tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54884446002186158872012-02-12T23:31:34.211Z... food and other fanciesmeemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-15700116035168346012012-02-03T17:10:00.007Z2012-02-03T17:16:05.416Z

Click the photo to embiggenI just found out that I am mentioned in the latest edition of Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma).How exciting is that? I'm a national treasure, me.And rather appropriately, tonight I am off to visit family in Burma - see you in a while ...

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-77170787640102257622012-02-01T12:45:00.006Z2012-02-01T14:37:26.481Z

[This follows on from Specs]Just before Christmas, my dad, the ophthalmologist, says to me,"I think it's time you had laser surgery".I do a double-take (actually, it feels like a blood vessel explodes in my head), but I get over my shock quickly and I bounce to a phone to book a consultation.He's recommended a particular surgeon, and a fortnight later, I find myself waiting to speak to the man in

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-63919795769600806282012-01-31T23:30:00.004Z2012-02-01T09:57:03.903Z

I get my first pair of specs at the age of 6. My father is an ophthalmologist, so I have my eyes tested for the hell of it, and he discovers that, not only am I astigmatic, but one of my eyes is mildly short-sighted and the other mildly long.This means they sort of cancel each other out, and I don't really need the glasses, not yet.Sometimes I lie on my bed and I hold the specs by their arms up

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-24986977421723909152012-01-10T12:44:00.007Z2012-01-13T13:36:59.754Z

Last night's food quiz was the third time that my impossibly round face has appeared on the television.The first time was in 2003 for University Challenge: the Professionals, and the second in 2005 as 'Er Indoors when my husband got to the final of BBC's End of Story (they showed me failing to catch a frisbee - they wanted to film us interacting, but decided Virtua Tennis 2 was too sedentary.

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-64255583774830469522012-01-08T10:30:00.002Z2012-01-09T12:08:02.395Z

They often say that a blog is a diary, a catalogue of events in one's life, although arguably a diary is more interesting to other people.I was always rubbish at keeping a diary though, and that's partly why I've failed to write about some events which I ought to have recorded.Take the picture at the top - this was the Scotch Egg Challenge at the Ship in Wandsworth. 36 contestants, 5 judges, one

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-67998979888419251542012-01-03T21:31:00.002Z2012-01-04T12:29:15.900Z

They called a special assembly. We trooped in idly, wondering what was up. As we stood there, the wooden hall filled with the sound of clattering feet, then jostling and joking and the odd fart noise (both real and faked), then silence as we realised from the teachers' faces that it was something serious."There was an incident", said the headmaster, and he paused, reluctant to continue.Rohit

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-77444979824080323572011-12-10T15:45:00.011Z2011-12-14T10:06:22.892Z

Christmas is something I've only begun to celebrate at home relatively recently - I'm technically a Buddhist and my family never went in for seasonal gifts.Because of this, I have a tendency to buy presents whenever the whim takes me, so by the time December comes rolling round, I find I've already got a neat little stockpile of goods to hand out to my nearest and dearest.So here's a selection of

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-43709238406648833082011-11-23T17:20:00.003Z2011-11-29T15:38:15.556Z

When I was at college, one of the most exciting things to happen to me apart from bumping into Craig Charles was the opening of a Lakeland store.Because Lakeland really is the closest thing to a real-life Innovations catalogue, and you know how much I loved those. Of course, like an Innovations catalogue, 50% of the stuff is brilliant, inspired and useful, and 50% is utter bobbins.Bobbins,

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-52998741384389672712011-11-18T07:30:00.002Z2011-11-18T14:14:50.203Z

A lot of people think Japanese food is just raw fish. Whilst sashimi is one of my favourite things to eat, this notion couldn't be further from the truth.My husband's favourite food from Japan is tonkatsu. A pork cutlet which has been dredged in flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs before being deep-fried till it's crisp and golden yet still juicy and without a whisper of grease.Like tempura, Japan's

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-61315786641587920672011-11-14T13:45:00.008Z2011-11-15T15:31:29.216Z

A friend of mine who runs my favourite pub* recently told someone that I had some brilliant stir-fry recipes right here on my blog.I was forced to admit that there weren't any (save Burmese Pork and Beans), partly because I figured most of you lovely readers would know how to make them, but mainly because most of my recipes burble around in my brain and only occasionally make it on-line.This is

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-19174644018760846182011-11-08T00:01:00.031Z2011-11-24T16:16:41.336Z

So you may remember that Morphy Richards asked me to be one of their Home of the Houseproud reviewers. The way it works is they ask me if I'm interested in the gadget of the month and I say yea or nay depending on caprice.Most recently, they offered to send me the One Cup. Now, I have the brain of a guttersnipe and clearly spend too much time on the internet, so of course I accepted this offer

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-53401930315036369752011-11-06T23:20:00.002Z2011-11-06T23:27:19.227Z

I used to have this recurring dream that I was at the most glorious buffet. I knew it was a dream as the food looked more beautiful, more luscious, more tempting than anything you could possibly imagine. I'd pile my plate high, and return to my seat, and just as I was about to dig in, I'd abruptly wake up.I don't think this means anything more profound than the fact that I am a pathetically

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-12702561937351283942011-10-26T17:00:00.004+01:002011-10-27T12:20:21.850+01:00

I've just been in Japan for a fortnight and I really didn't want to leave.But when I was on the plane back to Blighty, I decided to count my blessings, one of which is a little Vietnamese cafe near my office called City Caphe.Open only at lunchtimes, I've got through many a long morning at my desk by day-dreaming about City Caphe's food.The day-dreaming continues as I wait in their queue which

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-69938796068489021612011-10-05T23:00:00.001+01:002011-10-06T09:21:44.114+01:00

We get in to London Bridge at 8.12. I kiss him farewell as he travels on to Charing Cross, and join the crowd which oozes blearily onto the platform. At 8.14, as we stumble along, the train to Gravesend pulls in, and as usual it takes all of my (frankly waning) will-power not to climb on it and chug my way back home.The crowd bottlenecks, then shuffles to the top of escalators, and I grab a copy

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-66418656453499089322011-09-27T07:30:00.002+01:002011-09-27T10:11:21.042+01:00

We're standing in a line and she walks up and down. Her face is inscrutable, by which I mean it's on its default setting of pissed off, and we're wondering which of us is for the chop. I say which of us, but I know I'm safe, though some of the others are definitely not leaving on time tonight."Kate Simpson, Hannah Jones, you two stay behind. You've not even made an attempt to hide the fact you're

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-11944982446839844332011-09-23T00:27:00.009+01:002011-09-27T09:48:34.965+01:00

"I need to go to the US again".My husband says this quietly, as he knows the reaction he will get. It used to be melodramatic - I'd mope and I'd wail that he'd forsaken me, and he'd fix me with a look and say,"I don't like it either. Do you want me to quit my job? I'd do it tomorrow if you asked me."And I'd sulk and say, no, I like having a house and money to go on holidays and all that kind of

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-44287046919839375252011-09-20T17:15:00.004+01:002011-09-28T14:42:31.839+01:00

[Housekeeping - I've decided to write a bit more about stuff other than food. I will still be writing about food though. Please do not be alarmed]I walk home on autopilot, as I do every day, past the myriad shops that barely make a dent on my consciousness. The school outfitters where my parents are forced to buy every purple piece of uniform that makes us the laughing-stock of the other pupils

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-81319459152190220042011-08-22T13:59:00.003+01:002011-08-22T14:06:05.167+01:00

The clip show. When a TV series wants to indulge in some onanistic nostalgia, they will often churn out an episode of greatest hits. You start to watch, and you say to yourself, "God, have they completely run out of ideas? They're just dialling this in - I've seen this a million times", and you grab the remote to change the channel pronto. But then you find yourself sinking back onto the sofa

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-32474118587589665992011-08-03T00:01:00.005+01:002011-08-03T14:26:03.064+01:00

Japanese beer brand Kirin has launched a pop-up yatai aka street food stand with Yasuhiro Mineno (ex head chef of Nobu) and Shinya Ikeda, joint owners and Head Chef of London’s fabled Yashin Sushi restaurant.Kirin Ichiban is being dished up with a menu of kushiage and other snacks to offer Londoners a taste of what will be served at the Yashin founders' full-blown kushiage restaurant set to

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-32861186769296079482011-08-01T15:18:00.009+01:002011-08-01T15:58:17.208+01:00

This is why I love Japan. Stuff like this.SWITL (which stands for Special World Idea Technology Revolution - the Japanese transpose Ls and Rs) is described by its makers Furukawa Kiko as:"a hand-held type of the SWITL for moving soft objects without collapsing their shape. It is a Robots hand for handling soft and jelly like objects which loose shape when gripped, cannot be gripped, or cannot be

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-82570059394832999862011-07-24T16:00:00.009+01:002011-08-10T16:24:49.947+01:00

Scotch egg! Scotch egg! How I love thee! For the uninitiated, Oliver Thring gives good background on what a Scotch egg is and where it came from. This is not a Scotch egg. The formula for what makes a good Scotch egg is very simple: Soft-Boiled Egg + Seasoned Meat + Breadcrumb + Deep-Frying --> Heaven in a Sphere A far cry from those supermarket horrors comprising hard, greying eggs rattling

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-10378104405605994662011-07-22T10:13:00.008+01:002011-07-22T10:39:23.407+01:00

How I hope the new Doki will look - this shop is actually in TokyoLATEST on Doki-watch - after a brief sojourn at Pacific Plaza, the not very successful successor to Oriental City, it seems Doki the beloved Japanese tableware shop is moving to Harrow Weald in August. Tetote Factory, its sister bakery, will also re-open in South Ealing next month.Doki will also be at HyperJapan - a massive event

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-55435592073164938322011-07-17T13:28:00.004+01:002011-07-21T14:34:42.805+01:00

As mentioned in my Som Tam post, you can get yourself a taste of Thailand at Senses of Thailand, a celebration of Thai food and culture in Selfridges, London until 30th July.The promotion is backed by the Royal Thai Embassy, Thai Trade Centre, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, so it's got an official seal of approval, and over the fortnight, we've been told to expect expert cooking demos,

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-14426500587917911332011-07-14T12:40:00.011+01:002011-07-14T16:13:21.917+01:00

Som tam is more than a Thai salad - it's a trial by fire.Journalist Marina O'Loughlin commented that, "I had one in Bangkok that was so fiery I almost had an out-of-body experience", and fellow blogger Hollow Legs' verdict on a proper som tam was that, "It should be face-crunchingly spicy".That probably makes som tam, a wondrous spicy green papaya salad, sound like a bad thing, but it's not.I

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488444600218615887.post-6735040447631954412011-07-13T11:43:00.008+01:002011-07-13T14:02:00.368+01:00

There's been a lot of hoo-ha in the blog world recently about the Fairy Hobmother. This benevolent being has been flitting about granting wishes and no-one really knows why.Behind it all is a company called Appliances Online which as the name suggests sells all manner of electrical goods for your home. Obviously, they're wanting to spread their name and gain a good reputation, but they've been

meemaleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252248464524701128noreply@blogger.com45