I was out for a hike in the scrub about a week ago and came across this tree with these little orange things on it. Now, as I'm always up for a bite to eat I thought I'd give them a go; Who knows, could be some good tucker! I thought to myself. Umm...Tucker?
The word tucker is a slang term for food here in Australia. The word came from the english word tuck which means hearty meal and during the gold rush back in the day it was "Australianised" by the miners (diggers) to the word tucker which referred to their meal rations. It is not commonly used these days although most people will know what you mean if you visit here and use it. (Generally)
Believe it or not much of the slang terminology Australian's are known around the world for is not actually used these days. We generally don't go around saying things like bonza, crikey, cobber, strewth, fair-dinkum and the like much anymore...But it's bloody funny to hear tourists come here and use it thinking it's the norm. Anyway...
Further to the word tucker is another term, bush tucker, that probably unsurprisingly refers to food that comes from the bush - We tend to be a logical bunch here in Australia and keep it simple.
So, bush tucker refers to food collected around the place like: Finger lime, lemon myrtle, quandong, riberry, bunya nut and macadamia nut, kutjera, Davidson’s plum, boab, native gooseberry, desert lime, lady apple, wild orange, white elderberry, wild passionfruit, snow berry plus many more. It also includes fauna sourced from the bush like kangaroo, crocodile, emu, shellfish, goanna and witchetty grubs.
There's a lot out in the bush that will sustain life however generally it's difficult to find and nowhere near as good as a decent hamburger...Unless it's a crocodile burger of course. Added to that is the danger of eating something that will make you sick, or worse cause you to cark it. Cark it means to kick the bucket...Which means to die.
Bush tucker is becoming increasingly popular in many fine restaurants around the country though as chefs, foreign and domestic, seek a new edge to their creations. It wouldn't be uncommon to find bush tucker on the menu in some of the countries' most expensive restaurants. I didn't need to go to such lengths though...
OK, I'll be honest, I don't know what these things are in this picture; Some sort of seed pod that looked tasty. I was unwilling to try it though, for fear of dying and whilst my survival skills are pretty good I wasn't game to try something I couldn't identify; Especially considering I had dried apricots and trail mix with me, so no desperate need to eat an unidentified thing of a tree a wombat may have pissed on.
I want to leave you with a video from YouTube of a guy called the Bush Tucker Man (Les Hiddins). This guy is an Aussie legend. He did two deployments in the Vietnam war (1966 and 1968), one of which as a forward scout. He was also the main author of the Australian Army's military survival manual which teaches our defence force troops how to survive in the harsh Aussie outback. Needless to say, this bloke knows his tucker! The ABC TV series is a bit old now but will give you an idea about bush tucker if you care to take a gander. (A look.) Click this link: Bush Tucker Man
So, if you find yourself beyond the black stump (a long way from anywhere) one arvo (afternoon) and you're camped near a billabong (water hole) feeling a bit hungry you better know your bush tucker because if you eat the wrong thing you'll be cactus (dead). Just fire up the bush telly (camp fire), find yourself some witchetty grubs and throw them on. Hopefully you have a coldie (beer) in the esky (cooler) so you can suck some piss (alcohol) while having a yarn (chat) with your cobber (friend). When it's cooked just get into your grub (food) and hope it doesn't make you chunder (vomit) or cark it (die). Witchetty's taste shit-house (very terrible) so it will help if you have some dead-horse (tomato sauce/ketchup) to help them go down. Out in the never never (outback) is a bonza (good) way to spend a night and have a ridgy-didge (genuine) Aussie experience. If you're a tourist she'll be right (it'll work out) no matter if you're a seppo (American), a sheepshagger (New Zealander) or even pommy (English) you're all welcome...Just don't tell porky's (lies) and if you do make it a good one as we all love a good furphy (lie). Oh, and don't be a piker (someone who doesn't want to fit in with others) or you'll probably get into blue (fight) and receive a swift kick up the clacker (anus/ass) and we'll send you packing. Don't leave any brown eyed mullet's (shits) in the billabong like a yobbo (uncouth person) either! Strewth (exclamation/mild oath) we shouldn't have to tell you!
If you talk like this when you get here you'll fit right in...Actually...No you won't. Just be yourself...We're pretty easy going.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default and aim small, miss small.
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