A Queensland Christmas
Christmas. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. A time to eat, drink and play just a little harder than the previous 11 months. It’s also the time of year that the McCallister family goes on their annual holiday, leaving Kevin behind. They’ll never learn. But seriously, how great is a Queensland Christmas? Mangos, Mud crabs and Malt (or beer but it didn’t start with an “M”). My end of year heaven.
The Food, the Beer, the Naps
I must say when it comes to Christmas food – Santa can keep the puddings and pies in his sack this year. I’m just not interested. All that cinnamon-laden Christmas fare was never cooked up for us Queenslanders anyway. It’s all thick, rich and clearly supposed to be eaten warm. It’s food for people who are freezing. Snow-Christmas people. Not us. And don’t even get me started on Christmas cake. The best thing you can do with a grape is squash it into wine. Drying it up and putting it in a rock-hard cake that never goes out of date – is not my idea of a sweet treat. Give the Christmas cake to Rudolph. He’ll eat it.
If you ask me, we’ve actually got it better up here. The food we devour from December till late January (or whenever the new year fitness regime kicks in) is the best on the planet. Enter exhibit A. The Bowen Mango. Name anything better than a chilly Bowen direct from the fridge on a hot summer’s day? I’ll wait… The taste and feeling of that sweet mango nectar dripping down your chin is the stuff dreams are made of. And this fruit of the gods is just the start of the season. Bring on Christmas lunch I say.
Prawns, ham off the bone, prawns, pork crackling, prawns and roasted golden potatoes… oh, and did I mention the prawns? The only thing better than Christmas lunch itself, is the post-lunch nana nap I always manage to squeeze in. Wake up from that, crack another beer and then it’s nearly time to hit the leftovers for dinner.
The Best Part
In all honesty there are so many wonderful aspects to a Queensland Christmas. The food is just one small part of it. But it’s a part I love, because it brings what is actually the best thing about Christmas together… family. To my beautiful wife Michelle and amazing kids Matilda and Charlie, you three are my world. Merry Christmas. And Merry Christmas Queensland! How great is a Queensland Christmas!
Visit the PakMag Youtube Channel to check out Bree’s up close interview with Cliffo.
Click here for delicious Christmas recipes.
