The Land Before Avocado Archives

Sylvia Plath’s adoration of the avocado

Sylvia Plath’s adoration of the avocado

SarahM2020-02-27T16:08:59+11:00Categories: News|Tags: authors, books, food, Iconic literary food moment, Richard Glover, Sylvia Plath, The Land Before Avocado, Word of Mouth TV|

Iconic literary food moments

To celebrate Richard Glover's book, The Land Before Avocado, set in Australia in the 1970s, we have opted for another modern author, Sylvia Plath, as the subject of our iconic literary food moment. Plath never experienced the 1970s, having committed suicide in 1963, not long after she published her novel The Bell Jar. But it is a fairly safe bet that she would have found the prospects for women in the 1970s just as dreary as for women in the 1950s and 1960s. As Richard stresses in his book, we have come a long way.

Straight from the authors’ mouths

Straight from the authors’ mouths

SarahM2020-02-25T20:36:59+11:00Categories: News|Tags: Australia, books, Clare Wright, Recommended Reads, Richard Glover, The Land Before Avocado, Word of Mouth TV, You Daughters of Freedom|

Richard Glover’s oh-so-70s Steak Diane

SarahM2020-02-29T15:45:03+11:00Categories: Recipes|Tags: 1970s, books, recipe, Richard Glover, Steak Diane, The Land Before Avocado, Word of Mouth TV|

Portrait of a recipe

We are having a 1970s and Auguste Escoffier double this episode. Not only did the chef Escoffier invent the Peach Melba, which we featured for Debra Oswald's novel The Whole Bright Year, he was also the first chef to mention sauce a la Diane in 1907, which we are featuring here to celebrate Richard Glover's book The Land Before Avocado. The dish of Steak Diane derives from the myth of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and hence its designated pairing with meat. Its modern incarnation is believed to have its genesis in the United States, and it was a very popular dish in restaurants in the 1970s.

Richard Glover’s take on 70s life and food

Richard Glover’s take on 70s life and food

SarahM2020-02-25T18:32:00+11:00Categories: News|Tags: 1970s, Australia, Author, books, food, interview, Q&A, Richard Glover, The Land Before Avocado, Word of Mouth TV|

Author Q&A

ABC talk-radio presenter and author of The Land Before Avocado, Richard Glover, shares his thoughts on the 1970s with Word of Mouth TV. After incorporating extensive research and personal experience, he reminds us that the Australia of 50 years ago is not the great place that nostalgic, dewy-eyed boomers would have us believe: it was boring, insular, authoritarian and intolerant. Nor is our country going to the dogs; life has improved on nearly every metric. On the upside, he says going back in time offers a great opportunity to laugh at ourselves and to appreciate just how far we've come.

The Land Before Avocado – Richard Glover

The Land Before Avocado – Richard Glover

SarahM2020-02-24T20:56:16+11:00Categories: News|Tags: 1970s, Australia, book review, food, humour, Richard Glover, S.L. Mills, Sarah Mills, The Land Before Avocado, Word of Mouth TV|

Sarah's review

Richard Glover really knows how to pick his topics and The Land Before Avocado, set in the 1970s, is no exception. Despite being the land of plenty, Australians endured a myriad of deprivations, which Richard investigates with excruciating humour. The cars, the food, the fashion - they all left something to be desired. Yet the clumsiness of the period is reminiscent of any pubescent teenager, and The Land Before Avocado reminds us that the 1970s was a tipping point for Australia, the decade in which it graduated from small pants to big pants. A wonderful read.

Debra Oswald and Richard Glover’s super 70s giveaway

Debra Oswald and Richard Glover’s super 70s giveaway

SarahM2020-02-27T17:02:34+11:00Categories: Giveaway, News|Tags: 1970s, Australia, books, Debra Oswald, food, Giveaway, Kate Forsyth, novels, Richard Glover, S.L. Mills, Sarah Mills, The Land Before Avocado, The Whole Bright Year, win, Word of Mouth TV|

We're living in the 70s

Thanks to Penguin Books and Harper Collins, Word of Mouth TV has a super 70s giveaway to celebrate the season finale with one of Australia's most talented literary couples, Debra Oswald and Richard Glover. Their books The Whole Bright Year and The Land Before Avocado will take those of us who remember it on a rollicking romp back in time to Australia in the 1970s - few better times to be. And for those so careless as to be born post-1980, they will take you to a place of wonder that defies belief - a foreign land. You know the drill! Don't forget the hashtags!