Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, yum, yum, yum!

So, you may have noticed I’ve been gone for a little while.

I just got back from Australia, where I was playing rugby and doing as much sightseeing as I could squeeze in along the way. I got to pet a koala, hang out with kangaroos, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and see some truly incredible parts of the country.

But one of the biggest surprises of the entire trip?

The food.

I knew we’d eat well. I did not expect to come home still thinking about breakfast sausages.

The food in Australia was incredibly fresh, flavorful and, more than anything, interesting. There seemed to be this willingness to add another layer of flavor to even the simplest things. Breakfast sausages had actual seasoning and flavor far beyond the fairly bland versions you tend to get in Britain. Baked beans and tomatoes weren’t just sitting on the plate because tradition said they had to be there. They had spice, seasoning and personality.

And then there was the incredible variety of Asian food. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian—you name it, and there was a good chance we found it somewhere along the way. And not just watered-down versions made to appeal to tourists. The flavors were bold, complex and fantastic.

That was what really got me thinking about Australian food in general.

Growing up in the American South, I’m used to food that doesn’t come from one single tradition. Southern food developed through generations of African, European, Indigenous, Caribbean and other influences all colliding, borrowing from one another and eventually creating something entirely its own.

Australia gave me a similar feeling, even though the cultures and history behind it are obviously very different.

Australia has become home to people from all over the world, and you can taste that influence everywhere. Different ingredients, cooking techniques, spices and traditions have worked their way into the way Australians eat. Even dishes that could easily be rather bland somehow seem to get an extra hit of spice, acidity, herbs or seasoning that makes you stop and think, okay, why is this so good?

And it wasn't just restaurant food. Produce tasted fresh. Cafés took breakfast seriously. Bakeries were everywhere. Even relatively simple meals felt like someone had actually thought about how everything on the plate worked together.

I went to Australia expecting the Sydney Opera House, beaches, kangaroos, rugby and maybe a flat white or twelve.

I did not expect food to become one of my favorite parts of the trip.

So yes, go to Australia for the scenery. Go climb the Harbour Bridge. Go see a koala. Go hang out with the kangaroos. Go because the people are ridiculously friendly and because it’s one of those places that somehow feels familiar and completely different at the same time.

But definitely go hungry.

Because apparently Australia has been over there quietly making some seriously good food, and nobody bothered to tell me.