Chitty Chatty Boing Boing: Adventures of 2 Alkys in Sydney

Just for those of you not in the know, "alkys" is Aussie slang for alcoholics, which was exactly what me and Matt got up to last weekend!

We've been having horribly wet weather in Sydney since mum left and we were actually planning on doing absolutely nothing that weekend. But after going to the gym, Matt felt a sudden rush of energy and seeing that it wasn't storming outside, we decided to pursue our spiritual calling. Yes, you've heard it right, we trotted off to the Domain where the Dalai Lama was giving a free public address. The combination of free enlightenment and bad weather was simply irresistible. Plus I've read a few of his books and have a genuine interest in Buddhism (really!).

The pic is not very clear here but there must have been at least 5-10 thousand people there for the talk. The presence of hippies and squishy muddy ground gave it a somewhat Woodstockish feel. Oh yes, and the talk was good. Very simple words from a very humble and wise man with brilliant comedic talents who seemed able to make sense of the disarray in the world today. Fantastic!

From that point onwards, the day took on a decidedly sinful turn, as we marched in the rain to our next destination, The Good Food and Wine Show at Darling Harbour. As the name suggests, the show is meant to showcase different kinds of food and wine to the people, although we were really more interested in the latter. Although we had to pay $25 for entry, it was well worth it as there were hundreds of stalls offering free samples of their products, and...wait for it....64 wineries, both large and boutique trying to get us to buy their wine by enticing us with samplings.

Based on our calculations, 64 wineries x 2 tastings at each stall x 20 ml per tasting = approximately 2.5 l of wine each!!! Thats almost 3 bottles per person!!! Rubbing our hands with glee, we proceeded to stall 1.

This was our 6 step action plan to attain wine enlightenment.

Step 1 : Ask at each stall to try their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Step 2 : Swirl the wine in our glasses while trying to hold back our drool.

Step 3 : Stick half our nose into the glass to take a deep breath, nodding our heads in unison and giving a slight thoughtful smile.

Step 4 : Scull the wine down and mutter a few winey words like "peppery, strong tannic notes, fruity with a touch of roasted coffee and blackberry, lingering aftertaste on the back palate"

Step 5 : Disappear and move on to the next stall.

Step 6 : Repeat step 1.

Well, what do ya know, by the time we got to stall 16, we were shiny happy people.

"Should we go try some of the food?" Matt asked.

"Weehat foud? I thought we ere ona liq-uid diet today!" I slurred.

Along the way, we were distracted by a stall offering half shots of 3 times distilled vodka, which is supposed to go down real smooth. Too smooth, I think. Further distraction came in the form of Cosmo cocktails from Cointreau, Frangelico with limes, frozen daiquiris and Pure Blondes (low calorie beer which tasted like water).

Now now now, lest you think that was all we did, we also attended a couple of cooking shows by celebrity chefs, namely Donna Hay. Matt was so very inspired by her cooking that he did the unthinkable......

HE COOKED ON SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!