Chef Devagi Sanmugam

Cooking Schools in Istanbul

2012-01-21T21:49:00.002+08:00

For a chef, a trip to any country is never complete without meeting fellow chefs, foodies and gourmets. I had the privilege of meeting three interesting women in Istanbul and I enjoyed the meals, the conversations and the cooking tips they shared with me. All these three ladies conduct cooking classes regularly and have full attendance for all their classes throughout the year.

Cooking Alaturka

Dutch chef Eveline Zoutedijk was one of the first persons to establish a cooking school in Istanbul!! Besides running a cooking school and restaurant, she is also the author of “The Painting or the Boy”and “Tales from the Expat Harem”. Chef Eveline was trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris is also a graduate of a hotel management school in Switzerland and has one year of working experience in the kitchen of a Michelin-star restaurant.

Apparently Eveline used to run a boutique hotel in Istanbul and the guests were always asking her for cooking classes and eventually she offered Turkish cooking classes in the hotel’s kitchen. When the classes became very popular she chose to close the hotel and opened Cooking Alaturka in the popular Sultanahmet area. The cooking school cum restaurant offers many hands-on cooking classes usually focusing on Anatolian cuisine. The majority of her students are tourists and her assistant is Chef Feyzi Usta. Recipes are given and students stand around the work table helping out with the cutting, shaping and preparation of the mis en place. Chef Feyzi will do the actual cooking and Chef Eveline will explain the ins and outs of Turkish cooking. Lunch is food that is prepared during the cooking class. The restaurant is opened to the public but the menu will be the same as the cooking class’s menu for the day. There is a different menu every day. I learnt and tasted Yaprak Dolmas, Pureed Eggplant, Spicy Red Lentil Balls, Circassian Chicken with Walnuts, Oven Baked Chickpea puree with Cured Beef and a dessert Kunefe,

Cooking Alaturka

Akbiyik Caddesi 72A

Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Tel: (+90) 2124585919

Email: info@cookingalaturka.com

Website: www.cookingalaturka.com

Turkish Flavours

Selin Rozanes, owner of Turkish Flavours Culinary Experience company was born and bred in Istanbul and is the right person to ask about Istanbul!! She is not a chef by profession but an experienced tour guide who is passionate and highly knowledgeable about the place she was born in. However, her cooking classes were memorable as she taught very traditional Turkish dishes that the local people may cook at home. Her home is in the building where she was born!! It is one of those nice Turkish homes built in the 1930s and is located in the very up market Nisantisi area. I found Selin interesting with a wealth of knowledge. She conducts walking tours of the spice markets in Istanbul and knows just the perfect places for purchasing spices or to eat out. At her cooking class, participants are welcomed into a beautiful, almost like an art museum living room for a refreshing traditional iced sour cherry drink before we were asked to go to the kitchen. Every participant gets a knife and chopping board. On the day when I attended the cooking class, there were nine of us from different countries. It was cozy atmosphere and the cooking class was very informal. We got the recipes only after the cooking class. Lunch was the same food that we learnt in class and she served a beautiful local wine to go with it.

I would recommend you to attend one of Selin’s cooking classes on the first or second day you are in Istanbul – you can get all your information about Turkey from her and you get a good knowledge about Turkish cuisine too!! I learnt and tasted Vegetables and Lamb cooked in Earthen pot, Spinach Borek, Carrot in Yoghurt and Tahini Dressing, Zucchini and Cheese Pie and Stuffed Apricots.

Turkish FlavoursApartment 14/3, Vali Konağı.

Caddesi 14, Nişantaşı

Tel: +90 532 218 06 53

Email: turkishflavours@gmail.com

Website: www.turkishflavours.com

Istanbul Culinary Institute

My next port of call was the Istanbul Culinary Institute which is the he first cooking school in Turkey to be run along the lines of the French Culinary Institute in New York or the Culinary Institute of America. The school is spread out over four floors. One must enter the practice training restaurant Enstitü and the Enstitü shop before taking the lift up to the school. This culinary institute is dedicated to promoting Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine locally as well as internationally. It trains professional chefs for the industry and offers a range of certificate cooking classes as well as hobby cooking classes. Students in the professional programs get hands on experience at the highly acclaimed practice restaurant Enstitü.

This place also holds seminars, exhibitions and cooking workshops for amateurs. The school’s cooking classes for amateurs are equally popular especially for the tourists. These cooking classes last for about 3-4 hours and are taught by various guest instructors. I attended one such class themed as “Mediterranean”and it was taught by Chef Pamela de Andria. Chef Pamela had finished her Tourism and Hospitality Management degree in Ankara and later had her professional chef training at the Johnson & Wales University. She has working experience as a chef in a number of five-star hotels and also the celebrated Zuma Restaurant. Chef Pamela taught us Marjoram Scented Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Seabass Fillet with Orange and Parsley Sauce, Lebanese Style Fattoush Salad, Carrot and Walnut Baked Halva,

Istanbul Culinary Institute

Meşrutiyet Caddesi 59

Tepebaşı, 34437, Istanbul

Tel: + 212 251 22 14
Email: info@istanbulculinary.com
Website: www.istanbulculinary.com

Memorable Turkey!!

2011-12-05T04:13:00.001+08:00

Formany years, I have heard and read so much about Turkey. Istanbul was more thanI expected. It is only when I was almost going to Istanbul that I found outthat the capital of Turkey is Ankara! Apparently Istanbul was once known as Constantinople and this was at thetime of the Roman Empire. I leave you todig history up for more information on this.

The first thing that hitme at the airport was the sound of Turkish Oud music. The Turkish Oud is almosta pear shaped string instrument and I just love the sound it producesespecially when the strings are plucked by experienced musicians.

Busy Taksim Square

Our hotel – a suite on a steep slope was nearTaksim Square. The first morsel of foodthat I tasted in Istanbul is the borek and Turkish tea. I must tell you this – for the next few daysthese was a ‘must have’ at the end of each day until I became sick of it. I tried the minced meat filled borek and thespinach borek.

a Borek shop

Basically the borek ismade of layers of phyllo pastry filled with minced lamb and diced onion or spinachand crumbled feta cheese, rolled up and then baked. The borek is cut up into pieces and served ona plate.

Borek

The Turkish tea is a good accompaniment. Turkish tea is black tea leaves preparedusing one small kettle with tea leaves on top of a large kettle of water. The water is boiled and some of the water ispoured onto the tea leaves in the small kettle and left to steep. When serving tea, a bit of the strong tea ispoured into little glasses, usually tulip shaped and then diluted with more hotwater from the large kettle. Most

Turkish team in tulip shaped glass

people have it with sugar cubes. You can drink glass after glass of this nicetea. It is quite common to see teavendors carrying tea and selling on the road-side. Tea drinkers are a common sight inTurkey!! Waiters, office workers,traffic police………it is quite common to see them having a glass of tea on theirhands while working!

One of the first things I saw as the taxi was driving us to our hotel was atraditional Turkish bakery. The shop was stacked with so many kinds of breadbut the place was dominated by French loaf type of bread alled Ekmek. This crusty outside and soft inside loaves ofbread are seen everywhere. When you passthe neighbourhood bakeries, you have to inhale the aroma of these loaves beingbaked. Sometimes I saw people carryingloaves of unwrapped bread home after work and occasionally I saw people justbreaking off the edge of the bread and eating it as they walked home!!.

Sandwich with White Cheese

Thisbread is usually sandwiched with cheese and toasted and served with coffee forbreakfast. Talking of breakfast, Iexperienced a typical Turkish breakfast one morning and I swear I will not haveanother of this traditional breakfast anymore – it is so laden with fat! Well, this is a traditional Turkish breakfast– feta cheese, yellow cheese, a hardboiled egg, 3-4 types of olives, Turkishsausage, mortadella, tomatoes, cucumber, 2-egg omelette, warm bread, honey andbutter.
Taksim Square is packed with people – locals and touristsand everyone seemed to be busy. Thestreet is full of cafes and restaurants and as you walk you pass beggars,buskers, imitation watch sellers, shoe polishing stands, stalls selling orangeor pomegranate juices, and vendors selling socks and woollen mufflers to keepthe cold away!

Shoe Polishing Service

At every 300 metres orevery corner of Istanbul or so there will be a guy selling simit from littlered carts. Occasionally I also saw vendorscarrying wooden trays on their heads with simits for sale. Simit is a round bread, almost like a largesized bagel crusted with sesame seeds. This bread is indeed crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. The simit tasted great when dunked in coffeeand I do like the earthy flavour of almost burnt sesame seeds! There are even fast food chains like SimitSarayi and Simit Palace in Turkey!!

Simit

Cart selling Simit

Youcan hear Muslim prayers loud and clear at certain times of the day at TaksimSquare and this will make you think immediately that you are in a Muslimdominated country. However unlike otherMuslim countries where I have been, I did not see people rushing for prayers,though there are huge mosques nearby. Istanbul is very modern and almost all people are dressed in modernclothes…..very few in traditional attire. By the way there is a Europe and Asian side ofTurkey!! I am not joking.

Though there are the very old buildings,grand old mosques and busy bazaars in narrow lanes, street vendors selling fromroasted chestnuts to mussels with slices of lemon and little cafes laden withTurkish sweets and pastries, the country is still modern with branded clothesand shoes shops, expensive cars on the road, pubs and nightclubs, trams andmetro lines.

vendor selling Kibbeh

A gentle warning – thestreets also have beggars and lots of cats. One thing is for sure……practically everyone walking the streets ofIstanbul is a smoker! Most of thestreets in and around Taksim Square are narrow and some even steep and mosttime of the day the traffic is terrible; in fact I personally feel that many don’t follow traffic ruleshere. At least 5-6 times in a day I hearsirens from ambulances or police cars. They just love to travel the streets with the siren in full blast. Evenin very cold November, Turkish people were sitting out al fresco having coffeeor tea with friends!!

dried fruits and candies stall

I had to visit it! I cannot compromise with anything else – a visit to the Spice Bazaar ofIstanbul was the top priority of things to do in Istanbul for me. The Spice Bazaar is certainly an educationalplace for foodies and families. Apparently this place is also known as the Egyptian Market and was builtin 1664. The oldest market in Istanbulis called the Grand Bazaar and then followed by Spice Bazaar. This place is ahaven – to see, to get familiar, to smell, to touch and to taste spices,snacks, sweets, pastries and nuts and also to buy some souvenirs.

assorted sweets

Ground spices were openly displayed (I willnot advise anyone to buy ground spices that are displayed in heaps – the aromaand potency of the spices would have varnished in the air!); whole spices like cardamoms, Turkish andIranian saffron, allspice, cinnamon, cloves etc were in abundance. There were an assortment of spiced powderslike Ottoman spice and Arabic spices and even henna powder (The Turkish womendye their hair with natural hair dye like henna)You name it and you find thenuts – that is what I thought when I looked at the display of nuts – roastedand unroasted. I saw pine nuts in theshells for the first time here.

spices

Therewere also nuts coated with sesame seeds, honey or chocolate. Pistahios, walnuts, pine nuts and almonds werein abundance. Besides nuts, there were the dried fruits! Turkish figs are a must buy and some werestringed into long ropes and hung. Therewere sun dried apricots, dried quinces, fruit leathers, dried fruit doners;assortment of teas like dried apple tea, dried pomegranate tea and the popularTurkish black tea leaves. I saw a sacksful of carob beans too.

There were honey in jars and Besides allthese sight – there was the mouth-watering treats that were sold all around me– Turkish Delights in all kind of flavours including the new made with naturaljuice only type. I tried the pomegranatejuice Turkish Delight and it was simply awesome studded with lots of roastedchopped pistachio nuts. And of course there were twenty over Turkish sweetslike baklavas and halwas. Besides allthe above there were all the incense oils, the frankincense and myrrh that wassold. All these and the people made thismarket one of the most memorable markets that I have visited in my life.

Fish Sandwich Shop

Theother market that I enjoyed very much in Istanbul is the fish market. It is not like the biggest fish market I evercame across in my life. However the 20odd fish stalls there had a variety of fish and other seafood – many of which Ihave never came across before. Like allfish markets this place was wet and slippery and the fish were either displayedon slabs of ice, crushed ice on in buckets of water. The fishmongers were shouting out the priceof fish. There were several properrestaurants adjacent to the fish stalls and there were smaller ‘shack’ likestalls that sold some cooked seafood. Theselittle food stalls do not have menu but have pictures of the various fishes andother seafood and you have to choose from the photo and tell the vendor how youwant it cooked and the price will be quoted. I chose grilled large prawns and fried ‘hamsi’ – Black Sea anchovies.

Fried Anchovies

Many others were eating fish sandwiches –fried mackerel or mullet sandwiched in between one of the popular ekmek breadsalong with a salad, onion rings, lime juice and sprinkling of paprika andsumac. I am sure it tasted yummy. Myanchovies were dipped in batter and deep fried, crispy and still soft and juicyinside. Like all Turkish andMediterranean foods it was served with wedges of lemon slices.

Grilled Prawns

The grilled prawns were unforgettable – verybasin ingredients like lemon juice, olive oil, smashed garlic, bit of paprikawere used as marinade and the prawns with shells were grilled on a huge griddletill it is almost charred and smoky in flavor. The result was very succulent, juicy, tasty prawns that were fingerlicking good. The vendor also placed a plated heaped with salad dressed withpomegranate molasses and olive oil.

Grilled Fish and Vegetables

Thevendor was also grilling some fish over charcoal and I must tell you that youcan get one of the best smells on Earth when the liquid from the fish hits theglowing charcoal and results in a smoke that is so deliciously tempting.

men fishing at Galata Bridge

Fish,I think is very important for Turkish people. Every day of my trip to Turkey, I saw hundreds of boys and adultsfishing in a row along the Galata Bridge or any other bridge. I suspect some spend more than 8 hours enduringthe cold wind to catch fish or maybe even stay overnight. I saw very old menmaybe in their 70s fishing; and young fashionably dressed boys too. These guys throw a fishing line into the seaand just spend time looking out at the sea hanging their pole over the water.Whether they catch many fish or not – I don’t know but they are certainlyadmirable to be able to withstand the cold and stand there for hours hoping tocatch a fish!

Kebab Shop

At almost every corner of Istanbul you can find kebabshops. There are at least 2-3 at everystretch and every side of the roads. Someof these shops are very posh ones while many are just small hole in the walltype of shops. I think the Turksinherited their skills from their nomadic forefathers who much have roasted andgrilled their meats over camp fires! Afriend told me long ago that meats always tasted better in Turkey because thesheep and cow are more free range and are raised in green pastures. It is believed that some of the shepherdsplay the oud to the grazing animals! Though there were many kebabs in everystalls menu, the popular ones were the Sis Kebab, the Doner Kebab, Adana kebaband more.

Of course the Doner Kebab isthe most famous worldwide. I saw avendor using a mallet and hitting thick slabs of meat with fat and all. Later he marinated with some ingredients thathe had already premixed in a large tub. He had some minced meat next to him in a large basin and I saw hisassistant breaking some eggs into it and combining the minced meat and eggstogether by hand. Later he stacked themarinated pieces of meat alternating with minced meat on a large upright skeweruntil the skewer is completely covered; this skewer then rotates in front of hot vertical grills. Just as the outer layer of meat gets cooked,he takes a sharp knife and slices it into very thin pieces. He then takes these thin shavings of roastedmeat and lay it over a flat pita bread, top with some salad, fried French friesand squirts some yoghurt sauce over it and folds the pita bread to hold thefilling and wrap pita bread on paper and hand it to you. The Arabs call thisShawarma.

Pita Bread filled with roasted meat

Another must try in Turkey is the Lahmacun. It is almost like a thin crust pizza and itis said the original recipe may have come from Syria. I am not very sure as Ialso understand that both Greece and Turkey are fighting over whose originaldish this is? Basically, it is thin piece of bread dough toppedwith minced beef or lamb and finely chopped onions and some seasoning. Afterthe topping is placed on the bread dough, it is placed on a large shovel andthe lachmacun is pushed into a hot oven to be baked.

Pilav

Many of the kebab restaurants serve the kebabs with ‘pilav’. I was surprised to see the word ‘pilav’ inthe menu of some of the traditional Turkish restaurants. And so I had to try the pilav at about 3 placesbefore I decided to give it miss. I doknow ‘pilau’ was it is a common rice dish for the Indians. The English called it ‘pilaf’. The Indians served the pilau duringauspicious days and I understand that the Turks also serve it on special daysbut you can also find it some of the restaurant menus. The Turkish pilav is a world of differencefrom the Indian pilau. They have pilavsmade of rice, bulgur wheat, couscous as well as fine vermicelli which is calledsehriye here. The pilav is cooked in astock and had bit of lentils, currants, pine nuts and spices. Some had strong taste of tomato soup in the rice.Apparently rice is grown in the west Black Sea region.

On a couple of occasions I tried the Meze dishes. The meze is like the Spanish tapas and in theTurkish restaurants it is common to see the waiter bring a large rectangular trayfilled with small plates of different dishes for you to choose from. Many places serve one of the national aniseflavoured alcohol based drink called ‘raki’ with it. This drink is given in small shots – but Ihave seen a couple drinking it with ice cubes. Personally it is not my kind of drink. Some of the meze I have tried was salted marinated mackerel, smokedeggplant dip, a simple tomato and cucumber salad, hummus, olives, pickles,walnuts, charred red capsicum and walnut dip, pickled gherkins, spicy tomatoand olive, tapenade, cold eggplant salad, feta cheese, dolmades, fattoushsalad, dried salted beef, mashed brown broad beans, marinated mushrooms, butterbeans in olive oil or tomato sauce, battered and fried calamari, octopus slicesin olive oil, prawns sauted with garlic and olive oil. Phew………I ate allthese? Cannot believe it now!

Salted Mackeral

Besides tea, one of the popular drinks in Turkey isAyran. It is certainly proclaimed as oneof the healthiest drink on Earth. Andwhat is it - A version of the lassi – the Indian salted yoghurt drink. I found out recently that the word ‘yoghurt’came from the Turkish word “yoghurtmak” which means to blend. Some restaurants served this iced lightlysalted yoghurt drink with chopped mint, dried mint leaves or finely choppedgarlic.

Turkish coffee

And will definitely not forget Turkish coffee!! Yousee it everywhere in Turkey – people at cafes drinking Turkishcoffee and I must have drank it so many times too. What can be better in life, than to sit at a café,sipping good Turkish coffee and watching the world go by! Traditionally the roasted coffee beans areground in a traditional Turkish coffee grinder. This is usually made of brass and long, tubulardesign, with burrs that grind the coffee to a fine powder. A copperor brass, wide bottomed, narrow necked container with a long handle called"cezvehe” is used for boiling the coffee. The coffee is always served in small espresso cups. Every time I ordered a Turkish coffee, theserving staff will ask “without sugar, little sugar or more sugar?” Turkish coffee is always served with a glassof cold water to freshen the mouth to enjoy the coffee better. It is best toeat a sweet Turkish pastry with the coffee. Well, just in case you have neverdrank Turkish coffee before – don’t be shocked if you feel coffee residue inyour mouth – it is all part and parcel of enjoying Turkish coffee.

Western style dining table

Ottoman Style seating

And before I finish, I must share with you – I went to atraditional Ottoman cuisine restaurant. This was very special. I went inbecause from the outside I saw a couple of ladies in aprons, seated on thefloor and rolling out dough into very thin pieces and stuffing it with mashedpotatoes or cheese and cooking it on a iron griddle. The restaurant was colourfully decorated inTurkish furnishings and furniture and we had to sit on thick cushions and foodwas served on the low tables. During themeal I was listening to old Turkish love songs! It was indeed a great experience.

Coming soon………..all about the Turkish sweets.

Bandit Queens of Pune

2011-09-05T11:48:00.000+08:00

Mumbai to me was a noisycity with hot and humid climate, pollution and most of all a place whereeveryone was busy- everyone was moving fast from cars to even the cows! In my recent trip to Pune for work I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a calmgreen and clean place that is not far away from Mumbai. This city charmed me and the hospitality ofeveryone I met is remarkable and so difficult to describe in a sentence. As Iwas traveling more often in a van, I could see myself passing shopping malls,multiplexes, restaurants and more restaurants, lots of educationalinstitutions, pubs, bookshops, farms, markets, and amazing people…….dressed ina many different ethnic clothes from Gandhi capped guys to a ladies who worenine- yard saris.

Talking about saris, thewomen move fast and easily in their traditional nine-yard saris. It is a unique way of draping style thatdates back to historical period when women are said to have even foughtfearless battles dressed in this attire! I have seen the cleaning women wearingthe saris with the pleats of the sari, tucked at the waist to facilitate themto do their jobs. Some very traditional Marathi Brahmin ladies wear the sari with the behindpleats, which are tucked into the waist at the center of backside. Thedecorated end of the sari is thrown over the left shoulder. Unlike the 6-yard long sari, one does not needan undergarment to hold the sari in place at the waist. However, I have seen a few young villagegirls wearing a shorter version that obviously needed an undergarment. Ofcourse the ladies working in the Pune town etc were wearing jeans and skirtsand the churidars.

As I was getting into the car at the airport, I was surprised to see a lady on a motorbike with almost herentire face, head, neck and shoulders covered with a scarf save for hereyes. She looked like someone out of amovie – a bandit or a robber. And it wasnot just one person - almost about 60% of ladies on motor bikes have their facescovered. Some even walk the street withtheir faces covered and they are not Muslims. After talking to a few people, I found out that these women are coveringtheir faces to protect themselves from the harsh sun (they don’t like to bedark here) and the pollution. I wonderwhy only the Pune women are so vain. Personally I also think, covering theirfaces, also give them the advantage of looking at any hunks on the street! Iwill call these ladies Bandit Queens of Pune!

Duringmy trip here, I also noticed a strong support for Anna Hazare, the social activistwho went on a hunger strike in Delhi demanding enactment of Citizen OmbudsmanBill. Honestly, up to the point I reached Mumbai, I don’t know who Anna Hazareis. Families, youngsters, babies,disabled, the elderly and even tourists –many with tri-coloured wristbands orwith their faces painted in tri-colours or wearing “I am Anna” white caps - allof them were standing holding hands making a long human chain against theanti-corruption protest. I would havejoined the group too if not for the fact that I was in Pune outskirts for work.I feel lucky to be here and I felt the vibrations of the people when the newswas announced on TV and radio that the Government has accepted Anna Hazare’sconditions and that subsequently that he had broken his fast. Well done Anna Hazare.

Ihad a chance of eating at an ‘old world’ restaurant run by a sweet elderlyman. Mr. Chandrakumar Baldota owns asmall restaurant cum hotel Farmers’ Inn on the Pune Solapur Road in Pune. He has been running it for many years. His breakfast special on the day I went was thalipeetha flat bread cooked on the iron griddle and bursting with flavours and healthynutrients. It is quite a Maharasthrian tradition to use ‘bhajani’ flour. This is a flour ground out of mixed grainslike rye, millet, corn, wheat, sorghum, buckwheat, a couple of types of dryroasted dhall. This multi grained flouris combined with chopped chilli, coriander leaves, chopped mint leaves, pinchesof coriander, turmeric and cumin powders and some chopped onion is combined andkneaded to a fairly soft and delicate dough, and left to ‘mature’ for 30minutes and then rolled into balls. Thetips of the hands are used to pat the dough into a flat round shape and a fewsmall holes are made on it. This is sothat drops of oil or ghee can be drizzled in to cook the thalipeeth moreevenly. It is cooked on both sides till lightly crisp and golden and servedwith buffalo milk butter or ghee and curd. At Farmer’s Inn I was also served a Coconut Garlic Chutney and SweetLime Pickle. Besides thalipeeth I wasalso served hot of the fryer, Batata Vada. This is mashed potatoes with sprinkles of chopped coriander leaves andsalt, shaped into patties, dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried till goldenbrown. It was served with a mint andcoriander chutney and fiery hot garlic chutney.

ChefShashish and his wife Chef Avanti, a culinary teacher at the local cateringinstitute took me to a Gujarati thali restaurant. It was truly an enlightening experience. The restaurant PANCHATVATI served more than 20 dishes including 3 chutneys in a thali. I wished I could just go on eating especiallythe so heavenly sweet Puran Poli. As soon as we were seated, huge stainlesssteel platters with small metal bowls were placed in front of us. The restaurant was full of happy lookingpeople – who will not be happy if they were served with food that you justcannot find fault with!? The mealstarted with snacks and savouries like white soft and fluffy dhoklas, samosas,pickles and chutneys and salads. Inquick succession, the vegetable dishes followed, with a couple of dhall dishes,hot phulkhas just out of the stove, the semi sweet kadi, roasted papadums, andanother Indian sweet were served by light footed waiters. You can repeatedly ask for more of yourfavourite dishes and you don’t have to pay for that extra serving. Thethali served here is delicious, value for money and considered to be the bestin Pune. The highlight was the puranpoli that was served dipped in a container of pure ghee. I have never eatenpuran poli like that let alone eaten anything dipped is such sinfully delicioushome-made ghee! The puran poli is literally a stuffed chapattiwith a sweet filling of channa dhall. I would think that the best puran polis must have a very thin covering,filled with a smooth sweet filling and cooked on the griddle just right to givethe perfect texure. Important thing tonote – if you want to eat and enjoy a good puran poli, forget about thecalories, eat it drenched in ghee otherwise forget about eating it!

Overthe 14 days in Pune, my colleagues indulged me with many Maharashtra specialities. Vishwas, the food technologist asked me to try Sabudana Kichidi that hismum has made. Although I have eaten thisonce in Singapore, the one that I tried in Pune was simply the best. Apparentlythe sabudana kichidi is served on fasting days. Medium sized sago is soaked in water, drained and sauted in spices anddiced pieces of boiled potatoes and then combined with roasted ground chillipowder and roasted peanuts. As Sago tends to be starchy, the trick lies inmaking the khichdi in such a way that it doesn't stick together and become aclump and so therefore Vishawa’s mum made it well. One day, my young friend Vishwas passed me aplate of Bhakris. He explained that this is a typical sorghum flour flat breadmade in most homes in the villages. Again, this dough is shaped into a roundflat, thin circle and cooked on a hot plate. I guess because sorghum flourgluten free, it must have been tough to shape it well. But I guess his mum is an artisan bread makerin her own way as the bread was well puffed too despite the fact that thesekind of breads don’t need baking powder or yeast. I wished I had more time here in Pune sothat I can learn the art of making these almost ‘dying’ skill of making bakri.By the way sorghum is supposed to have more antioxidant properties thanblueberries and eating sorghum daily as part of the diet helps to lowercholesterol levels and promote heart health by keeping platelets from stickingtogether to form a clot. Singaporeansshould have more of these grains!

Young and pretty Chef Sandhya brought me kharavas one day and happily watched me as I was eating it. Kharavas isa chilled sweet milk pudding flavoured with saffron, nutmeg and cardamoms. Ittasted very much like a milk pudding that I have eaten in Sweden many yearsago. Chef Sandhya explained that thepudding is made of lactating cow’s milk. Apparently it is prepared by the firstthree days milk from the cows that gave birth to calves. This milk is alsoknown as colostrum. She said her regular milkman will give them this milkwhenever a calf is born in the farm. Sheexplained that the thick colostrum is flavoured with sugar, saffron andcardamoms and then steamed, cut into squares and served cold. Research shows that colostrum is extremelyhealthy, since it contains high amounts of casein and immunogens.

Chef Prashant told me oneday about a famous shop in Pune called Chitale Bhandhu that was very famous fornot just their sweets but also Bhakarwadi. His description sounded like a fried pinwheel of some sort. Anyway, one morning, we trouped into ChefShashish’s house for coffee and there Avanti served us the much talked aboutbhakarwadi. Diverting a bit, one morning Avanti had sent some Sooji Sheera forme to taste since I expressed that I felt like eating it. As I was eating it,several other dishes came to my mind – the rava kesari, the Tamils make at homewith either saffron or yellow colouring and the sooji halwa my Punjabi friendmakes with a bit of chopped pineapple in it. Avanti’s seera was so deliciously tempting and I even had the last bitscrapped into a bowl for dinner. She hadused jaggery that gave a nice caramelized feel to the sweetness and it wasdelicately flavoured further with ground cardamom and although lots of ghee hadbeen used, I was just blind to it. Thefine semolina she has used was cooked into individual granules instead ofclumping together. Well done Avanti. Backto bhakarwadi - It is a popular spicy deep fried snack from Maharashtra. Incidentally, Bhakarwadiis a Village in Koregaon Taluk in Satara District in Maharashtra. I am sure this snack must have its originfrom this village. For me bhakarwadi is like deep fried pinwheel filled withdessicated coconut, chilli, spices, fried fine murrukku, sesame seeds, poppyseeds, chopped coriander leaves, sprinkled on thinly rolled pastry either madeof channa dhall flour or plain flour or even spring roll sheet and then rolledinto a tight roll. These rolls aresteamed, sliced and then deep fried until crispy. My first taste of it was “itis crispy, fragrant and light but slightly oily”. Consequently, Chef Prashant brought me apacket of bharwadis that tasted almost like the one Avanti served me but a bitmore greasier.

Chef Sandhya, Chef Avanti and Chef Shashish

Oneevening after work, we all went to eat at the one Pune’s most popular snackshop the Kalyani Bhel and Panipuri House. There are few branches of this famous brand in Pune. Apparently, theowner used to sell chaat from a pushcart and today he has many outlets. Theplace was crowded with couples, college students, parents and their children,the old and young. I have always loved pani puris and eating at this Puneoutlet, gave me a satisfaction I never had before and I had to tell everyonethat this was certainly the best pani puri I ever had in my life. The number one is the list is – hygiene. Thisoutlet is spotlessly clean with huge stainless steel dustbins and the staffwere all in uniform. The serving counterswere clean too. Besides the bhel andpani puri that they are known for, the outlet also sells sev batata dahi puri,ragada puri, dahi wada and a few other snacks. They also have their own brandof ice creams and kulfis. There are no seats in the outlet as you are supposedto enjoy eating chaats standing. Pani puris are very small almost about 3 cm indiameter small savoury puffs. The weakest side of the puri is tapped to breakopen a hole. This will help to keep the pani (the spiced water) inside the puri till you gobble them. Thecavity is filled with a spiced diced potato mixture. I have eaten at someplaces where the puri is stuffed with spiced chickpeas or mung beansprouts. The potato is topped with asweet and tangy tamarind sauce and then it is dipped in a water made of blendedcoriander leaves, mint leaves, cumin and green chillie and a bit of blacksalt. The experience popping a wholefilled pani puri into the mouth is simply exhilarating. The whole thing breaks into the 6 flavours oftaste and one can just stand there and continue popping one pani puri afteranother. You must build a relationship or marry a pani puri man toeat this every day! It took me a whileto recover from the pani puri eating odyssey…….I was truly in ecstasy long aftereating, still trying to figure out, did they use warm water or cold water……….asI thought I felt a bit of warm in my mint water. We also tried the bhel puri – large bowls ofa combination of different fine fried snacks including murruku, nylon sev, puffedrice,peanuts, friend channa dhall, puffed flattened rice, broken bits of panipuri, chopped coriander leaves, green chilli, cucumber, tomatoes, onions andgod knows what other secret ingredients mixed with a dollop of the heavenlysweet and sour tamarind sauce and I had mine with the extra touch of greenchillie sauce!

Thedevil took the order of the day. Afterall the gobbling and eating, Chef Prashant managed to seduce me to go and trythe Natural ice cream which was so talked about by him. I think he wanted toeat itJ And so we drove to this famousIndiann iconic brand that sells Natural ice cream……….I mean really natural! Theflavours are what I call as ‘local’ flavours. At first we orderd the Musk Melon, Tender Coconut and the popularSitafal ice creams. Sitafal is custardapple that India grows in abundance. I know I should not indulge in too muchice cream due to the accumulation of phlegm in the chest but after a fewspoonfuls of the ice cream with my young friends, temptation got over me. I walked to the counter and order Fig knownas anjeer, water melon and jackfruit ice cream. It was the first time I tasted water melon ice cream and it certainly anice cream I would even recommend to diabetes. Overall the creamy delicious organic ice cream without any preservativesor stablizers is certainly any ice cream lovers paradise. The ice cream contains less air which makes it richand creamy. The fig ice cream is to diefor.

One day I saw the kitchen manager Vishnu boilingsomething in a pressure cooker. It wasthe fragrance that drew me to where he was. He told me that it was the gravyfor misal pav and that it is being made for me to taste. Am I not lucky to havesuch good friends always taking care that I tried as much of the Pune specialtiesas possible during my 14 days stay. Sothere it was, a pot of boiling, misal, the spicy gravy with diced potatoes,peas, onions, chopped coriander, spices and a very important ingredient matkior moth beans in English. This is a very small bean and it is sproutedovernight. All these are boiled to makea thickish gravy almost like a keema curry. The way to eat is to ladle some of thegravy into a bowl, top with finely chopped onion, coriander leaves, greenchillies if you want, chopped tomatoes, a dollop of yoghurt and a handful offried mixed Indian snacks like peanuts, boondi, crushed mathri, nylon and nylonsev. These are combined together and eaten with ‘pav’ a soft Indian roll. The combined taste and texture is anexplosion of flavours in the mouth and one can just go on eating pav after pavif we cannot control ourselves! I think it would be nice too with a bit of thesweetish tamarind sauce.

On yet another occasion, Chef Prasanth made me one of thesoftest and tastiest methi paratha. An Indian flaky flat bread stuffed withchopped fresh fenugreek leaves, salt and a lashing of spices and rolled into athin disc, the methi parathas were soft and good on its own. Traditionally itis eaten with some pickles and yoghurt. On another occasion the guest housecook Mohan, made methi parathas with the usual ingredients plus chopped springonions. Talking about Mohan, he indulgedme with all my meals during my stay at the guest house and I must say he hasgreat cooking skills. I shall call him the peanut guy as he includes lots ofpeanuts in many of his dishes eg. He did a wonderful peanut chutney to eat withchillas, a pancake made of channa dhall flour. He used coarsely broken peanutsin a curry made of angle loofah and on another occasion he had used peanutsinstead of dhall in a curry and it was just so fabulous.

During the trip to Pune we also had dinner at Paprika HotRock Restaurant. The menu here offers aselection of Mediterranean, Indian, Lebanese and Greek dishes. The ambience ofthe restaurant was well thought of with black wicker sofas and chairs withglass tables and there were semi private areas draped with white linen and lacematerials hanging down. At the end ofthe restaurant you can see the chefs working in the open kitchen. The lighting of the restaurant was so poor wehad to ask for a lamp to read the menu!!

We ordered several items from the menu andexperienced the hot rock specials too. Basically a flat smooth rock is heated to a high temperature of 400degrees C, placed on a platter and brought to the table with semi cookedingredients. You will then finish the cookingat the table by placing the food on the hot rock. Though it was a novelty to eat like this withgood friends, I still prefer to eat Indian food when in India…………you know whatI mean?

One thing I noticed of the people of Pune is theirgung-ho spirit. No matter what religiousbackground they belong to, or whatever their educational background is,everyone seems to be living life to the fullest. I see more happy faced people walking on thestreets of Pune. I would say Pune for meis part culture, a bit of some natural beauty, a bit of modernization, some growth,lots of friends and lots of memories. May be someday I would go back to Puneand not on just another visit.

One's Pigeon

2011-07-31T21:01:00.001+08:00

From the time I was a kid, I have always been fascinated by pigeons. They are so gregarious and I like the way they coo and strut with their heads bobbing. Some of the pigeons have quite colourful feathers especially the very shiny rainbow like neck feathers and have you noticed their red feet? Once I saw a pigeon with streaks of red feathers and speckled with white here and there and it was simply a funky pigeon on the move. It was one of the most memorable pigeons I have come across. I think I spent more time looking at pigeons when I was young when one of my aunt had a small wooden house built especially for pigeons in her backyard. The birds were free to come and go and every day she ensured that there is a good supply of grains for them. It is at that time I realized that pigeons call a place ‘home’ and will return every evening to it!!

There always some pigeons walking about in the Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist temples. And many Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs have the habit of feeding grains to the pigeons because they believe that when they are reincarnated one day they will never go hungry if they feed the pigeons in this life. Of course, my Christian friends believe the pigeon is a symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit. Long before telecommunications and telegraphs poles were invented, the pigeons were used as messenger ‘boys’ in many countries. It is funny that typing this article brings me memories of pigeon related incidences in my life. When my grandmother suffered from a stroke and paralysis, the relatives suggested that she should be massaged and rubbed with pigeon's blood. I do remember seeing her being massaged by an elderly who had the blood in a little stainless steel bowl. Grandmas had almost purplish coloured blooded applied on her arm and leg. In Myanmar I saw gemstone merchants selling Pigeon Blood rubies!! I guess it was the bright red colour of they ruby they were referring to. I have heard of stories of Africans splattering the blood pigeon on their dressing tables and beds to get rid of evil spirits!

About three weeks ago I realized that pair of pigeons has set up home in the corner of my balcony, just behind the air-con compressor. I noticed that they have built a nest with scraps of twigs, newspaper, leaves etc. Then one day I found the pigeon just sitting down on the nest while the other pigeon stood not far from it. The sitting pigeon, mummy was almost lifeless sitting down, looking far ahead. Even when I went nearer to it to take a photograph, it did not budge or look at me. A couple of days later I saw two eggs. The mummy pigeon will sit on the eggs the whole day and the father pigeon will hover around there. I cannot remember their faces too much to know if they take turns to look after the eggs. I guess they were also keeping the eggs warm.

I left for Singapore at that stage and returned to the apartment 15 days later to find the eggs hatched into two tiny bald pigeons!! They looked very ugly. They squeak like crazy, flapping their little bald wings all the time with their little voices and I see the mummy pigeon feeding them often. The bald babies have got quite big bulging tummies and can only walk slowly. The baby pigeon’s beak appears to be far too long for the size of its body. And it has like a pinkish fleshy area at the top of the beak. The parents have whitish part near the beak. They are pooping all over my balcony and made a mess of it. Sometimes I feel that I got to give them a good lashing of the tongue for being so dirty. But then Mummy pigeon could not be bothered to toilet train her children I guess. After all, the sky is the limit for their toilets!

There were many times when birds moved my emotions. There were times when I am frightened for their safety as they fly towards a moving car. I have seen pigeons dead and flattened on the road. Sometimes I feel like a sinner as I did not help a dying pigeon on the road. His wings were broken, he was shivering because he had fallen in the drain and that was the only why I could not go down to carry him out but only look at him. He was lying there looking up at the sky and at that moment I was wondering what was going in his mind. I am sure birds can think and they are not bird brained after all. I wonder what he thought of me as he lay there wounded and as I looked at him. I had to apologize for not being able to reach down into the drain to lift him up and I walked away quickly from the heart wrenching scene, hoping death will come to him quickly.

The security guard of the block of apartments says it will take about 2 months before the whole family will fly off from their home at my balcony. I guess unlike other birds these little pigeons are going to be a bit more matured before they learn how to fly and leave the nest to find a fortune in the horizon. I wish them luck and I thank them for giving me an opportunity to reflect on them. My only wish, I hope they will not tell their relatives that there is a place called home on the 24th floor in Sharjah! I don't want to end up as their daily poo cleaner :-)

The Golden City

2011-07-21T10:40:00.001+08:00

Going to Myanmar is not about booking a flight, packing and leaving. The visa is very important as otherwise you will not be allowed to enter the country. You can get the visa from the Myanmar embassy or online and the fee varies. You can get a 24 hour express service for extra money. I will call Myanmar a “cash only country” as there were only a handful of places that accepted credit cards and there were hardly any ATMs around. So you need to carry cash either the US dollars or Burmese Kyat. You can bring the highest end mobile phone or laptop over to

Myanmar and not use it at all because of the poor telecommunication network in the country. Point to note is – don’t ever travel on a tight schedule as there possible chances of vehicle breakdown or delayed arrival of a driver.

The first unusual thing I saw in Yangon after we landed were all the people walking about with a yellow powder on their faces. Majority of the women had this powder on their face and various patterns. At first I thought it was sandalwood powder but the following day I found out that it was called “thanakha” and it is a kind of skin care product made from the bark of a tree. It is supposed to keep the skin cool and protected from the sun and also gives a smooth complexion. Whether they are rich or poor, most Myanmar ladies have it on their face. I guess the Body Shop would have already studied this product!

Yangon is all about lakes, parks, traditional Burmese architectures, temples and more temples and pagodas at every turn as well as some colonial buildings. During the numerous walkabout trips I did in Yangon, I came across men who had almost burgundy coloured stained teeth and who were chewing betel nut leaves and betel nuts and I found messy red splodges on floors, roads and walls! There are stalls almost at every street corner selling betel nut – mostly in the form of quid – a quid of betel leaf is usually with creamy slaked lime, wafer thin slices of dried betel nuts, a dab of cutch and some shavings of tobacco folded into a triangular shape. Sometimes other ingredients like fennel or dried mint was added too. The Indians called this paan and in Myanmar they call this “kun-ya”. My father used to chew betel leaves after a meal, always telling us that betel leaves are a good source of calcium, carotene and iron and also that it helps in digestion. When I was old enough to read books, I read that betel nuts contain cancer causing carcinogen and told father to stop adding betel nuts to his betel leaves. Do you know that after nicotine and ethanol, betel nut is the fourth most widely used drug in the world!? I found out that in Myanmar, eating of betel leaves was a social enjoyment – something you would give your guests or something you would chew and sit with friends and chat.

The majority of people, both men and women of Myanmar wear their traditional garment – the “longyi”. A longyi is basically a sarong – a long piece of material sewn into a tube and then slipped over the head my men or stepped into by women and tucked at the waist. Men fold the garment at the waist and then tie a knot. Ladies wear more of a wrap-around longyi tucked at the waist – it is usually wrapped from left to right or vice versa. Men usually wear cotton longyi with squares, checks or lines as patterns. Ladies were patterns of checks, stripes; flowers, butterflies etc. and the longyi are usually very colourful. For special occasions like weddings and events, longyi made of silk or satin is worn. The Buddhist monks wear from saffron to brown to burgundy coloured robes.

Myanmar has diverse geographical features with favourable seasonal conditions and is naturally endowed with fertile soil and water resources and therefore it boasts an abundant supply of food in a great variety all year around. Rice is the staple food of Myanmar. There is a great influence on the Myanmar cuisine by the Indians and Chinese and you can see it clearly although Myanmar people still cherish their own food, ensuring that its essence and uniqueness remains unchanged.

At meal time, the dishes are all laid out on the dining table and everyone help himself to the food. There are no appetizers or hors d'oeuvre, and no wine or spirits served at the meal. Myanmar people eat with their fingers, but dishes are provided with serving spoons to be handled with the clean left hand only. Soup is usually placed in the centre for all the diners to share. The soups are usually clear and will have chunky portions of vegetables or meat; are sour with tamarind juice or gongkura leaves or spicy like tom yam soup. Salads are served at every meal and a salad is usually a combination of raw, boiled or preserved vegetables, cooked meat, thick slices of onion, tamarind juice, chilli powder or flakes, fish sauce, fried shredded garlic in cooked oil, and pounded dried prawn, all mixed thoroughly by hand – sometimes overly smelling of dried prawns. Dessert is usually fresh fruits like mango or a piece of jaggery.

I found food in Myanmar generally very oily but Myanmar cuisine is something I will not discount from my life – it is very nice.

One outstanding dish was the Laphet or pickled tea leaves. This is a popular dish and snack with pickled tea leaves, assorted nuts and pulses, fried garlic, chillies, dried prawns and sesame seeds. Apparently tea leaves are very important during ceremonies and court cases those days. It seems court cases are considered settled when the pickled tea is shared. In Myanmar, the plucked tea leaves are steamed and then pack tightly into bamboo jars and these is buried for about 6 months – hence the delicate flavour. Laphet is prepared differently in each of the provinces of Myanmar.

All over Yangon I found snack shops selling all kinds of food – savoury and sweet and I think one day is not enough to experience the sweet sights, inhale the tempting smells and have a bit of the tantalizing tastes! All these stalls are well patronized. From pancakes, to samosas, fried chickens, donuts, stick rice, yoghurt, noodles and betel leaves…….you see it everywhere. Some of the stalls are located at the most unhygienic areas but you will not suffer from food poisoning if you buy food that is cooked and served piping hot.

I enjoyed my trip to Yangon and I know there are going to be more trips to Myanmar.

Have you got a Dick? I do.

2011-07-19T10:37:00.000+08:00

Since I was a child I have always been fascinated with knives and I think knives are just beautiful. We had only two knives at home then and both were the sole properties of my mum. I was not allowed to use the knives until I was about 10 years old. But I used to love to watch her slicing or cutting something or another and I enjoyed watching her body moving forward and backward slightly as she was chopping. Of course, today I realized that her body was moving that way because her knife was not only blunt but she was not standing correctly!!

From owning just 3 knives for $10 kind (usually sold at the night markets those days and made in China), today I own knives that are worth a couple of thousands. I hate to share my knives with anyone, just as I hate to share my undies or shoes with anyone. Knives are very private. The first time, I had to travel out of the country to Melbourne to develop recipes and conduct a couple of workshops; I wanted to carry my own knives. At that point of my life, I did not own a knife bag, leather roll or a knife briefcase. I would wrap my knives in thick wads of newspapers and then roll it in my towel and then place it in between my clothes in the suitcase. It was always a proud moment when I take out my personal knives and lay it on the table for use during a cooking class or when working with other chefs in the kitchen.

As a chef, one of the most important decisions I had to make is to choose the right knife as the knife is the number one tool that I consistently and constantly use in my job. Well, it is not just a chef who uses a knife often…….anyone and everyone who cooks will have to use a knife let alone the doctors, the butchers, the artists etc. Therefore it is not advisable to be stingy and buy the cheapest knife available. A good knife can change you into a kitchen magician!

In the beginning of my career, I used to own only 3 knives – a 10 inch (25 cm) chef’s knife, bread knife and a 6 inch (15 cm) utility knife. I used the chef’s knife and the utility knife for almost every cutting, slicing, chopping, deboning, portioning fish, garnishing and many other functions in the kitchen. Along with it I had a well-used knife sharpening stone. I have tried and have used many different brands. Every one of the brand had something or another that attracted me to it. My current companion in the kitchen is a range of F.Dick knives from Germany. I know you are giggling at the name but do remember that famous people had funny names and this brand stands out amongst all knife brands – you can remember it!

I have this whole range of knives for the different functions. But again, a novice cook need only about 3-4 knives to begin with. When buying a knife you will have to consider these three main points: steel, handle and weighting.

The type of steel used in making a knife matters a lot. There are many kinds of steel alloys used by different companies but personally the German Steel and Japanese Steel is the more popular ones for making of knives. Of which, I preferred the German steel and hence my preference for F.Dick knives. The steel used for making the F.Dick knives are very sturdy and less prone to breaking off at the tip when dropped. Well, even the most experienced chef, drops a knife occasionally you know! German knives are also traditionally sharpened to about a 22° angle, making them sharp but also sturdy at the same time. The handle must sit snugly in your hand and always buy knives that are appropriate for your hand size. It is also important to remember that the maximum power of the knife is achieved at the area nearest the handle, so harder or more dense materials may be cut from this area. Finer cutting of soft items, such as mushrooms, may be executed by using the tip of the blade.

Do take note that you should not be buying knives that are overly light! Some amount of weight should be there on a knife. Having the most expensive knife in the world is only half the trick, a solid foundation or positioning is necessary to accomplish consistency in production. Stand straight with your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Stand as close to the work bench as possible without touching it. Then, place your feet at about a 20° angle with your heels approximately six inches apart. Remain relaxed while cutting.

Read more about my F.Dick knives at http://www.dick.de

I am 20088 days old today

2011-02-04T00:56:00.000+08:00

Today I am 20088 days old (55 years old)!! Phew, I just realized that I have been living so long. I am not sure at this moment when I am typing this, what I am supposed to do or how I am supposed to behave when I am 55 years old. After all birthdays are only numbers in my life and I have always believed that age is a state of mind. I am too old to be called middle age and too young to be called senior citizen!! I feel like a 19 year old who is too old to be called a kid and too young to be called a grown up. A friend said when she turned 55, she looked for a doctor to inject Botox on her face and neck and spent about $2800 for that day and till today every 4 months she spends that money! I am not going to do that. I spent extra time in the last few days, looking at my face on the mirror. Have I aged? Yes. I have aged but I liked what I saw on the mirror. It was a peaceful face unlike the many ladies I see on the street. Peace means contentment and happiness. Am I happy and contented? I am.

When my hair started becoming white, I realized that it is beyond human control. The wrinkles appeared – first on the neck and then near my eyes and forehead and now near my lips. But do I care? Yes. I do for fleeting moments but then after all I am human. I have not declined physically. In fact, I have more energy than most teenagers of these days. I sleep late and get up early. I do not take afternoon naps and I do not consume health supplements. I am bad at keeping exercise routines and I pant when I walk up the staircase. If I squat down for too long, I get cramps but then I know of many teenagers who suffer the same. Therefore have they aged or am I as fit as a youngster?

Someone said “you are patient”. But my family members and close friends think I am impatient. I am patient when it comes to waiting for good things to happen in my life. I am impatient when someone waste precious time and I have to wait with them or for them. My time is not to be manipulated by anyone else except me. When I was younger, I did not know how to while away my time when I have to wait for a bus or sit waiting for my turn at the clinic. I wanted the waiting to be over. But these days, I like sitting and waiting patiently as I am able to utilize that precious time and valuable opportunity to notice aspects of the world that I have never been aware of when I was younger – for example the touch of the material of my blouse caressing my arms, the sound of the clock or the refrigerator, the sound of the wind, the very gentle waving of the tree in the breeze, the sound of the mating lizards in my house, the swishing of the water when my neighbor turns on the tap and more. Each time, the sounds are different as I realized as I aged, the present moment is certainly different from the last and the next. I like the times when I am seated comfortably in a car or taxi that is stuck in a traffic jam. I find precious time to reflect.

I learnt many things from my past – the good, the bad and the ugly. I have learnt that past experiences are for the present and future. I realized dreams and materialize if we work on it and many of my dreams have materialized. I want to live on the present – to now! Therefore I have decided not to talk or think too much of what has or has not happened or what might or might not happen. But then I am not saying that I am not considering the future – the future is my present experiences improved. My past experiences have given me an inner stability and mental clarity to work with greater wisdom and acceptance on my current and future. I no longer worry about how others see me. The spirit of ME in me needs no qualification or recognition. Therefore at 55 year old I have a free mind – not caught up in concern of what others will say about me – my mind is at peace.

I have learnt to forgive those who have upset me. I have matured enough to understand that whatever upset feelings I had is my own creation! I have not deliberately hurt anyone. I forgive acknowledging the fact that given the same circumstances I could have easily made the same kind of mistakes. I am not alone in this wide world and I am thankful that I have a close knit family; great motivating friends and fans. This is enough to nurture me further in life.

I am thankful to the Almighty that I am healthy and alive. I am grateful to everyone who formed the ME. The hard knocks of life and the gentle love of family members and friends shaped me into what I am now - 55 years old lady born Devagi Chandrakasan and now signing of as Devagi Sanmugam!

I have ties with Dubai now!

2011-02-03T17:15:00.000+08:00

2011 saw me in Dubai – a place I have heard of, spoken about and seen on the movies. All that I have heard was “people in Dubai are wealthy”, “it is all desert”, “it is a Muslim country”, “you will have to wear an “abaya”like the Arab women when you are in Dubai” etc etc and more. I was silly…….I thought Dubai is the capital of United Arab Emirates!! I had a chance to polish my Geography from this visit……no wonder people say – “the more you travel they more you will become street smart”.

The United Arab Emirates comprises of seven states known as “emirates”(because they are ruled by emirs (emirs means commanders or leaders). The government also has a president but each of the emirs acts as leader of his own emirate. The seven emirates are: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. The capital and second-largest city is Abu Dhabi.

And so I landed at the Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 one afternoon and was just shocked at the expanse of space in terms of height of ceiling to the length and breadth of the airport! I thought Singapore’s airport was the best in the world. I found out later that Terminal 3 in Dubai is the largest building in the world by floor space and it handles over 30 million over passengers a year. I only counted a few on landing on my departure day but the fact is this airport has 82 moving walkways, 97 escalators, eight skytrains (4 each at Arrivals and Departures), 157 elevators, and 27 truck lifts; 180 check-in counters and 2,600 car-parking spaces and 115,000 sq ft of shopping facilities. In addition at the departure hall where I was held up for sometime because of overweight luggage, there are 126 check-in counters for economy class passengers, and 36 for first and business class passengers. Also, there are 18 self service kiosks, 3 lounges for unaccompanied minors, 38 counters and 12 e-gates for Economy class passengers and 10 counters and 4 e-gates for First & Business class at immigration. There is also a mosque within the airport

Travelling from the airport to the hotel was not difficult. The taxi service provided by the government run Dubai Transport airport taxi service was very efficient. The taxis are meter-run and the start-up charge on the meter was Dh.20 and I paid about Dh.43 when I reached Park Kris Kin Regis Hotel. Dubai and the rest of the emirates share the same currency - the Arab Emirate Dirham or AED. It is called Dirham for short and you will see it abbreviated as either Dhs. or Dh. 1 dhs is divided into 100 fils (the equivalent of cents). The notes come in denominations of 5,10,20,50,100,200,500 and 1000 Dirhams. The coins come in 1,5,10,25 and 50 fils and 1 dirham. Personally, I liked the feel of the coins –every coin looked like it was handcrafted as the emblems and the edges of the coins don’t exactly look neat as if it was machine made.

While I was at the airport and in the taxi, I noticed something that I was slightly puzzled and shocked – I saw more Indians and Filipinos walking in the streets than Arabs! And there were many Indian and Filipino restaurants dotted everywhere on the street and some were even chain restaurants from India. My taxi driver was a Filipino lady who wore a pink attire and pink head scarf. Pink taxis provide a “women only” service and provide services at places frequented by women and I did not know of it until a couple of days later. The taxi had a pink roofs, pink seats and pink interior …too much of a feminine touch for me.

The national dress of the Arab men is the very very spotlessly clean long flowing white “disdasha” or “kandoura” as they called it. I never came across a man in a dirty or crumbled traditional wear. This traditional white garment allows the air to circulate and helps to cool the body during the hot weather. During the cold winter, the men wear a disdasha that is made of thicker material like wool and wear darker shades. They all wore a head dress called the “ghuttra” or “ogal”which were usually white though occasionally I saw men with red and white checked material. To hold the ghuttra in place, they wore a thick black cord like thing that not only was used as decorative piece on the head but I found out later that it was also used for tying the camel’s feet at night so that it will not go wondering! The head dress is worm to protect the head and face from direct sunlight and also to cover the mouth and nose during cold weather or sandstorms. The ladies wore a long flowing traditionally black “abaya” and a head dress called the “sheyla”. The abayas are usually decorated with beads or fine embroidery and it covers the whole body except the face, feet and hands. The older women wore a black mask called the “burkha” to cover their entire face. I saw some women who even covered their hands with long black gloves. I kept wondering and wondering how hot they will feel. If I am going to be dressed like this in the kitchen, I think I will go mad…………which is giving me another thought? Are there Arab women who are chefs in restaurants? What do they wear?

More of Dubai experience in the next few weeks.........

It is Pat's Cooking School

2010-12-05T15:11:00.000+08:00

Pat’s Home Thai Cooking School is quite well known as the first and best home cooking school in Phuket where you can enjoy explosive flavors, mouth-watering aromas, and fresh and healthy ingredients. The school is located in Phuket city and is run by fifty five year old Patcharin Tiengthong or Pat as she is fondly known to all. Pat was born in Bangkok and moved to California where she worked as a chef for over eight years. She has been teaching the finer points of Thai cooking for thirteen years. I thank Pat for sponsoring the cooking class session.

I loved this clay sink

Pat runs the cooking school in her own home and I was made to feel at home from the time she received me as I got down from the tuk tuk. I was given a refreshing lemon grass iced tea. The glass was wrapped with banana leaf and tied with a string of fresh flowers – the fine touch of a chef who is passionate about her food and cooking!

I enrolled for a weekday cooking session and class started at 9.30 am. Quite fluent in English, Chef Pat described the procedures of how the class will be carried out and described the ingredients that we were going to use for the cooking class. She did not give the recipes at the beginning of the class but promised to give at the end. This is good - many times in my cooking classes, I have noted that participants read the recipes once and then keep it folded or away. When you are not given a recipes, you will pay more attention to the teacher! The cooking method was quite traditional. For example, she thought everyone in the class how to squeeze coconut milk out of grated coconut and everyone had to do it and then remove the coconut cream to cook the Green Chicken Curry. We did a real hands-on for all the dishes except the Sticky Rice with Mango. This was a complimentary dish she served with our lunch; however she provided the recipe for it. She had a couple of assistants and everything was done in a systematic and organized way – which showed her experience in running hundreds of cooking classes too. Her classes are suitable for the novice as well as the professionals.

At the end of the class, all the students were invited into her dining room and we had a good sit-down lunch that finished off with the sticky rice and mango dessert. The cooking class finished when she gave us a certificate of attendance presentation and the recipes. Chef Pat also runs a bed and breakfast place in a bungalow and she runs private classes and provides private dinners too.

Pat’s Home Thai Cooking School

28/4 Moo 3 T.Vichit, Chaofa Rd

Phuket, 83000 Thailand

Tel: +66(0)81 538 8276

Fax:+66(0)81 538 8276

Website: http://www.phuket-thaicooking.com

Cooking Class Experience at Mom Tri's Boathouse, Phuket

2010-11-18T14:35:00.001+08:00

I attended a couple of cooking classes in Phuket recently. I attended a demonstration cum hands-on cooking class at the Mom Tri’s Boathouse. I thank Ms. Lisa Sol, PR of Mom Tri Boathouse and the management for extending the complimentary cooking class to me and the warm hospitality.

Mom Tri's Boathouse is a luxurious Boutique Hotel located on the beautiful Kata Beach. The hotel boasts of over 35 rooms and suites, fine restaurants and a wine cellar with more than 750 labels. Recently, Mom Tri’s Boathouse announced the appointment of Thailand’s only Maître Cuisinier de France, Chef Jean-Noël Lumineau, as the Boathouse Wine & Grill’s executive chef. The Boathouse cooking class was held at one part of the restaurant on Saturdays and Sundays only. I attended the Saturday’s cooking class.
Participants stand or sit round a long table and do simple hands-on preparation for the various dishes example - Make a pandan leaf cup; combine and mix fish for the fish cake, roll the spring rolls and more. The prepared items are brought to the main table where Sous-Chef Rattana Pholthaisong fries or do the salad as we all stand round her and watch. The food is then passed around for tasting before the next dish is prepared. At the end of the class, participants will sit down together at the main restaurant and finish what was cooked. During the class, Chef Rattana shared with us the secrets of Thai ingredients, tips on selection, storage and the methods of chopping; dicing and pounding of the ingredients of Thai dishes that were learning. I was surprised to learn that the Thais drink water boiled with pandan leaves for health reasons. Read my article on Pandan leaves.

The classes start at 10 am and are followed by lunch with all the students at approximately 1 pm. Lunch is included in the course price, the recipes, a certificate of attendance and a Boathouse apron are yours to take home.

2 day course 3,500 Baht ++
1 day course 2,200 Baht ++
The cooking class menu for Saturday and Sunday is different and if you attend both the classes you enjoy a good discount.

Note: As of middle of November 2010 the cooking class menu will be the following:

Saturday's Menu

Tod Man Talay (Deep-fried seafood cake)
Tom Yam Goong (Spicy soup with prawns)
Gang Kiew Wan Gai (Sliced chicken in green curry)
Goong Phad Nam Makham (Sauté prawns with tamarind sauce)
Khao Niew Mamuang (Sticky rice with mango)

Sunday's Menu
Som Tum (Fresh green papaya salad)
Tom Kha Gai (Herbed chicken soup in coconut milk)
Goong Phad Kruang Geng (Prawns in red curry with vegetables)
Pad Thai Talay (Stir-fried Thai noodles with seafood)
Sangkaya Fugtong (Pumpkin custard)

Mom Tri’s Boathouse
Kata Beach
Phuket 83100
Thailand

Tel: +66 76330015-7
Email: info@boathousephuket.com
Website: www.boathousephuket.com

Thai Women are Hard Working

2010-11-14T17:43:00.000+08:00

If you have visited Thailand you will agree with me that it is a country of markets, temples, beautiful beaches with crystal clear water, cheap tailors and nice Thai silk, monks walking in the morning, kick boxing posters everywhere, extremely wonderful food, great art and craft and smiling people everywhere. Then there are those who will tell you Thailand is all about massage parlours, nightclubs, pubs, brothels, social escorts and women everywhere! Both are true.

I started thinking of Thai women differently from what was usually in my mind after my recent trip to Thailand. Well, what was in mind was instilled by the hundreds of friends and acquaintances who told me about their experiences with Thai women and the numerous things I read about them. I have been always thinking that most Thai women are gold diggers who go all out to make as much money as they can. I was told they were great liars and swindlers who would paint suffering stories of themselves to the foreigners and the rich and try to make as much money as possible from them. But then, there are gold diggers, liars and swindlers amongst us. So, we cannot brand women and their habits by country.

I have come to a conclusion that Thai women are one of the hardest working women in the world!! This is so because most Thai men are just useless and sitting around doing nothing the whole day – most of them expect money to drop on their lap. Now, this is just based on my observance for one week recently………so you men, don’t jump at me. Even the prostitutes and the social escorts I met, seemed to be hard working from morning to evening. I see them sitting around the pubs waiting to chat up a foreigner as early as 10 am and they are still around at about 10 pm. Just sitting around waiting for a guy to book them and then doing what they are supposed to do and back to sitting down waiting for another guy is not exactly easy for a woman!

I am sure all women want affection, love, security, status and all and I don’t think one get all these sitting down every day waiting to service different men. It is not easy to be poor in Thailand especially so when the so called ‘bread winner’ of the family is lying down drunk somewhere or gossiping at a taxi stand. Many of these prostitutes have children. I saw a woman feeding her child and playing with her child and as soon as she saw a foreigner she rushed to him to sweet talk him to offer her services. I bet no mother wants to do such things in front of her child but these Thai women have no other choice. They cannot get other jobs as most of them are not educated and many live in villages far away from the main towns.

I saw Thai women working as executive chefs and head chefs; I saw Thai women cooking the whole day at little eateries; I saw Thai women in the market – cutting huge fish and a whole carcass of a pig; I saw Thai women driving taxis and tuk tuks; I saw Thai women earning a living by giving pillion rides on their motor bikes to strangers; I saw them sitting outside on the hot sun, canvassing for clients for the massage parlours they work for. I saw their lips moving non-stop, saying “massage” in a sing-song voice to all passer-bys in the hope that they can make some money for that day. I saw hope, anxiety and humility in their eyes as they say those words. I saw them sitting and laughing with foreigners and I could see that it was all fake. Their motive was all about making money.
When I was about nine years old I overheard my parents gossiping about an uncle who left my aunt to marry a Thai woman. My mother was telling my father that probably the Thai lady used some black magic on my uncle to seduce him. He married the Thai lady and eventually had eight children who are all educated and doing well in society. When I was about forty my mother told me that my aunt was to be blamed for the marriage break up because she was a very arrogant person who looked down upon my uncle who was neither handsome nor rich. I felt bad that for so many years, I distant myself from her because I thought she was a witch and that she caused unhappiness in my aunt’s life. That Thai lady who is no longer alive was in fact a wonderful person.

Somehow, I feel when a man marries a Thai woman; society tends to think that she is a prostitute. This is so unfortunate for all other Thai women as well as the guy who marries one. But then many questions raced in my mind as to why many of these Thai women became prostitutes. I can only think for a few possible reasons that is applicable to all the suffering women in the world. ONE – being born in poor families with no opportunity for education; TWO – living in a country with few job opportunities; THREE – some of the eldest daughters are sold to become prostitutes by the parents because of poverty and also so that the sons can be sent to school (unfair); FOUR – some girls voluntary become prostitutes because they cannot stand watching their family members suffer in poverty; FIVE – some of the girls are forced to become prostitutes by their husbands or boyfriends.

Whatever the reasons maybe, I don’t think these ladies have become prostitutes so that they could drive a BMW or wear at Cartier watches!! Many send money to their aged parents, their children, their siblings and relatives so that they can live comfortably or go to a decent school inside the country or out of the country. We cannot condemn these ladies but rather understand why they are doing it. There are many good hearts out there that are doing many things to help these suffering ladies and children. Perhaps you want to help these ladies too........

Development and Education for Daughters and Communities http://www.depdc.org/

ECPAT International
http://www.ecpat.net/

Self Taught Celebrity Chefs Can be Teacher Chefs too!

2010-10-26T14:42:00.000+08:00

A friend is suffering internally. She wants to be a chef and she does not know how to be. Yet she has completed some basic culinary courses. I guess many people out there feel the same. Somehow, I cannot feel for those who have already decided what they want to be and then take up studies related to the topic and then not know how to go about it. If culinary skills trained people are finding it difficult how do you think people who have absolutely no training ended up as celebrity chefs? Some of the popular chefs who have no training in culinary skills are Chef Mario Batali, Chef Gordon Ramsay, Chef Rick Stein, Chef Nick Nairn, Chef Bill Granger, Chef Heston Blumenthal and Chef Marco Pierre White. If you are looking at lady celebrity chefs who have no culinary training – Chef Kylie Wong, Chef Nigella Lawson, Chef Annie Feolde and there is Chef Devagi Sanmugam!! There are many more out there. One of the most important thing – to be a celebrity chef and popular you must be thick skinned to promote yourself ……….!

Many people dream of becoming a great chef. Just like any other career, one cannot be the ‘great’ person or excel well in a career overnight. It takes time and patience. Some careers can be mastered by learning the theory. Cooking is not something one can master by reading books and articles or even by watching cooking shows. It needs practise and one must practise for a lifetime. It is not like learning swimming or cycling.

You must enjoy your food and naturally those who enjoy food are creative in the kitchen and can make a good chef. There is something awfully fulfilling about cooking and I seek that fulfilment always. It is not like I am doing something morally wrong! I get a kick from mixing up all the ingredients from scratch, watching it cook to my liking, feeding it to people I care about, and watching their faces fall totally in love with the food with a happy expression. The real best part comes from sitting down and biting my accomplished masterpiece – there is no better ego booster. So then, someone comments, it lacks salt or that it is hard to swallow. The input will make my masterpiece even better the next time. A chef is constantly learning, and can pick up tips from all sorts of people, whether relatives or celebrity chefs. How many of your family recipes could you produce? How do you create the classic dishes that are the staple of many restaurants?

A great way to practise is to cook at home every day. Or throw a dinner party for friends. Or cook for charity. One other way is to work in a restaurant. It is important to strive for excellence no matter what your role in the kitchen is. Many of the greatest chefs have made it to the top just by persevering even when they were under a lot of pressure. Regardless of what you are asked to do, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, always do your best. I did not train under any chef or in any restaurant. My basic patience in the kitchen was learnt from my father. He would hit me hard with a ladle or bang me with a pot. He will push me aside urgently if he has to salvage the pot of rice that is almost scorching. I had to bear with all because he was my father. But then I learnt because he was teaching me the hard way.

To me practice is the only way to attain perfection. To be where I am now, I had to constantly cook but at the same time fast paced and I did not waste money, throwing food away. Food that I experimented with in my initial years was palatable to be eaten but not perfect. I had to experiment with ingredients and flavors so that I get familiar with tastes. I did all preparation work myself and therefore I knew how to peel onions, grind the spices and cut the vegetables. I had intuition to guide me to assemble a meal and what spices, flavors, and textures go together to create a perfect and harmonious dish. I feel that cooking is part common sense and part logic. It's a consistent proficiency with a vast array of cooking styles and techniques that cannot be taught.

Having a good sense of smell, and taste will be necessary also. It would very difficult to prepare a good meal if you can't decipher the differences from one spice to another; or if you do not know which spices go well together and which ones don't. You must be adventurous and keep trying new foods, or try new combinations, or take inspirations from other cultures or countries. You can specialize in one particular cuisine but you must be an all-rounder when it comes to tasting other dishes. The constant experiments in the kitchen will nurture us to be good chefs. Take all the screw-ups, the disgusting tasting food as a hilarious lesson. Share it with people and be happy that you got an experience. Experience makes perfect.

I have gone through the stage in life where I thought I need a kitchen equipped with high-tech appliances will help me be a great chef. It was like thinking that if you wear high heels you can look sexier!! Today, I laugh at myself. Appliances help a chef cut down on time and effort but it does not make a good chef. Our forefathers cooked well using only the stone grinders and campfires!

Being a chef is a very physical profession. You need to remain on your feet almost constantly. Along with that, you must also be stirring, kneading, and chopping your foods. A strong physical body and mind is needed. You cannot afford to be hungry when you are cooking for others. One must be prepared mentally that a kitchen will be scorching hot throughout the working hours. You must be able to multi task – it is a good experience doing the work of another person when he is on leave.

Some chefs make good teachers and many don’t. Many chefs forget that teaching is different from doing!! Teaching has its own pace and style that must engage students and keep them motivated. Teaching chefs should always have control of the class. One of the best ways for a chef to try to see if he or she has a knack for teaching is to start on a small scale to a group of people free of charge. This is not for certification but more so for personal experience and personal appraisal. This informal cooking class should be directed to unfamiliar faces. Truly great teaching chefs are both born and made.

With the right blend of talent, drive and teaching ability, good teaching chefs can groom the great cooks of tomorrow! The best teaching chefs are not who shout at the participants when they make a mistake but who walk the aisle to give hints or corrections to students while they prep and cook. Good cooks and teachers understand that failure is an option, and that’s ok. It is only through failure that we learn. Risk taking and doing things for the first time are like making an omelette for the first time. The first omelette may turn out wrong – but did anyone stop making omelette when the first one went wrong?

Thank you Mr. Rama...........you are not forgotten

2010-09-06T08:24:00.000+08:00

I once had a mentor. He is no more. However, whatever I have learnt from him stays with me for life. The late Mr. M K Ramachandra of Ananda Bhavan Restaurant in Singapore was my mentor for almost a decade. Well, almost every Indian family, practically most vegetarians and all pet lovers in Singapore knows Mr. Rama. I had the privilege of working closely on several projects with Mr. Rama and soon a relationship begun – an everlasting bond of a teacher and a student; like a father and a daughter; like a guru and his disciple; like two good platonic friends. Yet, at one time when I did not know him well enough, I used to think he is ‘nuts’.

The first time I met him and had a conversation with him, he angered me. It was during a meeting in Little India. Everyone at the meeting was Indians and he chided me for speaking in English. I felt very embarrassed and from then onwards tried my level best to speak in Tamil when in his company. I thought he may be from a Tamil school but it is only later that I found out that he is from the English medium and spoke and wrote good English. He was a pro-Tamilian – always spoke up for the Tamils, he canvassed for government brochures and leaftlets to be printed in Tamil. He participated in events that were based on Tamil and promoted Speak Tamil Language week.

Mr. Rama was a staunch vegetarian and he always propagated vegetarian diet to me and all others he met. I am sure anyone and everyone who knows him and who is reading this blog will agree with me that he must have at least once in his conversation asked them to be a vegetarian. He used to share with me a fact that it is not healthy to eat animals because most of the farmed animals have been fed with antibiotics which are bad for human consumption. He said that if I eat excessive meat than I will be ingesting excessive amounts of cholesterol, making me dangerously susceptible to heart attacks. He said many of the world's massive environmental problems could be solved by the reduction or elimination of meat-eating, including global warming, loss of topsoil, and loss of rainforests and species extinction. He said there will be less starving people if people stopped eating meat and the reason is because livestock pasture needs cut drastically into land which could otherwise be used to grow food and also because vast quantities of food which could feed humans is fed to livestock raised to produce meat. He had a logical reason for everything he said. He ensured that he has messages about vegetarian food all over his restaurants. He supported vegetarian movements and he only sold vegetarian food in the restaurant.

A great supporter of animal rights and animal liberation movements, Mr. Rama was an animal lover. One can see his face glowing when talked about the animal friends he has at home. He goes round the island and picks up stray dogs or cats and put them in a rented terrance house for which he spends almost $2000 a month and he even hired a caretaker to take care of the 100 over cats he had picked up! A few years ago, he was very concerned about the pet tiger and Malayan sun bear that went missing in the Sixth Avenue area. He gave his personal money of $4000 to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society which launched a search operation for the two

Each time, I spoke to Mr. Rama, I learnt something new for a lifetime. He had guided me on several occasions to gain my aspired objectives. He always knew how to do, what to do and why to do something. Since he was an experienced successful restaurateur, businessman and a community leader he had passed many obstacles in life and he taught me how not to go through those experiences so that I could work efficiently with fewer mistakes. He also taught me how to cover the mistakes I have made.

He helped me build confidence and belief when I failed in my first spice retail business. You see, I was blind with wanting to be successful in a business that was going nowhere. At the nick of the time, he questioned and analyzed my business and discouraged me from continuing. I was angry and upset that instead of saying encouraging words, he discouraged me. But today, when I think back, I am grateful to him. When I was depressed with financial burdens of business and when everyone around me were making fun of my venture that failed, he encouraged and incite me not to give up trying and to try the correct strategy when I venture into another business. Mr. Rama is always about “Perseverance is the most important aspect of a successful business and you must always try, try and try until you get it right, it may take years.” And he will cite examples of Milton Hershey, Simon Cowell, Mrs. Field, Colonel Sanders, Steve Jobs and many other successful people.

He told me that we should never stop trying something new. He was never a sweet talker and sometimes his words were harsh but he meant good. He was one of the most honest persons I ever came across in my life as he spoke the truth without icing it. Sometimes he hurt me with cruel words about my strong headiness. And we will have heated arguments but at the end of it all, he won because he meant well. Like I said, he was like my late father – he had a temper that was so short and yet a wonderful person. He once shared with me the importance of friendship to him. He has several friends and many of them were from the time he was a child. Friendship without humility is a waste of time to him as he believes that both parties must be willing to admit if they are wrong at the time of quarrel or conflict and that both parties must be willing to listen and accept advice from each other. He will occasionally point this out to me because he said he had learnt many things from me and from seeing from my angle of thoughts.

He always told me that he is running a successful business because he thinks and he made it mandatory that the customer is important. Loyal customers of his restaurant return for more and they spread the good word about his restaurant to their friends and family. I learnt from him that good customer care comes from a good customer care team and he ensured that the staffs of Ananda Bhavan were giving good service. He was there personally to supervise; sometimes he personally replies to complaints and he stops to listen to customers in his restaurant.

Every time I published a cookbook or every time something interesting happens in my life or every time there is an article about me in the newspapers or if I am featured on a TV program, I would get a texted message, a voice message or an email from Mr. Rama congratulating me. He was always there to give compliments when I deserved it. I think the compliments he gave enhanced the bond between us too as it created positive feelings in me to want to do even better the next time. The compliments enhanced a sense of self worth! He remembered to give me a compliment even when he was ill in bed and the last time I heard his voice was exactly two months before he passed away and at that time he told me, "don't work so hard and neglect your health. Health is very important and an illness may strike you anytime and illness does not look at whether you are rich or poor, fat or slim, whether you are a good person or a bad person."

Mr. Rama believed that good reputation is one of the keys for a successful business and to be able to close a particular deal or to be trusted by the community. He said “Good reputation means to be a straight forward person who will do what you say and who will carry yourself with a high level of dignity and who will also respect the professionals around you. If you conduct yourself with dignity and give others the same respect they deserve you will be treated in an equal manner and you can build a good relationship and reputation – whether you are rich, poor, educated or uneducated!”

Once I questioned him with regards to who is the woman behind his success and he quickly said “my wife Bhanu!” He said his wife’s choices, desires and needs are something he will never neglect or compromise for anything else. Mr. Rama said that her opinion matters to him and he ensures that he spends quality time with her and also take time to have holidays together often. He told me on several occasions, that he wants to ensure she will become an independent lady with lots of inner strength to make decisions on her own and to run a company. He believes that women are strong and that they can do multi tasking. He told me that he was grateful to God that he has a wonderful wife who gives him the strength to handle day to day matters!

Mr. Rama, my good friend and mentor passed away exactly one year ago and he lives in the memories of many and will certainly be in mine forever. Thank you Mr. Rama for all that you have done for me. I am grateful.

Immersion at Airways Hotel, Papua New Guinea

2010-08-13T13:45:00.000+08:00

The Airways Hotel is one of the best hotel in Papua New Guinea! It is an independent hotel and has over 500 staff, hotel rooms, apartments, restaurant, bars, cigar lounge, a good gym, retail outlets, a spa and only 2 minutes from the international airport.

The Health and Racquet Club was fitted with stunning décor, good cardio and strength exercise equipment, a lap pool, squash courts, sports massage rooms, saunas and nice beautiful Zen garden that overlooks the mountains, sea and the valley……..I loved the great positioning of the gym – surrounded by serene beautiful landscape with good fresh air. My room was so comfortable but unfortunately I had no time to laze around on the king sized bed with 5 pillows! I forgot ………….each room had a Nespresso coffee maker with assorted coffee capsules !!!

Chef Arnitha and I were there to train the kitchen staff to cook Asian food and to conduct master cooking classes that were opened to the public. It was one of the most enlightening experiences in my life – working in a sophisticated huge kitchen but with lots of staff who were not hospitality or culinary school trained. This staffs were so quick to understand instructions that at times I thought it puts my staff in my restaurant to shame!

For about 3 days Chef Arnitha and I started work at about 9 in the morning and train and cook with the staff to prepare Asian buffet dishes for the Poolside Café at the Airways Restaurant. The staffs were than expected to replicate the same dishes for dinner or another occasion. My carefully planned kitchen tested recipes were not put to good use there as the genius staffs in the kitchen were able to gauge food ingredients by just lifting it up and then tell the weight! And measuring cups were hardly used as huge ladles were used as measuring cups. We had to substitute ingredients as not all Asian ingredients were available in Papua New Guinea. I realized that not much food is wasted. Even trimmings of vegetables are thrown into the stock pot. There is absolutely no stock powder, MSG or stock cubes used in the kitchen!! Everything is made from basic. The kitchen is well organized under the supervision of Chef Rajiv and Chef Ravi. Chef Rajiv is from India and he heads the Bacchus Fine Dining Restaurant and also conducts master classes. Chef Ravi is from Negri Sembilan, Malaysia and has several years of work experience in Vietnam. Both these very patient chefs had very calm, unassuming personalities. I guess it was the environment they were working. They did have their share of stories to tell of the frustrations of working with staff that are not F & B trained but they have got along well and at the end of the day, work was done and the hotel guests appreciate that.

We conducted a couple of master classes that were attended by the expats and the locals of Papua New Guinea. I enjoyed teaching and working in the well organized Bacchus kitchen – pride of Chef Rajiv! During this trip, I made some wonderful friends and that include the chefs, the cooks and some of the students. Special mention is to George Constantine, one of the owners of family owned Airways Hotel, Pankaj Pandey, Kevin Yaxley, Graham Ablett, Shankar Ghoshal and new girlfriends Ms. Allison Kindelspire and Ms. Debra Lam Murray. Everyone was a joy to work with and know as friends.

Am I patriotic to Singapore?

2010-08-09T01:24:00.000+08:00

The husband mentioned something and I asked him “What is happening tomorrow?” and he looked at me cynically, almost angrily and commented “Tomorrow is National Day. You cannot remember it and you are not patriotic at all.” I laughed and told him “Well, you only remember it because it is a public holiday for you and you waited for this day; whereas I work every day and am self-employed and therefore public holidays are just another day”.

picture taken off the internet

What he said about met set me thinking? Am I a patriotic Singaporean? What is being patriotic then? My late father, used to tell my siblings and I that only when we vote or pay our taxes then we are true citizens of Singapore. Shanmugam puts out a Singapore flag outside the house every year without fail as he is patriotic to Singapore. I am glad for him. I have friends staying in HDB flats where the Residents’ Committee members go door to door selling flags and encouraging residents to put up the flag. Patriotism did not come from the heart for many!! It is even awful to know that some organizations wanted to try to break Guinness Book of Records by hanging the most number of flags on a said date and time!! Well, I do pay my taxes and I do vote but I never put out a flag.

I am not educated enough to understand politics thoroughly but I have enough education to understand, to recognize, to criticize and disagree when I do not like certain political views. And I dare stand up to comment or write to the Forum in the Straits Times without worrying if I am going to be called up or questioned by any authority. Therefore I think I am patriotic because I do not ‘close my eyes’ or behave like a hypocrite and just discuss issues I don’t like amongst good friends and taxi drivers!

I also feel that I am patriotic because I have compassion and tolerance for all the different races that stay with me in Singapore. Every day, I come across so many types of people everywhere. The Filipino domestic maids who wash the cars of their masters at the car park; the Chinese, Thai, Indian foreign workers who travel in the lorries to work; the European expats; the tourists, the PRs and all citizens of Singapore – all living harmoniously – that itself is being patriotic otherwise there will be racial clashes and fights.

Sometimes, I do ask myself a question, especially when I see Tamil movies or watch the Indian news on Sun TV – if I feel so much for the Indians, does it mean I am not patriotic to my country? I realized that being patriotic is different from being compassionate to people whether they are of your kind or from another community. So then does one become patriotic to a country because he was born there? Or can he be patriotic to an ideal country he chooses to be patriotic to? I think you can choose the country you want to be patriotic to.

I see parents bringing their children to watch the National Day Parade or even on TV – they are educating their children about the importance of patriotism. But these are the same parents whom I hear saying “my children have no future in Singapore” and they plan and save to send their children abroad and even encourage them to work and start a family in another country. I see little children with flags painted on their cheeks, I see people wearing red and white clothing, I see so many things happening around me just before National Day………..but how many of these people truly understand why they are doing certain acts or do they understand what is being patriotic to a country.

Will I die for my country? I will if I am standing in the battlefield with the army from another country. But I will not if a foreign worker is going to rob me off my day’s earnings. Being patriotic is about being respectful and trusting to our country just like we would show respect and trust on our spouses or children. Being loyal to my country is very important to me as well as to all who live here. My family and my community shaped me to who I am today and guess what; my community was shaped by the government here. Let us look at it this way – we cannot receive what we want for ourselves unless we give something from ourselves.

I am proud of my country. My red passport says volumes at immigration and custom offices. “I am from Singapore” is always said with the head up and big smile. “You are from Singapore” is always said by the other party with a smile too……..Singapore is a well renown celebrity on its own.

When I go overseas I give patriotic gifts to my friends and hosts. I may not buy a figurine of the Merlion to decorate my house but I will go for it when I want to buy a gift from Singapore. My patriotic gifts are ways to show love, consideration and appreciation to the country I was born in!! I feel patriotism when I give it to someone in another country and explain to them what it is.

I respect all people in uniform be it the army, the police, the nurses, the drivers or the NEA officers. I think they are patriotic too. Just wearing a T-shirt with the Singapore flag on National Day is not patriotic enough. One must treat Singapore like they would look after their homes – flush after you leave the toilet; don’t litter when no one is looking; don’t vandalize or urine in the lift. Don’t speak ill of the ruling party behind their back and then wait for the CPF top up. Pay your taxes so that you get good clean roads that are dug and re-surfaced every few years. Pay your taxes so that you get good telephone and internet service. Don’t try to cheat the government by under declaring your income! In your free time, do some social service for the under privileged brothers and sisters of the nation.

Instead of buying Gucci and Prada, go for locally made products as far as possible. Encourage your family to eat local fruits like papaya and bananas instead of cherries and kiwifruits. Travel round Singapore and know the roads, the back lanes and the place of interest very well before even talking about travelling to Johor! Get to know the stories and history of Singapore. Buy and read story books written by Singaporean authors. Buy and cook from cookbooks written by Singaporeans instead of rushing to buy a Jamie Oliver’s. Buy bouquets of Vanda Miss Joaquim and give your girlfriend or someone in hospital instead of going for imported carnations and roses! Make it a point to watch a Singapore produced film.

Well, instead of running away for the long weekend to enjoy a holiday in a neighboring country, stay back and celebrate with the others. Instead of watching TV the whole of National Day do some constructive work. Learn about each other’s culture and mix around with your neighbors and get to know them first before complaining that Singaporeans are not as friendly as the American who says “hi there” to everyone on the street. Instead of going to Cambodia, Thailand or Haiti to do social work, help the poor and needy in Singapore!! Instead of saying this is an unfair country; see if you have said something unfair after enjoying and indulging the perks you receive from the country.

To me if one does at least 70% of what I have listed above, he or she is patriotic to her country and I found out………….I am patriotic to Singapore!

What I learnt from PNG

2010-08-08T16:41:00.000+08:00

Many Marriages

It is alright for a man to have several wives but a woman must be married to one man only!! I met Bundi, a chef at a hotel who has three wives. His Wife No. 3 who is 16 years old was a gift to him from the villagers. They gave him a wife as a present as a token of appreciation for all the financial and moral support he gave the village people.

Innocence
I learnt that lots of people think Indians only live in India. I came across a school teacher in one of the settlements and she asked me “are you from India” and when I told her that I am from Singapore, she was shocked and said “I didn’t know there are black people in Singapore!”. I simply burst into laughter.

Birthdays
Most of the older people in Papua New Guinea do not know their birthdays or their own age! And therefore I think only the younger generations of people celebrate their birthdays.

WanTok System
The most enlightening thing I learnt from the Papua New Guinean is the WanTok system which basically means 'friend' system or those speaking the same language. When someone needs something like money, a room to stay, clothes or has a big event like birthdays or wedding, they go to all of their friends and tell them about it and their friends will pool their resources and help contribute to this event – even as much as donate a chicken for the party etc. On a personal sight, I think this system will make the people poorer as they always seem to be going round in circles within their own kind of people and therefore not exposed to new things that is happening in the world. If most offices and the government is practicing the WanTok system, then I guess most of the offices and businesses are dominated by relatives and friends which may also be the downfall of the company or a government!! I guess in a typical office, all the staff who will then be relatives and friends will have more time to gossip and waste time. Guess what – if someone dies in the family, half or more of the office people will be on leave as they will all be relatives! Though it is nice to know that our relatives and friends will help one based on the ‘WanTok’ system – it also means the system will be able to breed a big chunk of citizens who will become lazy, expecting others to help all the time. And it will be stressful on the diligent ones.

Pidgin English
They speak Pidgin based English in Papua New Guinea. It was interesting and amusing. Some words I learnt:

• Bagarap – broken – like you would use to break palm sugar. To me it sounded vulgar like the use of “bugger up”

• Balus – aeroplane or bird

• Bilong wanem – why?

• Belo – lunch

• Hamamas – happy

• Haus – house

• Haus meri -lady domestic maid

• Haus moni -bank

• Haus sik -hospital

• Liklik house – toilet

• Kaikai – food or it also means eat

• Kakaruk – chicken

• Manki – small boy

• Man meri – people

• Maus gras – moustache

• Meri - woman

• pikinini - child

• rokrok - frog

• sapos - if

• sista or sousa – sister

• susu - milk

Bilums

A bilum is a bag made by hand using string with a process called string looping. Well it is more like crocheting. It used to be strings made from plant materials but this days they also make bilum with wool and nylon strings. The use of wool yarns and nylon has brought about very colorful bilums that are highly visible especially so with the different color combinations and patterns! Every Papua New Guinean use a bilum for something or another – be it for carrying their shopping or their babies. I observed that men carried bilums with longer handles and women were carrying bilums with shorter handles. Some people carry the bilum using their forehead or neck!!

Food Matters in Papua New Guinea

2010-08-02T01:23:00.000+08:00

Port Moresby has only a few large markets where fresh produce is sold daily and large supermarkets which sell local and imported goods. Every street corner you look, there is a little stall selling betel nuts and cigarettes!! Like all chefs the world over Chef Arnitha and I visited a couple of markets of Papua New Guinea. We went to the Gordon’s market and another market whose name just escaped my mind at this moment. I loved the markets I went – the tiny stalls are basically low tables with the vegetables and fruits displayed; some had the food stuff spread out on the floor. Everyone had a smile and was ever ready to be photographed! There seemed to be many jobless people sitting around chewing their betel nuts doing nothing except gossiping or following the philosophy of “life is but to sit and stare”.

I found out that all markets in Papua New Guinea will definitely have stalls selling tobacco, betel nuts and sago flour.

PNG has its own native vegetables, fruits and nuts. “Sugar fruit” also known as passion fruit in other parts of the world is a common fruit. It is available throughout the year. You can go bananas over the types of bananas that are available in this island. Bananas are also one of the staple foods of the people of Papua New Guinea. Apparently there are more than 30 varieties of bananas from the dwarf types to the giant types used as a staple as well as cooked in the form of simple desserts.

Yam, Kaukau, sweet potato, sweet potato and rice is the staple food of the Papua New Guineans. The root vegetables are more often cooked with chicken or pork and coconut milk into a stew like dish. I guess ingredients and cooking methods will also vary from area to area in Papua New Guinea. Coconuts are used widely in coastal areas and therefore I think it may not be used in abundance in the Highlands. Spices are hardly used in their cuisine. I heard from some of the natives of PNG that one of the home favorites is sardines in cans and corned beef with rice. As for green vegetables, the most commonly used leaves are called the Ibeka – this is a kind of spinach. I also came across many types of dwarf tomatoes and chillies. But the chillies though small and pretty, are deadlier than the chilli padies.

I also came across another interesting food item called the curry nuts. They were longish, brown on the outside and white inside and definitely did not smell of curry!! I tried it raw and taste of an in between of coconut and almond. Apparently, the PNG people eat it roasted.

Most people cook over open fire and a lot of times it seems food is just wrapped in banana leaves and placed directly on the fire. If they have a function like a wedding, a large pit called the mumu is dug with rocks layed in and then the fire is lit it seems. I never got an opportunity to see this but from the description I get from the different people I spoke to, it sounds like a great way of cooking. Some leaves are placed on it and then the meat and root vegetables along with leafy vegetables like the choko (also known as chow chow in Asia) leaves are placed over it and thick coconut milk is poured over the food and more leaves are used to cover it and then the food is left to cook in the hot rock. It sounds so good and yet I never got an opportunity to try it! Pork and chicken is the favored meat here. Mud crabs are huge and meaty. They are literally covered with mud.

For the beer drinkers, Papua New Guinea has 2 beers - SP Lager and SP Export Lager!

Until I went to Papua New Guinea, I have had no idea that PNG produces one of the best coffee beans in the world!! Yes, the Arabica and the Robusta beans and the ever popular, expensive Blue Mountain coffee is also from Papua New Guinea. Most of the coffee grown in Papua New Guinea is organic. Coffee drinking is such a delight in PNG and of course I had to buy several packets of freshly ground good coffee. Each night I cannot wait for the morning, to sit and enjoy another cup of coffee at breakfast time….mmmmmmmm.

Papua New Guinea - paradise undiscovered by many!

2010-08-01T03:36:00.001+08:00

Chef Arnitha and I reached Port Moresby by Air Niugini, capital of Papua New Guinea at about 7 am on a Monday morning. We were there for a mission – to train chefs and cooks at the famous Airways Hotel to cook Asian food and prepare the food for the Asian Food Festival lunch and dinner buffets for the next 5 days.

Few days before we left for PNG, friends and relatives have been cautioning us with regards to our safety. Everyone had a story to tell – “better to go in groups otherwise you will be robbed”; “they drink human blood”; “it is a country of uncivilized people running around with bows and arrows”; “don’t venture out on the streets after dark and even better during the day”. The last sentence was said by my mother!.

As I am typing this, I know one thing – never listen or believe until you see it for yourself!! The people of Papua New Guinea are just wonderful! They had such toothy smile. They are kind and humble and many of them shy. I felt as if I know many of them before. There are many poor people around but I certainly did not see any beggars nor did I come across touts.

Although most Papua New Guineans have dark skin – they are certainly not like the Africans. Their features are softer and I hardly came across anyone with a bad complexion. Papua New Guinea is also home of Chinese, Indians, loads of Australians and New Zealanders. There are over 800 languages spoken in this island it seems! I was told that if you are a Papua New Guinean, you will be able to look at the structure of a person and tell which province of PNG he is from – example, whether he is from the Highlands, Madang, Central etc.

Throughout my 7 days of stay at Papua New Guinea I came across only one spectacled person – which means their eye sight is very good. I did not come across any sexily dressed ladies nor did I come across a woman with make up on her face. Most people had frizzy hair that almost never needs no combing. Though majority of the people in PNG are Christians, I did not see an image of Jesus or Mary anywhere.

I always believed that Indians chew lots of betel leaves and paan but now I think otherwise. I noticed several people with bright red stained teeth and lips and found out that the people of PNG do indulge in betel nut chewing! You can see it everywhere – bright red dried spit on the road and on the walls. Apparently they chew betel nuts, limestone powder and a kind of stick called the mustard stick. Chewing betel nuts suppresses hunger and heightens the senses – to a kind of high like you get from drinking strong coffee I guess.

Our new PNG friend Fabian Chow, whose family owns Lae Biscuit Company Limited in Papua New Guinea brought us to what he calls the “Settlement”. A Settlement is established by migrants from the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea. Apparently, half of Port Moresby’s population lives in squatter like places called Settlement. Simple homes are built with pieces of aluminum, scrap kind of wood, plastic and canvas sheets. Here most people do not get water or electricity supplies as well as sewerage facilities.

Only a few people staying at the Settlements have a job or they may have very low salaried jobs and therefore every family lacks funds. It is because of these conditions that PNG is reputed to have violence, rape, prostitution,drugs and crimes. I heard car junking by thugs wielding machetes are common but then I feel all these are happening because of poverty and oppression by police and politicians. I guess everyone here live on a day-to-day basis and try to survive. But as we were in the midst of them, celebrating a boy’s five year old birthday, I could only think of one thing – the friendliness of these people and the freedom they have compared to those staying in a house that has locked gates or armed security guards, guard dogs or wire fence!! Here I saw happy poor families – all trying to survive – just like all of us all over the world!!

National Flag of Papua New Guinea -

Currency used in Papua New Guinea is Kina (dollar) and Toea (coins)

More of my experience...............coming soon

My Mother and I

2010-06-29T00:31:00.000+08:00

I am so happy. For many years, I wanted to share with people how my mother had been a very influential person in my career and for shaping my basic character and finally I had a chance to when the writer Lin Wenjian interviewed me for the Sunday Times, just after Mothers' Day this year. Here is the full text and the photo is also taken by a Sunday Times photographer.

Wed, May 19, 2010

The Straits Times
by Lin Wenjian

To those who have tasted her cooking or tried her recipes, Devagi Sanmugam is a well-regarded chef and cookbook author. But in the eyes of her mother Anjalai Markandan, 73, Devagi will always be a child. The 54-year-old owner of the Spice Queen restaurant in Race Course Road says with a laugh: 'Even though I'm already in my 50s, she will still tell me to go home early if I am not home by 11pm and she will not go to bed until I call her to say I'm home. And she will do the same to all her other children.' Devagi has six younger siblings - two sisters and four brothers - who are aged between 38 and 52.

The mutual affection between Madam Anjalai and her seven children is obvious even though she lives on her own in a three-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio. Her husband was a machine operator before he died of pulmonary edema, or water in the lungs, in 2001. 'We asked her to live with us many times but she feels that she may become a nuisance to us if she does that,' Devagi explains. Also, as Madam Anjalai says in Tamil, which Devagi helps to translate: 'I like my independence.' But that does not mean that the elderly woman, who suffers from diabetes, is neglected.

'We call her every day - my brothers call once, I call twice while my sisters call her four or five times - and we will also visit her regularly and on special occasions such as Mother's Day,' says Devagi, who is married to a 63-year-old teacher and has no children.

When the family does get together, there is always a lot of cooking as Devagi confirms: 'My mother cooks very well and as the house we grew up in was small, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen.
'You could say we grew up with the smell of food and now three of my siblings are also chefs and cooks.'
Devagi could already whip up simple dishes such as fried vermicelli at the age of 12.
Besides being a competent cook, wife and mother, Madam Anjalai also took on several jobs, such as sewing clothes in a factory, to supplement the family income when the children were young.

What was your childhood like?
Devagi: I was born in a kampung in the Yio Chu Kang area. We were tenants in a house owned by a Nonya family. I lived there for seven years before moving to a two-room flat in MacPherson. The lack of privacy was a problem because there were so many of us and my younger siblings used to peep at my things in the room. Being the eldest child, I was also expected to always set a good example.

What was your parenting style?
Anjalai: In those days, taking care of children was not difficult as they were very obedient. As a mother, I always try to understand my children's characters and know that some of them are more sensitive than others so that I could bring them up differently.

Devagi: She was always very sensitive towards us and would not hurt our feelings.

How has your mother influenced your career?
Devagi: Besides being a great cook, my mother was very hospitable, which I try to be now at work. Even though we were poor, if somebody told her that he was coming to our house, my mother would borrow money from a neighbour just so she could go marketing to cook for him. I also inherited from her the focus and discipline needed in cooking.

Anjalai: I always tell her that when we cook, the ingredients must be fresh and clean, and we must always cook happily because that way, the food will taste better and the people eating it will be happy.

What was Devagi like as a child?
Anjalai: She was a disciplined girl who listened to me and was never rebellious.

Devagi: There was always a baby to care for so I was left on my own most of the time. But I understood that my mother had to look after my siblings and was not jealous of them.

So there has never been any disagreement between the two of you?
Anjalai: I never like to scold people, so I don't think so.

Devagi: I had an argument with her when I was in Secondary 1 or 2. I cannot recall the reason for it but I remember that for two or three days after that, I refused to let her comb my hair. In the end, she complained to my father who told me that when I was a baby, my mother would sleep on my wet clothes during rainy days because we did not have an iron and she wanted to dry them with her body warmth. I was very touched when I heard it and apologised to her after that.

In what way has Devagi made you proud?
Anjalai: I am very proud that she has written so many cookbooks and that people like her and talk to her. I am also happy that we are like friends.

Devagi: My mother is part of my daily life. I talk to her every day and also share my problems with her even though she is illiterate and may not understand what I say. From her, I have also learnt to love and care for people.

If the parent-child roles were reversed, would you do anything differently?
Devagi: I would give my daughters more freedom (laughs). I was not allowed to have boyfriends when I was young and if I needed to stay out after 9pm, I had to be accompanied by my brothers.

Anjalai: I would try to further my studies after finishing secondary school.

Casio BGA 200, my new sleeping partner

2010-06-06T02:58:00.000+08:00

“For every minute that is wasted in business could mean the loss of revenue or another potential client” – something I hear from successful business people all the time. This is seen for every business including a one or two man operated business. Since the duties of the company will be either put on you totally or split between partners, keeping your time organized will not only free you up to focus on other business related issues, which will allow you take care of more each and every day, it will also help lead you to success.

Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours you need to treat every minute precious. Some people work so efficient that it seems they can get 10 hours done in half the time. While other people waste their time and are always trying to play catch up. Every time they get caught up on the work from yesterday, tomorrow they will have to get caught up on the work they had to skip from today……..don’t know if it makes sense to you……..

Keeping your company organized will allow you to stay on track when it comes to day to day operations. Organizing day to day operations will allow you to group activities that need to be addressed together. So if you need to pick up printing paper, ink for the printer and some marker pens, you should be able to do this in one shot. So instead of making three trips during the week, do them all in one shot. This will not only save you time on having to go out to the store for the things you need, it will also allow you to stay in a steady progress without having to leave what you are doing to run out.

To organize myself is actually very easy. I make a list of my day to day operations so that I can see what I need to do during the week. This will help create an outline of what I will need to do for my business and will give me a time table to run my business by. Making a time table and tracking my time will help my business run more efficient and effective……..even if I do not have a multi-million dollar business – I know with organized time I can achieve to be the next multi millionaire.

Time is important to me and I respect other peoples’ time too. You never know how other people view their time. Whether they see their time as precious or valuable, waiting is something that few people like to do. Being late and keeping people waiting sends a message that not only do you not care about their time being wasted, but that you are incapable of managing your own time. Therefore as far as possible, I will strive to be at least 5 minutes earlier for all appointment and if I am going to be late or late, I will ensure that the other party is told.

Another reason why managing your time well is important is because it puts you first in line. Remember the famous saying “the early bird gets the worm". Have you ever noticed that the first person in a seminar room or even for the matter an open ticket concert gets the best seat. The first person at a temple or church gets a better view too. You might get the best of something in a supermarket if you went there first. Getting out of bed gives us more hours to do whatever we want to do too.

And what is the best way to organize my time……….wear a watch!! I go to bed with one and remove my watch only when I am having a shower. That does not mean I look at the watch ever minute. Over the years, I wear only a Casio watch when going to bed so that I can look at time …just in case I get up at night. My good friend presented me with a new Casio BGA 200……..all shocking pink and black – my favorite colors. It has world time for 48 countries………keeping me on my toes for all the travelling I have to do this year.

From today, it is my new sleeping partner! But I am a big flirt. I change my watches as and when I like and I love to have more watches in my collection. Some of these big watch guys are so expensive for my keep but I have spotted a few and am keeping watch on them.......... :-)

Bless My Food Always

2010-04-11T14:11:00.000+08:00

Before my late grandmother starts eating her meals, she will take a very small portion of the food in her right hand, bring the hand nearer to the chest, close her eyes, mumble something, look up to the ceiling, smile and then put that bit of food at the edge of the plate and then carry on eating the rest of the food. She would finish every bit of food on her plate except that bit of food at the edge of her plate. I asked her why she does this everyday and I was told that, she had asked God to taste the food and blessed it and therefore had left it at the corner for God to come anytime to eat the food……….well, your sincerely, had sat down next to my grandma just so that one day I may get a glimpse of God eating the food and I never witnessed it.

But her habit did not die with her…..I follow it but very discreetly so that I don’t have to answer everyone I sit down to eat with. Yes, I grew up affirming that if we want to stay healthy and maintain a happy face, great even emotion, clearer complexion we will have to pray over our food and drink before consuming it. I am glad I grew spiritually instead of just gorging myself with food. I believe I have to pray over my food and drink more so if it is prepared by someone else………even my Amma as she too may have her bad days. Just like food is energy, our body, mind and soul are energy too and energy is transmitted by touch you know? We can pass some very minute atom of energy – good and bad when we prepare food and another person eats it.

As I grew spiritually and increase my sensitivity, I realized that my body grew in sensitivity too. As soon as a ‘bad’ food enters me, I react by feeling nauseated so that I will have to throw up, or drink lots of water to flush or dilute it. I believe that food prepared and served by people who have ‘bad’ energy brings your energy level down. That is why I offer my food and drink to God, the highest energy to bless. Yes, but then I am not just asking my food to be blessed, I also thank God that I am blessed with lots of food now, food as my career and food to nourish and strength my body. I thank God for giving me the brains to think of what I should and should not eat. I do sometimes have guilt feeling when I have to throw away food that I cannot finish into the garbage bin, for which I thanked God for.

Teaching our children to consistently ask a blessing at meals sets an example they will remember when they become parents, but then how many parents set an example. The children grew up thinking food comes through exchanges of dollars and cents. In these very fast paced lives, we have a chance to stop for a breather, to thank God and to be grateful for the food we eat and when we pause to think and thank God, we become relaxed and so we help our digestive system to work better!

When I was working in a Catholic school, I remember typing verses for prayers "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves" and "…He took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat". It funny and weird and I have goose pimples now as I am typing this…..I can’t imagine me remembering these lines after more than 30 years!! I guess it is FOOD, very much chiseled in my brain! The Hindus have Prasatham - food that has first been offered to God and thus this food is considered sacred and is given to those who pray at the temple.

One need not be religious or pious to ask God to bless his or her food. The prayer for the modern person is:

“Dear God, I thank you very much for providing me this meal. Please bless my food and make it energize and nourish my body. Please protect my every multiplying cells from any harmful bacteria, virus and germs that entered the food through the processing or the environment. Please let my body feel and be alert if a particular food cannot synergize with my body. I thank you God.”

Letting go of my Jaguar dreams..........

2010-04-10T00:21:00.000+08:00

When I was 18 years old, I told my father that I wanted to learn driving. He laughed at me and said “Don’t waste money. We will never be rich enough to buy a car.” At that age, I thought what he said made sense. I started teaching cooking when I was about 26 years old. Students will come to the cooking classes either by car, by taxi or chauffeur driven and of course there were many who came by bus. I was fascinated by the students who got dropped off and then picked up again by their drivers. “They must be filthy rich”, this is what went in my mind each time I see these tai-tais being dropped. And one day, I saw it………the regal JAGUAR at close range and I sat in it. My student Maria had a shiny, elegant, graceful and classy liquid silver Jaguar with a leaping Jaguar in front of the car. She gave me a lift till Thomson Plaza….. By the way her Malay chauffer, Suleiman drove the car. Travelling in that car was like floating, like just gliding without noise. The interior was cool, comfortable and spacious and the seats leather. I could feel people turning their heads in the street to look at the Jaguar with me sitting upright proudly, passing them…..this car really made people stop and pay attention and it invoked a desire in me – to want to own it one day.

That day, I decided that if I ever buy a car, it has to be a Jaguar - even if it had to be a second hand car. That became my goal – to one day, buy a Jaguar and have a driver drive me around. Over the years, I could have learnt driving and got a car for myself but I was afraid of learning – I feared that I might end up driving some other type of car and not enjoy the luxury of having a driver. I am 54 now, have not made enough money to buy a Jaguar or employ a driver……….I think I will be realistic and let go of my goal to want to possess a Jaguar car. I don’t want to have super expectations – I could not achieve my goal in the last 30 years.

Sometimes, I wonder if this goal of mine was realistic. I have taken the steps to write down the pros and cons of owning a Jaguar car plus a driver. I have had millions of night dreams of myself in Jaguar cars in all the colors – emerald fire, botanical green, winter gold, radiance, ebony and salsa. In my dreams sometimes the Jaguars were driven by Richard Gere, John Abraham, Anthony Bourdain, Luciano Pavarotti and even Robert Pattinson not long ago!

I am going to allow myself to mourn defeat and failure for a couple of days. I know the husband, the friends and acquaintances are going to laugh at me for changing my mind after many years but do I care for them? Since they all knew my dream and goal, did anyone ever thought of hiring a Jaguar just for any of my birthdays and drive me around? No. They did not. Did anyone at least steal me a leaping Jaguar from someone else’s car? No they did not….therefore they are not entitled to laugh at me for changing my goal. Sometimes I am in two minds – whether to repeatedly write my affirmations – or repeatedly re-energize my visualizations………after all the leaping Jaguar means speed and power………Perhaps, I should still hang on………and Hope. Perhaps, someone will remember to rent a Jaguar hearse for my funeral so that I will have my last ride – in a Jaguar car and chauffeur driven.

Blood is thicker than water

2010-04-07T11:02:00.000+08:00

Last week, I met all my siblings and their families at my mum’s place. We meet often. It is interesting to note that although we siblings are not so close enough to talk to each other every day, except for a couple of them, we are all still emotionally attached.

I have begun to realize that sibling relationships are emotionally powerful and critically important not only in childhood but over the course of a lifetime for everyone. My siblings form my first peer group when I was a child! It is through our siblings that we learn social skills, particularly in managing conflict, from negotiating with brothers and sisters hehehhe…….I did. Sibling relationships can provide a significant source of continuity throughout a child's lifetime and are likely to be the longest relationships that most people experience……..our husbands, best friends and boyfriends only come later in our lives. There is no one that can replace the close relationship that can be found between siblings who share a family as well as a friendship!

I guess the importance and the nature of our relationship with siblings vary for each individual – it all depends on the circumstances and also the development stage and what is our ranking in the birth order of siblings – whether you are the oldest child, the middle person or the last child in the family; the gender of the sibling and the age gap.

Our contact with our siblings increases as we age. As people move from middle age to older adulthood, they often feel emotionally closer to their siblings and have less conflict. Even those over 80 years old have an average of one living sibling and a majority of older adults consider one of their siblings to be a close friend. We share biological and cultural heritage with our siblings, as well as memories based on shared history......hahah.

In some families, the siblings hardly talk together and I feel sorry for the parents who will be the most affected when siblings don’t get along well. The parents will suffer in between the siblings who argue and backbite with each other. There are many reasons why siblings have problem between them when they are older – one sibling can be jealous of the other because of wealth, looks, better spouse, good home or an attitude problem etc. If you competed over grades, sports, or music ability when you were younger, as adults you're likely to compete over careers, children, the size of your house, and whose spouse is more attractive.

Marriage usually brings a certain amount of distance between siblings. If siblings don't approve of your choice in a spouse, the tension can be great. Siblings have to come to terms with the reality that you will no longer be as immediately available and that your loyalties and priorities will be first to your spouse instead of to them

We have to come to terms that as siblings get older and more established in their own lives, it's easy to drift apart. Even if you do everything you can to stay close, a certain amount of distancing is definitely there. The demands of a spouse, children, education, career, a home, money problems, troubled teenagers and many other realities of life can put sibling relationships to a distance for a while and then the space will narrow as the siblings grow older.

When siblings leave the parents’ home after marriage, it is not unusual for their relationship to lapse during the early and middle years of adulthood. Often, what brings siblings together in later life is the need to care for their parents. Brothers and sisters who have not had much contact for years may find themselves working together to coordinate care for one or both of their aging parents. I know of families where the stress of looking after a sick parent cause old patterns of rivalry between siblings due to conflict. How siblings stay united to look after their aged parents or another aged sibling, depends on the history of their relationship – if they have all been close, the tasks of looking after becomes divided equally and if not, one or two of the siblings will distance themselves to avoid their responsibility. It happens in many families and it is a shame that grown up siblings quarrel and bitch about each other when they should actually set an example to their own children! By nature early competition and rivalries between siblings must lessen, and a new comradeship and closeness should emerge as you grow older.

The person who is most instrumental to nurturing sibling bonding is naturally the parents! And I have my Amma to be thankful – for giving me many siblings and for ensuring that we all keep in touch and constantly reminding us that the siblings should keep in touch long after she is no more. We will stay united Amma, I assure you despite our differences in size and shapes, IQs and EQs, health and wealth. Cheers to all siblings!

Attitude can open Heaven or Hell

2010-04-03T02:30:00.000+08:00

I have seen many of them in my life. The ones who smile at me as if the sun is living on their faces and the same ones who stare or frown at me on another day as if they are in deep pain or have lost something precious on that day. I call this Attitude Problem. If someone has an attitude problem, it clearly means trouble and loneliness in existence.

What is attitude problem then? It means a disposition that is unacceptable. I guess on the whole because our approach to life’s situations is different from others, we see the ‘attitude’ problem of others. Good attitudes to life’s situations can open doors and bad attitudes can build barriers!! Many people I know, including loved ones have lost number of friends, left number of jobs, lost loves and relationships because of malfunction in attitude. A person with attitude problem is also a social snob who pushes away friends and family and become isolated.

When I think of a person with attitude problem he or she can be rude, uncouth and cold at times when others least expects them to behave that way because there are many people out there who look so refine and elegant and who can throw you off balance with their peppery words and body language. Some people who have attitude problem actually suffer from self-pity. These sorts of persons need ‘fixing’ to help them take life’s situations easily as they always tend to think most other people are luckier than them. Then there are some who constantly find fault with other people’s behavior not knowing that they have more problems on their backs or who fail to realize that on many occasions they do have the same attitude or behavior as the person whom they are complaining about.

And there are workplace colleagues who can have attitude problems. The ones who cannot do their own job well but who criticize their colleagues; the ones who sigh when the phone rings; the ones who just stare at you and walk away when you wish them a good weekend. Then there are the kids and youths of today who just have the most horrible attitude problem. They have no respect for the elders and their teachers or their fellow classmates too.

You don’t just wake up with an attitude problem one morning. Attitudes are very deep personal beliefs and they probably take years to develop and therefore will take time to change. Some develop such attitudes because they never mixed around with different kinds of characters when they were younger; some become like that because they live alone and do not socialize much; some have attitude problem because they think they are smart or very nice looking but their attitude makes the onlooker see them as stupid and ugly. Some grow up with attitude problem because someone in their family has the same habit. Some simply have attitude problem because they are suffering in pain but never get to solve their physical suffering. Some behave in such manner because they miss a loved one.

The prettiest women can look ugly within a second because of an attitude problem and the most unattractive women can become beautiful within a second because of her attitude to life’s situations. Body language – the pitch of voice, tone of voice, movement and gestures can also show the attitude problem of some people. Many people with attitude problem are attention seekers although they will swear they are low profile people. They know very well that attitude makes people pay more attention to them and talk to them and they must be enjoying it to continuously have that attitude problem in them!! I hope God will phase out creating people with attitude problem…….maybe we can have people created with buttons on them so that if we see anyone with a bad attitude, we can switch off that button and switch on the good attitude button!!

Some may not agree with my opinion, but then you see, I have an attitude problem too – I make up my mind to agree to what I have concluded.

Am I trusting?

2010-03-24T09:37:00.000+08:00

As a young girl, I dreamt of the perfect wedding ceremony but never gave a thought of what marriage is all about. When I was a teenager I wished for the perfect man who will love me, who will protect me and who keep me company but never gave a thought to how I will get that man or how I will cherish him for a lifetime. Then when I became an adult I wished for the characters that appeared in romantic movies and story books – you know what I mean – that kind of man who will die for you or kill for you. It is funny how in all that years of growing up, nobody, absolutely nobody ever told me how to be there to reach that ideal relationship – it was only dreams and fantasies.

I realized that it is very difficult to find a trustworthy person in this world. Those who have read James Clavell's novel Shogun may remember the English characther who said "it was sad that you couldn't fully trust anyone". A Japanese samurai replied him, "No, it's not sad, it's just one of life's most important rules." The world is full of very selfish people, so into themselves. You see selfish children everywhere, you see selfish parents, and you see people trying to seek attention everywhere but not giving attention to others. Life is not the same as it used to be 40 years ago. Trust was there then.

My parents used to look around to see if we are listening and talk in whispers of about someone else’s divorce. Divorce was a dirty word then. But these days, children are liberally using the word ‘divorce’ and children understand that parents may split one day. I would have never thought of my parents splitting. Children understand that people divorce because “her father has a girlfriend” or “my friend’s mother cannot get along with the father and so they are divorced”. Today the meaning of “cheating” is very vague. When a married guy is sending cute messages to his colleague, it is considered cheating; when a married woman goes out for a drink with her male colleague, it is considered cheating and therefore the word cheating is very confusing.

My grandmother would drag me to the kitchen and rub a chilli on my lips if she caught me telling even white lies! In school, teachers punished us if we tell lies about our homework. Nowadays so many people lie and get away with it because "you cannot punish children". And these children grow up into adults who will still lie and get away. You can now file false police reports, false civil charges, spread horrible rumors, slander a person through the internet for millions to read.

When mobile phones were unheard of and when most houses did not have a phone, people still dated! A couple fix a date verbally when they meet or may even set a date through a friend and keep to that appointment. Now, I can take time off from a busy schedule, spend money and effort on taxi fare and go to meet a person who probably had confirmed the meeting last night..........and yet wait for the longest time and find that the person does not show up and had turn off the phone!! This is a clear untrustworthy act because we go for that apppointment on the basis of trust - trust that the person will be there. This is the sort of time, I want to smash someone's head with a durian!
Well the experts and those who do counseling say the most important aspect of a successful marriage or relationship is Communication! I do agree. Nowadays people do not communicate and the irony is that – there are the phones, the SKYPE, the internet etc to communicate. You see a husband texting messages or chatting with a friend using his mobile phone at the restaurant while having dinner with his wife. You see children texting messages or chatting or listening to music. You see the homemaker wife sitting in front of the computer and communicating with faraway people through the Facebook. And therefore the conclusion is….they are all communicating but with the wrong people!

So then, someone, the odd one out who does not rely on man-made inventions to communicate will be feeling lonely and neglected and not getting the attention he or she very much needed. And therefore that person may find the passion somewhere else. The lonely man, the lonely woman, the lonely child now goes to the chat room or networking sites to get instant gratification for the ‘contact’ with a person; for that attention and so the real cheating begins. How can one be romantic when he or she is worried more about his/her own needs? Do you realize that once we become selfish to the needs of our spouse, we are no longer trustworthy?

During my younger days, my parents will switch off the TV when there is a violent scene – maybe a scene of a man hitting another man…….for fear that we children may copy that behavior and hit our siblings or friends. But today, many sit down as a family to watch a movie that portrays violence; watch immoral behaviors; we see sex, lies and drama and we now don’t worry if any child or teenager may copy that behavior portrayed on the show. Now people find these kinds of shows entertaining and they do ‘copy’ what they see on TV.

But really and truly, is it possible to be trustworthy? Trust is very important in a friendship. Trust is important in our business dealings. But it takes a certain amount of self-awareness and effort to be that person. But then how many are putting that kind of effort to make a better marriage or to raise better children or be better friends? Well, if we start putting that effort first, the people around us will feel assured and become more trusting and slowly we all can become that trustworthy person!

the MRT people

2010-03-22T20:10:00.000+08:00

I wish I have the superhero power of being able to snap my fingers and get to any destination but then I do not. Recently, I started to take the MRT frequently for point to point travelling. Each day I am learning a lot about people and Singaporeans in general.

I smile at everyone but I get frowns from most people. There are some people who smile at their mobile phones though.
At a time when the train is full, I see handbags and shopping bags taking a seat too.

Some bags take the space of the aisle where many are standing.
I think 70% of people are using their mobile phones or listening to music via their mobile phones and therefore nobody is looking at each other and smiling
And I observed that some teenagers have huge, long legs that occupy lots of space on the aisle and therefore one need to constantly tell them “excuse me”.
Pregnant women, the old, the physically disabled and children still do not get priority seating as whoever is seated at that seat is sleeping or pretending to sleep
Many hog the exit way and don’t even move a degree

There are couples who demonstrate their love in public……..I do wonder if next year they will still be showing their love to each other with the same intensity
A lady took the opportunity to utilize her time by clipping her finger nails in full view of the public and she even filed her nails in the train
There were some sleeping with saliva drooling out of their mouth
I saw a dirty old man, moving inch by inch towards a pretty young thing, just so that he could probably smell her perfume or sweat
there were the mothers who constantly went "hold tight"; ""don't move" or "are you tired?"

I am without a friend in the train; everyone has something to do except for me - therefore I only observe :-)

Gifts - Giving and Receiving

2010-02-05T07:44:00.000+08:00

Like almost everyone on Earth, I love to receive gifts and I love to give away gifts too. We know someone out there cares when we receive a gift and we increase the bond between us and the person to whom we give something.

Before I give something, I will first have to reflect as to what is my relationship with that person is and what kind of gift is suitable, how much of effort I am going to put in and how much I want to spend and what the person likes or dislikes. Or whether I should make the gift or just grab the nearest thing on the shelf of a shop.

I know that we all want to be loved but more than that, as I grow older, I realize that loving is more rewarding than being loved! Only when you love you can enjoy being loved.

Do you how suffocating it feels to be loved when we can’t return the feelings? When we love, we have to give and if giving is one way to feel mindful and loving then the person who enjoy our giving must not be denied the chance of reciprocating. A good friend pointed this out to me when I rejected an offer from her to cut an ingrown toenail.

I contemplated and realized then that I should not feel guilt or fear that the other party may not like doing things for us……… but think the other way – what about thinking what giving can mean to the giver. In order to have a successful and a long relationship with spouses, siblings, friends and colleagues both parties need to feel effective and experience themselves as caring.

I remember reading somewhere that Aristotle said that it is difficult to forgive someone who has done a favor for us. This made sense to me. Just give a thought to it, it may be better to give than to receive, unless one wants to give the joy of giving.

Generally, I think women happily receives a gift and enjoy it but I think men take a present in their hand, wondering what they should give the other person immediately…..I find men have a sense of obligation to the person who give it. But then in movies, story books and history books, you hear and see of kings who received lots of gifts from neighboring countries to bond relationships. Those days, countries were seen as rich when they exchange expensive gifts of gold coins and diamonds. For these kings, I guess receiving presents was more of a status symbol and to prolong relationships.

I love receiving gifts and I love the feeling when I give presents. There is joy in choosing, wrapping, giving and watching how the gift brings happiness to a person. I have friends who reciprocate a gift with a dollar to dollar back gift!!! If they know I have spent $50 on a gift for them, I get a $50 value of gift from them the next time and so it has been going for years!! For me, even if it is a stingy poker who is giving me a gift, I will be happy and grateful to receive it……..after all he had thought of me to give me a gift!!

Manchow Soup, Cauliflower Manchurian.......is this Chinese cuisine?

2010-02-03T01:22:00.000+08:00

Spice Queen Restaurant is having a unique food promotion for the month of February – it is Indo-Chinese cuisine. Surprised and wondering why a ‘spice’ restaurant is selling ‘Chinese’ cuisine? Indo Chinese cuisine is not new to the Indian food scene. The cuisine has been in India for years. Indian-Chinese food is one of the most popular styles of cooking in India. The cuisine is believed to have originated with the Chinese in Calcutta, a community that emigrated from China to India in search of economic freedom starting in the late 1700s. The Hakkas, an ethnic group of Han Chinese who were settled in the area of northeast China known as Manchuria were the early settlers in India.

They brought with them the traditional styles of Cantonese and Hakka cooking - the result is a satisfying hybrid cuisine, created from two very different communities and food cultures! Because the Hakkas were forced to settle in less-than-ideal lands, their diet relied heavily on dried and preserved ingredients such as fermented bean curd and salty mustard greens. With its robust flavors and spices, Indian-Chinese cuisine is very different from the Chinese food served in Chinese restaurants in Singapore.

Beef and pork are absent in Indo-Chinese because of the population of Hindus and Muslims and therefore the popular meats include chicken, mutton, prawns and fish. Non-Chinese vegetables such as cauliflower and potato are very much part of the cuisine. One of the main styles of Indian-Chinese food is Manchurian, and a popular dish is Gobi Manchurian, cauliflower fritters in a thick sauce. This dish comes either in a dry version or a version dripping with sauce. The word Manchuria reminds me of ancient Chinese warriors with long beard and a head dress. Some say the dishes are called “Manchurian” as it is named after the region of Manchuria in northeast Asia. Chicken, prawns, fish and paneer Manchurian dishes are all cooked by coating the ingredients in a light batter, deep frying it and then tossing it in a lightly spiced sauce.

The staples are usually fried rice which is done with dried chillies or chilli paste and lots of tomato ketchup and the noodles, the most popular being Hakka Noodles and the Dragon Noodles. Noodle dishes are usually prepared with dried egg noodles, lots vegetables like cabbage, capsicum, carrot, chilli sauce and tomato ketchup.

Desserts are usually Dates Pancake or Honey Noodles Ice Cream. For a taste of Indo-Chinese cuisine only for the month of February 2010, head towards SPICE QUEEN Restaurant, 24 & 26 Race Course Road, Singapore 218549. Call 62552440 or visit the website www.spice-queen.com

Bright Colored, Pretty High Heels.......

2010-02-01T18:08:00.000+08:00

I love to wear bright colored, pretty high heels. If I am wearing one, somehow my body confidence increased by that much. I do feel stylish, feel taller, my short legs are flattered and overall it gives a chic appearance. High heels have been in fashion for many years and they can make or break an office outfit. It is said that heels can make a women look sexier and have more shapely legs but although this may be true to some extent, then there is nothing sexy about the long term damage that high heels can do to one! Most of my young slim friends who have narrow feet feel comfortable wearing high heels but for some they can be a hindrance causing aches and pains that often prevents them from wearing them more often or spoils a good night out.

I do know that many women choose to endure pain and discomfort in the name of style!! Some can’t even walk without wobbling in those heels but they will still wear them. Some people choose to endure pain and discomfort in the name of fashion ...... and underestimate the health risks of high-heeled shoes.

I am one of those unlucky ones who cannot wear high heels comfortably for more than 1 hour. As I grew older I learnt that high heels can be a potential damage to the back, legs and feet. Honestly, I feel ashamed that for many years I have been torturing my feet by forcing it into a painfully slanted forward position into narrow pointed high heels. My toes will also be scrunched together and bent in an upward position. The muscles and joints in my feet were therefore naturally affected, and over time this started to seriously damage my hamstring muscles in the back of my legs. And I developed bunions on my feet and a host of other foot ailments - from blisters, callous, corn to heel pain. I could wear dancing shoes for hours as they are athletic shoes designed to balance our weight properly and have built in supports and stay put on our feet. The only problem was I cannot wear them on the streets. A PR friend of mine suffers from a chronic lower back pain that came about when her spine bend backward to compensate the forward push of her body when she walked in heels for many years. She also suffers from occasional ankle sprains.

“Heels over two inches affect the natural way you walk and can put seven times the pressure on the ball of our feet and can harm the bones”, said my podiatrist many years ago.

I do agree with him. I realized that wearing shorter heels that are no higher than 2 inches considerably reduce the amount of pressure and pain. Using comfortable insoles and support cushions minimize discomfort. I cannot tolerate flat shoes as it makes me feel stumpy when I walk and posture wise, the 2 inches high heels are the best for me. I have started buying short, chunky heels with plenty of room for my toes. I find that lower heels give me more stability, better shock absorption and greater comfort. I also realized that wearing backless high heel shoes or sandals for a long period can cause muscle strain. A strap keeps my feet from sliding forward when I walk.

I no longer get carried away when I look at pretty high heeled shoes but have become the matured person who looks at my health, safety and comfort. Pretty shoes are nice to look at …..SIGH……….

Temptations are High on Hot Stuff

2010-02-01T01:41:00.000+08:00

These days, I feel that I'm addicted to chillies. If I'm eating noodles, I'll always need fresh cut chillies especially small red fiery hot, bird’s eyes chillies in soy sauce to go with it. When I eat out at my restaurant, SPICE QUEEN, my staff ensure that a small sauce plate of chillies or sambal comes along with my food.

But I was not like this when I was younger. My father used to cane me because I refuse to eat certain dishes because that would be the only dishes my mum would have cooked for the day. I used to be such that I rather go to bed hungry than eat something spicy hot.
Now it is different. It is chillies and more chillies in my life. Since most of my friends are non-Indians, many have the notion that chillies are bad for health. Some of my Chinese friends told me that eating chillies causes pimples to surface on the face and trust me I never had pimples when I was young or now. Then my German friend, Kristie Buss, told me that chillies can cause diarhoea and stomach upsets. Another Indian friend said “chillies can cause loss of memory and also promotes blindness or eyesight problems”.

I think chillies are great. They are beautiful to look, to touch, to smell and to cook. Not only that, they are great fresh, dried, ground, crumbled, pounded, cut into strips, pickled, and the list goes on.

Today, a friend said that his doctor said chillies can cause ulcer. And so I did further research on my favourite subject – SPICE. Do you know that some people classify chillies as a ‘fruit’.

Chillie became extremely popular in India after it was first brought to India by Vasco-da-Gama. Chillie found its way in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical system. According to Ayurveda, chillie has many medicinal properties such as stimulating good digestion and endorphins, a natural pain killer to relieve pains. A survey conducted in Singapore in 1994 shows that the incidence of gastric ulcers is more common among the Chinese than among Indians and Malays who eat far more chillies. In another study on animals, it was found that the active ingredient capsaicin in chillies, increases gastric blood flow and protects the stomach from damage. It also encourages the healing of experimental gastric ulcer. It seems taking a dose of chilli actually protects the stomach from subsequent damage by aspirin or alcohol.

By the way, if you want to relieve yourself off a fiery mouthful of chillie, do not reach for ice water!! Drink milk or yoghurt as capsaicin dissolves very well in the presence of fats. Hence, the Indians always serve raita, a light salad with yoghurt dressing as an accompaniment with all their fiery hot dishes.

Chillie has also been used to help relieve arthritic pain. And ironically, that burning sensation stimulates the release of endorphins, which make us feel good - which explains why some people like me just can't get enough of the stuff!!!

Fingers- The Best fork, spoon and knife - SINCE THE DARK AGES!

2010-01-31T23:23:00.000+08:00

My mother would break up small morsels of food with her fingers before feeding it to me when I was very young. I trusted the love that was transmitted through her fingertips. I could eat everything that she fed me because I knew it was the right temperature and that it won’t burn my mouth; the food would have been broken to fit my mouth and mixed with the right amount of curry so that I could swallow the food and make it slide down my esophagus. I am one of those who believe that Indian food should be eaten with the fingers. Eating Indian food with our fingers improves the taste of the food greatly.

Eating with the fingers is sensual and liberating. According to traditional Indians one's taste buds can actually get awakened with the touch of one's fingertips. We are not just eating with the mouth alone, but also with the eyes, nose and fingers………. visual presentation, aroma and difference of textures are what make the difference between a good meal and a great one, right?

Our fingers are very sensitive to touch and so can help our enjoyment of food because not only are the fingertips centres of acupressure, but each fingertip relates to one element of the universe: air, water, earth, fire and ether. Another important reason is that our fingertips transmit emotions. Our fingers happen to be the most hygienic eating tools that we have.

And who said the other races don’t use their fingers. The Japanese use their fingers to eat sushi; the British eat their fish and chips with their fingers, the Americans eat their burgers and corn on the cob with their fingers and people from practically every country in the world use the fingers to eat something or another.
Well, to enjoy food, use your fingers. But keep your fingers clean, wash your hands before you eat. Keep nails short and if possible no nail varnish. Eat only food cooked with good authentic ingredients otherwise you end up with yellowed fingernails due to the use of adulterated ingredients in the cooking.

The Smell of Coffee

2010-01-31T01:54:00.000+08:00

“Mmmm... There's absolutely nothing better than waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee....” said my friend. I too love the smell of coffee. I've never been able to drink it too much of it though, but I love the smell just too much! Over the years, I have tried drinking coffee from various establishments. I have bought and tried all brands of coffee powder, but some coffee just did not agree with me. Then 5 years ago, I found out how I can drink coffee, enjoy it till the last drop and still not suffer any stomach discomfort- I had to eat something and drink coffee example, have a slice of cake or a piece of cookie while having a cup of coffee! I guess it was the balancing of the acid in the coffee.

Do you know that a number of perfume counters have coffee beans for people to smell in between smelling different perfumes? Do you know why smelling coffee beans enhance our ability to smell different perfumes? A perfume is a mix of many different molecules of smell and that's why the smell of a good perfume "unfolds" over many hours, as the various molecules gradually evaporate.
Repeated exposure to a particular smell causes "adaptation". Do you remember all the bad smells in your environment you are so used to that you no longer think “this is awful” and hold your nose? Coffee beans are a pungent olfactory stimulus that is quite different from the components of most perfumes. Therefore, smelling coffee beans is a way of cleaning your "olfactory palate." This process is something like eating crackers or sipping water in between samples at a wine tasting. Olfactory adaptation is diminished by smelling coffee, so you can sample more perfumes.

The husband used to say that I should have been born a dog as I am constantly smelling and sniffing the air for smells of food. Perhaps I can smell better because I am smelling coffee forever!! I had a chance to develop some recipes with coffee for a coffee establishment. I had to smell even more coffee and I started falling in love with that smell.

After reading the book Pour Your Heart into It by Howard Schultz – the Starbucks CEO, I had a kick out of visiting Starbucks, at least twice a week and tried all kinds of gourmet coffees but I also visited the joints because I could get the free heavenly smell of coffee.

Recently, I bought the Bialetti Mokka Express from Italy. This works on a stove top – no plugs, no cords and no nonsense....just fill with water to the indicated mark, put your coffee granules into the upper basket, join the two halves together and then put in on the stove top. Hear it gurgle and you have one of the best coffee.....

Guess what, born into an Indian family, drinking Indian filtered coffee, and then Chinese thick coffee, American coffee, French style coffee for a while and now I have become the Italian coffee connoisseur!
Mmmmmmmm........a cup of coffee anyone??

My Bread and Butter

2009-10-04T00:31:00.000+08:00

I don’t know why I love bread the way I do, but I can’t help it - warm fresh bread is like a little chunk of baked heaven!! I think fresh bread is very comforting, reassuring and I feel as if I am cuddled from the inside as I am eating it  It makes me happy. Eating nice warm bread spread with butter is one hell of an ultimate comfort food for me.

The great thing is that I am not alone in my love for bread, there are lots of people out there who share my same view. My young friend, Arnitha said, “I can eat bread everyday and survive”.

And I love the butter that glorifies by bread eating sessions. My favourite butter is President and Lurpak. I will not forget the Five Star butter I had in the US, the lingering smell and taste of Double Devon Cream butter of UK and the French butter my late friend Anna brought – I think it is called Celle Sur Belle. I hate to spread cold butter on my bread. It has to be room temperature. I remember my younger days when Amma used to keep butter floating in a bowl of water!! That was the time when there was no refrigerator and the butter was considered expensive.
I told a friend that my favourite food is bread and butter and she laughed like crazy. I told a guy friend that my favourite food is bread and butter when he asked me what I liked to eat most and he too laughed non-stop before he asked me “are you joking?”. I think these friends of my mine think that only the economically challenged eat bread and butter. And some think bread is meant to be eaten only at breakfast. Maybe, I should say things in a more sophisticated way when people ask me such questions next time –“I love buttered bread” heheheee…..

A dear, very unforgettable friend Steve said “I think you are a bread and butter snob”. Yes. I am and I love being that kind of snob. I love to choose my bread and butter – the quality is important to me.

I love fresh bread, warm and nice or toasted and crusty. I love to see the butter melt into it. There is certainly something very fascinating about melted butter on my bread, you know what I mean? It’s like if the bread is so thirsty, it is drinking melted gold!! The smell of the rich butter, the nice saltiness of the butter, the moistness of the melted butter and then the crunch of the crusty bread………..aiyoh……..so good……… I am going to have one now.

GARLIC BREAD WITH 3-CHEESE

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
50 g salted butter, room temperature
2 garlic cloves, mashed
150 g feta cheese, crumbled
100 g Monterey Jack cheese, grated
50 g very finely chopped spring onions
150 g Parmesan cheese, grated
Thick bread slices
Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 200°C.
2 Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.
3 Spread the above mixture on each slice of bread. Top with the grated
Parmesan cheese and press it down lightly.
4 Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired and bake till cheese melts.
5 serve hot preferably.

HUGS BREED MORE HUGS

2009-08-11T09:38:00.000+08:00

Over the years, I have come to realize that most of my friends who are exposed to hugs are often very expressive and warm, while those who are not hugged very much or are not shown affection by their family usually grow up putting a distance between themselves and other people. I also realized from observation that children in hugging households are equipped with emotional skills that facilitate healthy interpersonal relationships.

Hugging is a gesture of affirmation, appreciation, and acknowledgement. A child who is hugged often acquires a positive self-concept, whereas a child who is hug-starved or does not receive any other form of affirmation at home will start asking, “Am I loved here?” The act of hugging transfers energy and generates positive emotional stimulation, resulting in happiness!! Besides feeling connected through a hug, we feel safe, we feel supported, we feel understood, we feel important, we feel accepted. Physical contact and stimulation are absolutely necessary for our overall well-being. Hugging a person by wrapping one's arms around the other's neck or waist or touching faces cheek to cheek is, without a doubt, one of the most common demonstrations of affection. And not only do children need a hug, our old parents, our friends and even our colleagues.

Whenever I read the newspapers, I used to ponder as so why some cultures bloodier than others? Why is it that some people from some cultural background take great pleasure in "killing, torturing, or mutilating the enemy." Others did not. What is the difference? I feel it is physical affection - touching, holding, and carrying!! The communities that hugged their kids were relatively peaceful. The cultures that treated their children coldly produced brutal adults. If your relationship with somebody is not working, try hugging him 20 times a day and there will be a significant difference!!

Hugging is being used even as an aid in treating some physical illnesses. For example, touch stimulates nerve endings, thereby helping in relieving pain. Any health problem makes the sufferer feel vulnerable, frightened, angry, frustrated and helpless. Hugging can give him the positive emotional state necessary to make these changes. In one study, pet ownership was seen to contribute to the survival of heart patients. The cuddling of pets has a soothing effect that reduces the stress levels in heart attack victims.

Dear friend, try to recollect the last time you hugged somebody or somebody hugged you. If it was too long ago or if the answer may be 'never', you are the kind who flinches from physical contact! So the next time we meet, let’s hug to seal a friendship 

Platonic Relationships

2009-08-04T03:29:00.000+08:00

Can a man really be "just friends" with a woman? Does platonic relationship really exists?

In Tamil movies, the boy and girl go to the same school, do homework together, eat together, play together, roll on the ground together and when they grow up one of them will be dreaming of the other in a romantic manner!! Because all of a sudden this character realizes he or she has a strange feeling called ‘love’ for the other person and so the story goes……..Some will get married and live happily ever after and some will marry someone else and leave the childhood friend heart-broken.
The question now is – can a male and female have a close relationship without getting sex and romantic love in the way? I think it is possible because I have some wonderful male friends. True friendships are perhaps the best thing one can experience in her lifetime. It is a great feeling to have someone by your side or on the other side, who will not judge you, who will be with you through ups and downs, talk to you about anything in the world, cleverly and stupidly. I realize that if you keep ‘gender’ out of a friendship, you can share everything you do with another same sex friend – bonding and being for each other, except that in this case it is the person of the opposite sex.

So many times, I have to say “he’s just a friend’ and many times I have heard of “it’s hard to believe that platonic relationships can exist”. I think society predicts how friendship between two people of the opposite sex will fail because intimate feelings will get involved……..some pessimists think that more than half of the friendship is vying for ways to bed the other person  But I do agree that I have come across stories of one party in a friendship who is likely to harbor some stronger intimate feelings for the other. The other party may be completely unaware of such affection. In this case, I think this friendship could just be a guise to become closer to the other person.

Well, this kind of instances in a platonic relationship can bring along a disaster or a blessing!! Relationships which started off as platonic and ended in marriage is a comfortable relationship as there are no pretences from the beginning. Marriages out of such relationships tend to last longer.
But what happens when one party shows the ‘ugly’ side of himself or herself and brings the platonic relationship to a standstill with the forbidden word ‘sex’ when the other person does not feel the same? It can well be the end of the relationship as both parties will never ever be comfortable with each other anymore. Disappointment and anger are two possible ends to the relationship.

Having said that, I stress that platonic relationships do exist – but one must work harder to build such relationship that may require additional work as well as some prior agreements to allow it to be a healthy relationship. Both persons must be upfront about their feelings from the beginning. If for some reason romantic sentiments arise, than it is best to address the issue from the beginning and decide whether it is wise to pursue a platonic relationship with that person.

If you are married or have a steady relationship with someone, it is best to tell them about your platonic relationship. You will have to assure them that even though the other person is your best friend, you do not have a romantic feeling for him or her and that what you have is a feeling of care and friendship. Introducing the two of them to each to avoid misunderstanding in future is a good way to bring about a peaceful life too. You have to tell your partner that what you have is a feeling of care and friendship. And tell your partner that you are being honest and there is nothing wrong that you are doing with your platonic friend.

Here’s to good friendship. Cheers.

Your Friend on a Diet?

2009-08-03T02:10:00.000+08:00

Do you know that it is very difficult to live on a special meal diet? Not because I can’t but because the loved ones around me don’t allow me to! And they don’t even know that they are doing this to me.
To be on a diet or on a special meal diet is not that easy. You can quit smoking, you can quit drugs but you can’t quit eating altogether right? And the loved ones and friends eating near you and around you stop you right on the track. So if you are my friend, your support is very important when I go on a special diet.

It is important to appreciate your friend’s motivation and in order to understand the best way to be supportive, find out from your friend the reason for her wanting to go on this diet example - is she trying to lose weight or body fat? Or is she dieting because of health concerns like diabetes or high cholesterol or does she want to look and feel younger?

What you can do as a close friend or a relative is not to tempt your friend. When going out to eat, suggest restaurants with healthy menu options. Since alcohol is high in calories refrain from ordering that in front of your friend. Don’t give your friend presents that are food related example - do not give a box of chocolate when you return from your holiday! Try to eat in and eat healthy food together and always have healthy snacks in your fridge if your dieting friend is visiting you.

Give moral support to your friend by giving comments like “since you started on your diet, you seem to be more energetic” or “your skin is looking very good now”. Refrain from telling your friend “you are not fat” or “you don’t need to go on a diet”. You will have to take note that diet is supposed to be on improving health than on losing weight!

While you are with your friend, you need not be a food police. Don’t constantly point out to her that “you should not eat this” and or “don’t eat that”. And another important point – do not announce to the whole world that she is on a diet…….your friend may not like that. Be supportive but not control. It’s the dieter’s responsibility to be in control of her food. Because she is the one who is going to suffer the consequences. Trust me, it is normal to backslide sometimes and have cheat meals here and there.

You can join your friend in the whole process of dieting, even if you are skinny to the bones – diet for health reasons. Eat a healthy meal and support your friend and in the process look after yourself too!

Women and Gold

2009-08-01T00:31:00.000+08:00

I came across a long time friend in Little India last week. We were both born on the same year and month. We studied in different schools though we stayed in the same neighborhood.
During my teenage years, I have seen her always neat and tidy. She got married in her late twenties and I did not see her for almost 27 years. And when I saw her in Little India the other day, I had a pleasant shock. She was so unkempt and dressed very shabbily. But what shocked me was – she had about 6 gold chains on her neck, about 8-12 gold bangles on each of her arm and gold rings on all her fingers and each of her ear lobes had about 4 gold studs and heavy gold earrings!! She was almost a mini walking goldsmith shop. I teased her and asked if she is showing off her collection and she said “what else is there in life for me?”. I did not know how to re-act to that statement of hers but it set me thinking of the many women who would save money to buy gold ornaments and wear the ornaments either everyday like my friend or keep it in the drawer for special occasions.
Recession or no recession, the passion of buying gold jewellery among women never seems to die. The biggest show of gold can be witnessed at Indians weddings where the favourite topic amongst most women is always the new designs of jewellery especially of the bride. My mum used to tell me that these occasions are also the biggest chance for women to show off their own gold ornaments.
I know of a lady who ensured that her husband gives her only gold ornaments for her wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Deepavali etc. Some women even hide money from their husbands to buy a gold chain or a ring while also secretly setting aside cash for future buys.

When a baby girl is born in an Indian family she is gifted gold earnings or rings or chains by close relatives. Even at a funeral of a relative, some women would make sure to wear gold bangles, big fat gold chain and large earrings. “If I don’t do that, my relatives will think that I don’t posses any gold,” said a cousin of mine.

When I was about to get married, both my parents and in-laws were interested to know how much of gold I would have in my possession when I go to the in-laws house! Interestingly, one of the major discussions made when planning the wedding date etc was , “what is the weight?”. It’s a shame that my parents had to borrow a bit of money to ensure I had at least the minimum requirement of gold ornaments on me eg. 1 gold necklace, a set of earrings, 4 gold bangles.
Sometimes, I feel that this sacred metal is one of the main reasons behind the mentality of spending less on education and well being of the girls. Very conservative Indian parents are seen worried about arranging jewellery with whatever money they possess instead of spending that on education and skill building of their daughters.

On the other hand, my sister will tell me that gold provides financial security “it is my only property that gives me cash when I need it immediately”. And true enough, when I was going through a financial crunch at one point of my life, her gold ornaments were pledged in the pawnshop to help me!!!

I want color. I need color. I am affected by color!

2009-07-27T23:32:00.000+08:00

I love the color of colors. Colors influence my mood – the way my day starts and how I feel. It gives me the feeling of well being and contentment. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable in the company of a person whose colors clash with my mood for the day. I am of the opinion that colors also reflect individual personality.
When I eat out in a restaurant that has red on the wall, I usually want to stay longer in that place. Then I realized that we can be affected by the color itself as well as by its intensity. For example if I go a place that has white walls and ceiling, it gives that open, airy and inviting feeling compared to a room in which the ceiling is painted in dark color – the room will be very gloomy. As I grew up I also realized that people’s color preference is also influenced by country, religion, social background and even by gender. I realized that the Scandinavians preferred blues, the English like cool colors, the Africans like bright warm colors, the Hindus like red and yellow for celebration and the Chinese like red. Purple is a ladies’ color - you hardly see a man wearing purple!

My favourite colors are purple, pink, orange, red and green. I like them strong and bright and my wardrobe is all about these colors in different shades and textures.
A psychotherapist friend once analyzed my color preference and this is what he concluded about me based on colors I liked very much:
“You are interested in the world. You are friendly, talented and probably romantic. Friendly and sweet with a tendency to be innocent and a little naïve sometimes, you are a good natured extroverted people person and make a good business person. You tend to be fickle minded if you are doing a job you don’t like. People who like bright green are people who are concerned with doing the right thing and like to be admired. You are loyal and caring, intelligent and easily grasp new concepts. You have a tendency to gossip and love food.
The purple person in you is perplexing and highly creative with a quick perception of spiritual ideas. Only unconventional thinkers prefer purple. Generous and charming you are very sensitive and easily hurt. You have a tendency to be vane and moody. Purple people are easy to live with but hard to know. You can be secretive and often have conflicting traits.”

And the above is true of me!! So now, the next question is – my character determined what colors I like or the colors determine what character I should be. Do you know?

the Need to Express

2009-07-27T03:54:00.000+08:00

I feel expressing oneself is very important if you want to live a healthy life. I admire babies very much for one particular reason – they express themselves so well without worrying about what others will say – they cry their hearts out, they make the funniest sounds – gurgling and chattering and they don’t care when and where they poop! Animals express themselves too – the birds peck and screech to call its female bird friend; a dog that is leashed at a home barks at a female dog…oops I mean bitch, when it passes by.
Then there are people who will do anything and strange things to express themselves. I read somewhere that Van Gogh cut off his ear as an expression of love!! And there are people who write poems; others who draw; some like me cook and write; some even shave their heads to express. The monks and priests express through the power of prayers and then there are people who protests by marching with posters or going in groups shouting. Music is a tool for expressing oneself too and dancing…..an expression of carefree nature.
Expression and the need to express is within me and I cannot suppress it. Because I express, sometimes I get into trouble with loved ones and friends because they cannot accept my frankness.
But then, when you cannot accept the truth, are you not a fake?