Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
Posted by Cindy on
December 21, 2009
It’s always an exciting proposition to be visiting Singapore. It’s one of the most interesting places in the world, and its recent increase in popularity as a tourist destination only means that the secret might be leaking out. The vibrant and vivacious cultures that exist in Singapore are strong enough to withstand any amount of attention, however, and there’s a tradition for it, in fact. Its history as a major port means that there have been visitors here for a long time, and it’s been extremely flexible in accommodating and adapting to cultural change.
As a result, the local cultures are extremely cosmopolitan, and there are influences from India, China, Malaysia, and all over the world. Singapore is a step ahead of the rest of us in terms of culture, and this is spectacularly displayed in its art and its restaurants. Visitors looking for any kind of cuisine will be delighted, and if the ingredients need to be fresh vegetables, noodles, and seafood, then even more so, because some of the world’s best Italian restaurants are right here in Singapore. In terms of art, you can find lots of Italian influence, and there are always new international collaborations. Some of these will no doubt have an influence from Italian futurism, the art movement started by Marinetti, with a great love of speed and fascism.
There is also a local kind of futurism that is slightly more robotic than even the 20th century avant-garde could have asked for. Stefan Pernar is a local writer and technologist with a strong bent toward the philosophical traditions from his German background, and he’s started a society of futurists devoted to discussing how robots, artificial intelligence, and technology will help to facilitate our human evolution into the next century. They meet in Paya Lebar on Thursdays, and if you enjoy having your head spun around backwards, this is the place to be.
Posted by Cindy on
October 19, 2009
A new outdoor kitchen means a new lifestyle. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you start to see the changes when you start cooking outdoors. Fresh food on the grill means more than just a sense of free-spiritedness, where you’ve dedicated part of your life to being outdoors. It’s also a very healthy choice, as grilled foods can offer splendid healthy side effects, and of course, they are extremely tasty. When it becomes a question of lifestyle, then, grill islands are central to your outdoor set-up. Our fine selection has something to offer everyone, and we can help you find the perfect island to suit your tastes and sense of style.
We offer a large variety of choices, including grill islands with their own sound systems, media centers, lighting options, and a host of shapes and styles. You’ll be spending plenty of time here entertaining your family and guests, so it’s important to find something that you’re delighted with. In no time you’ll be grilling all kinds of wonderful new creations to the delight of your friends and family. One thing that people learn very quickly is that almost everything can be grilled, and most foods can be magnificently enhanced with the flavor of outdoor cooking.
Meats of course are the heart of grilling, but fruits and vegetables have remarkable tastes brought out by open flame. Hot peppers can be very well served by careful grilling and roasting. One of the most common methods is to simply place the peppers directly on the grill, and cook on both sides for a few minutes until the skin darkens. Then take the peppers off the flame and wrap in aluminum foil for approximately 20 minutes. This steams the peppers. Unwrap, peel the skin and seed the peppers, and then they can be used in your recipes for an outstanding taste. This works with all kinds of hot pepper, from anaheim chiles to jalapeños, and can offer a smoky taste that you’ll absolutely love.
Posted by Cindy on
June 29, 2009
Your cal flame outdoor kitchen will turn cooking from a chore to an art form. You will enjoy learning how to cook so much that you might forget that some consider it work. New recipes will open up like new horizons, and you’ll find yourself daydreaming about the next meal. Our grills make any season seem like summer, with a sumptuous array of new tastes that are suddenly possible. The unique v-shaped grate is a signature mark that your friends and family will come to recognize. A spirit of experimentation will help make your culinary horizons expand in ways you may have never imagined before.
There are many themes and variations for anything you can dream of cooking in your new outdoor kitchen, and all the variations are worth trying. Becoming fluent in techniques is actually very easy, but the minor details are limitless. Steak, chicken, and fish are all very different, and all have enormously diverse possibilities for taste sensations, and the limit is only in the imagination. Here, we’ll have a quick look at grilling catfish. Like with any fish, the main thing to remember is to let it cook before turning. The most difficult thing with fillets is their flakiness, and this can be controlled. It may take a little bit of testing to get it exactly right, but generally between 3-5 minutes on medium heat will cook it enough to keep it from flaking apart.
There are some excellent recipes for grilling catfish, and because of the unique geography of this type of fish, cajun-style is one of the most popular. Different types of pepper and lemon seasonings are popular for creating the perfect Southern-style catfish. Other ways of preparing catfish for grilling use buttermilk as a base, and wrapping the fish in bacon adds an excellent flavor. The unique smokiness from the grill combines with the bacon to make an outstanding meal. These are just the beginning of some grand new adventures with your cal flame grill.
Posted by Cindy on
June 25, 2009
I admire my dad’s ability to gut it out for so long out alone on a desert island. I’m not sure why he decided to tell us as we were sitting around our backyard BBQ about it, cause it’s not all that pretty, but he did anyways. Before he put himself on that deserted island, my dad, went to a 5-day survival school. He told us he was bent on learning to make fire with a bow and stick and that he even succeeded twice, although his teacher’s words, which now seem prophetic, said that fire is always the most difficult when it’s the most important.
As my dad prepared the steaks for the BBQ, I wondered if he did any other type of preparation, like did he learn what plants to eat? What animals might be on a deserted island? What fruits might be available? My dad, you see, is kind of a goof, a lovable goof, but all the same, he’s a goof. For example, in our back yard we don’t just have one outdoor sink, we have two outdoor sinks. He didn’t thoroughly review the blueprints before he approved them.
So, here was our dad, dropped himself off on an uninhabited island somewhere near Panama. He allowed himself to survive for 3 weeks. Starve is more like it. He told us he ate termites, coconuts, limpets and a bit of sugarcane which someone planted at one time but abandoned. He snorkeled around trying to spear some fish, which proved impossible. He tried to weave baskets without success and he never got a fire lit. He told us, in the end, that today it is why he will never touch a pina-colada, too coco-nutty. After three weeks of truly trying to survive, my dad ended up calling a nearby resort and a boat swung by to pick him up. He turned over the steaks on the grill. I noticed he had the biggest smile on his face. It seemed that though my dad didn’t do so well at surviving on that island, he did manage to survive to tell us about his memorable failure.
Posted by Cindy on
June 25, 2009
I’ve been in Singapore for about two weeks now and no one told me about the beauty of the flowering Sea Apple trees. I’ve seen trees flowering in the East Coast of Bedok, a city near Little India and along Beach Road and Holland Village. I wonder if they have been flowering elsewhere. My trip to Singapore is a business trip which hardly allowed for free time to find out just how far into the country and along the coastline are these Sea Apple trees flowering. Being an amateur botanist, and having a few days of vacation time, I booked a few more days at the 5 Star Singapore hotel where I’m staying in order to explore a little bit more.
The white flowers on the Sea Apple tree are compact and come in cluster. They are very prominent with just even a quick glance, especially against an overcast day which Singapore seems to be having lately. I’ve been told, my noticing the flowering is a little late, they are starting to turn brown. I do see some browns against white and the dark green of the Sea Apple canopy, now that I take a closer look. This does not stop me from taking some photos.
The flowering most likely started a half a month ago. I feel some regret to not be here at the beginning, but at least I’m here now, and took sometime off work to study this amazing tree. I decided to travel and take some more photos, but the winds were very strong at midday which made it almost impossible to get a good shot. But, not to fear, I found some very wonderful photos of the Sea Apple tree on the Internet. Alas, they are not mine, but all the same, they are quite exquisite. I found my favorites on Flickr. One day my amateur botany photos will be just as good as those on Flickr.
Posted by Cindy on
June 25, 2009
When on the lookout for a heavenly five-star hotel, India offers a wide array of choices. In this country, where hospitality and graciousness are the rule of the day, one can expect a highly evolved sense for customer service. The hotels meet all expectations, and more. There are wonderful amenities that show a fine attention to detail. The eye and the heart will both be pleased by the excellent style and design here. There are more brilliant touches that are all designed to rejuvenate the spirit. India is a fantastic place to renew the soul, because the energy of humanity flows here like in no other country.
Street culture is extremely lively and fascinating, making people watching a premium. There are plenty of things for the whole family to do during the day, and magnificent clubs and restaurants to make for a hearty and fun night life. Lately, too, there is a coffee house culture that is starting to evolve. One entrepreneur with a lot of hutzpah, Sashi Chimala, moved back to India with his wife after living in California, and started to miss the coffee shops where one could sit and have a nice talk over a cappuccino. He’d already started other company’s, using the unlikely role model of Mahatma Gandhi, because of the spirit of independence. With this same spirit, he started the ubiquitous Qwiky’s Coffee Pub, and the idea spread like mad. Now franchised all over India, it’s obvious that the idea has caught on. Because India already has a coffee culture of its own, with its own styles of brewing and traditions of drinking coffee, Chimala has plans to open Indian-style coffee shops back in the U.S.
Another chain that’s changing the way India doesn’t sleep is Café Coffee Day, a chain from Amalgamated Coffee. This chain makes the expected espresso drinks, but with an eye toward creating cyber culture in India’s coffee shops. With wireless internet, these shops are also catching on very quickly. As coffee bar culture starts to take root in India, the same phenomenon that happens with other trends is starting. India is beginning to add its own flavors and influence to make it their own. Chimala’s cafés are starting to serve South Indian Filter Coffee, and other pubs are adding gaddis and shishas to make the experience more home-grown. This is great news for adventurous tourists, who are looking for a new experience but with some of the touches from home.
Posted by Cindy on
June 25, 2009
The word on the street is out that five-star Amsterdam hotels are among the world’s finest. Offering a splendid blend of old-world graciousness with new-world amenities, guests here will be able to choose between traveling while remaining super-connected to the world at large, or hiding away in the luxury here. Both options are heavenly, as attention to style and detail show from every pocket. With excellent room service, and customer service that exceeds all expectations, guests will experience unusually decadent levels of rejuvenation of mind, body, and spirit.
The city itself is one of the most spectacular in the world. It’s long been a tourist hotspot, and the locals seem to like it very much, as well. By most accounts, it is one of the most sensibly-run cities in the world, with social services that seem to work without much interruption, a very lively nightlife, and a cultural scene that is impressive. The arts here speak to a very hip community, and the content is very local, but the sensibility is unmistakably global. Artists have had a long relationship to the city, as a place to live and work, and to find inspiration. One inspired and rather fascinating new project for Amsterdam is Red A.I.R., an artists-in-residence program in the Red Light District.
The project is to house eight artists in old brothels that have been converted to studios in one of Amsterdam’s more popular sections. These artists, Laurence Aëgerter, Mounira Al Solh, Alexis Blake, Egle Budvytyte, Francesca Grilli, Achim Lengerer, Ahmet Ögüt and Niels Vis, live here for eight or nine months and work in their respective mediums, photography, performance, video, etc. They will post updates on their works-in-progress while part of Red A.I.R., and occasionally have formal shows. The aim of the project is about space, of course. The idea of redefinition of space, and how space is considered in the public and private life of Amsterdam, are taken into consideration and examined for the duration of the project. There has to be some degree of familiarity between the brothel and the Red A.I.R. communities, and some moments of tension, or at least uneasiness, arise, as the two circles come into contact with each other. It is an interesting experiment in art and living, one that is spectacularly Amsterdam.
Posted by Cindy on
June 15, 2009
If you’re on the lookout for the perfect five-star hotel, Dubai will certainly surprise and delight you. With a heady combination of new-world amenities with old-world charm, your stay is guaranteed to be a perfectly lovely experience. There is an incredible sense of style and design here, and there are lots of good reasons that Dubai is becoming one of the global hotspots for travelers. It is a fantastic metropolitan city, with stunning contradictions, like beaches in the desert, and old markets in the same city as the most contemporary shopping malls in the world. The food, of course, is out of this world.
One of the most delightful finds of late is the Wafi Gourmet, a deli and eat-in restaurant that gets high marks from the locals and the tourists. With a sumptuous array of freshly-cooked baked sweets, a dazzling selection of olives, and a generous selection of herbs and spices, there is something for every palate here. The deli is the perfect place for travelers doing their own cooking, and is also a terrific place to stock up on food to take home as gifts. Your friends will love you for the culinary souvenirs.
If you’re looking for a place to sit and eat, Wafi Gourmet can help you there, too. A splendid eat-in restaurant, find your way past the deli counter and out to the terrace and you’ll find other diners looking forward to a succulent eating experience. The kebabs are very highly recommended here, with different types and spices that are all worth trying. If your tastes are for shawarma, shisha, or hummus, you’ll find something to satiate your heart’s delight here as well. Remember, too, to observe the other diners, because there might be something new that is worth a try. At Wafi Gourmet, curiosity is rewarded generously.