In Belgium, there is a certain bakery-cafe chain that claims that the tartine is a “signature Belgian open-faced sandwich”. I don’t understand what is characteristically Belgian about a piece of bread with various ingredients piled on top. If you ask me, a Belgian tartine looks like a Norweigian smørbrød or Russian buterbrod! Asparagus, green and white,…
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Did you know that your stomach, when empty, is about the size of your fist? As the stomach is a muscle, it expands and contracts when you consume food. The human stomach can stretch to around 40 times its original size, to around two litres, after a huge meal. I have a hearty appetite and…
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I love a good Turkish breakfast. Who wouldn’t? I’ve only been to Istanbul thrice. It has always been for work but each time I was able to extend a few days to explore the city. Home to some 14 million people, Istanbul is HUGE. There are so many parts of Istanbul that I’ve yet to…
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All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast – John Gunther I cannot agree more with Gunther. What about you? I think that the traditional Turkish breakfast is one of the best ways to start the day. The Turkish word for breakfast, “kahvaltı“, which is derived from “kahve altı” which literally means “before coffee”. While I don’t need any…
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There are some things in life that cannot be rushed – such as stretching in the morning, reading a poem… and making char siu 叉燒. When I was in primary school, my dad would pick me up after class and we would have lunch together. We often went to a nearby kopitiam where my cousin and her…
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I love alcohol-soaked fruits. My taste for boozy fruits started when I was a kid: Rum and raisin ice-cream was a regular treat after piano classes. Then came along brandied cherries, prunes in armagnac and pears poached in red wine as I got older. I like desserts that combine alcohol and fruits. For instance – black forest…
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We had Pennsylvania Deutsch pork sauerkraut yesterday. This is the third consecutive year that AB has made this traditional dish to mark the start of the new year. Today, it is more commonly known as “Pennsylvania Dutch pork sauerkraut” as the word “Deutsch” (the German endonym) sounds like “Dutch” in English. The German connection is…
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One of the perks of working from home is having a hot breakfast. This morning, AB was boiling some eggs so that he could have them later with rice noodles. I immediately thought of making half-boiled eggs. Ooh! Growing up in Singapore, one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods is half-boiled eggs with kaya toast.…
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It was a cold, wet evening with Christmas lights twinkling in the distance. Upon entering the dining room, a thick sweet aroma surrounded me. I thought of languid afternoons in Singapore and of myself scoffing down some greasy cake after Sunday mass. There, lying on the table, were some ripening bananas. So I made banana bread using an easy,…
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