All these American ingredients confuse me...

[quack]

I just want to say that true southern corn bread is NOT sweet just so everyone knows. Sweet cornbread is an abomination in my opinion.  The iced tea on the other hand...

Chicken fried steak/country fried steak isn't really my thing but chicken fried chicken (don't ask, I have no idea) is really good. Both seem to be very big in Texas. Another food very big in the south that a lot of southerners take pride in making is southern barbeque. Tennessee, where I'm from and where I currently live, has some really great barbeque places.

Catfish is often the kind of fish you'll find here. I've actually never had "chitlins" but the smell is apparently one of the worst you'll ever experience. Greens can also refer to turnip greens which also have a terrible smell. I've only ever eaten the biscuits actually, never had greens, catfish, grits, etc. Another Southern food I've never had even though I grew up here is boiled peanuts which is apparently especially big in either North or South Carolina.

Biscuits and scones are similar in making but not really so much in taste from what I've experienced. Even though I like scones.

Warm well-made biscuits are the absolute best thing in the world.

[Messily]

I'm a big baker, and in my experience, biscuits are much fluffier than scones, if that helps explain the difference.

Also, I've heard the term pavlova for ages and never knew what it was, so thanks!  Now I really want to find a recipe and try it out--sounds delicious!

[jag5000]

chicken fried steak?? what is that???

messily - Pavlova (or 'pav' as us aussies affecionatly call it) is YUM and SOOO easy to make.. basically you make a batch of meringue, put it on a (greased) baking tray in a kind of large flatish, but not too flat, circle and bake slowly until the top is dry (a good trick is to leave it in the oven after you turn it off until totally cold, then it crisps up nicely), spead softly whipped cream on the top and arrange fresh fruit on top too.. we use, strawberrys, kiwi and passionfruit drizzled over, but any is good... I like mine with all berry topping! YUM

[Pink Hula]

has anyone explained vegemite yet?? well i will anyhow

vegemite is kind of like marmite (you guys have marmite right?)

it is a dark brown spread that you put on sandwiches or toast, it is salty and...hmm i'll just go eat some and describe it...
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...
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hmmm well salty is the only taste that i can actually describe, it isn't just salty, but i don't know the words for it.

either way, you (normally) have vegemite and margerine/butter

suitable toppings to go with it is mainly cheese, as with the infamous "tiger" toast, which is vegemite with strips of cheese, then toasted.

one of my friends has lettuce with her vegemite, to her i say "what on earth is wrong with you" she says it makes it healthier, but that just isn't how i see it

i used to have tomatoes with vegemite but i never really enjoyed it.

in my opinion vegemite toast is to best way to go, cheese is a nice way to top it off though

Susan

[grapefruiit]

hmm im aussie.. well im asian.. but austrailan. oh whatever. however that works.... but i HATE lamingtons and vegemite. am i the only australian that doesnt like VEGEMITE?!?!! well.. i've never actually tasted it.. but the stuff smells foul.. so .. i was too scared to even go near it (after smelling it, that is).. maybe its coz im not used to "australian food".. coz i did live 6 years overseas.. which is basically nearly half my life.. coz im only 14.. so yea.... and i thought biscuits was just another word for cookies?? the whole "isolation" thing sucks badly.. like when i first came back to australia (which was in 2003, i think) i couldnt find hershey's kisses at the local super and i was so disappointed..... and i asked where the nearest starbucks was and they (ppl at school) said in the city,, which is like 30 minutes away from where i live.. but turns out there was like one in parramatta which is like, 5 minutes away from my house. go figure. and dan ryans and ruby tuesday and delifrance and the spaghetti house and all those nice places i used to eat at......... they dont have in australia. well, except for delifrance in the city, but it tastes crappy.. different from the ones i used to go to..... i lived in hong kong btw. omgosh.. where do i start.. hong kong had like the BEST restaurants and shops and stuff, i swear.. like shopping in hong kong is a totally amazing experience. hmm anyways now im just babbling.. i think i'll shut up now..ehh.

[jadey_mcshadey]

Why would you want Australia to be the same as the States? That's just rediculous. Live there if you prefer it. I personally love that we're not 100% globalised. It's not like starbucks or Ruby Tuesdays is amazing food. You may as well lement the lack of McDonalds in Vietnam.

[grapefruiit]

nah im not wanting australia to be the same as the states. i love australia but i dunno.. i just miss hong kong. i think its just good memories. i DID live half my life there so.. sorta makes sense i guess..... well.. i dunno havnt tried ruby tuesday's in america but the hong kongs ones are GREAAAAAT.. hehe. sorry. im just a big food lover. except for the whole vegemite thing. still dont like vegemite.. and i really hate anchovies too. ok that was random. anyways sorry if i offended you in any way.. i didnt mean to.. i dunno... u just sounded sorta offended.
oh and one more thing.. you're just making assumptions (not trying to have a go at you, just saying..) coz i never even MENTIONED america and i've never been there in my life .. i WAS talking about hong kong.. and i didnt even know ruby tuesday's was american.. they just had it in hong kong.. so yehh.....

[pammymela]

Hey, i just wanted to add that in my small 'outback' town (almost 1000 people) the butcher sells a lot of camel but kangaroos are for dog food...  chicken is hard to get except when it's already cooked.  BBQs are very popular - we go to one once a week and eat - camel, and some cow and pig (but usually not the wild ones).  The boys shot a wild one last weekend - and this weekend we were going to roast it over a fire but I think that will be cancelled - I wasn't looking forward to it anyway...  Most of my male students go shooting for pocket money - Yes the town I live in is 'backward'.

I miss McDonalds etc but I would have to drive 4 hours to get to the nearest one, however two hours away is a Chinese restaurant.   Has anyone mentioned damper and corned beef?  We used to eat that whenever we went camping.   Mmm, damper.

[zippecar]

chicken fried steak?? what is that???

  Only the finest food known to man, in Texas anyway!!! A traditional CFS (diner shorthand) is a round steak (tenderized because it is probably the toughtest cut off a beef there is) dredged in flour (some prefer a wet batter) and deep fried in fat as you would a piece of chicken. My mom always shallow fried hers in a cast iron skillet and then made the gravy in the drippings. Many a restaurant makes their reputation on their CFS. Some are worth a thirty mile drive, some aren't worth a walk around the block.

Personally, yeast rolls, mashed potatoes and field peas are what I like best with CFS, followed up by a nice long NAP. 

And sweet corn bread is just wrong. IMHO

[Imdee]

Yes Princess, I have had corn bread and milk.  Even my kids, who are not big milk drinkers, will eat it.  I'm in CA, but my dad is from OK so I'm familiar with a lot of "Okie" cooking.  Have you ever heard of coffee pie?  You break up biscuits in a bowl, add some butter and alot of sugar them pour coffee over it.  Yes it looks disgusting, but it tastes good.  It's actually best with canned biscuits, because good home made biscuits will turn to mush.  Also my dad eats peanut butter on his fried potatoes.  I don't know if it's a southern thing.  I've tried it.  It's a little hard to swallow, but it tastes good!