Eating my way through Mackay

a satisfying pile of husks, originally uploaded by Ampersand Duck.

Oh the food I ate in Mackay! I expected it to be a city of sugar cane and cane toads. I didn't see a single toad, although I saw a cabbie who came pretty damn close. Instead I found a pretty laid-back town (with the slowest traffic lights in the universe) which is famous for coal (excellent port facilities, although they're starting to make their coast access a bit like the Gold Coast, lots of very new high-rises), sugar cane, but also for beef and seafood.

This lovely picture is the remains of a fabulous meal at a restaurant next to the river that runs through the town. I ordered the Bug Platter, and my neighbour ordered a dish which in restrospect I wish I'd had, because it was a fantastic symbol of Mackay's beef and reef attributes. She had an enormous slab of steak, cooked to perfection, topped with half a bug and a whopping prawn, lazily slipped onto a mound of mashed potato. Mind you, the bugs were spectacular, and kept me busy for the time that it took for the tide to properly rise.

This restaurant is famous for having a balcony that hangs over the water, and the tides rise and fall very dramatically in this area. When you start your meal, there are mud-flats under your chair. By the time you've finished (and the very slow chef tends to aid this process), the river has filled and there are many fish and bugs splashing underneath for your viewing pleasure. A bit like a very life-affirming version of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Damn, I was going to write more, but an urgent email has beeped onto my screen asking me to do a very time-consuming task by yesterday. Back soon.