.  I love looking at any bookshelf but was distracted by the little display on top of plants, a crocheted sunflower and crochet Totoro arranged on a lace cloth.  Above them are a quirky gathering of frames with a Secret Garden illustration, a dog with a glass of wine and a mirror that reads "the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire".  I like the think that this cafe sets the owner's soul on fire!  It should.

I wanted to try all of the scrolls but contented myself with pistachio scroll.  It was excellent soft and slightly warm  scroll with a generous topping of pistachio frosting and nuts.  A couple next to us were musing on it being like a brioche dough.  It is a tribute to the frosting that I ate it all.  So often I find frosting to be too sweet and cloying but I am guessing that this had pistachio paste in it to give the lovely flavour and thicker texture, and perhaps some cream cheese.  

Likewise, Sylvia was delighted with Biscoff scroll.  It had lots of gooey caramel Biscoff sauce topped with a good vegan cream - which is always a treat for a vegan - and a Biscoff biscuit.  Both scrolls were so gooey and soft that they needed to be eaten with a fork.  Sylvia also had an iced mango sago matcha which came with a little chunk of brownie.  The brownie was not vegan so I ate it for her.  Things I do!

The old wooden grama phone player in the centre of the cafe adds a touch of class.  After we ate at Rolls Bae we went diagonally across Moreland Road to the Wakim Antiques and Restorations.  While chatting during a purchase, the owner told us he had sold this piece of furniture to the owners and that they were a lovely Chinese couple.  If you are interested in browsing a huge warehouse of antique furniture and fascinating brick-a-brack, I highly recommend walking off your scrolls in this direction.

 

I loved this poster saying "Cinnamon Scrolls are edible hugs".  Very true.  This is one of the reasons that this cafe is popular.  People came and went the whole time, some buying scrolls to take away.  I have heard that are queues at times but we didn't have to wait too long to order.

We are now spoiled for cinnamon scrolls in Brunswick as another cinnamon roll bakery called Simply Mike's, has recently opened on Sydney Road.  I mention it here because it was we visited it when it was called Cinnabuns at its old location in Albion.  The cinnamon scrolls were amazing.  Mike had a very unpleasant experience when the giant USA franchise Cinnabons sued Cinnabuns for having a name for his bakery that was too close to theirs.  (Apparently they have 26 stores in Australia but I have never seen them).  It is disappointing to such a huge bakery chain using their might to try and quash our local talent. In light of this, I am very pleased to have two independent bakeries in Brunswick whose cinnamon buns are here for love not war!

  

I was glad to get along and sample the lovely cinnamon buns at Roll Bae but we didn't outlast our welcome, as the sign above reminds us, to beware the parking inspectors around this small shopping strip.  I highly recommend their scrolls but note that if you are after vegan scrolls they are only available on Fridays and Saturdays!

 
Roll Bae
90 Holmes Street, Brunswick
Open: Wed – Sun: 9am – 3pm
https://rollbae.com.au/

Mokum, Dutch Café & Bar, Brunswick

Mokum opened in 2023 as a modern Amsterdam themed cafe which draws on Dutch traditions.  I have had a couple of impressive meals there where the food, the service and the ambience have come together to make it a really enjoyable place to eat.  This is a place that has excellent crispy bittebollen (mushroom croquettes), an innovative approach to tempeh and a traditional apple pie that beckons with its sky high pile of apple slices.

Mokum is a cafe that E was going to regularly enough for them to recognise his face.  I had meant to go for some time when they appeared at the Coburg Night Market last December.  They serve a lot of meat but always have vegan and gluten free options.  In the photo of their market stall above you can see the owner Albert Sissens who the website says "is passionate about bringing the flavours of his childhood in Amsterdam to Brunswick locals and visitors."

We sampled the mushroom Bittebollen (or Dutch croquette balls).  The four fantastic freshly-fried crispy bittebollen for $10 were a nice snack.  Perfect for eating outdoors.  The medley of field and forest mushrooms are cooked in a creamy soy based herby roux.  The filling is dark and tasty with a generous amount of mushrooms and flavour. 

After enjoying the bittebollen, I was even more keen to get to Mokum.  I had lunch with a friend there about a week later.  

Above you can see the large mural at the doorway that is a homage to Dutch artists, with iconic images from Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.  Perhaps not one for the purists but it is a bright and cheerful sign of a little piece of Amsterdam in Brunswick.

Mokum ticks all my loves of cafe decor: books, plants, green walls and humor!  It is welcoming and arty inside with cookbooks, vines, old bottles with gorgeous vintage labels, cogs and even a small wooden windmill.  A wooden chalkboard has a cheeky illustrated Dutch proverb: "it's like an angel pissing on your tongue".  It means that something tastes great.  

To drink I had a ruby peach and camomile iced tea ($7) which was pleasing and unusual.  The camomile flowers on top were pretty and reminded me of the loose leaf camomile tea I used to drink.  Infused in the juice, the camomile had a floral tone that was picked up on the sweetness of the peach and made the drink both refreshing and relaxing.  Note that in the background is the red, black and white flag of Amsterdam.

For my lunch at I ordered the "Weed Prtezel" ($19) from the Broodjes | In-Bread section of the menu.  The waitress had to check if there was a pretzel roll left.  I was very glad that it had. While I loved the wakame and hemp crusted tempeh with the satesaus, vegan mayo, crunchy slaw and roquette, the hero of the meal as the pretzel.  It was wonderfully soft and chewy at the same time as great pretzels are.  Kudos also to the satesaus (sate sauce) that give richness and flavour to the sandwich.  I also paid $7 for a side salad which was the perfect accompaniment with lovely chopped vegies on lettuce leaves.  On my recent visit, I was told that they are not able to buy pretzels for a few months but I hope they will be back.

Kerin had a charcuterie board, which I think is called a borrelplank in Dutch.  I did not take notes but I took a photo because, despite all the meat, it was nicely presented.  Can't you see it in an old Dutch Masters still life painting!  From the current menu it looks like it is rolmops (pickled herring), smoke eel and pork and chicken sausage, with gherkins, cheese and bread and a condiment of some sort.  It does not seem to be on the menu now but Kerin really enjoyed it.  I tasted a bit of cheese which was lovely.  I was impressed when she asked if it could be gluten free.  They kindly let her know that they could substitute gluten free toast but it would not be as crisp as the beschuit (crispbread) on the menu.

As it was December, there were lots of seasonal bakes on display such a gingerbread people, kerst stol (stollen) and mince pies.  The standard bakes were also on sale: iced cinnamon buns, oranjebitter friands (orange friands) and huge slices of appeltaart à la winkel (Dutch apple pie).

We were ready to leave but decided to take a slice of the berry basque cheesecake with us to share at my place with a cuppa.  It was lovely and, of course, gluten free.

We returned to Mokum lat month.  Sylvia was delighted with her Nasi goreng.  This was an Indonesian fried rice with cabbage, carrot, peas, sambal, spring onion and fried shallots .  She did not have the fried egg but had fried tempeh as an extra.  It says how good it was that thought she had been tempeh-curious before the visit, ever since she has been quite keen to eat more tempeh.

 She queried this dish being Dutch which led to a conversation about the Dutch East Indies being the colonial name for Indonesia.  I don't know a lot about the occupation by the Dutch, but I learnt a little about Indonesian independence when visiting Yogyokarta a few years back.  It was interesting how talking about food can help us learn about history.

I was fascinated by my Pan Bati (vg/gf) 22.  It was an Aruban cornbread topped with smashed avocado, vegan feta, radish and served on a bed of pumpkin puree.  I also ordered a medley of Dutch cheese on the side.  I had expected it to be in slices of different cheeses but it was a small bowl of mixed grated cheeses.  The cornbread was quite soft and unlike the American style ones I have had before.  

Later I read (in Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary) about how Aruban cornbrad is like a thick pancake made in the Caribbean island of Aruba, which is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Yet again food gives an insight into history of The Netherlands.

E had a fried egg in a brekky bun with a potato rosti.  We all shared a starter plate of three bittebollen, which were as excellent as the ones at the market.  I would like a little more of the accompanying aioli but that is a minor quibble when it tastes so good.

As you can see in the above 2025 menu and the photos, the Dutch culture is evident throughout this cafe.  In the above photo of the menu, you can see the names of dishes are usually in Dutch with a pronunciation aid as well as the explanation of what it is.  I also saw that a while back they were making their own stroopwafels, which sounds amazing.  

This photo is a reminder that it is a bar as well as cafe.  While I was not there for beer, I enjoyed viewing the labels of beer bottles on display.  But I was more interested in looking at the wonderful cakes.

The word "Mokum" means home or safe haven and is derived from the Yiddish word for place.  It was originally applied to Dutch and surrounding cities around the 17th Century when European Jews sought safe haven.  Today it is used as a sentimental nickname for Amsterdam.  Indeed this cafe called Mokum embodies the welcoming nature of Amsterdam and is well worth a visit for a taste of the city's food in a delightful space.

Mokum Dutch Cafe and Bar
359 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Open Thurs, Fri, Sat 9am-9pm, Wed and Sun 9am-4pm
https://mokum.au/

My Monthly Chronicles: May 2026

 

May promised to be quieter and we did have some busy days - Mothers Day, cafes, the farmers market, the history society, plus some interesting outings to a Distraction exhibition, art house cinema and a shop that makes its tofu on the premises.  However we had a couple of weekends that were fairly quiet, which was lovely after some interesting months but I am still feeling behind on everything.

More about our food this month at In My Kitchen: May 2026.

Smith and Deli, Collingwood 

I have been visiting Smith and Deli  (107 Cambridge Street) since its second day of trading in its first location in Fitzroy, often when we visited the Fitzroy Market when it was in the nearby school.  It has made me feel nostalgic for those days as they have been revisiting some of the Smith and Deli favourite sandwiches that I wrote about in 2016, with different old versions each week.  Sylvia has been there for a few of these back to Fitzroy specials.  She has had the Foghorn Leghorn and Maury Ballstein without me but I could not resist coming for the Home Alone.  That is definitely the best festive vegan sandwich.  

Sylvia and I bought two sandwiches and had half of each.  We got there early and had the Home Alone: house made turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cabbage, gravy and cranberry sauce on a turkish roll ($21, up from $15 in 2015) and the Wiggum: fried tofu, pickles, house made slaw, BBQ sauce and aioli on fresh sourdough bread ($18, up from $12 in 2015).  They were excellent.  I was sad that the brussel sprouts in the original were replaced with cabbage and also preferred the long bread roll in the original Home Alone but it was gret to have one again.  It was so filling that I took my half of the Wiggum to eat when I met at friend at the Melbourne Connect courtyard for lunch before seeing the Distraction exhibition.

Distraction exhibition at The Science Gallery, Carlton

I had been keen to see the Distraction exhibition at the Science Gallery in Melbourne Connect  (700 Swanston Street) because I get distracted so easily these days.  I enjoyed walking through with a friend and laughing about how it affects both of us, but in different ways.  This spinning wheel offered options for Bye Bye Brain Rot.  My favourite of the solutions on the wheel were Brick Mode: "on land put your phone in airplane mode [holds up phone] 'this thing, it's a brick!'  Talk to people.  See things.  Do things" and Away Message: "When are you most able to focus?  Block your schedule during your power hours.  Your auto reply: I'm zapping distractions right now.  Sorry.  Bye."

There was lots else in the Distraction exhibition.  The video game with the message "my original game got deleted on accident so enjoy hanging out as a cute pigeon."  The cat island montage of cat videos from Ainoshima Island, Japan was quite mesmerizing.  You can see my friend playing with the option of standing on the spot and making cat ears for his shadow.  Ww also spent time in the area where we were invited to lean back and get lost in time for a while, using a simple crochet chain stitch.  It was such a zen activity to sit and crochet in a quite space.  I loved seeing the my friend who is a tall guy who loves sports and science but enjoyed sitting in an rocking chair crocheting with bright pink wool.  

Upfield bike path street art, Brunswick

Sylvia and I had a long walk along the Upfield bike path.  We almost made it to Tofu Shoten but it was getting late and we took a tram for the last few blocks so that we got there before it closed.  On the way I snapped this photo on the wall of Ima Pantry.  I just love this omusabi on the bike with a little pussy cat on it's head.

Tofu Shoten, Brunswick

Tofu Shoten (6B Saxon St) is an artisan store that sells tofu, soy milk and okara, all made on the premises.  It is not the cheapest tofu you will buy but it is really lovely.   It is quite unusual to see a bag of okara (the fibrous byproduct of making the soy milk) for sale.  We made a few purchases and sat on a bench nearby - behind the Brunswick Library - to sample the wares.  

Sylvia had a pandan soy milk which sold for $9.50 for a 500ml bottle.  Hers was by the cup but I did not note the price.  It was a lovely green and tasted strongly of soy.  The banana bread soy milk that we took home was much nicer with the banana and spices being the dominant flavour.  We shared an Okara Biscuit Sando filled with Pumpkin and Spiced Apple ($5.50).  It was really delicious and unusual.  We need to return for more of these sandos which have different fillings.  You can see more about my purchases at In My Kitchen: May 2026.

Kevabs, Brunswick

Ad we were finished at Tofu Shoten around 5pm on a Friday, I suggested we bring forward our plans to have a Mothers Day lunch at Kevabs (89 Sydney Road). I visited there years ago and really enjoyed the vegan Middle Eastern food.  It is very casual with games and a huge floral map of the world on the wall.  We tried the Fusball game while we waited but were not very good at it.  We were better at digging into the salads, especially the delicious pesto pasta salad.  The bean salad and kale cesar salad with falafel were nice but weren't fought over in the same way as the pesto salad.  

The other highlight at Kevabs was the dirty fries (with gravy and veagn cheese) .  The gravy was the real hero of the dish.  It was thick and tasty and made the fresh hot chips taste even better.  The vegan cheese shreds were ok but I am always less of a fan of cold vegan cheese compared to melted, and especially on hot chips.

Melbourne Writers Festival

I snapped up tickets to see some of my independent media heroes at the Melbourne Writers Festival before realising that it was Mothers Day.  I managed to spend time with my daughter and my mum on the day so no regrets.  It was amazing to see a panel of Antoinette Latouf, Antoun Isssa and Amy Remeikis with Osman Faruki as moderator on the topid of Breaking News: The Rise of Independent Media at the gorgeous location (what is it' name) in the city.  

It was so interesting to hear them discuss the challenges of working in the mainstream media and then moving to independent news platforms.  Some of the topics were about being told their cultural backgrounds made them biased as though bias is not something we all carry; the press gallery being too close to politicians to report objectively; and the influence of billionaires on mainstream media.  I loved the hope, the intelligence, the passion and the cameraderie of the panel.  These independent journalists are well worth following (check out Ette Media, Deep Cut, The Point).

Mothers Day at Archive, Geelong

After the Melbourne Writers Festival panel and doughnuts at home with Sylvia, I drove to Geelong for a late afternoon catch up with my mum and family at Archive Wine Bar (140 High Street, Belmont).  It was great to sip on non alcoholic bubbly, nibble on the snack boards and catch up with family.  (Photo by my sister, Fran).

Tylers Milk Bar, Preston

We had a flying visit to Tylers (656 Plenty Road) before an appointment.  Sylvia had a vegan cheese and tofu bacon toastie, I had a zucchini and parmesan muffin with dressed leaves on the side.  It was quick and filled the spot.  Sylvia was very impressed the with drink special: Hot Malt Mocha Latte which was served with choc malt dirt around the rim and melting down the side.  We took away a funfetti cookie and a rhubarb, blackberry and ginger muffin that were very good.

Mister Nice Guy, Ascot Vale 

It has been a long time since I have been to Mister Nice Guy's vegan bakery (151 Union Road).  Too long!  We got a window seat where I had a Spinach and tofu quiche and a Popcorn mudslide cupcake.  I liked that the quiche had a good firm texture with a lot of unseasoned tofu in it.  I topped it with sauce and really enjoyed it.  The chocolate cupcake was lovely with a mound of frosting.  I ate more frosting than I usually would because I was busy hunting for the caramelised popcorn with chocolate drizzle on top of this mound.  Sylvia had a cheese and spinach scroll that was really soft (even a bit much) and really loved her raspberry white chocolate cheesecake that I dare to say was the pick of of purchases.

Mokum, Brunswick 

It was great to return to the Mokum (359 Sydney Road) for lunch.  Sylvia and I embraced the 'Dutch' dishes on offer.  She was excited to have some great fried tempeh with her Nasi Goreng,   I had Aruban cornbread with pumpkin puree, smashed avocado, vegan feta, radish and I ordered some Dutch cheese on the side.  E went with a plainer fried egg in a brekky bun with a rosti.  We were very pleased with our lunch before seeing Daisies.  I plan to write more about Mokum soon.

Daisies, Brunswick Picture House

I was fascinated and delighted to see Daisies as part of the Brunswick Underground Film Festival (BUFF) at the Brunswick Picture House (510-512 Sydney Road).  It is a 1966 Czech New Wave film made about two young women's pranks.  They take advantage of the men they date, misbehave in a cabaret audience and most spectacularly swing from the chandelier and have a food fight in a room set up for a formal dinner party.  It is a visual feast of colourful and bold images accompanied by much giggling.  The subversive political messages are a cinematic resistance to authoritarianism and patriarchy.

Market Gardens history talk, Coburg History Society

I was excited at going to a talk on the history of Chinese market gardens in Coburg by Sophie Loy Wilson.  It made me hunt out my post grad writings on market gardens history and find that long before I ever had anything to do with Coburg, I had written about Coburg's market garden history.  I really enjoyed hearing about Sophie finding information from the perspective of the Chinese market gardeners through court documents.  She is a fascinating researcher.

Coburg Farmers Market 

We went along to the Coburg Farmers Market twice in May and you can see more of what we purchased at In My Kitchen: May 2026.  I have seen the Big Springs food truck many times at the market and this month I finally tried one.  And then had another on our next visit.  You can see a photo of the innards of a Big Spring in the top photo.   There is also one in the above photo.  It is skulking in the background of wonderful Better Now Bakes baking: Pistachio and olive oil cake with strawberry sumac glaze, Smashed potato and mushroom xo sauce, Chive, pickle and dill scone,  and a lovely green Pandan and coconut cake.  We didn't get through all of it at the market but we enjoyed it all, especially the pistachio cake.

Bike pumps at the servo

I have some petrol stations that I go every now and again to pump up the tyres on my bike.  I went to one of them recently only to be told they don't have the regular attachment for the bike.  So I went down the road to another only to find it is now totally self service.  No staff on site at all.  

I remember when we would drive into the servo (as we would call the petrol station) and the mechanic would ask "fill 'er up?" because we sat in the car while he filled up the petrol. Self service then became filling up the car and then paying at the counter.  Now the meaning of self serve is changing again.  

I much prefer having staff on site but some aren't that helpful.  At the third petrol station I asked if they had a pump for bike tyres and was told no.  By now I was desperate and looked around again and found the pump in the picture which I was able to use to for my bike.  It was a relief to have the wheels pumped tight because it makes riding so much easier.

Croix Croissants, Flemington

We saw the specials at Croix croissant bakery (185 Mt Alexander Rd) and on a whim headed there to share the Earl Grey chocolate croissant and the Pumpkin pie cruffin.  These were excellent flaky veagn bakes.  The cruffin had spiced pumpkin puree and a custard filling.  The croissant was my favourite with a lovely chocolate filling with a pleasant floral flavour.  

Plant Based Alternative, Woolworths Supermarket, Moonee Ponds 

Another change I was surprised to notice was the sign in the Moonee Ponds Woolworth in the fridge section saying "Plant based alternatives".  It still amazes me that there is so much available for vegans and vegetarians in the supermarket these days!  Lots of tofu, vegan cheese, sausages and other mock meats.

Wild Timor, Coburg

 I have been impressed with a couple of vegan selections on the specials board at Wild Timor (282 Sydney Rd).  Now that it is cooler they have been serving soups.  I had a sweet potato and leek soup (pictured) that was served with croutons, sweet potato crisps, and sourtough toast, as well as a floral garnish.  I loved the presentation and it tasted great.  I also tried the Polenta bites with relish.  They were delicious fried rectangles of polenta with a mildly spiced tomato sauce.  

In the News

In Australia, the commentary on the Federal government's Budget announcements was mixed.  Treasurer Jim Chalmers was either a communist or had not gone far enough with the changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax to improve opportunities for young people to be home owners.  Meanwhile the government chose to slash the NDIS funds that improve the lives of the vulnerable people in our society while giving huge tax breaks to the wealthiest including gas corporations.  The complexities of the political landscape are also reflected by One Nation's win in the Farrar byelection and Andy Burnham's campaign for the Makerfield byelection in the UK.  

Shaken staff and an author exodus: how a picture book plunged an acclaimed Australian publisher (QUP) into a crisis over antisemitism, The Guardian, 2 May 2026.

The rules-based order is breaking down before our eyes, Gillian Triggs speech on the 125th anniversary of the opening of Australian Parliament at the Melbourne Exhibition Buildings, in Pearls and Irritations, 13 May 2026

Big batteries took a bite out of gas generators’ evening peak party, then they ate the whole dinner (how battery storage (battery storage  is replacing the gas evening peak in Queensland), Renew Economy, 14 May 2026.

Andy Burnham runs — and Keir Starmer must oversee his own demise, Goodall and Good Luck substack, 15 May 2026.

The Gazification of Lebanon, by Ayoub Khan, in the Tribune, 18 May 2026.

5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history (reflections on his final show), by Sophia A McClennen, in The Conversation, 20 May 2026. 

Australians allege they were abused after IDF intercepted Gaza flotilla and Itamar Ben-Gvir taunted them, The Guardian, 22 May 2026.

"This is the most violent experience I've ever been through": Sam Woripa Watson safe after over 80 hours in Israeli detention (Wangerriburra and Birri Gubba filmmaker and activist speaks of the abuse suffered when the Gaza flotilla was intercepted), Black Witness, 23 May 2026.

One Nation Is The Wrong Answer To The Right Question, Sue Barrett: every solution becomes a conversation Substack, 23 May 2026.

Everyone Wants Reform Until Reform Arrives, by The Snarky Gherkin Substack, 25 May 2026.

Friday essay: How to Sell a Genocide exposes the double standards of reporting on Gaza, by Jeff Sparrow, in The Conversation, 29 May 2026. 

Watching and Reading

Films

• The Wonderful story of Henry Sugar - gorgeous playful sets and an impressive British cast make for enjoyable viewing of the clever and thoughtful short films based on Roald Dahl's short stories. 
• Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget - fun and colourful Aardman animations.  I couldn't help but wonder if the film was an attempt to horrify children about the idea of eating chicken nuggts.
• Da Kath and Kim Code - enjoyable despite being so suburbanly silly.
• Jurassic Park - I was curious to see a classic movie I had never seen before.  It was scary and silly and makes me wish for the Sam Neill character to be running the world. Oh for a reluctant hero in politics who turns out to be brave and intelligent!  
• Madame Web: we enjoyed this Marvel film despite it's terrible reception. The action was fast and hard to keep up with at times but the interaction between past and future were interesting.

TV:

• Kath and Kim - iconic Melbourne suburban comedy about a mother and daughter - It's noice, it's different, it's unusual!
• Upper Middle Bogan - Sylvia followed Glen Robbins from Kath and Kim to this comedy about an upper class woman finding out she was adopted and meeting her bogan working class birth family.

History:

• Hitler's plan for Australia? in the Snarky Gherkin substack, May 24, 2026 - wonderful piece of historical inquiry that delves into not just what-if but explores the world view of authoritarian government on a country such as Australia.

Books: 

• Inconvenient Women: Australian Radical Writers 1900-1970 by Jacqueline Kent - this history of women writers in the Twentieth Century, learning a lot about writers I have loved, books I would love to read and books I want to re-read, and the history of radicalism, especially communisim, in Australia.  This wonderful book made me nostalgic for my days of studying 20th Centure history and literature at university.
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell - fascinating insight into the life of poverty as a dish pig in Paris and a tramp in London.  I hope that the French restaurant kitchens are no longer as filthy as described and I wish I could say that Orwell's advocacy for the poor had made greater improvements than we see today.  Of course, this is a book to read in the context of the 1920s culture's prejudices and expectations.

Article on benefits of the liberal arts education

"This is water" (on James Clear's website) is a speech originally delivered by David Foster Wallace as the 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College, USA.  I loved his reflections on how a liberal arts education really teaches us how to think.  This is the sort of considerations I would love to be in the minds of all politicians when making decisions on funding universities.

Here are a few of the ideas in the speech that he fleshes out with insight and stories:

"... one part of what teaching me how to think is ... [t]o be just a little less arrogant. To have just a little critical awareness about myself and my certainties. Because a huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded."

"... learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. " 

"there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving…. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day." 

Other posts I uploaded on Green Gourmet Giraffe in May 2026:

Cloudehill Gardens, Miss Marples Tearoom and Ripe ...

Rococo Italian Restaurant and Monarch Cakes, St Kilda

Street Art in Melbourne: Northcote 2026