Wednesday 10 September 2008

Good eating in Tasmania


Source: Edward Markham's Van Diemen's Land Journal. Edited by K. R. Von Stieglitz. 1953.

I was just going to put the bit in about the kangaroo steamer recipe but he's such a funny sort of writer. Have a look at the story about dinner at Government House as well. The original is in the Mitchell Library. Apparently it was thought to be a forgery but the experts of the 1950s seemed to think it passed muster. Markham did a tour of Australia and NZ in 1833-34. There is also a separate publication available of his New Zealand memoirs, edited and published in the 1960s, entitled "New Zealand or recollections of it". The originals of that are held at the Alexander Turnbull Library.


Mostly he goes on about food, how foolish everyone is, and makes special mention of any young females he comes across on his travels, and whether or not he thinks they are worth a visit.


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