On most mornings, the Queen Victoria Market is a hub of Australian fare; offering a wide selection of local fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, delicatessens, and handmade gifts. But on summer wednesday nights it becomes the UN of food, a meeting place for vendors of every tradition to celebrate their favorite dishes.
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| Banjo's BBQ and Menu |
As soon as you step into the open air market you are hit with a wall of smells. They make your mouth water and stomach growl, even if you were full before arrival. Big signs advertising signature meals catch your eye and the small fractions of your heritage are sparked alive at the sight of a dish your grandmother used to make. It is impossible to identify what you are smelling, as the vapors from each booth are in a constant competition to be the strongest and win the favor of your stomach. The combination of smells from food around the world combine into something magical and you think: this is what peace smells like.
Deciding what to eat is a challenge; as soon as you are set on the Mexican stand, hear the sizzling of the German sausages, then you catch a glimpse of a spicy looking rice dish on the biggest frying pan you have ever seen, then the Polish pierogies and Asian dumplings make you think you want something doughy, until the Lebanese and South African stands make you want to try something different, then someone walks by with fried potato circles on a stick and you need to find those, the stick reminds you of Greek kabobs, the Greeks want to give you lamb, and then you see the big sign that says Emu! Croc! Roo! and you know you’ve made your decision. So when in Australia...you eat the kangaroo.  |
| Roo Burger |
The juicy burger is grilled right in front of you, along with some sausages and other bits of meat that you don’t ask about. You order the Roo Burger with confidence (and a diet coke, just in case), forgo the sauce in order to get the full flavor, and wait with anticipation. Upon arrival it looks harmless, like any other burger. Because you can’t find a seat in the crowd, you stand off to the side (trash can near by) and take the leap. On first bite it tastes like all the other burgers you’ve had before, then you sense its a little bit sweeter, a little chewier and tougher, cooked to perfection, and actually quite good. It just similar enough to not startle you, but different enough to enjoy the change of flavor. You continue to eat, trying to identify exactly what is different (and not picture the beloved Winnie the Pooh characters Kanga and Roo), and by the time you’re done you’re glad you ate it and think you might even want to do it again sometime.
The Queen Victoria Market also has to be one of the best places to people watch in the world. Couples of all shapes, sizes, and genders stroll hand-in-hand, sipping drinks, trying each other’s food, and looking extremely happy just to be together. After absorbing all the different faces around you, you close your eyes for a second and listen. All the skin colors and eye shapes, body types and hair styles have disappeared and you hear one accent. Australians may look very different from each other, but they all sound the same. They are Australian. They are accepting of all, encouraging of the differences, and proud of who they are.
Queen Victoria Market summer nights capture the very best parts of the world and allows you to experience them all at once. Amidst the chaos of the crowd, you feel a sense of peace, happiness, and appreciation for the diverse world we live in.
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| Melbourne City night |
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