Sandi Sieger’s guide to what’s hot and happy(ning) this week. Eat, drink, buy, try, visit, read, be merry.
EAT: Pitango Soups
Pitango have released their delicious and iconic pouch soups in a new reusable and recyclable pot format – perfect for those on the go or work from home lunches during the colder winter months.
Retaining all the delicious flavours and colourful veggies from its soup pouches, every pot is a true nutrition boost from Pitango, providing two serves of vegetables and organic and free-range goodness.
Available at Coles, 7/11, Harris Farms & all good independent stores and only $4 a go, Pitango’s new pot range are a steal with four flavours including:
- Organic Vegan Vegetable Laksa
- Organic Pumpkin & Coconut Milk
- Free-Range Asian Chicken
- Free-Range Chicken & Veg
DRINK: The Gospel Whiskey
There’s no denying that whiskey is truly a global phenomenon – virtually every country in the world produces and consumes the respected brown spirit. As the demand for whiskey keeps growing, the category continues to expand as new regions, styles and brands emerge.
Enter: The Gospel – the new generation of whiskey makers changing the way we produce, talk about, and drink the classic dram. The Melbourne-based distiller is made using 100% local ingredients and is Australia’s only 100% rye whiskey dedicated distillery sourcing their rye grain from a single farm in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia – one of the driest parts of the driest state in the driest continent in the world.
Although it’s more difficult to work with, The Gospel use 100% unmalted rye as the flavours are more connected to the earth. The rye from the Murray Mallee region is small and dense with a distinctly Australian character. Furthermore, the grain is non-treated, meaning the farmer does not dose the grain with chemicals whilst it sits in the silo. Then they use heavily toasted New American Oak barrels for maturation, which reflects back to the traditional ryes of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, before giving the spent waste to another farmer to feed his animals.
Distillation has always been an agricultural activity and just as with wine, can express a sense of place. The soil and terrain where the grains are grown all contribute to unique flavours and aromas, as do the climates where barrels mature also make an impact. While in the modern world this connection has been largely lost, The Gospel are looking back to the farm to move forward, seeking out to do more than just produce an excellent rye whiskey; but produce a whiskey that delivers a true taste of Australia in a great American spirit.
For more on The Gospel, click here.
TRY: This Vibrator…For Your Face
Righto, stay with me. We all know that used intimately, vibrators of all sorts stimulate nerve endings and promote blood flow. But did you know your face also has erectile tissue and responds in the same way as other sensitive areas? By adding a vibrator to your beauty regime you’ll enjoy the benefits of increased circulation, less puff and more glow.
“The face is highly sensitive and has many erogenous zones. When you stimulate certain areas, it can feel incredibly pleasurable and even arousing! Many of us love to be touched all over our faces from our ears, neck, cheeks and lips (which is why kissing can feel so good!)” says Georgia Grace, We-Vibe Touch X resident health and wellness expert.
Grace explains that the presence of delicate erectile tissue throughout our face allows us to experience the joy of facial stimulation. This same erectile tissue is present in our nose and ears, delivering the sublime arousal we feel from a certain scent or sound.
“Erectile tissue is any tissue that stiffens or engorges with blood – you also have erectile tissue in your genitals. As arousal builds in your body there is increased blood flow in the erectile tissue which makes it erect and stiff. Our senses play a huge role in arousal and we receive a lot of information from our face.”
The We-Vibe Touch X can be used in the shower with your regular face scrub and cleanser, in the morning to ensure your serum is beautifully absorbed, or at night to help you apply a face mask without it sticking to your fingers.
“There’s a growing trend towards “skinimalism” and focusing on effective skincare instead of 10-step routines. When paired with a cleanser, a touch of vibration also allows for the product to shift makeup easily and break down oils that have built up during the day to rinse clean. A mindfully incorporated facial massage using the Touch X can bring out the effectiveness of beauty products and leave you with a post-spa glow,” said Fabiola Gomez, CEO of Sydney’s LUXit Beauty Concierge.
And lemme tell you – this glow should not be slept on. Well, you can literally sleep on it, but oh my. One try of the We-Vibe Touch X and my face did appear a little more glowy. After a bunch of uses, I can confirm it works.
Facial massage has long been known to be an integral part to a holistic beauty approach – known to promote collagen production, ease tension and assist with lymphatic drainage for the removal of toxins from the body. It does good, and it feels good. That’s me sold.
Enjoy the health, beauty and pleasure benefits of facial massage with the We-Vibe Touch X. Rechargeable. Waterproof. Portable. Available at: www.we-vibe.com/au/
BUY: Team Timbuktu
Now here’s a brand that walks the talk – Team Timbuktu, a Melbourne based label, is genuinely committed to sustainability. The independent label has recycled over 100,000 plastic bottles into its fabrics and planted over 2,500 trees.
In just three years, they have recycled over 100,000 plastic bottles into their raincoats, puffer jackets and activewear. With the fabric being 100% recycled, this equates to over 31 bottles in each jacket. The company is planning to double its impact year on year with the goal of recycling one million plastic bottles by 2025.
The fashion industry has been notoriously bad at looking after the people and planet within fast fashion supply chains, prioritising low cost goods and speed to market as opposed to higher quality, sustainable, slow fashion. This has led to the industry being responsible for creating more CO2 emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping worldwide, equating to 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions from textile production alone.
It’s for reasons like these that Team Timbuktu founder Rhianna Knight advocates for better transparency and improved practices. She says, “It’s not enough anymore to just create beautiful collections, you must consider the triple bottom line (including people and planet) if we are to reverse our impact as an industry.”
Recycling a bottle into fabric, whilst a complex process, is actually more energy and resource efficient than creating conventional synthetic fabrics, producing 50-70% less carbon in the process. Once bottles are recycled and separated by colour, they are sterilised and cut into flakes, which are melted into small pellets and extruded to a yarn, which is then woven into fabric, before being cut and sewn into the end product.
Team Timbuktu recycles plastic bottles into fabric in its partner mill in Taiwan, which it then uses to create Raincoats and Activewear, with no compromise on style or sustainability. It prioritises its impact across its fabrics, factories and packaging, only using recycled and organic fibres, plastic free packaging and ethically certified factories to bring its vision to life.
For more on Team Timbuktu, please click here.
VISIT: NGV’s Winter Masterpieces
If lockdown ruined your plans to visit the NGV’s Winter Masterpieces Exhibition: French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, don’t fret!
HSBC, proud partner of the NGV, have launched their new companion podcast – Beyond The Frame – a six part series that takes you behind the scenes to hear the unknown rebellion of some of the most iconic French Impressionist arts and works – from the perspective of the artworks themselves. Hear from the Haystack of Monet’s Grainstack (snow effect) and the Horse from Degas’ Racehorses at Longchamp in an art podcast like you’ve never heard before.
In collaboration with comedian Angela Greenshill and the NGV exhibition curators, HSBC discovered some of the lesser known truths behind the creation of these important works in art history.
Through the series you will learn little known facts such as:
- Monet used to paint outside with an assistant who followed him from canvas to canvas with a wheelbarrow of paints and easels.
- Monet’s Grainstack series was said to have caused Stendhal Syndrome – a psychosomatic condition that has known to cause fainting or hallucinations when exposed to works of art.
- The horses in Degas’ Racehorses at Longchamp were copied from plastic toy horses he kept in his studio.
- Gustave Caillebotte’s Fruit displayed on a stand is known as a still life conceived for millionaires – a commentary on commercialism and consumerism way beyond his time.
Episode 1 and 2 are available to stream now wherever you get your podcasts or via www.hsbc.com.au/beyond-the-frame-podcast.
READ: Northside by Warren Kirk
Warren Kirk has been a documentary photographer for over 30 years. His previous books are the acclaimed Westography (2016) and Suburbia (2018).
From West Brunswick to Reservoir, Fitzroy to Hadfield, Warren Kirk turns his keen eye upon the streets, buildings, and inhabitants of Melbourne’s northern suburbs, which are as iconic as they are rapidly changing. Both a tribute to the things we remember and a reminder to look anew at the world around us, the photos in Northside are a triumph of craft from an artist who invites us to really see.
Northside features an introduction by famed author Christos Tsiolkas.
Northside by Warren Kirk (Scribe Publications), RRP $35, is out now.
