New Zealand Listener – August 10, 2019

LISTENER AUGUST 10 2019

W

hen the

Pacific Island

trading ships

Matua and

Tofua berthed

at Auckland’s

port 80 years ago, my mother,

then in her teens and living

away from her Tongan

homeland, knew there would

be bananas for Saturday lunch

and maybe Sunday supper. In

the household where she and

KIWIS IN THE

KITCHEN

Lauraine Jacobs traces the evolution of eating in New Zealand,

from the spartan diet of the war years to the vibrant multi-

ethnic melting pot of cuisines we now enjoy.

80 YEARS

her siblings boarded, the table

was set with piles of bread

accompanied by butter or

bananas, but not both. Others

tell similar tales of the choice

of jam or butter with their

bread, a practice that stretched

well beyond the war years.

The house had a gas hob

and oven, and to keep food

fresh, a zinc-lined safe hung

in a cool, shady place out

the back of the kitchen. Few

the first edition in 1908.

After the problems and

scarcities of the Great Depres-

sion, the food scene brightened

when the New Zealand Listener

first appeared in 1939, with

some interesting recipes

appearing in the “Women and

Home” column. Readers could

try such newfangled ideas as

“American doughnuts”, or “A

German fish dish” with lots of

butter, half milk and half cream

and plenty of grated cheese and

breadcrumbs. In one issue was

“A Swiss recipe for something

different – Rizotto [sic].”

Maud (Aunt Daisy) Basham

began a regular morning radio

slot in 1933, and by 1937 was

broadcasting her programme

as part of the new national

network covering much of the

country. Her influence over

Wit and whimsy

Maud Ruby Basham – aka

Aunt Daisy – would begin

her radio show with an

ebullient “Good morning

everybody!” and often

rejoice in the fact that – by

her own words – the sun

was shining up her back

houses had electric appliances

and there was no refrigeration.

The kids ate porridge for

breakfast year-round. “I hated

it,” my mother tells me,

and for dinner it was always

meat and three veg. It was a

fairly spartan diet, but in the

tins there was wholesome

home baking inspired by

the Edmonds Cookery Book.

New Zealanders have loved

the iconic baking bible

since TJ Edmonds published

The kids ate

porridge for

breakfast year-

round. “I hated

it,” my mother

tells me.

Inspirational:

in her long

career,

Aunt Daisy

published

11 b o o k s.

In her words – from a 1957 Listener

interview with Aunt Daisy

passage once more.

Her radio shows were

a mix of recipes and hints

with some inspirational

whimsy and a good help-

ing of double entendre.

If she was giving advice

about applying lipstick,

for example, she

would say, “Put it

on your top and

then rub it on

your bottom.”

Recipes such as

stewed pūkeko

haven’t stood the

test of time, nor

advice such as

using the now-

banned pesticide

DDT to deal with

cockroaches, or

sulphuric acid for

stain removal.

“I don’t like mystery stories

generally, certainly not

the ones that bring in

Americanisms like ‘Yeah’

and that sort of thing.”

“I don’t want to see women

in top positions. I’m not a

feminist in that way.”

“New Zealanders can work

hard, but they are able to

change in the evenings,

and they hold their own

anywhere – at Vice Regal

parties or anything else.

They ‘know how to

behave’.”

“Fairness is another great

characteristic of New

Zealanders. How often you

hear it said, ‘Fair enough.’

I think that’s good.”