Welcome to the 21 October 2008 enewsletter
We don’t know about you, but the AboutSeniors team is well and truly over promises of instant gratification, luxury experiences and overpriced material possessions when half the people in the world do not have sufficient food in their bellies

So this week we have decided to get back to the basics, and to celebrate our good fortune in having not just sufficient food for survival, but a true abundance of fresh, wholesome ingredients and wonderful resources to help us create recipes. Call it an early (Australian) thanksgiving if you like.

Our heroine this week is the fabulous Elizabeth Chong. Elizabeth was born in Bendigo and has spent her life sharing her passion for authentic Chinese cuisine in classes, on TV and many other events. We joined Elizabeth for a Sichuan cooking experience last week and are honoured that she has agreed to share with us her recipe for Shoulder-Pole Noodles. Our favourite blogger, Geoff, has pondered the food of life – read his take on breaking bread now.

We understand and respect the feedback we receive from our subscribers requesting information on events all around Australia – not just Melbourne and Sydney and Sydney and Melbourne. So read on for some joyful and affordable celebrations of food from Darwin to Hobart to Mount Tamborine in the Noosa Hinterland. And in For a good cause we share a timely reminder of the value of volunteer foodies in the Meals on Wheels program.
But wait, there’s more. We have reviewed a 1914 classic cookery bible, as well as the luscious DVD of Chocolat, we’ve trawled the web for the most useful foodie sites, and we’ve even found some healthy eating information from the government. And last, but definitely not least, we have negotiated some more discounts on your behalf so you can save some dollars when you eat out.

Two, four, six, eight…
David & Kaye Fallick

Aussie favourites
Got a favourite Australian food or recipe? Share it with us for your chance to win a copy of The Commonsense Cookery Book.

How do you measure up?
Many of us carry a few extra pounds in weight now and again but a few centimetres less around the waistline could save your life.

Healthy eating
Many of us may think we eat quite healthily but do we manage to get all the nutrition we need from the basic food groups? Do we struggle with something simple such as eating five portions of vegetables per day?

Food net
The internet has given us access to many new and exotic foods and recipes but is also a great source of information on how to cook and eat healthily, cheaply and quickly.

Meals-on-Wheels
With over 4,500,000 meals delivered each year, Meals-on-wheels is more than just a meal delivery service. It may be the recipient’s only link to the outside world and their only chance of a hot, nutritional meal.

Taste of Australia
Thanks to its multi-cultural background, Australia is a melting pot of foods and flavours.

Cooking classes
There are those who are blessed with a natural understanding of how food works and can rustle up fabulous meals in minutes. Then there are those who are culinary challenged who need a recipe to boil an egg.

Shoulder-Pole Noodles
Elizabeth Chong has been encouraging people through her cooking classes, to try new dishes and enjoy cooking exotic foods. This week we’re delighted to have her share her recipe for Shoulder-Pole Noodles

Breaking bread

Discount Tours of Chinatown special rate
10% off & free dessert at Nilgiris
Seniors discount at Sydney Harbour Marriott

Wine tours
Wine tours are a popular way to pass the time while travelling around Australia but with so many wineries on offer, how do you find which one may suit you best?

Tropical food fest
The tropical climate of far north Queensland brings to the region some of the tastiest and most exotic fruits and produce that the world has to offer.

Historic hotel offer
For 125 years The Hotel Windsor in Melbourne has been an icon of all that is regal and luxurious about staying overnight in a hotel.

Pay two, stay three
Fraser Island’s Kingfisher Bay Resort offers the indulgence of pampering, with the adventure of four-wheel driving, all under the umbrella of an eco-friendly sustainable environment.

Celebrating commonsense
It may be common, but it’s often hard to find. Sense, that is. And to locate it in a basic cookbook is such a delight. The Commonsense Cookery Book was first published in 1914 – and has sold over one million copies. It’s now available in a collector’s edition – and offers the best overview of basic cookery any household could want.

Foodie’s guide to Melbourne
For many, Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia, with many of the cafes and restaurants the city now boasts classed as dining institutions

Sweet Temptation
There are few things more divine in life than chocolate, although the two stars of the modern-day classic movie, Chocolat come pretty close.

Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.
- W. C. Fields
Read more quotes here.