Steve Smart

Steve Smart is a Melbourne poet, spoken-word performer, MC and festival organiser. These things constitute a full-time day (and night) job. In his 25 years on the planet Steve has written many bio's for himself, been published in journals and on CDs, released 3 self-published collections of poetry and recently launched his own CD, 'Diatribe'.. He was also part of the show 'Mouth Off' at the Sydney Opera House in 2003. His life is, y'know, not so bad.

To purchase Diatribe: $12
olbollocks@yahoo.com.au

the secret of pinenuts » Launch

The Secret Of Pinenuts

Steve Smart

Take your anger
Your pain
Your frustration
Place them in a bowl
And beat them!
Beat them till your
Arm aches,
This is about passion . . .
Turn on the stove
Heat your pan
Oil first then spices
Then the rest
Don't be afraid
Of spices
Don't go easy
Sometimes that
Half a teaspoon
Just isn't enough
Heap it in
It's more fun that way
There's no such thing
As too much garlic,
It's a myth
Perpetuated by people
With boring palates
And use the good oil
It does make a difference,
Cheap vegetable oil is fine
For greasing pans
Not for cooking in them.
Meat or no meat?
You are free to choose
And vegetarian or not
No one needs meat
With every meal,
Plus, y'know, we have
A planet to sustain
And eating your own
Weight in cow every day
Frankly doesn't
Help the situation.
Really the most important thing
The true secret of cooking
Is improvisation
It's in what flavours
What herbs, oils
Sauces you choose
That's what makes a meal
Are you willing to
Throw the recipe-book
To the wind
And trust your own instincts?
You know what you like
You know what tastes good
And if your decisions
Seem odd to some
Well who's asking?
Take control of the kitchen
Use your creativity
Don't be beholden
To someone else's ideas,
This is an artform
The oldest artform
This is art and religion
This is the reason you
Feast on holidays
This is about more than
Getting your food from
Point A to B
It's about sustenance, true
But this is about giving
And receiving
This is good for you in
Ways your stomach
Couldn't even imagine
So make every meal
An occasion, a celebration
And if it burns a little
Don't freak out
Don't automatically
Assume that all
Hope is lost and throw
The whole thing away,
What's wrong with a
Little charcoal?
Just add more red wine
More chilli sauce
More garlic,
Don't scrape the
Bottom of the pot
When you dish up
And who's to know?
Cook plenty,
Eat till you're full ­
If we were meant to
Eat like sparrows
We would have been
Born with wings
And tiny little stomachs
But we weren't
And anyway,
You have a fridge
To put leftovers in,
Not to say that you
Should make a
Pig of yourself
But enjoy cooking
And enjoy what
You have cooked
This should be a joyful
Visceral experience,
Don't hold back
Put in everything you are,
Imagine you are putting
Your soul over that flame
Try new things,
Try something you thought
You'd never enjoy ­
Maybe it was just the
Way it was cooked,
Asparagus is only as bad
As the person cooking it
And remember this
Above all else . . .
Pinenuts go
With everything
And anyone who says different
Is a liar and will have
Me to answer to,
Plus, pinenuts come from
Pine-trees and it's Christmas
So don't be such a Scrooge
Add that extra handful
You'll feel better for it


    * first published in Cordite

Beveridge, Judith
Bleakley, Kathleen
Boyd, Allan
Brennan, Michael
Burns, Joanne
Cameron, Lainie
Cassidy, Bonnie
Chang, Jessica
Clarke, John
Cooke, Stuart
Crane, Michael
Dechian, Sonja
Doran, Ben
Doupe, Juliana
Drewitt, Andy
Dyson, Mia
Elson, Gerard
Ferney, Liam
Garrard, Phillipa
Gibian, Jane
Greagen, Clint
Hawkins, Brian
Hickey, Kelly-Lee
Hier, Michael
Higgs, Ashley
Jelfs, Bradley
Jenkins, Gareth
Johnson, Heather Taylor
Jones, Jill
Kefala, Antigone
Keily, Tom
Knox, Elena
Locke, Kate
Lowe, Justin
Mackie, Brendan
Mann, Paddy
Messiah, Eytan
Minter, Peter
Mitchell, Paul
Morganics
Narkiewicz, Katrine
Nicholson, Anna Kerdijk
Nixon, Jenni
Oliver, Stephen
Paine, Juliet
Prater, David
Purchess, Andew
Robbins, Rachel
Scott, Ryan
Smart, Steve
Sinclair, Tim
Sometimes, Alicia
Stavanger, David
Stuart, James
Tsaloumas, Dimitris
Walter, Lesley
Webster, Ben
West, John
Westbury, Deb
Wicks, Les
Winch, Ben