We thought that we wouldn’t be able to finish the entire duck, and were indeed struggling around the three-quarter mark. But we decided to press on and managed to wipe out the whole bird, leaving only its lonely head.
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Three days in the mountains of Cingjing
Since 2005, Taiwan has been a regular holiday spot that we return to every few years. Our initial trips were restricted to only Taipei, but over time, we’ve been going further out to explore the other counties. During the summer of 2012, we decided to head up the mountains of Cingjing (清境) in Nantou (南投) county and spend three days there.
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A gastronomic journey of Sichuan flavours
Our meal started at around 7pm and by the time we finished, it was close to 10pm. It was a solid three-hour marathon of tray-after-tray, plate-after-plate of non-stop food.
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Laundry is a precise operation
The first rule of laundry is that you must separate the whites from the colours.
The second rule of laundry is that you must separate the whites from the colours.
Yes, apparently laundry follows the same rules as Fight Club.
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So much food, so little time (2021 edition)
I could probably add another dozen or two to the list, but there are only so many weeks in the year and gluttony, after all, is one of the seven deadly sins. We won’t be travelling overseas this year, but we sure can indulge in some revenge eating.
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Grapes are nice, but don’t forget the other fruits
Sticking with tradition, we opened another bottle of bubbly on the first day of 2021 and promptly started day-drinking. This year, it was the intriguing Migaki-Ichigo Mousseux NV made from 100% strawberries grown in the Miyagi prefecture of Japan.
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It’s never too early for some kway chap
Nose-to-tail dining is an efficient and sustainable way of eating, and one good example is traditional Teochew kway chap (粿汁). Chop up various pig parts, braise it in spice-accented soya sauce and serve it with flat rice noodles topped with coriander and fried shallots.
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Flying overseas for home-cooked food
Whenever we travel, our first priority is always to find good local food, whether it’s at a casual eatery, street food stall or high-end restaurant. But unless we gate crash someone’s house, which we haven’t attempted (yet), it’s almost impossible to sample authentic home-cooked local food when we’re overseas.
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Spicy Sichuan in Singapore
It’s good to know that spicy Sichuan food is readily available in Singapore, whether it’s at a fancy restaurant like Si Chuan Dou Hua or a casual eatery like Old Cheng Du.
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Traditional vs modern Korean fine dining
Seoul had never struck me as a city for fine dining, but the delightful meals at La Yeon and Jungsik completely changed my mind.
The emphasis at La Yeon was on preserving traditional Korean cuisine, whereas Jungsik’s focus was to meld Korean flavours with European techniques.
Both achieved their objectives to near perfection.
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