DimSumDolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

A Tiger In the Kitchen

There aren't many memoirs about Singaporean food so I was looking forward to reading A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, a Singaporean who has been in the US since her university years.

After being laid off from her job as a fashion journalist, she decides to return to Singapore to learn how to cook the food she used to enjoy in her childhood. She gives herself one year to learn from her aunts and mum, and during the year she shuttles between Singapore and the US - not bad for a person who's been laid off.

Interspersed with her descriptions about Singaporean food like her paternal grandmother's pineapple tarts, rice dumplings, otak and aunties' teochew braised duck, salted vegetable and duck soup are narratives about her family history.

While Tan's descriptions about Singaporean food are pretty good and accurate, I thought the book could have done better with some pictures of the food, or even of Tan and her family. Also, Tan seems to lose her focus at some points when she writes about her bread-making attempts and her love for all things Italian, including the food. I don't know, it just seemed like she had derailed and veered off in another direction with those ramblings.

This book caters more to the American reader as it explains a lot about the food and some Singaporean slang that's used in the dialogue. A Singaporean reading it might find there's too much explanation (as was the case with me) and sometimes you almost get the feeling that Tan doesn't know Singapore that well herself; that the explanations seem as if they are meant for herself.

Overall this book is an interesting enough read, but there's still some spice and flavour lacking in it that would have otherwise made it a great read.

So True

We have, in fact, no right to ask the world to conform to our desires. Sooner or later, if we hope to grow up, we have to confront the opposite imperative: that our rights and the realisation of our desires are limited by human nature, by human community, and by the nature of the places in which we live.

~ Wendell Berry

恭賀新禧！心想事成！ Happy Chinese New Year!

The Dragon has arrived! I'm back in Singapore celebrating Chinese New Year with my family and looking forward to having a few days of R&R back home.

Pictured above is a spring couplet (春联) I bought at the Chinese New Year flower market in Victoria Park, Hong Kong. It says "Marry a rich man" - couldn't resist getting it for a laugh!

龙马精神、万事如意、年年有余、身体健康、花开富贵！

What Lasts? What Lingers?

"What lasts? What lingers? What is snagged by the brambles of time, and what slips through and disappears? What leaves only a little dent in the world, the soft sunken green grave, the scribble on a scrap of paper, the memory that is bleached by time and then vanishes bit by bit each day?

Could it be that we fill out our lives, experience all that we experience, and then simply leave this world and are forgotten? I can't bear thinking that existence is so insubstantial, a stone thrown in a pond that leaves no ripple. Maybe all that we do in life is just a race against this idea of disappearing. Having children, making money, doing good, being in love, building something, discovering something, inventing something, learning something, collecting something, knowing something: these are the pursuits that make us feel like our lives aren't filmsy, that they build up into stories that are about something achieved, grown, found, built, loved, or even lost."

~ Susan Orlean in Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend

Bowl Vs Plate

I had a colleague and an ex-colleague over for dinner last Friday and realised one major difference between Hong Kongers and Singaporeans.

I had made a pork stew to be eaten with rice and I had taken out three plates to put the rice on plus forks and spoons as cutlery. But I found that they didn't want to use the plates, forks and spoons and asked me for bowls and chopsticks instead. I hadn't even thought I might be asked for them even though I did have bowls and chopsticks available (nice ones I bought from Muji by the way).

At home in Singapore I usually eat out of a plate using forks and spoons and that seems to be the case in most Singaporean homes, hawker centres and food courts. And when I had my Singaporean friends over for dinner we all used plates, forks and spoons. No one thought it was anything out of the ordinary.

For my Hong Kong friends, though, it was something they weren't used to and I think something so small can also show the fact that Hong Kongers are generally more Chinese compared to Singaporeans who are more Westernised.

Shenzhen Spas

As the weather was really wet and dreary in Hong Kong on Sunday, I went to a spa in Shenzhen instead of doing the usual weekend hike. That was my first time stepping into Shenzhen in four years and it was my first time in one of those big spas that seem to be ubiquitous in Shenzhen.

These spas span several floors with an integrated wellness concept. You can get a body, head, back, hand and foot massage, manicure and pedicure, a haircut, facial, waxing etc all done at one place. But as popular as they are with many mainlanders, Hong Kongers and tourists alike, I'm not sure I really like these places. And why not you ask?

1. The place reeks of smoke from the throngs of cigarette-puffing mainlanders. Gawd, how I hate inhaling second-hand smoke.

2. In the huge rest area are hundreds of big reclining chairs where you can sit down and have your massages done. Press a button and you can order food and drinks and have them served to you. While you're at it, you can also tell the service staff what type of massage you want and they'll get the masseuse to come to you.

However, I don't really like being around so many people when getting my massage. Worse still if you are sitting near some loud-talking or chain-smoking person. And for some reason, in China it seems that relaxing HAS to involve having a TV screen in blaring in front of you. So each chair comes with a 13-inch TV screen and remote control for you to keep your relaxed and entertained.

Frankly I can't, for the life of me, find anything relaxing in that so I chose to have my TV switched off. But still that can't totally shut off the glare and sounds of the neighbouring screens. Argh, so NOT relaxing.

3. If not for the fact that it was raining and dreary, you wouldn't find me in a place like that during the day. Day time should be spent outdoors and not under dim, artificial light which screws up your body clock. My whole body just felt uncomfortable lounging around like a lazy Cheshire cat in the day. Don't like the feeling.

4. I didn't like seeing the many Lolita-like girls dressed in provocative mini skirts and a French maid-like purple and white uniform who were the masseuses for the hand and shoulder massages and the ones who did the ear wax cleaning. They were all in their early 20s, all with long-hair and very pretty girls. But did they really have to dress like a sex kitten? Obviously their dressing wasn't for my visual pleasure, but still. I saw one girl seated in between the legs of a middle-aged man and massaging his crotch area. Eeeewwwww!!!!!

I had a foot reflexology session, pedicure, facial and shoulder massage done in the few hours I was there. The total cost was cheaper than what I would pay in Hong Kong or Singapore but I certainly wouldn't be heading back any time soon, or if ever. Even though I adore having massages, Shenzhen spas really aren't my cup of tea.

Food For Thought

I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might-have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.

~ Milton Berle

Wednesday Ramblings

Since I have nothing much to do at work at the moment, I thought I'd use the time to blog. Lately I've been trying to write a little more in Chinese, hence the previous entry (just for practice). Often the writing's inspired by something I had read in a tweet posted by some Chinese celebrity over at Weibo. And sometimes it's just easier to follow that train of thought in Chinese. To write it in English would cause the thought to lose its flavour. Such is the case with language where some thoughts just aren't translated well. When translated, the tone and content just makes it sound somewhat dumb.

Anyway, in some random musings, I read a newspaper article and learnt the Chinese name for bungee jumping. The article reported about an Australian tourist's botch bungee jump in Zambezi River at Victoria Falls. Miraculously she survived after her rope snapped - she had jumped from a height of 111m into the river.

The Chinese name for bungee jump is 笨猪跳 [pronounced: bern-choo-tiao]. It's a translation based more on the similarity of how it sounds to 'bungee' than what it means. But if you're interested, Wikipedia writes:

"The word 'bungee' originates from West Country dialect of English language, meaning 'Anything thick and squat', as defined by James Jennings in his book Observations of Some of the Dialects in The West of England published 1825."

The literal translation 笨猪跳, however, is "stupid pig jumps". It's quite funny actually; I think it says very much about the nature of the act. I, for one, would never attempt bungee jumping. I don't like the free fall feeling and depending on just one thick bungee cord for survival is just a risk I wouldn't take. Nope, definitely not for me.

And last week I came across a quote which went something like:

Men: the desirable are always unavailable and the available always undesirable.

The story of my life. That same day, I came across this other quote:

Seduce my mind and I'll give you my body. Find my soul and I'm yours forever. ~ Anonymous

Love it. What sensual words they are!

Today's three things to be thankful for:

1. Secured a dinner reservation at Bobby Chinn, a fine dining restaurant in Hanoi, on my first night in the city! Yes, I do plan my meals early.

2. Picked up Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, a book I had reserved at the library. Hurray, new reading material!

3. Got my nasi lemak fix at this hole-in-the-wall eatery run by Indonesian Chinese. Wednesday is nasi lemak day and I go there when I miss having Malay food, I love their chicken curry, beef rendang, sambal goreng and other Malay fare. Their curries are the real stuff and not like the ones served in Hong Kong eateries where they are usually sweet, watered down bastardised versions. What's more, the food's cheap!

还要逛吗?

你有时一定怀疑老天的货架上根本没有准备好一个要拿来跟你谈恋爱的人选, 而你像呆子一样推着空空的购物车在无垠的超级市场的无穷无尽的货架和货架之间眼花缭乱疲于奔命, 你能和店员们老板们其他顾客们哭诉些什么呢? 能不能换家超市还是干脆别逛超市啦!

~ 蔡康永 (台湾知名节目主持人)

读了蔡康永昨天在微薄发的短讯又激发了想用中文写作的灵感。不知为什么，最近就想要多练习用中文写作。有时候， 只有用中文才能表达某种意思或心情。语言就是那么的有趣。

他写出了好多单身男女的心声。 往往即使买到了东西， 带回家用了才发现是个烂货，最终还是要扔掉不是吗？ 即使是烂货，是不是买到比没买到好呢？ 可能用一下，从中取到短暂的快乐和人生经验也不是件坏事。

曾经有把东西放进购物车里，但最后还是要把东西放会原位因为发现东西用了只会把自己弄伤。 不适合用的东西最好是仍掉！ 千万不要心软或舍不得，让后又把东西放进购物车里。旧的不扔， 新的怎能来？

现在我还推着空空的购物车， 但香港这个超级市场也不好找适合的东西。这里雌的比雄多， 那就难上加难了！ 我换了几个超市到现在还推着空车，坦白说心灵有点累。现在也不想刻意的去购物，但也会抱着能找到东西买的希望继续推。如果有什么好货突如其来地掉进我购物车里或被我找到那我当然高兴啦！ 但如果没有也没关系啦。我还有其他消闲活动可以做，你说不是吗？

记得买东西一定要耐用、品质好。如果你和我一样在推购物车，那就祝你早日找到符合你条件的那样东西吧！

One-Woman Enabled Clothes

Though I'm not a huge fashionista - my mum will tell you with much chagrin that I'm so lazy when it comes to dressing up to the extent of being sloppy at times - I do like browsing fashion magazines and the Asos website once in awhile. Well OK, I admit that I also take the occasional detour to H&M if I find myself near any of their stores in Hong Kong. I'm a woman after all, right?

When I buy clothes these days, there's one more factor to consider - whether or not I can put it on by myself. 'Cos if the answer's a 'No', then that piece of clothing is a no-buy. It's just one of those things that come with living alone. I mean, I HAVE to be able to put on the dress/blouse on my own. Can't possibly go knocking on my neighbours' door and ask for someone's help to zip/button me up. They'll think I'm a nutter. And really, I don't know any of my neighbours. There are seven other units on the floor, all families, and I don't know and hardly see any of them. Such is the case with modern living.

So that means my wardrobe cannot consist of dresses with a long line of buttons at the back or a zip that extends way down the back. I've had to forgo dresses before on that account. Or maybe what I can do next time is to tie a whole string to the zip to help me pull it up like a wetsuit!

Anyway, those are my silly musings on a cold Friday here in Hong Kong. What to be thankful for today?

1. An easy day at work
2. A yummy vegetarian Japanese pork curry (it's really just gluten) lunch bought from my favourite vegetarian cafe near my office
3. Managed to book a body massage session at the last minute for the evening. Hurray, I will have a good night's sleep tonight for sure!

Have a good weekend peeps!

听别人的故事 Listening to Others' Stories

我们为什么这么爱听别人的故事？ 不是因为我们真心想勘查别人的脚印、而是因为我们想知道 ～ 我们还有多少条可以选择的路。

～ 蔡康永 （台湾著名主持人和作家）

The above Chinese quote was taken off a Weibo post (the Chinese version of Twitter) written by Kevin Tsai, a famous TV variety show host and writer in Taiwan. In it, he writes:

Why is that we love listening to other people's stories? It's not because we really want to follow their lives; it's really because we want to know what other paths we can choose to take in our lives.

Tis true, isn't it? Often it's by talking to more people that we get more ideas and knowledge of what's outside of our everyday sphere in life. And in doing so, we can consider alternative routes in our life path. It also reminds me that I haven't been talking to enough new people. Have you? I hope you are not being a hermit like me. 千万不要学我喔！

A friend wrote recently in an email thread among a group of us that she thinks she should do something different in her life and "not continue being a boring accountant..... But that needs a lot of courage...."

Of course it needs a lot of courage. It's often the case with anything that's fun and interesting out there, isn't it? I can only hope that she will find whatever it is that she wants and have the courage to go for it. Or at least take a stab at it. As far as this is concerned, I can honestly say that I've always been true to myself and have no regrets!

So today's three things to be thankful for:
1. I had a very easy day at work - a lovely way to start the first work day of the year. Let's hope this sets the tone for the rest of it.

2. I signed up for two short courses conducted by the Hong Kong University. I'm not going to get any return on investment on them and it's done purely for fun. But hey, not everything needs a ROI right? At least in learning something new, I will feel like I'm "progressing" in some way and help to keep my mind active.

3. I searched the HK Public Library online catalogue, found and reserved a book I wanted. It's Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean. Can't wait to get my hands on it! Though I've started reading ebooks on my iPhone, I do love the feel of a hard copy book much better! Plus I'm a real sucker for dog stories.

Hello 2012

So what did you do to herald in the new year? Did you have a big party? Mine was a very muted night. I had two Singaporean friends over for dinner at my place.

Preparations started on the night of the 30th for the winter stew where I marinated the pork shoulder cubes with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Then I peeled the chestnuts that I was going to put into the stew. Early on the morning on the 31st I chopped the carrots, celeries and big onions, coated them with plain flour, salt and pepper, and threw everything into the thermos pot. Then I pan-fried the pork cubes with some garlic until lightly brown and threw those into the pot too. Poured in the vegetable broth and left it to sit and then went out for a hike in the afternoon.

When I got back, all I had to do was to add some corn starch to thicken the broth and voila, dinner was ready. I also prepared some kailan (Chinese kale) and cooked brown rice to go with the stew. My food tasted pretty good if I may say so. :p

After leaving my pots and pans pretty idle in the past few months out of sheer laziness, I've decided that I have to cook at home more. It's healthier and also I'm getting a little sick of the usual food outside. The thermos pot is such a fantastic thing - it does such a fine job of my two favourite foods, soups and stews. So I've resolved to make more use of it.

Dessert was some lovely macarons, strawberries and cherries. After which, one of my friends and I went to watch Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I, which served for pure mindless entertainment. Movie's nothing to boot about, but if there's anything really good about the Twilight movie series, it has to be the soundtracks. Awesome alternative rock and soft rock tracks on them.

The movie ended at 11.35pm and then we thought, oh well, let's just head home to bed and forget about the countdown with just the two of us. So we said goodbye and by 12 midnight I was already ensconced in my bed off to welcome the 2012 in a slumber.

Several hours later I woke up to a gorgeous winter's day which I hope will set the tone for the year's weather. I was then off to a yumcha branch in Fanling and with our hungers sated, we went strawberry picking!

So my year has started off on a rather muted and low-key note. But then again, I've never been a person prone to big parties or bashes so I guess this suits me fine. I can't bear the thought of squeezing with crowds.

I read the book Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli recently, about the author's sojourn in Bhutan where she volunteered to help out at the country's first youth radio station in her professional capacity. A seasoned radio professional back in the US, she takes up this volunteer stint at what is known as the world's happiest country in the midst of her own mid-life crisis as a woman in her early 40s. There she discovers truths about herself and what really constitutes happiness.

In one part of the book, she wrote about an exercise she was told to do in a workshop she had attended in the US. It was a mental exercise for the mind and soul and it required one to write down three things one was thankful for everyday. I think it's a pretty good thing to do to remind ourselves of the little things we should be thankful for in life. So I shall attempt to do it every day on this blog.

So starting from yesterday, Jan 1, my three items are: 1. I had a day out with a nice bunch of people. 2. I got to know two new people at the outing yesterday. 3. The weather and sunshine was gorgeous!

In any case, I hope you have had a good start to the year and let's hope 2012 has good things in store for us. Happy new year!

20 Life-changing Questions

I came across this post at The Financial Blogger and thought these were useful questions to ask of oneself as we head into the new year. I reproduce the questions from the post here.

1. What is the most amazing thing you did in 2011?

I don't think 'amazing' is the most apt word for it, but the most significant event for me this year is the move back to HK. It's a city I enjoy being in at this point in my life, even though I have my low moments too.

2. What are you going to do to make things even more amazing in 2012?

I want to visit a country I have never been before and that's going to be Vietnam over the Easter break. Hurray! I also want to be really fit again and for that, I'd like to train up for either the HK Round Island outrigger race or the Oxfam Trailwalker charity race. The former would mean going back to paddling.

I also want to take up some courses conducted by the Hong Kong University. The uni conducts many short interesting courses and the one I'm eyeing for the first half of 2012 is an introductory course to the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

3. What is the biggest mistake you made in 2011?

Can't think of anything major.

4. Why have you not quit your job yet?
Note: you may have a really good reason and this will help you appreciate your job even more

Because I've only been at this job for 7.5 months and I should probably be sticking to this job to make my CV look a little better and because I need to be at a job for at least three years to make a bank more willing to loan me money should I be able to buy a flat in future.

5. Are you happy about where you are in your life?

Yes and no. While I don't mind this job at this point in time, I don't wish to be stuck in this place forever. I need to think of other avenues to explore and work towards them!

What the hell are you waiting for to change something if you answered no to the previous question???

Not the time to change yet - no energy and no money for it.

6. What is holding you back in your life? (what's your biggest fear?)

Lack of money.

7. If you have only one word to describe your actions for 2012, what would it be?

Change

8. What do you want to do with your money?

Invest it and make it grow so that I can, hopefully, buy a small flat and also have a steady stream of passive income.

9. What is your daily source of energy? Of happiness?

The sun. Haha. No, it's true, I like seeing the sun high in the sky and shining brightly. My mood is a little better just by seeing that the weather's good. On a more philosophical note, I look forward to weekends where I can get outdoors and go hiking. I love being out in nature and that makes me happy; I get that balance from being outdoors.

I'm happy knowing that many of my family and friends are happy and healthy. I'm happy knowing that I have friends in different parts of the world whom I still keep in touch with. I'm happy knowing that I have people out there who read the ramblings on this blog that I've kept for 8.5 years - it's been the only constant in my life all these years and the only thing I've been committed to! Haha!

10. Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Location-wise, probably still in Hong Kong. I want to have saved up more money. Maybe married by then with a kid or two??? Well, like it or not, my biological clock is ticking away but unfortunately no one's picking this clock up...

11. How are you going to get there? (the how is more important than the where ;-0 )

Be more disciplined with my spending, eat out less, find more freelance work. As for the personal life part, I guess I just have to make myself go out more and just stop being a hermit!

12. If you had to start something over, what would it be?

I wouldn't study what I did in university, i.e. Mass Communications. On hindsight, my uni mates and I have concluded that it's a pretty useless course. I'd have gone into something totally different like Traditional Chinese Medicine.

13. Why are you not starting it over, then? (it's never too late to redo something for the first time)

Lack of money and still weighing up if it's worth doing such a long part-time course at this age. Working full-time and studying part-time is no easy feat.

14. What are you grateful for?

My family, friends and health.

15. What would be the most amazing thing that could happen to you in 2012?

Would it be extremely lame to say to meet someone special?

16. What are the 3 things you will do so this has a chance of happening?

1 - go out and take part in activities I enjoy to meet people
2 - don't know; someone please tell me
3 - don't know; someone please tell me

17. Tell me 1 thing that makes you smile every single day of your life?

Hearing from family and friends

18. If you could go back in time and tell yourself something you didn't know 10 years ago, what would it be?

Study something different, save more and invest more wisely, date more, go out more. Don't be afraid of change - explore the world as much as you can when you're young and have nothing much to lose!

19. What would "you in 10 years" tell yourself today so you have a great 10 years in front of yourself?

Save more, invest wisely, go out more. Be comfortable with being alone.

20. Name one person you want to help in 2012 and how you will help him/her?

Can't think of anyone in particular. Maybe I'll go sponsor a dog or moon bear at some animal shelter instead. I have more compassion for these animals than I do people.

Anyhow, 2011 has been a pretty good year overall and here's to a fab 2012! Happy new year, everyone!

What About Me? 那我呢?

Today's a colleague's last day. She and I have gotten pretty close in the months that I've been in this company. We get along well because we're around the same age and we are of similar frequency and wavelength so to speak.

While I'm always happy for colleagues who are moving on to greener pastures - in this case she's relocating to Taipei because her newly wedded husband is Taiwanese and is based there - it also leaves me with the question, "What about me? Where am I heading? When's it going to be my turn to move on?"

It almost feels like I'm being abandoned and left behind. As my other colleagues say, she has "上岸了", i.e. reached the shore as opposed to us struggling sea turtles. But anyway, here's to us sea turtles for staying strong and brave in the big oceans and seas of life! Happy Thursday!