February 29, 2008
Eataly
I don't know how I ever forgot to blog about this supermarket I visited in Turin. Yes, I use the word 'visited' because I specially made my way there to have a look at it. I actually find a supermarket a tourist attraction for me! The only one of its kind in the world thus far, Eataly is a supermarket set up by the advocates of the Slow Food movement, of which Carlo Petrini is the Italian founder and president.
And how can one not love the name Eataly? It simply and succinctly embodies what the supermarket is about. That is, bringing all the best local and organic produce of Italy and the region under one roof. The foods sold are seasonal, following the Slow Food philosophy that people should eat according to the seasons in order not to tax on the agricultural land and also to reduce one's carbon footprint. Slow Food advocates don't believe in eating food that has come as a result of causing harm to the planet.
The facade of the supermarket isn't really that impressive, but trust me, the goodies are inside!
The moment you enter, you'll see this section that has been set up to educate shoppers on the seasonal fruits and vegetables. This round pamphlet which shows when all the different fruits and vegetables are in season can be bought for €1. What I like about Eataly is their approach and philosophy towards food. They believe in educating people so that people will know how to eat better and in more responsibly ways.
The fruit and vegetable section has a wide variety of seasonal produce grown organically.
There are also labels telling the shopper where each of the produce originates from.
Formaggio!!! Cheese lovers will love this section with its wide variety of cheese to choose from.
There was also a wide variety of salami, prosciutto and other cured meats from the local farms. Eataly believes in informed eating and that people who should be made aware of the origin of their food. Hence there is always information about where and under what conditions the food items are made. In this photo, the signs above the hanging salami contain such information.
Spices
I've never seen such a wide variety of pasta in my life! There were shelves and shelves of pasta for sale in Eataly.
If you feel like it, you can have pasta there.
This machine's really cute. For €1, you can have a bottle of fresh cow's milk. Put your bottle in, slot in the coin and wait for it to fill up! The milk is gotten fresh every day and you're encouraged to recycle your bottles.
These are the bottles that can be bought when you want to buy milk. Each bottle costs 40¢.
The wine section takes up almost the entire basement.
You can buy wine straight from the barrel, using the bottles on the left hand side of the photo to contain the wine.
Beer lovers need not despair. There's also a whole section devoted to beer and other spirits. You can also sit at the counter and enjoy a pint or two.
Stacks of cheese waiting to be eaten in due course
You can also buy kitchenware here.
There's also an area where you can sit and browse the cook books for sale. You can also have a meal there they serve food there as well. There are eight themed restaurants you can check out. Eataly also organises cooking classes and other food events and if you're going to be in Turin, perhaps you could try attending one! It's probably best to check out their website for updates.
There are other sections like bread & pastry, jams, coffee, tea, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, meat and seafood etc, each with really fantastic food. It's definitely a place worth a visit for foodies!
Eataly Torino: Via Nizza, 230 / 14 (in front of "8 Gallery") Turin Lingotto
Opening hours: Every day 10am to 10.30pm
Restaurants open from 12am to 3pm and from 7pm to 10.15pm
February 26, 2008
Taking It Slow in Hong Kong
So I jetted off to Hong Kong with my cousin and sister on a last-minute whim and spent a good six days there relaxing and eating my way around the city.
To me, the best way to enjoy Hong Kong is to take it slow and do it at a relaxed pace. This sounds like an oxymoron when it comes to the high energy that characterises the place, but you CAN detach yourself from the buzz and take a backseat which would then make a visit to Hong Kong even more enjoyable. Not that I've ever had a bad time in Hong Kong during all my visits. Perhaps it's because I speak and read Cantonese pretty fluently, I feel really at home there.
If you're not that into shopping like me (really, there's only so much of Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣 and Central 中環 I can take), one of the best things to do is to go on a hike or go kayaking. I didn't manage to do any of these this time as I was busy going from place to place to meet up and have meals with friends. And on the day I was supposed to go hiking at Shek O 石澳, the weather didn't permit. So that was a real bummer. I've paddled on the south side of Hong Kong island at Deep Water Bay 深水灣 and Stanley 赤柱 and I've heard that you can also go paddling in Sai Kung 西貢. Hong Kong has some amazing and beautiful scenery which many tourists never discover because they're so caught up in Causeway and Central.
For the more adventurous, hop onto any bus and see where you end up. Explore the suburbs and really get a feel of how the locals live. This time I explored a bit of Tsuen Wan 荃灣 which you can get to by taking the Tsuen Wan line on the MTR (the red line). I went to the Sam Tung Uk Museum 三棟屋博物館 while there and it was interesting to learn about the history of the area and the Hakka people who lived there about 220 years ago.
It's good fun exploring Hong Kong by bus and the mini-bus and it's something I'd highly recommend to people who have already been and done that when it comes to the more touristy parts of the Hong Kong.
February 19, 2008
February 18, 2008
Harajuku Crepes
In order to get a taste of Japanese pop culture, we decided to head to Harajuku (原宿) to have a look. This is like the equivalent of Singapore's Far East Plaza, except that it's many times more happening and interesting.
We were hoping to catch a glimpse of some cosplayers but none were there. Still the narrow street was packed with shoppers. We came across several Lolita shops and shops with all kinds of weird fashion which only the Japanese could carry off. The fashion being sold there wasn't really my style so all I really wanted to do was get out of the crowds asap.
The only stall I was looking for was one of the crepe stalls so that I could get my hands on some crepe. It was as if everyone who came to Harajuku came for the crepes 'cos I saw so many people eating one. Being a sucker for crepes, I couldn't resist getting one either even though I had already had lunch.
The staff at the stalls make the crepes with speed to keep up with the queue that never seems to shorten. There are savoury and sweet crepes in all sorts of flavours like strawberry, chocolate, banana, blueberry, crepe with ice cream etc. Don't worry if you don't speak Japanese 'cos the menu is a series of fake crepes with numbers next to each crepe. When it gets to your turn, just tell the person the number. The girl who served me understood English...failing which, just write the number down. Easy!
This tiny lane was filled with people eating crepes they had just bought. Everyone was ducking into the lane to finish up their crepes instead of braving the crowds with a crepe in hand.
The crepe I chose was called the Mont Blanc and true dessert lovers would know that with a name like that, it would surely have to contain chestnut puree. I love chestnut so I couldn't go away without giving this a try. To be honest, it wasn't that fantastic, but I'm partial to chestnut so I liked it all the same.
Getting there: Take the subway train to Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line
February 14, 2008
Love Stones in Kiyomizudera (清水寺）
Since it's Valentine's Day today, I thought it apt to put up this blog entry about two love stones in Kiyomizudera (清水寺), a temple which is a Unesco World Heritage listed site located in the eastern Kyoto region of Higashiyama. The temple sits on a hill and it offers a gorgeous view of the city from up there.
There are many shrines in the temple, one of which is the Jishu-jinja, dedicated to the Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love. At Jishu-jinja there is a pair of 'love stones' which are placed 18 metres apart. It is said that if you are able to walk from one to the other with your eyes close, you will be able to find love. If you're only able to reach the other stone with someone's help, it follows that you'll require some help in finding love.
I'm not a superstitious person, so I didn't even bother trying it (moreover it was raining and the ground was slippery). With my hitherto (bad) luck with men, I doubt crossing from one stone to the other would do much help when I've already traversed continents – all in vain may I add!
One of the love stones
Ladies, hidden under their umbrellas, praying for their Prince Charming to appear in their lives soon. Just awhile before this photo was taken, one of the ladies in this photo was jumping with excitement and delight as she had probably picked an amulet which had indicated that she would meet the man of her dreams soon.
The other love stone
Explanation of the love stone
Amulets for 'Good Marriage', 'Deepen Love', 'More Chance For Love', 'Find Love', 'Bind Your Love Tightly', and 'For Conception'.
Or you could buy one of these wooden plaques and write your wish for your love life behind. The person in green holding the white sack with the word 緣 (meaning 'fate') is the god of love and the rabbit is his messenger. Hence in Japanese culture, the rabbit is usually associated with love.
No, I didn't add to the hundreds of wooden plaques already hanging up there.
Had no idea what the words at the side of this plaque meant, but I thought the drawing was so cute that I couldn't resist taking a photo of it.
Happy Valentine's!
February 13, 2008
Nikishi Food Market 錦市場
For anyone who proclaims to be a foodie, a visit to Kyoto wouldn't be complete without popping by Nikishi Food Market.
The market sits in a narrow street in downtown Kyoto. The narrow street is lined by shops selling fresh seafood and traditional Japanese eats like pickled vegetables, barbecued unagi, sweets, sushi, sashimi, etc.
The market is very crowded so be prepared to be squashed as you weave your way through! After you're done with the food, walk around the shopping arcade which has more than enough shops to cure any shopaholic of his/her addiction. And if you still haven't had enough of good food, walk to the Daimaru (大丸) or Takashimaya (高島屋) department stores not far from Nikishi Food Market and head for the basement. The basements of Japanese department stores are like food meccas!
OK, enough words from me...let the pictures of Nikishi Food Market speak for themselves!
An endless stream of people
Only the Japanese can be bothered to make fish cake in such pretty shapes and colours
Take your pick of seafood
Care for a sushi bento?
A mountain of miso paste
Heaps of unborn fish lie in this bright orange mound
Adventurous eaters will love this stall selling fugu (puffer fish)
The Japanese version of 'chai peng' - a stall that sells different dishes where you can pick and choose from
Steaming hot food was just the thing for a cold winter's day
The most expensive strawberries I've ever come across - 600¥ (S$8) per strawberry!
The piece of unagi on the bottom left landed in my stomach
Pickled vegetables
Getting there: It's a five-minute walk from Shijo Station on the Karasuma Subway Line and Karasuma or Kawaramachi Stations on the Hankyu Line.
February 6, 2008
Asakusa 浅草
My friends and I had gone to Asakusa (浅草) to visit Sensoji, a popular Buddhist temple built in the 7th century in Tokyo.
While the temple was beautiful, what caught my interest was the shopping street around the temple.
I was walking around the rows of shops when I came across this stall selling mochi. They were also getting the crowd involved in the process of making mochi.
Mochi is a sticky rice cake that's an important food in Japanese culture. The Japanese people decorate their houses with a special type of mochi called kagamimochi and eat zoni (rice cake soup) during the Japanese New Year which falls on 1 Jan.
More information about mochi from About.com:
"Steamed mochi rice (glutinous rice) is pounded to make mochi. Traditionally, wooden mortars and pestles are used to pound mochi rice. Fresh mochi is soft, but it becomes hard soon. Prepacked mochi, which are flattened and cut into pieces or shaped into rounds are available at grocery stores. Mochi turns moldy easily, so it's best to cook soon."
The children were having a go at pounding the mochi and the adults standing around were cheering them on. They were clearing enjoying themselves and it certainly looked like good fun!
The freshly made mochi was then sold to the long queue of people who were all waiting to get their hands on this traditional snack.
There were also other interesting stalls. This one was selling freshly made Japanese rice crackers.
A stall specialising in beans.
Japanese footwear
Canine fashion
A curious boy watching how Japanese pancakes are made
Asakusa is served by the Ginza Subway Line, Asakusa Subway Line, Tsukuba Express and Tobu Railways.
February 1, 2008
Tsukiji Fish Market 築地市場
No visit to Tokyo is complete without dropping by Tsukiji Fish Market 築地市場. The hard-core foodies will get there in the wee hours of the morning to catch the tuna auction, but I decided that my beauty sleep was more important. I am a woman after all. :p
My friends and I got to the market at around 8.30am and the market was still bustling with activity. I had never seen so much fresh seafood in one place in my life. I was in sashimi heaven. Bliss.
All sorts of shellfish, including razor clams at the bottom right
Giant scallops
A stall specialising in eels
Giant cockles
Uni!!!! I love uni (sea urchin). It was so cheap compared to what one would pay in Singapore or London. I promptly bought a box and devoured it together with my friends. Fresh uni is so sweet and it just slithers down your throat. Divine.
Fishmongers slicing tuna with a very lethal looking knife which has a thin and long blade.
Rows and rows of stall line the big market. Be very careful of the small motorised carts that the fishermen drive around the market. They're zipping by so fast that you'd think these people have a go-kart track in the market!
The Tsukiji fish market is located near the Tsukijishijō Station on the Oedo subway line and Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya subway line.
Go here to read more about the market.