The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to do some grocery shopping in preparation for the parties, luncheons and get-togethers. As you plan your menu for the lunches and dinners, consider how the usual holiday fare can also bring you insights and tips for your entrepreneurial journey.
The Australian Christmas feast is a combination of local culture and influences from the UK and the US. But what makes Christmas in this side of the globe different is that it coincides with the summer season. Check some of the common dishes that take centre stage on the dining table at this time of the year.
Cold ham and cold turkey
Going cold turkey, not the idiomatic expression, is a practice in Australia during Christmas. Because of the summer weather, people often forego the traditional hot roast menu and opt for cold ham and turkey and some cold meats.
Serving ham and turkey has been a long-lying tradition in many civilisations back, symbolising harvest and fertility. Folklores indicate that during the olden days, people had to catch the animals for a banquet. It has evolved over the years and become part of the modern Christmas custom. Similarly, you have to run after your targets. It takes a lot of hard work, but the rewards can be satisfying.
Prawns, seafood and salads
In Australia, prawns and seafood are part of the holiday feast. Plump shrimps will whet your appetite and add a festive feel to the meal. Sometimes, you will also find crayfish, lobster, oysters and crabs during this special occasion.
For your business, gather your biggest catch amidst the turbulent waves. Allow fresh ideas to flow so that you can haul a bountiful yield for your enterprise. There are wonderful surprises beneath the challenges. If you get creative enough, you can turn problems into opportunities.
Christmas damper
The damper is an Australian bread that has an interesting background. Labourers and farm workers who travel long distances are believed to have developed the damper, which they cook in the coals of a campfire. Now, it becomes part of the festive meal. Usually, it comes in the shape of a star or wreath and often served with honey, syrup, jam or butter.
It is a type of food that traces its origins in an environment of survival. There may be difficulties ahead, but you can pack heaps of patience and determination on your entrepreneurial journey to make your business last. And when it things gets harder, find yourself a "camp" that can shelter you, such as friends, peers, or business groups like EO Melbourne.
White Christmas
Don’t you love to have a slice of sweet White Christmas as a holiday treat? It’s a mixture of dried fruits, cereals, desiccated coconut, milk powder, and icing sugar bound together by hydrogenated coconut oil, such as Copha. The colours of the different ingredients create a rainbow of delight in this white bar.
Like the raisins, dried fruits and cereals, count the small blessings in your business and be grateful to how they contribute to bigger successes.
Gingerbread
Gingerbread cookies are among the constant Christmas features in Australia. Gingerbread houses, which often come in kits, are decorated in colourful candies. Families love to create these cookies in various Christmas shapes and decorate their tables with it.
The family is important in your business. Your family’s support is crucial as you run your venture as they have to understand the demands of your role. Make sure that you allocate quality time with your family. With regards to the work environment, it works for some business cultures to keep the family spirit within their team. Determine if this is something that is also applicable to your business.
Christmas pudding
What makes pudding a great Christmas fodder is its longevity. The ingredients include raisins, ginger, brandy or rum. The Christmas pudding can last for months or more because of the high alcohol content incorporated in the food.
In handling your business, you also need to have an ingredient that can sustain your operations and make it last for years. Whether it is your corporate culture, team composition, management style or operating system, you need to identify the factors that help preserve the efficiency of your venture in delivering goods and services to your customers.
Pavlova
The meringue dessert Pavlova was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. This egg-based dessert has a crisp shell while its centre has a soft marshmallow-like texture.
Eating a pavlova is like enjoying two things in one: crunchy and chewy. It is every business owner’s wish that his venture has good internal and external environs. Endeavour to establish a formidable image that can be trusted by your external stakeholders and a strong structure that can keep your internal stakeholders together.
Mince pie
Another British legacy is the mince pie, which is prepared originally with meat inside. Over the years, the ingredients have changed, but remnants of the old tradition still linger to this day. It is part of the custom to make a wish on the first mince pie during the holiday season. It used to have a religious connotation, and it signified good luck and happiness.
You also need to have a regular dose of your proverbial “mince pie” by remaining hopeful amidst adversities. Nourish yourself with positivity and persistence throughout your entrepreneurial quest.
Mangoes, cherries and other fruits
Fresh fruits are always refreshing to eat. Since Christmas in Australia falls during the summer, families include fruits, especially mangoes and cherries, in their holiday meals.
Fruits remind us that there are instances when the best approach is going back to the basics. Simplicity is often the right way forward. Streamline and eliminate whatever is unnecessary in your business and focus on what’s most important.
As you feast on these holiday treats, enhance the strengths of your venture and work on your weaknesses so that you keep getting better for years ahead.