Harmony Day – a taste of harmony

Our Bendigo office staff members recognised Harmony Day on Thursday, marking the occasion with a selection of tasty treats to share with one another.

Some of the staff members were even happy to offer an insight into their chosen dish and what it means to them (see below).

Harmony Day recognises and celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity.

Staff member: Elly.
Dish: Snags on the BBQ.
What culture your food represents: Australian.
What this food means to you: To me ‘snags on the barbie’ means family. Growing up, every family Christmas, birthday or get-together, we had snags. Even now as we’re older, a BBQ is still the staple of any summertime event with friends and family.

Staff member: Natalie.
Dish: Greek salad with almond feta.
What culture your food represents: Greek.
What this food means to you: I was brought up in a Greek and Italian family. Salad was served with most meals and sometimes eaten as a main meal with fresh bread (the bread was used to dip/soak up excess dressing). When I became vegan, there was a challenging amount of food that was no longer suitable for me to eat, so I started to make meat/dairy/egg-free versions of some of my childhood favourites – this being one of them!

Staff member: Loretta.
Dish: Lamingtons with jam and cream.
What culture your food represents: Australian
What this food means to you: A history of lamingtons…. This Australian culinary icon, which consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with fine desiccated coconut, is believed to have been created through an accident at work by a maid-servant to Lord Lamington, the thoroughly British, eighth Governor of Queensland.

Staff member: Erin.
Dish: Potato bake.
What culture your food represents: Ireland.
What this food means to you: My Dad’s side came from Ireland, and during the Potato Famine had to migrate to England to survive due to potatoes being a staple item, as well as a source of income for many families. It is believed our surname should actually be O’Goude, as some history shows that our family changed our names to Smith on arrival to England to fit in better. Potatoes have continued to be a staple item all my life, from family BBQs, roast dinners and to get us through the hard times of drought when my family had to cut back to get through.

Staff member: Gemma.
Dish: Mexican salad.
What culture your food represents: Mexican
What this food means to you: This salad is one I’ve taken to family BBQs my whole life, the recipe has been passed down from family members of mine.

Staff member: Amy.
Dish: Scallop potato bake.
What culture your food represents: Irish.
What this food means to you: Irish heritage in my family.

Staff member: Josh.
Dish: Apricot, apple and custard Danish.
What culture your food represents: Denmark.
What this food means to you: Danish heritage in my family.