My little adventure in Paris

Studying in Le Cordon Bleu Paris is unquestionably one of the best and craziest experiences I've ever had and dreamt to have! I have completed my course and returned home. I miss school and Paris terribly now! 

In Paris, I gobbled up huge chunks of cheese as if I were eating slices of apples, consumed enough sugar to give me diabetes but still managed to lose some pounds because of the intense walking and whisking of 500ml of cream and 8 egg whites by hand every other day. Also climbed over balconies just to make it to school on time! Of course, I also got a little overenthusiastic and practised French whenever possible, so befriended fruit vendors, fishmongers, wine sellers and random strangers!

For the first time, I did not feel like a tourist in another country. I really was living in Paris! Did I visit La Tour Eiffel? Well, not exactly but I passed by it. Did I visit Michelin restaurants? No, but I ate at amazing bistros and cooked for myself with the freshest ingredients straight from the open market just 5 min walk from home and the Bastille market. Did I line up to buy Chanel bags? No, because I did't have the money. I was already the happiest and proudest fellow on the street carrying big bags of fruits, veggies, seafood, meat and baking ingredients and utensils! Did I get the best view of the fireworks on 14 July at the Parc du Champs de Mars? No, but I did go to my French neighbor's party and together we ate, drank and watched the fireworks on his terrace from afar, donc, c'est pas mal (not bad)!

Oh, and for those who always have the impression that Paris is a city of love- Did I fall in love with a romantic French man? No. I just got flirted at on the train, at the information centre, at the open market and randomly outside Hotel de Ville while I was sitting on the edge of the flowerbed looking clumsy searching for my phone in my super big bag. Sorry to disappoint. 

Of course, there're also many times when staying in Paris and studying in LCB weren't that glamorous. Every day I spent substantial amount of time doing household chores. I had to cook, clean the stove, clean the sink and dishes, clean the bathtub, wash and iron the endless pieces of uniform to get rid of the butter stains, chocolate stains and egg wash etc. Getting a French phone with Internet access was a pain. Long lines easily taking you an hour of waiting, if you're lucky. It wasn't easy but I was happy. I felt joy living alone, felt life was meaningful in LCB and felt free getting lost and wandering aimlessly along the old, beautiful cobblestone streets in Paris.

Before I headed off, many were happy to discuss why this might not and should not work, threw at me countless hypothetical problematic situations and tried to talk me out of going to the seemingly chaotic Paris by myself. They did this out of good intention and genuine concern for me, but sometimes they just didn't know what we're capable of. In face of the negative rush of opinions, I was lucky to have my sister, Warren and Kevin who told me I could do it and gave me an essential boost of self-confidence.

Apparently, reading John Wood's Leaving Microsoft to Change the World before packing was a wise move. Very relevant, hugely inspiring and also strongly encouraging. "If there is something you want to do, do not focus on the obstacles. Do not ask for permission. Just dive in. Don't let the naysayers get you down."

Roselle Tea 洛神花茶

Roselle tea is extremely popular in Tai O. You can find them in almost every store there! Bottled up and cooled in mountains of ice, roselle tea is extremely rejuvenating.

Quite an eye-candy in itself, this ruby-coloured drink tastes tart like cranberry juice. Oh, in fact it tastes more like Ribena, the blackcurrant juice! But more to it, there is a faint, sweet air of freshness and earthiness, like the taste of those soft, fine fibre strands growing out of the ear of the corns. Thanks to Google, I finally know the proper name of these strands- corn stigma, 玉米鬚.

Apparently, roselle is a species of Hibiscus. It is well-known for its high Vitamin-C content, for reducing cholesterol and treating high blood pressure level.  I used fresh roselle to make my pro-health drink, but I was told by the market vendors that the same could also be produced out of dried calyces. You may also try making roselle jam by slowly simmering the flower with sugar.

My Chinese Husband Taco 蝦豬餅

Hi, I'm back! Literally and figuratively. I have to confess, I have been back from Beijing for a month already. But I have been so beguiled with all sorts of reading and only until this week that I have finally realized how strong this addiction has become and how much it has interfered with my life and cunningly lured me away from updating my blog! 

Putting a stop to it, I am writing this post at 6 in the morning. 6am! Have I managed to redeem myself now? I don't know if me waking up so early today has something to do with my binge eating yesterday night, which has left me bloated now, OR is because my subconsciousness finally mans up and tells me to not let something so dear to me slip away i.e. leave my blog still hanging there in hiatus.

Ok, a little about my Beijing trip. The trip has brought me blessings and curses. Met some really nice, funny people, polished my Mandarin, to an extent that there is now a tendency for me to curl my tongue right up when I pronounce the very last word in every sentence- I call that the Beijing accent. ;p Oh, the curses, I gained 7 pounds in five weeks. Nothing much. Will share more about my trip later when I have shed some pounds. 

Now back to this Chinese Husband Taco. This is one of the delicacies (my favourite!) I tried in Tai O and mentioned in my previous previous post. I did not fully make this name up, the Vendor really created the name "蝦豬餅", pronounced as "Ha-ju-bang" in Cantonese, they simply bestowed upon it the big title: HUSBAND. See the evidence below.

The name "蝦豬餅" isn't just a gimmick. In as short as three Chinese characters, almost every ingredient used in this Chinese taco is listed out here. "蝦":shrimp paste, "豬":pork and "餅":roti. Poor lettuce, didn't quite make it to becoming our Chinese husband model.

Tai O

It was a public holiday. To get away from the usual city lights and hustle and bustle, me and my family decided to go to somewhere far and fishy- Tai O. Apparently many shared the same thought, so together we brought into Tai O an unintentional, phenomenal surge of rowdiness. Despite the crowd, Tai O was still scenic. Never seen in cities except Venice, there were pang uks, stilt houses built over the waterway. As we peeked into the pang uks, we crossed the bridge and entered into a narrow, noisy street of seafood stalls, tuck shops and welcoming (you don't say!) vendors selling local delicacies. As if the place was not vibrant enough, the pungent smell of seafood crescendoed.

As my dad, my brother-in-law and I went crazy experimenting with our cameras, capturing the animated faces of the vendors and the colorful mix of food, my mom and sister really got into buying, eating and feeding us the local delicacies. We ate so much! We had those extremely old-school but tasty biscuit sandwich with malt syrup 麥芽糖餅, barbecued squid, scallops, refreshing roselle tea, chewy egg puffs (texture similar to that of a waffle, but the inside is custard-like) cooked over charcoal, and of course, my sister's new-found  favorites- barbecued mullet roe 烏魚子 and Chinese Taco. I have reproduced two of these delicacies at home and shall share with you the recipes in the next two posts. 

It is quite interesting as I look back, I realize that no matter where we travel to, our enjoyment and exploration always and inevitably involve FOOD.

As we squeezed our way deeper into the other end of Tai O, farther from the food stalls and pang uks, there were peace and quiet. Along the shore sturdily stood a few simple, little huts made out of metal scraps, that housed mainly elderly and small families. The masters of the houses are usually out to fish, leaving behind the mothers and wives home, making and selling simple local delicacies such as cha guos (glutinous rice cakes with fillings made out of red bean, black-eyed peas etc.) and tofu pudding. I love seeing this other face of Hong Kong, so serene and pure.

Inside these blue buckets were shrimp paste. In that, we could taste Umami 鲜味- the 5th taste, well-known and familiar in the East and less known in the West. I have scratched my head and still cannot write an accurate and comprehensive description for this taste, sorry! You may learn more about this taste on Wikipedia.

Having walked so much, we were too lazy to walk on the return route. We took a speedboat, which was so so fast, exciting and fun, and in less than a minute we got back to the narrow streets, just in time to grab the stall's last four Chinese Tacos!

My cooking list inspired by my travels

I left my kitchen for a month to travel to Greece, Italy, Spain and France. I did not cook but I tasted, shared and experienced local foods. Quoting Food Network Travel, it was an exciting culinary adventure that "focuses on new flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques in destinations around the world"!

Having tasted so many delicious, homey and authentic dishes, I decided to re-create some of them. My cooking list is as follows.

1. Greek salad

2. Greek aubergine dip

3. Souvlaki

4. Lamb shank in lemon sauce

5. Linguine con le vongole

6. Lasagna

7. Ravioli

8. Gazpacho

9. Chicken Tajin with couscous

10. Macarons (A cute guy, who ate a dozen of macarons a day, is going to join me with this.)
11. Normandie apple tart
12.  Bloc de fois gras d'oie/ de canard

This week, I'm paying tribute to the wonderful tastes of Greek food!