"You know those ant farms we had as kids where you stuff the sand in two sheets of glass and you can see them building all their tunnels? That's what a country town is like in some respects. And that knowledge of other people is sometimes misinterpreted
"You know those ant farms we had as kids where you stuff the sand in two sheets of glass and you can see them building all their tunnels? That's what a country town is like in some respects. And that knowledge of other people is sometimes misinterpreted as liking other people and therefore welcoming other people. It doesn't work like that."
This is author and journalist Gabrielle Chan, responding to the question "are country towns welcoming?"
Where I can sometimes lean too sweet, Gabi brings just the right amount of tartness to her insights on rural life through her journalism, her books Rusted Off and Why you should give a f*ck about farming and specifically to this chat we had for Galah's very first podcast episode.
We also broached other questions like can you have political conversations with people in your community and still shop in the supermarket without having a tub of ice-cream thrown at you? Is the city-country divide a real thing? What do dog salons have to do with real estate in country towns?
And then Galah readers chimed in in with their own answers to "are country towns welcoming". One reader was told at a party after moving to the country: "You seem really lovely, but my dance card's full." Which reminded me instantly of Jerry Seinfeld's bit about not hiring right now.
Another reader ordered a skim chocolate milkshake at a country servo and heard the cook shout from the kitchen: "Is the skim milk really necessary? You're ordering a chocolate milkshake for God's sake!" She wanted to run back to the city immediately.
I love this episode for many reasons, but mainly because there's no definitive yes or no answer. Instead, we're rolling around somewhere in between and I think that's exactly where the truth lies.
This is the first episode of a six-part pilot season. We'll release an episode a week and I'd love to hear what you think. We'll use your feedback to make decisions about what worked, what didn't and how future seasons of the pod could look.
Find "Galah" on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
In the meantime, we're about to start pecan harvest at home and excitement levels are HIGH.
Annabelle
Ed shaking the first tree of this year's pecan harvest.
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To celebrate the launch of the podcast, tonight I'm going to make a batch of these Galah cocktails that we drank at the 2023 Galah Regional Photography Prize party.
I'm sharing the recipe below in case you feel like celebrating something too.
Thanks to Husk bar manager Alex for sharing the recipe. (Husk Distillers is Australia's only single-estate paddock-to-bottle rum distillery and the home of Ink Gin. If you're near the Tweed Valley in northern NSW, it's worth paying them a visit).
45 ml Ink dry gin
15 ml elderflower liqueur
30 ml lemon juice
20 ml simple sugar syrup
1 cucumber slice
Prosecco
Muddle the cucumber in a shaker, add all the ingredients and shake well. Double strain in a coupe glass. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon myrtle leaf. Or a slice of cucumber.
