O Pistachio

What would most people do if they had to move nearly halfway across the world, say from Sydney, Australia to Texas, where bigger is better and beef and barbecue are the cultural identifiers? Well, Philomena of O Pistachio seems to have coped, in part, through food — cooking it, sharing it with friends, photographing it and, as of about a year ago, blogging about it.
 
O Pistachio is like peeking into Philomena’s diary. She cooks and takes pictures of whatever inspires her, and then every couple of weeks writes something short and chatty about it. Through her posts we get to know her. She is in graduate school and has been an Aussie expat living in Austin for eight years. When she misses home, she cooks delectable, flaky-crusted mini meat pies and jam-filled Lamington cupcakes and throws Australia Day parties. She has a taste for the spicy-sweet flavors of Middle Eastern food, as evidenced by her Arabian Nights feast and the lamb, mint and cinnamon meatballs she prepared for the dinner. She clearly loves a themed party.

Like many food bloggers these days, Philomena is an accomplished photographer. She does the usual close-up food shots, and a pear and ginger crumble cake under a shower of pink blossoms looks almost too beautiful to eat. In a recent entry, "tx", she captures a day trip in crystal clear pictures of horses, a thick chocolate milkshake and an old diner, showing that her skill goes beyond food. O Pistachio is a pleasant and easy read, and there seems to be nothing dictating what comes next other than Philomena's whims. How refreshing.