Feed Me in Australian Food Culture

I noticed a new thing Australian restaurants offer on the menu: the Feed Me option. The Feed Me concept is for when you don’t know what to eat and let the restaurant choose it.

Feed Me in Australian Food Culture

At first, I thought it was just a novelty concept by a few restaurants. Then, I hesitated to try the Feed Me option, mainly because I have always been pretty decisive. I know what I want and what I feel like eating almost all the time. I sometimes like to think about the food I will eat hours before eating it. It’s a joyful activity for me. My other hesitation toward the Feed Me concept is that it usually comes with a hefty price tag. It’s usually more expensive than, say, if you choose your food in the restaurant, though the Feed Me option usually is a more elaborate dining experience.

But slowly, I started to see its appeal, especially now that I have seen it more often. Especially when I don’t know what to eat in a new restaurant or when I am trying a completely new cuisine where I am unfamiliar with the food. So one day, I decided to treat myself in the name of cultural research, the indulge myself in this Australian.

So far, I have tried many different new-cuisine-to-me on the Feed Me concept. Peruvian, Afghani, African and Brazilian, to name some. It’s definitely outside my comfort zone, but I have always been satisfied whenever I opt for this.

Feed Me in Other Cultures

Feed Me option in Australian culture is unlike Omakase in Japanese culture. Loosely translated, Omakase (pronounced oh-mah-Kah- seh) means the chef’s choice — as they know what’s best and usually seasonal. It’s a multi-course meal where the chef lets us choose our food. Also, unlike most restaurants, the chefs take their time to converse and explain each dish they choose for us. It also allows the patrons to different kinds of food which they otherwise won’t usually order.

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