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Tangy apricot Bavarian whip, fried rice medley and bombe Alaska: what Australia’s first food influencer had us cooking

<p>Our food choices are being influenced every day. On social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, food and eating consistently appear on lists of trending topics. </p> <p>Food has eye-catching appeal and is a universal experience. Everyone has to eat. In recent years, viral recipes like <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/02/11/baked-feta-pasta-recipe-tiktok/">feta pasta</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-dalgona-coffee-the-whipped-coffee-trend-taking-over-the-internet-during-coronavirus-isolation-137068">dalgona coffee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-butter-boards-bad-for-you-an-expert-view-on-the-latest-food-trend-192260">butter boards</a> have taken the world by storm. </p> <p>Yet food influencing is not a new trend. </p> <p>Australia’s first food influencer appeared in the pages of Australia’s most popular women’s magazine nearly 70 years ago. Just like today’s creators on Instagram and TikTok, this teenage cook advised her audience what was good to eat and how to make it.</p> <h2>Meet Debbie, our teenage chef</h2> <p>Debbie commenced her decade-long tenure at the Australian Women’s Weekly in <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4814245">July 1954</a>. We don’t know exactly who played the role of Debbie, which was a pseudonym. Readers were never shown her full face or body – just a set of disembodied hands making various recipes and, eventually, a cartoon portrait.</p> <p>Like many food influencers today, Debbie was not an “expert” – she was a teenager herself. She taught teenage girls simple yet fashionable recipes they could cook to impress their family and friends, especially boys. </p> <p>She shared recipes for <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4925379">tangy apricot Bavarian whip</a>, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4819441">fried rice medley</a> and <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4807813">bombe Alaska</a>. Debbie also often taught her readers the basics, like <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52249448">how to boil an egg</a>.</p> <p>Just like today, many of her recipes showed the readers step-by-step instructions through images.</p> <h2>Teaching girls to cook (and be ‘good’ women)</h2> <p>Debbie’s recipes first appeared in the For Teenagers section, which would go on to become the Teenagers Weekly lift-out in 1959. </p> <p>These lift-outs reflected a major change taking place in wider society: the idea of “teenagers” being their own group with specific interests and behaviours had entered the popular imagination.</p> <p>Debbie was speaking directly to teenage girls. Adolescents are still forming both their culinary and cultural tastes. They are forming their identities.</p> <p>For the Women’s Weekly, and for Debbie, cooking was deemed an essential attribute for women. Girls were seen to be “<a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4818166">failures</a>” if they couldn’t at least “cook a baked dinner”, “make real coffee”, “grill a steak to perfection”, “scramble and fry eggs” and “make a salad (with dressing)”. </p> <p>In addition to teaching girls how to cook, Debbie also taught girls how to catch a husband and become a good wife, a reflection of cultural expectations for women at the time. </p> <p>Her <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4920059">macaroon trifle</a>, the Women’s Weekly said, was sure to place girls at the top of their male friends’ “matrimony prospect” list!</p> <h2>Food fads and fashions</h2> <p>Food fads usually reflect something important about the world around us. During global COVID lockdowns, we saw a rise in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-historical-roots-of-your-lockdown-sourdough-obsession-137528">sourdough bread-making</a> as people embraced carbohydrate-driven nostalgia in the face of anxiety.</p> <p>A peek at Debbie’s culinary repertoire can reveal some of the cultural phenomena that impacted Australian teenagers in the 1950s and ‘60s. </p> <p>Debbie embraced teenage interest in rock'n'roll culture from the early 1960s, the pinnacle of which came at the height of Beatlemania. </p> <p>The Beatles toured Australia in June 1964. To help her teenage readers celebrate their visit, Debbie wrote an editorial on how to host a <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48077701">Beatles party</a>. </p> <p>She suggested the party host impress their friends by making “Beatle lollipops”, “Ringo Starrs” (decorated biscuits) and terrifying-looking “Beatle mop-heads” (cakes with chocolate hair).</p> <p><a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55185376">A few months later</a>, she also shared recipes for “jam butties” (or sandwiches, apparently a “<a href="https://slate.com/culture/2013/03/the-beatles-and-the-mersey-beat-in-the-latest-blogging-the-beatles-how-the-beatles-popularized-the-sound-of-liverpool.html">Mersey</a> food with a Mersey name”) and a “Beatle burger”. </p> <p>We can also see the introduction of one of <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/language/italian/en/article/spag-bol-how-australians-adopted-a-classic-italian-recipe-and-made-it-their-own/9ogvr96ea">Australia’s most beloved dishes</a> in Debbie’s recipes. </p> <p>In 1957, she showed her teen readers how to make a new dish – <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48076527">spaghetti bolognaise</a> – which had first appeared in the magazine <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46465023">five years prior</a>. </p> <p>Debbie was influencing the youth of Australia to enthusiastically adopt (and adapt) Italian-style cuisine. It stuck. While the recipe may have evolved, in 2012, Meat and Livestock Australia <a href="https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/marketing-beef-and-lamb/last-nights-dinner.pdf">reported</a> that 38% of Australian homes ate “spag bol” at least once a week.</p> <p>Our food influences today may come from social media, but we shouldn’t forget the impact early influencers such as Debbie had on young people in the past.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://theconversation.com/tangy-apricot-bavarian-whip-fried-rice-medley-and-bombe-alaska-what-australias-first-food-influencer-had-us-cooking-199987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

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The Ten Tenors are back!

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original Ten Tenors have been busy since they started back in 1995. With 15 studio albums under their belt already, they’re very excited to announce a new studio album as well as a national Australian tour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As their previous US tour sold out, which now takes the 10-piece to an astonishing 2,400 sold out headline shows, they’ve decided to take things home to Australia. There are 18 tour dates announced for the Australian tour, taking them from Melbourne, Victoria to Rockhampton in far-north Queensland.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw22wddhmKv/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw22wddhmKv/" target="_blank">We're THRILLED our new album LOVE IS IN THE AIR has debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts for Classical Crossover album! It's also in the Top 30 ARIA albums, and Top 10 ARIA Australian albums. A huge, heartfelt thank you to all of our AMAZING fans for your support. Love really is in the air at the moment 😍. And if you're still waiting to get your copy, the album is now available globally from @sanityau (in-store and online) and on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Deezer. It's the perfect gift for Mother's Day - so share the ❤️... #loveisintheair #thetentenors #ttt #liita #love #lovesongs #mothersday</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/thetentenors/" target="_blank"> The Ten Tenors</a> (@thetentenors) on Apr 29, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Their new album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love Is In The Air</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> comes from the idea based around songs that people might choose as their wedding first dance song. It helps that two members of the group are planning their respective upcoming weddings, and the title was an obvious choice after that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The album has debuted at number one on the ARIA charts for Classical Crossover album, so it’s safe to say that The Ten Tenors have created another successful album.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, fans can expect to hear classics they know and love, as the live shows will have songs from the new album as well as some rock anthems and traditional medleys.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ten Tenors are also bringing back one brand new medley and a favourite that has been often requested – keep an ear out!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For your chance to win a double pass to one of their shows during their Australian tour, answer the following question: </span></p> <p><a href="https://oversixty.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=34b8574ec810ae33b89524f6b&amp;id=514dc0b6a0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is your favourite song by The Ten Tenors and why?</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Click here to enter for your chance to win: </span><a href="https://oversixty.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=34b8574ec810ae33b89524f6b&amp;id=514dc0b6a0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ten Tenors Double Pass Giveaway.</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tour dates for their new tour are below.</span></p> <p><strong>Saturday 18th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide</span></p> <p><strong>Monday 20th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brolga Theatre, Maryborough</span></p> <p><strong>Tuesday 21st May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Events Centre, Main Theatre, Caloundra</span></p> <p><strong>Wednesday 22nd May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Empire Theatre, Toowoomba</span></p> <p><strong>Thursday 23rd May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Concert Hall, QPAC</span></p> <p><strong>Friday 24th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Arts Centre (HOTA), Gold Coast</span></p> <p><strong>Sunday 26th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">State Theatre, Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>Monday 27th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne</span></p> <p><strong>Tuesday 28th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Wednesday 29th May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Friday 31st May</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boardwalk Theatre, ManPAC, Mandurah</span></p> <p><strong>Saturday 1st June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Regal Theatre, Perth</span></p> <p><strong>Sunday 2nd June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Regal Theatre, Perth</span></p> <p><strong>Wednesday 5th June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cairns Performing Art Centre</span></p> <p><strong>Thursday 6th June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cairns Performing Art Centre</span></p> <p><strong>Friday 7th June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Townsville Entertainment &amp; Convention Centre</span></p> <p><strong>Saturday 8th June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mackay Entertainment &amp; Convention Centre</span></p> <p><strong>Sunday 9th June</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton</span></p>

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