<div align="center">Sanctuary from the Mad World </div>

<div align="center">Sanctuary from the Mad World </div> http://bookshop.multiply.com/ <a href="http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m143/bookshop/Currently%20reading%20list/?action=view&current=freakonomics.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m143/bookshop/Currently%20reading%20list/freakonomics.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a> And hope to read this soon: <a href="http://mieleguide.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.mieleguide.com/img/banners/Banner_468x60_red.gif" alt="The Miele Guide' /"></a> For my complete bookshelf, please go to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/233375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=banner_widget&shelf=read"><img alt=" my read shelf" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/badge/badge1.jpg" border="0"></a> <embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/D9aX-latj-/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"><a href="http://www.imeem.com/people/pi5vZGF/music/Df1T0Zz-/anna_wilson_a_house_a_home_habitat_for_humanity/"></a> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:14:20 -0000 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:40:00 -0000 <div align="center">Sanctuary from the Mad World </div> http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/logo http://bookshop.multiply.com 100 100 A summer affair I actually don't mind seasonal eating. Spring is for delicate white asparagus, summer for tomatoes and fruits, autumn for mushroom and squashes, and winter for sausages. I think it's much better to have limited amount of that season's specialty with its superior flavour and texture rather than have the same tepid variety throughout the year. So I'm currently in love with Cherry, summer's black pearl (and not the Blair variety). Who can resist heaps of heaps of this lustrous, little orbs containing dark, juicy, perfectly flavoured flesh? <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25353083@N02/2660142751/" title="Summer Cherries by bookshop_ng, on Flickr"><img width="400" height="470" border="0" align="middle" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2660142751_088a332307.jpg" alt="Summer Cherries"></a> http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/209/A_summer_affair Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:40:00 -0000 Mushroom Cream Soup My husband is in love with mushroom. He simply loves that overpowering fragrant and the tender and crunchy texture. So I thought this is the chance to get him to eat more vegetable and I made mushroom cream soup. There are tons of variations out there but the one from <a href="http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/194/Cream-of-Mushroom-Soup">Cooking for Engineers</a> is great for the use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roux">roux</a>, a mixture of butter and flour which is basically a thickening agent with a twist: it provides a silky texture to the soup and a somewhat added richness which marries so well with mushroom. I guess it's also OK to add in corn starch at the end for a quick version. This recipe calls for a use of zucchini because I love zucchini in soups (for a tinge of sweetness) and because I have one left-over which I don't know what to do with. Feel free to eliminate it. http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/125/Mushroom_Cream_Soup Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:30:15 -0000 A spontaneous night in town <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SHEw@AoKCtYAAHDxxME1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SHEw@AoKCtYAAHDxxME1/ono4.jpg?et=romZQL6%2CqB%2CWRpr%2CCYEBGw&nmid=0" border="0"></a>We don’t go out very often here. For one, things are very expensive and it almost doesn’t make sense to go out to have a cup of coffee when I can make it reasonably well at home for much less. That was not what I thought when we arrived in Switzerland. I thought I’d be hanging out in outdoor cafes every weekend all day long. Afterall, I did that in Jakarta religiously every weekend and the cafes here are more authentic and attractive. But that isn't the case. Anyway, last Saturday night after dinner, we went out for a little walk to enjoy the glowing sunset and aid digestion. Passing by Peterplatz at the University, there was no visible mark that, just twelve hours earlier, a bustling and teeming flohmarkt or flea market existed. We turned left to walk by Spalentor, one of the city’s old gates. I don't like going under the gate because it smells of drunk people. Passing by old stores with no customer and an equally empty but excellent Indian restaurant, we arriv... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/207/A_spontaneous_night_in_town Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:50:00 -0000 Pasta with grilled eggplant and sardine I thought up this dish when I was into roasting eggplants to make Jamie Oliver's Creamy Aubergine, Cannellini Bean and Ricotta Soup. Roasted eggplants yield amazing marrowy, sweet and fragrant meat. I thought it'd go well with fish, garlic, and chili in sort of a Mediterranean influenced pasta. I gave it a try today and I wasn't disappointed. The sweet tender flesh created an almost creamy and, dare I say, sensual dish with sardines and chili providing depth. I was lucky that the wine in the fridge was <a href="http://www.robertoanselmi.com/engl/sanvincenzo.htm" =""="">the 2006 Anselmi San Vincenzo</a>, a beautiful and refreshing food wine. http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/124/Pasta_with_grilled_eggplant_and_sardine Wed, 9 Jul 2008 18:27:39 -0000 Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs The book contains essays from famous chefs about their culinary disasters. Due to the sheer amount of writers, the result is unavoidably a mixed bag. Some, such as David Thompson and Anthony Bourdain, are great writers. Others miss the theme. The rest should not be allowed to write. The tales range from the tame (mostly about brawls in the kitchen ala <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Confidential-Adventures-Culinary-Underbelly/dp/0060934913">Kitchen Confidential</a>) to the outrageous (hiring a blind cook? Perhaps Chef Hamilton was forced by political correctness not to ask for any illness during a job interview?). Some (eg. Mario Batali) appear to write this just to get back to their boss as they are still bitter about the experience. However, chefs are a funny bunch. It’s entertaining to read the snippets of their habit through the answers of the following questions. Answers are all mine: a. what do you eat for breakfast? [Muesli with yoghurt or milk on weekdays, something luxurious like pancake, omelet, fruits, the works, for weekends] b. what dish would yo... http://bookshop.multiply.com/reviews/item/128 Sun, 6 Jul 2008 21:22:17 -0000 Eat Pray Love I've been severely tempted to buy this book because her travel brought her to Bali and I'm a sucker for anything Indonesian. But I was hesitant due to comments which label the book as whiny and excessively but emptily spiritual. But a good review of a friend made me think twice. I tried to like the book but failed. Sorry, Bert. Let me count the ways. The book started well enough with her travel to Italy but I cannot get over the idea how whiny she is without a proper cause. She complained of having gone through the biggest pain in her life but she initiated the divorce! Her intention of not airing dirty laundries from both side is laudable but that makes her bid for sympathy very hollow. The part in India? Well.. I'm practicing Yoga (or trying to) so I rather understand the philosophy behind it but her claim of reaching perfect state of happiness through meditation and all sounds very dubious and very western and rather misleading. I wonder how many long for a union wi... http://bookshop.multiply.com/reviews/item/127 Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:19:00 -0000 Chocolate Chip Cookies Thanks to <a href="http://chicaluna.multiply.com/recipes/item/82/Chocolate_Chip_Cookies">Chica</a>, I now have a great base for my cookies. Her recipe yields soft, buttery and chewy cookies, the type I also love. I modified the recipe slightly, by reducing the sugar and using espresso powder instead of coffee flavourings. She suggested the peanut butter alternative by adding chopped peanuts and 3 tbsp of peanut butter while I think of using <a href="http://southernfood.about.com/od/seasoningrecipes/r/bl30420l.htm">Pumpkin Spice</a> or simple grated ginger with lemon zest for the winter cookies. http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/123/Chocolate_Chip_Cookies Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:51:31 -0000 Unveiling... <a href="http://bookshop.blogsome.com/"></a><a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SGffWwoKCtYAABJIzs81"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SGffWwoKCtYAABJIzs81/screen%20capture.jpg?et=vyDJRTktwJwWLN%2Ced3AFgA&nmid=0" border="0"></a><a href="http://bookshop.blogsome.com/">My other Sanctuary...</a> I've been wanting to have another blog for quite some time. While Multiply serves the purpose for a while, I recently feel I need more: more words, more customization, more selective photographs. It's not exactly what I envisioned <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/120/Blogging">before</a> but things have changed and I do too. I started the project when my house 'redecoration' project (read: visiting IKEA) was stalled due to the <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/198/Housing_matters">ceiling crisis</a>. Feeling restless, I walked around and investigated <a href="http://fooddiary.blogsome.com/">Eliza</a>'s pretty blog. Blogsome is the perfect venue for me: it's free (very important), it's user friendly (it allows 5 back-ups at a click of a mouse so refreshing the template is not scary for a dummy like me), it's got tons of templates which I can adjust easily. I started to tinker in earnest. I don't expect anything from any of these. I realize that there are a zillion similar blogs in the internet, competition is tough, and I don't offer a particular specialization. However, I went ahead for the sake of learning, explo... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/202/Unveiling... Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:26:00 -0000 Seasoned Spinach (Si Geum Chi Mu Chim) This is one of my favourite Korean appetizers. I can literally eat bowls of this stuff. Due to the lack of soy-bean sprouts (I tried making them myself but failed) here to make Bean Sprout Salad (Kong Na Mul Mu Chim), this cold appetizer always accompanies any Korean dishes that I make at home. Today, I serve it with <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/121/Korean_Cold_Noodles_Guksu_Nang_Guk">Korean Cold Noodles</a> http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/122/Seasoned_Spinach_Si_Geum_Chi_Mu_Chim Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:02:42 -0000 Korean Cold Noodles (Guksu Nang Guk) Summertime, And the livin' is blistering We are sweating And cold noodle is right *Adapted from <a href="http://www.shermay.com/chef_instructor_minjung.htm">Feast of Flavours from the Korean Kitchen</a> http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/121/Korean_Cold_Noodles_Guksu_Nang_Guk Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:02:08 -0000 A visit from our friendly neighbourhood firemen <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SF-mGwoKCtYAAD@@Mkk1"><img border="0" class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SF-mGwoKCtYAAD@@Mkk1/_MG_6680-2.jpg?et=5ByP8q1Xiog6M9YUYKJNTQ&nmid=0"></a>Last weekend was tough. First, there was the orange revolution which ended in a sizzle, I must say. And now this.A Brazillian friend introduced us to an addictive type of beef steak called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rump_cover" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(133, 149, 21); ">Picanha</a>. It is a special, juicy, fatty cut of beefs barbecued plain with sprinkling of salts. Picanha is really the way to eat beef steaks and we have become rather particular about it to the point that we ate steak only when this friend had a barbecue. Since this friend moved to Paris, my husband has been keen to have his fix. He has helped this friend when he had barbecues and acquired the necessary technical and supply knowledge. He thinks it's about time he does it in the comfort of his own abode. He then cajoled and persuaded me to get <a href="http://www.koenigworld.com/applications/dkb/koenig/de/home.nsf/contentview/5907BB9259D112B5C12573FD0031677F?Open&back=" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(133, 149, 21); ">a little barbecue set</a> for him to do his number. I complied.Barbecuing on terraces is a confusing matter in Switzerland due to conflicting advices. We also know of all the nasty things that can happen courtesy of dear neighbours in Switzerland, a fate... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/203/A_visit_from_our_friendly_neighbourhood_firemen Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:05:00 -0000 Chili Oil I love chili oil and douse it on various chinese dishes to add complexity. I am always suspicious by the bright orange colour of the store-bought chili oil so I make it myself with the recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop's <a href="http://bookshop.multiply.com/reviews/item/87">Sichuan Cookery</a>. I add about 3-4 tablespoons of sesame oil into her recipe for added fragrance. http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/119/Chili_Oil Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:49:27 -0000 Chicken congee I dislike porridge because I associate it with illnesses. My mother always made us eat plain porridge with a douse of soy-sauce to cleanse the body. The tongue, which was already numb from whatever ailment we had, had to suffer though the thick gruel spiked with sharp flavour of soy-sauce. Horrible. Until one day. We were in KL and had dimsum at <a href="http://www.mandarinoriental.com/kualalumpur/">Mandarin Oriental</a> and ordered their congee. I was surprised at the texture: it was silky and thin and delicately flavoured. I vowed to discover more congee like that back home as, at that time in Jakarta, a lot of congee still display the original grains of rice albeit swollen beyond recognition. Of course now, they are everywhere. My favourite so far is from <a href="http://www.congeequeen.com/">Congee Queen </a> (or King or its other subsidiaries) in Toronto. When I left, there was not many of such places in Jakarta. The good thing is, this type of congee is not at all hard to make at home as long as you own a slow cooker. The only problem is, I can't find decent c... http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/118/Chicken_congee_ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:39:10 -0000 Andalusia: Cordoba on Wednesday OK, let's move on. Cordoba, for some reason, doesn't impress us much. It was very touristy and rather depressing. Imagine. The souvenir shops still sell films for cameras with Fuji or Kodak named as their stores' sponsor. To be fair, we didn't really spend a lot of time there and left quite quick without visiting the palaces and its Jewish quarter. We only went to the obligatory Mezquita, a temple turned church turned Mosque turned Catholic cathedral, which was impressive and intriguing. It is rather strange to see the distinctly mosque-like architecture with pews and crosses. http://bookshop.multiply.com/photos/album/111/Andalusia_Cordoba_on_Wednesday Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:28:10 -0000 Housing matters <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/SEG41QoKCtYAAG4-DOY1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SEG41QoKCtYAAG4-DOY1/_MG_6522-2.jpg?et=FlHwk8PNPyyfmeyQgtfUCw&nmid=0&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074&nmid=98591074" border="0"></a>Unlike other people, I never mind renting. I know that renting is often associated with the poor, the lazy, and the stupid. Poor because there is no money for the down-payment despite perhaps the availability of loan (we shall not touch the, dare I say, greedy American things called the sub-prime loans). Lazy because the person can only be poor because s/he is lazy. Stupid because instead of using the money for something tangible, this gullible person prefers to throw all that away to the owner of the properly. Besides, there is nothing certain on earth but the increased value of land and properties. I understand all that and in fact I'm ambivalent toward the last point. But I also understand that in Indonesia, renting out a property often spells disaster because the tenant often leaves the house trashed at the end of the contract due to either negligence or dispute. I went through that issue personally: we rented out our first house to an architect neighbour whose ... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/198/Housing_matters Fri, 6 Jun 2008 23:03:00 -0000 Roasted bone marrow and Parsley salad <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/SEGr9woKCtYAAAHSbxM1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SEGr9woKCtYAAAHSbxM1/_MG_6511.jpg?et=qzy7sLOzQghmw2OMKZNS7w&nmid=0&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664&nmid=96696664" border="0"></a>Everywhere I look these days, everyone talks about this signature recipe from a chef who revives the old British habit of eating everything from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nose-Tail-Eating-British-Cooking/dp/0747572577">nose to tail</a>. Of a pig's, that is. Chef Fergus Henderson's Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley salad was said to be one of Antony Bourdain's current death row meals. Everyone from the New York Times' <a href="http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/">Mark Bittman</a> to obscure and amateur food bloggers  heap praises to this dish. Naturally, I was intrigued. Bone marrow was child's play to me. Literally. On regular basis, from the age of 9 or even younger, my father used to take me and my sister to this little street side eatery to have a few sticks of goat's satay and bowls of bone marrow soup. The best marrow was taken from the shin bones of the goats and they should be cut on both ends for easy slurp. I hate it when one of bones' end is the joint because then I had to scrape the marrow from the bone cavity with a satay stick and lose all the joy of sucking the melting, rich,... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/195/Roasted_bone_marrow_and_Parsley_salad Sat, 31 May 2008 08:35:00 -0000 Watermelon & Feta Salad; Stuffed Tomatoes OK, this is another what-we-had-for-dinner posting but I can't wait to share the recipes with you. As an Asian, the idea of combining sweet and salty, fruit and cheese is foreign. I was very skeptical until I had my first bite of creamy cheese with grape. Then it was love at the first bite. It's still not something I crave for in time of distress but I get to really appreciate the theory behind the pairing and allow me to venture into challenging territories for my cooking ideas. One of the best fruit-cheese combination in my view is watermelon and feta. The sweet watermelon brings out the creaminess in feta (feta is not normally associated with creaminess) and tempers its saltiness. Its sandy texture slathers the tongue with, well, uniquely sandy sensation in every bite. The feta also adds depth and dimension to the often flat sweetness of the watermelon (I hate watermelon for that reason: either it's overly sweet, overly sour, or the worst, plain tasteless). Once the ... http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/115/Watermelon_Feta_Salad_Stuffed_Tomatoes Sat, 17 May 2008 09:26:07 -0000 Information overload Help!   I feel I've been spending too much time with the computer.  After dinner, I switch on my computer and normally do not get off until 2 or 3 hours later.  I first check my multiply to see if there are additional updates.  Then I visit a few regulars or wander around searching for information.  Often, however, one thing leads to another and without realizing, it is 11 PM already. There are just so many good stuffs out there.  To switch off my mind, I like to idly read the <A href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">wikipedia</A>.  Discovering <A href="http://www.tnt.tv/series/closer/">a new TV series</A> I love?  I do my research so I get updated on the story as well as the biography of each crew, both fictional and real, annoying my husband.  I search the internet on how not to kill pots of indoor basil and end up at a food blog and an urban garden page.  You get the idea. Sure I gain knowledge although not always.  But I also develop a dangerous habit:  speed reading.  I tend to read a few line... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/194/Information_overload Sun, 11 May 2008 07:53:00 -0000 Native Speaker <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/SCYwsAoKCtYAADijQMg1"><img border="0" class="alignright" src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SCYwsAoKCtYAADijQMg1/english%20language.jpg?et=V6dFoFzigYc6Xa5wEV6kJw&nmid=&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738&nmid=95407738"></a>If there's one thing that annoys the hell out of me, particularly in heated debate, is a comment to say that a debater should be excused for causing a misunderstanding because English is not his/her native language. I was reading a post in a forum about a guy who complains about his nutty Swiss neighbours in a complaint forum where members are allowed to vent. The discussion quickly turned into a heated debate as others gang up to say that this guy:a. is stupid for asking the neighbours to adapt to him (neighbour was playing opera in full volume at 10:30 PM)b. has a hidden agenda for revengec. complains too muchd. can exercise his free will of moving but is stupid for not to, etc During that debate, I observe that the complainer masters English well. He even successfully throws a few cynical and sarcastic comments to fend off his critiques to the desired results because these critiques get more inflamed. Then the moderator stopped the discussion with "As he's not a ... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/193/Native_Speaker Sat, 10 May 2008 23:01:00 -0000 Love in the Time of Cholera This is Marquez' other book that I've read. One Hundred Years of Solitude was the first but I find the Buendia bunch to be a very confusing lot. Moreover, the style of magical realism doesn't really sit well with me. I couldn't really write a review and was rather intimidated by it, truth be told. This book, however, is about love. Florentino Ariza waits for his first love, Fermina Daza, for more than 50 years while she, in the meantime, has married someone else. That central story enticed me: how can a person keep the feeling alive after 50 years and how do they pick up what they left? The answers are not straight-forward and sappy but human, complex, and real. I like that the depiction of marriage is grounded and normal. Despite the love they have for each other set amid a prestigious social setting, Daza and the Doctor do have their problems just like any married couple. Despite the romanticized view of a man faithful only to his first love, Ariza is far from being... http://bookshop.multiply.com/reviews/item/126 Sun, 4 May 2008 12:45:25 -0000 The Painter of Shanghai I read the book's review in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/books/review/Towers-t.html">NYT</a> and picked it up due to its intriguing story about a painter from Shanghai's golden era who used to be a prostitute. While it is a work of fiction, the story is based on the real life painter Pan Yu Liang who is famous for her beautiful nude paintings which combine both the western and chinese painting styles. At 14 and orphaned, she was sold to a brothel by her uncle. She then attracted the attention of a wealthy official who made her his mistress. He also encouraged her to pursue her passion of painting. She defied the norm by winning a place to study art in the Shanghai Art School and won scholarships to Europe. She left China when her art was under attack for indecency: she painted nude women, western-style, and often used herself as a model. I didn't expect much as I understand it's a no-brainer perfect for my beach holiday but the story is too superficial. While the description of her days in the brothel is horrifying, the central ques... http://bookshop.multiply.com/reviews/item/125 Sun, 4 May 2008 12:15:32 -0000 Rösti I love fried grated potatoes such as rösti or hash brown although, if I could only have one, I'd have deeply-tanned, crispy, juicy hash brown anytime. But rösti is a great substitute and good company for a lot of Swiss dishes. Rösti is actually very simple but simple often means extremely difficult to do. This week, I finally manage to create a proper rösti after numerous torturous trials. My rösti is golden and crisp and fragrant. Yay! The tricks, I discovered, are abundant: a. use the right potatoes (obviously). Rösti calls for the same potatoes that are used to make french fries ie. the mealy type (dry, crumby, powdery). b. boil them until half-cooked as frying will cook them further. c. do not mix! This was my biggest mistake. Try not to disturb the potato patty as it is being fried. Mixing will induce clumping. We want the flakes to remain separated. d. be patient. Let the bloody thing crisp slowly. e. do not over-oil. Over-oiling will produce soggy and... http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/113/113 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:17:28 -0000 Sup Tulang This soup, introduced by a Malaysian friend who is also a fanatical cook, is a firm favourite. Easily and cheaply made, it creates a deeply satisfying meal for rainy days. We like the tender, slightly fatty meat which still requires some gnawing to pry them from the bone. The spice mix provides warmth and comfort to the soup. With veggies in it, too, it's a nutritious one-pot meal! I normally use pork bones as they're easier to find here but the original recipe calls for beef ribs or oxtail. Modified from <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Homestyle-Malay-Cooking/Rohani-Jelani/e/9789625939148">Homestyle Malay Cooking</a>, courtesy of the said Malaysian http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/112/Sup_Tulang Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:22:23 -0000 Hot chocolate Hot chocolate is such a generic term. It applies to concoction made from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_(drink)">Milo</a> to the creamy, luxurious beverage served in dainty little cups. Similar to my argument about fresh and dried pasta, that these two are different types of food, some hot chocolates cannot be fairly compared. Hot days call for cheap, pre-powdered, supermarket-bought cocoa mixed with refreshing cold milk while cold winter require the heavier, creamier stuffs which are normally better made with better quality chocolates. One thing for sure though, it has to be dark. Anyway, I tested this recipe when I re-read Jeffrey Steingarten's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mustve-Been-Something-I-Ate/dp/0375727124">It must've been something I ate</a>. His recipe is as decadent as the ones served on Parisian cafes. It should be: that drink is made of 120 g dark bittersweet chocolate and 60 g of sugar! Granted, that recipe is for 4 cups but still... PS: I can't recommend the book enough. I read it a long time ago in Jakarta and decided it's one of those book I'd have to carry here b... http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/111/Hot_chocolate Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:26:33 -0000 Kidney in sesame oil and soy sauce I apologize if recent postings look like a scene from <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Fear_Factor/">Fear Factor</a>. However, this is a favourite Sunday brunch at my parents' house which I love to recreate here and need to document. I dislike eating this dish in restaurants because often they are poorly cooked: bitter and tough instead of clean and crunchy. Securing fresh kidneys was not easy so when mom found some, I was in for a rare treat. Her recipe is really simple. The key is knowing when to remove the kidneys from the boiling water for succulence and crispness which is really easier said than done. The fragrant sesame oil completes the experience. If I had a really hot, gas stove, I'd have probably tried sauteing it over a very hot wok. But I don't. So I stick to this. It's great anyway. http://bookshop.multiply.com/recipes/item/109/Kidney_in_sesame_oil_and_soy_sauce Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:47:40 -0000 Why I left <A href="http://esduren.multiply.com/journal/item/257/Konsumen_di_Indonesia_jangan_harap_jadi_raja"><IMG class=alignright src="http://images.bookshop.multiply.com/image/17/photos/5/300x300/27/DSC03805.JPG?et=MDV62pmY5ILwI6geMZrRlQ&nmid=1333785" border=0>This</A> and <A href="http://febee.multiply.com/journal/item/200/Ironis">this</A> posting brought back bad memories why I left home.  The frustration and helplessness turned to anger come seeping back.    After getting my bachelor degree in 1996, I was determined to go home.  I figured, lots of people went to Asia, including Indonesia, as expats for better opportunities.  The environment was both exciting and exotic.  There were lots to learn and do and I wanted to be part of the action.  I would also be foolish to slave myself with some clerical jobs with little career prospect (among other things, let's be honest, due to my foreign status) when my degree will be valued highly in Indonesia and I could start ahead of my peers.  So, after a year's detour in Beijing, I went home. I had a good job in a bank.  It sort of fixed my career path that I belong in Finance.  Then the financial crisis started but I had enormous fun, job-wise.  I was eager, young, though naive and the l... http://bookshop.multiply.com/journal/item/190/Why_I_left Sun, 6 Apr 2008 22:00:00 -0000