I wanted to give everyone an update on the funds going towards the victims of Agent Orange.

In December Bruce Montgomery and an Australian contingent made the trip to Vietnam….and David’s commentary can be found below

On December 1 2011 the Trust handed over another 35 cows to families in the Hong Trung commune in A Luoi district west of Hue. It brings to 150 the number of cows that we have bought with money raised since 2007. Before that, we had delivered 30 wheelchairs to Agent Orange victims in and around A Luoi. Altogether now we have helped people in five communes.
Twelve donors travelled from Australia for the latest handover ceremony. We were joined by researchers from the School of Agricultural Science at the University of Tasmania and the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Hue. They have a joint interest in the breed of cattle that the Trust uses, yellow cattle (but which we refer to as Orange Cows).
This time the cattle arrived in three small trucks, which was better logistically in terms of getting them offloaded than one big truck as in the past. Usually we have sourced cattle from North Vietnam and that has involved a long drive to the communes. These were locally sourced.
As usual, the local people’s commune, this time at Hong Trung, selected the families to receive cows. At 9.30 am, when we arrived from Hue and after a round of speeches, the recipients drew lots to determine which of the 35 cows they received. The cows were then offloaded, one by one. It is less than perfect. The cows are tense after the truck journey; there is no cattle ramp; the villagers have only a halter to try to control their animal. It would be preferable for the cattle to arrive ahead of time, be corralled together and then distributed. The infrastructure for doing that does not exist in any of the communes so far, but it is one of the many issues on which we will take advice, particularly from Professor Ba at the University of Hue and Dr David Parsons from the University of Tasmania.
We also have to ensure that the training the recipients receive beforehand is comprehensive and Professor Ba has offered his help with that.
It is appropriate that we evaluate the success of the program to date. We will do that by surveying the communes where we have delivered the cows over the past years, using animal science students to interview recipients to find out what has happened since the arrival of their cows. We want a clear picture of the success and any issues. Weather here is an issue and it is vital that the cattle have ongoing clean, dry shelter and that they have the right fodder, access to water, etc.
We hope to be able to start the survey sometime after March. We will use the findings to optimise the way we manage and monitor projects in the future.

Terracotta BBQ with wire rack + BONUS chopsticks and saucers

With Christmas just over a week away, don’t forget to place a TableTopBBQ order in time to give it to that foodie you cherish. Remember it comes with BONUS chopsticks and saucers in the set too.

TableTopBBQs are $30 each or 2 for $50.

Delivery is approx $10-$20 in addition to the TableTopBBQs depending on where you reside.

Tweet us at @tabletopbbq or email martyn (@) tabletopbbq.com for any questions.

The 1st of December brings two things to me:

1. a reflection of where the year has gone, what’s been achieved (and how long its been since the last Vietnam holiday!) AND
2. a series of joyful communal eating with la familia and many chums you haven’t seen for a while. Good times!

The TableTopBBQ is a fun and good looking terracotta addition to these shared festivities (especially when there’s a few in a row all fired up) so be sure to place your order soon in time for your parties.

Our retailer, The Essential Ingredient also shares some helpful tips on when planning the Christmas and other celebration feasts.

What are you planning this December?

Big flavours. Fresh ingredients. Simple back to basic cooking techniques. We’re a big fan of the culinary journey by Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam on SBS. Cooking for and with the locals he meets within different regions of the beautiful country, he’s become weekly regular to give us a dose of Vietnam, in its very raw and simple form.

He reminds us how we eagerly wait for some warmer weather to hit so that we can grill some prawns on the tabletopbbq – just like the one in this episode from season on:

Rice paper rolls with prawns and green mango

http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/lukenguyen/recipes/detail/recipe/8162

What other finger licking dishes has he lined up for us in season two in early December? Can’t wait.

Fast Tube by Casper

Last week i went along to the Cleanskinkitcheware’s TabletopBBQ cooking class held by Susie Riggall in Cowes on Phillip Island. Over twenty people paid to attend and it was a great session. One lady told me she’d bought a tabletop BBQ after seeing it in the Herald Sun, in January, but had no idea what to do when she opened up the box and so hadn’t used it.

So to remedy this i’m going to post an “opening up the box and firing up the tabletopBBQ ” video on youtube using my newly purchased flip video camera which i highly recommend. I’ll let you know when its posted.

There are now three new places to buy Tabletop BBQs. Cleanskin Kitchenware in Lilydale, Cowes and Wonthaggi have them instore. Full details are listed below in “Where can i buy one and what do they cost?” below. John from Cleanskin Kitchenware told me that several people came into his Lilydale store asking for a tabletop bbq. He checked out our site contacted me and hey presto he’s now a stockist. Easy as that.

Cleanskin in Cowes is running a Table top BBQ cooking class on 20th September between 3-5pm. Each class accommodates 30 people and costs $30. If you’d like to sign up please contact either Michele or John on 03 59592 3494