Food, taste, and memory in Australian migrant hostels

Abstract

Government-run hostels provided temporary accommodation for the thousands of refugees and migrants of diverse backgrounds who came to Australia between 1947 and 1990. The food was served communally, and although plentiful and nutritious, was typically described by residents as ‘horrible’. This chapter uses oral histories and archival material to explore how food offered a common experience within the liminal space of the hostel to provide a point of protest and resistance, and how the smell and taste of certain foods still affect migrants today. Hostel food represented a lack of respect for traditions and homelands left behind, especially for refugees.