Most of my family has a dislike for Triffle(I am on the line, I don't love or hate it), but I will stand by the pavlova to the end. The best have a nice thick crust.

That is just my problem. I've never been all that wrapped in trifle and so never learned to make it. I'm not sure I can make it, though I have some ingredients assembled. In days gone by they used to use fruit salad or tinned peaches and apricots but fresh strawberries might be better.

Er, however glossy pictures of food look in magazines or how simple it appears to work, I can't vouch that any of my efforts are going to be all that photogenic.

As long as it tastes good, Wagga, as long as it tastes good. That's all that really matters about trifle. Fresh strawberries would be a really nice touch, I would think.

One thing my mom does is soak the cake with the jello while it is still liquid, so that it permeates the whole dish; the staler the cake the better (okay, so there are limits on that...)

We've had black forest trifle, with sour cherries, as well as the more regular types. There are so many different recipes, all of them most delicious (if you like trifle) so we hope yours works out well.

Is trifle usually made with sponge cake? I have had two in my life (at family gatherings) that both were made with sponge.

I can cook better than I can bake to be honest. I make a lot of pastas and stirfrys. I lack numbers of some enzymes for digestion, so as much as I love diary products, I have to put a limit on them, the same with bread etc.

Speaking of which i do very much like cheese. I have tried the cheese on hot chip american thing. I will not be eating them again, I will stick with tomato sauce in the future.

I have tried the cheese on hot chip american thing.

Not sure what you are referring to--could you explain further?

They may be Canadian,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_fries

Are you referring to Poutine by any chance IlF?

I was going to ask the same thing, fantasia. That sure looks and sounds like poutine to me, IlF. It's absolutely scrumptious, except for the fact that one's arteries clog just from looking at it. Québec, especially, makes amazing poutine.

Melted cheese on fries I get, but poutine? Not so much. And, yes, I had to look it up. But, it's common here to put chili and cheese on fries and I'm not a big fan of that.

Haha yes, I will stick with tomato sauce. I thinking having cheese with potato and gravy would be fine, i think since chips are already deep fried it is a bit much(for me at least). I do however love cheese, Camembert cheese being one of my favorites.

Mmm, cheese. I love Harvarti.

I'm familiar with that melted cheese over nacho chips (as opposed to regular potato chips/crisps) but not Poultine. I think I'd give it a try if the opportunity arose.

Oh yes Nacho's with cheese and sour cream and some tomato based sauce.

I was listening to the radio the other day, and the guest was a British actor(forget the name) and they were discussing Spruikers. I was not aware these people shouting outside of shops etc to persuade people to come in was an Australian thing. The actor said they had no equivalent. Is this true? I don't see these shouting people a lot myself, I think they are more common in the eastern states. There use to be a funny segment on a comedy tv show called the chaser's war on everything about them.

ILF, I've not seen people shout to get us into restaurants, but on occasion one will see people dressed up in costumes on the side of the road with signs urging them to frequent some business. I usually see them doing this for insurance places or car washes and the like.

Nachos with cheese and jalapenos is the original form and my personal favorite. I've had others that were stacked high with meat (beef & bacon...woot!), cheese, chives, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. It's always tasty, but just like a supreme pizza (with everything on it) it becomes a task to keep it on its natural built-in plate and so you have to eat it with a fork.

When you guys say "tomato sauce" are you referring to what we call ketchup (or catsup in some places)?

Yes, it is ketchup(I think I confused someone by saying tomato sauce whilst in America). Though for nacho's I am referring to something similar to a pasta sauce I guess, with onion and spices in it.

Hmmm, just realized that I can be part of this discussion now. I've been living in Taiwan since September and will likely be here until July of next year.

Soooo, what do you want to know about life in Asia; Taiwan in particular?

Fun facts:

- 7-11 is HUGE here. But they're like, way more awesome than 7-11's in America. No slushies, but they have everything else. You can buy airline or train tickets there, do your banking, your mail, pay your bills, get dinner...pretty much everything. They have a 7-11 on just about every block.
- People in Taiwan think cinnamon is really gross; as is anything super sweet. If you have a big sugar tooth, you will suffer in Taiwan because not even the cakes are rich.
- Beans are considered a food that you eat sweet, and is commonly found in cold dessert soups or drinks. The idea of eating a salty or savory bean is very strange to people here (chili is so weird to them!).
- Tomatoes are not only considered fruit, but they are TREATED like fruit here (which is different than America where they are treated more like vegetables even though they are classified as fruits). It's very common to find tomatoes mixed in your fruit salad dessert, or handed out like apples for an after-lunch dessert.
- Most toilets are squatty-potties (though "western" toilets are becoming easier to find), and you don't flush toilet paper. Ever. Nobody warned me about that before I came, haha. Every bathroom has a little trash can to dispose of your used toilet paper. Kind of gross but it's extremely normal here.

Anything else?