Primitive Culture

Get a haircut.

2010-12-19T13:11:00.000+08:00

I don't hold many beliefs that I would define as conservative, but I have one very clearly defined one: I like short hair on men. This applies to myself, of course. The difficult part of this is that keeping ones hair nicely trimmed can be difficult when traveling in foreign lands. I encountered this just a few weeks into my travels in the Middle East. At the time I was still very shy about making transactions in languages I didn't speak, and a haircut is certainly a very sensitive transaction. But sick of my my shaggy hair I finally ducked into a barbershop in a small Syrian town and got a haircut. Thankfully the barber set himself to work without requiring much of me. It was (and still is, actually) the most meticulous haircut I have ever had. He worked with only scissors, no clippers, and at the end of it shaved my neckline with a straight razor and foam.

The end result was this:

It seemed super nerdy to me at the time, but it looks almost like the exact haircut I'm trying to get my hairdresser to give me now (I think it's called an 'ivy league').

A few weeks later, and I was once again in need of a haircut. Not trusting that I would again encounter the ease of my first haircut, I avoided finding a barbershop, and on a strange whim bought a tiny pair of scissors at a stationary store in Aqaba. I cut it that night in my hotel room, with little help from mirrors or much of an idea of what I was doing.

This was the result, which I have to say I don't totally hate:

The back, however, looked like this:

Like I had alopecia or something.

Despite this obvious drawback, I pretty much continued cutting my own hair for the subsequent four years (though I eventually purchased a pair of clippers to make it an easier job).

An open-ended ticket.

2010-12-18T00:10:00.001+08:00

Last month, the first month since I began writing on Primitive Culture in which I did not post a single entry, a major anniversary quietly slipped by. November 2010 marks five years that I have spent living outside of the US, my home country. Though I've been back to visit several times, nearly the entirety of my adult life has been spent living in lands that are not my own-- first South Africa, then Thailand, then South Africa again, and now Taiwan. The fact that I only thought to mark the date a week or so after it had passed is in away a statement on my living abroad. I don't live abroad out of exile, I'm not staying away with a single-minded purpose. While I spent much of my teenage years dreaming of living abroad, I have to admit the fulfillment of that dream seems to have come more through happenstance than choice.

Of course, there had to be an initial choice to set me on that course. Prior to the five years I've just detailed, I was a recent college graduate with little going on in my life, no clue what to do with myself, employed in a travel bookstore. It was a bad combination. Slow days in the shop gave me hours to page through travel guides, making imaginary escape routes. The more I looked the further I went into the unfamiliar. And finally I decided I was ready to buy a ticket. I sent in my application to a University in South Africa, mailed in my passport to get more pages added, and bought a one-way ticket to Istanbul.

In the aftermath of that decision, I've had little opportunity to really look back on the strange place it's taken me. But five years on, I think I'm ready to sort through the history, to become an archaeologist of my own past. I'm ready to open up maps and trace my route back to where it began. I'm not sure yet what I'm looking for. But, somewhat circuitously, I think it might give a hint of where I'm going next.

In the kitchen with Primitive: pumpkin season.

2010-10-31T22:39:00.006+08:00

This was my first year celebrating Halloween since 2005. A combination of living in tropical climates and in the Southern Hemisphere has meant that my Octobers have been spent in warm climes unsuited to spooky atmosphere. So I was happy this year to have the holiday just as we plunged into chilly weather; I was even happier when a small blue truck appeared at our local morning market, loaded with some incredibly beautiful pumpkins.

I picked up a few (along with a handsome squash) in unnatural shades of pale dusty orange and mossy blue-green-- they were so beautiful, that I felt some strong reservations about carving them. Gravity settled the decision for me when the squash toppled over and gashed the perfect incision to start carving an eye. I drew a face, cut the squash open from the bottom, and scooped out the seeds-- and was flashed back to my childhood with the sickly sweet smell of a pumpkin's insides hitting newspaper. I enjoyed the experience enough that I ended up carving a second pumpkin.

The pumpkins that were spared carving are being roasted in batches. I grew up thinking that the only way to eat pumpkin was to start by scooping it out of a squat orange can, but starting from is actually incredibly easy and much tastier. Just cut the pumpkin in half, roast it cut-side down, and then scoop out the flesh once it's gotten soft. We've frozen 1.5 cup portions in plastic bags, so we'll have a November full of orange baked goods spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

A single pumpkin will produce a surprising amount of flesh, but even if the charms of pumpkin pie and bread wear thin, there are load of other ways to use pumpkin. We made pumpkin sandwich cookies (nutmeg and cinnamon cookies with a filling of cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin), spiced pumpkin muffins, and an incredibly rich pumpkin ice cream. You can also use it in soup, curry, pastas...

And with all of those seeds you scoop out, you can sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds, which make a fantastic snack (especially with some nuts and chocolate chips), a tasty addition to muesli, and a fun topping to sprinkle on pumpkin muffins.

Though I must admit, just carving the thing might be the best way to celebrate the season. Happy Halloween.

Joys of a home bar.

2010-10-24T22:53:00.001+08:00

As I mentioned in one of my most recent entries (recent being, well, a month ago) we've found ourselves a little hard up for places to go out in our new town. So in the absence of a good spot in which to go out, we've been working hard to make our apartment a great place in which to stay in. Aside from switching out the florescent lighting for paper lanterns and sprucing up our kitchen, this has mainly been achieved through starting out a home bar.

By focusing on our favorite liquors, gin and bourbon, we're building it up slowly and organically. We're trying and comparing different bottles, and branching out into other alcohols through experimenting with some classic cocktails. Gin has led us to Campari and Sweet Vermouth through the Negroni, while bourbon has led us to bitters via the Old Fashioned.

And while so far it's mainly just been a bit of fun, it's always threatening to bloom into a little of an obsession-- the temptation is growing to begin seeking out obscure liquors in Taiwan bottle stores, and laboring in the kitchen to make better cocktails (I really should stop reading T Magazine's Case Study).

The only thing we're missing, unfortunately, is the bar itself. We have yet to find a handsome, compact piece of furniture on which to store our bottles and tools. We're open to alternative ideas-- any tips or ideas? Come up with a good idea for me, and I'll mix you a drink the next time you're in Hsinchu.

Tomorrow is October 1st.

2010-09-30T21:20:00.002+08:00

Is it reasonable for me to start getting excited about Halloween yet?

Into the wild green interior.

2010-09-27T09:00:00.016+08:00

You might have noticed me casting some green envy on Bali in a recent post-- well, I officially withdraw my envy. Bordeaux had an urge to get out of the city yesterday, so we loaded Japie into his basket, climbed onto a scooter, and headed off out of town. We had barely left behind the gray concrete of the city when we were suddenly and totally swallowed into the green of Taiwan's interior. We were surrounded by lush hillsides draped in bamboo and banana plants, dripping with vines and creepers. And really, we weren't anywhere that special-- a lot of Taiwan's interior is just like that. It's one of the surprising sides of the island that not many people expect when they think of Taiwan.

around town/hsinchu: longing for a little style.

2010-09-26T10:11:00.007+08:00

In most ways, we really can't complain about our life here in Hsinchu, Taiwan. We've found a great apartment that we're making into a very 'us' home, we're eating delicious and varied local foods, we've met some fantastic people, and we're enjoying shopping for produce at the little market up the street from us. I am much happier settled here than I have been in a long time. But if I am allowed one complaint, this is it: I wouldn't mind being surrounded by a little more style.

I definitely don't mean that it's totally missing. I'm constantly checking out well dressed guys and girls, and there is some incredible shopping here. Where it's mostly missing is in eating out. Cafes in Taiwan seem to have missed out on some style lessons, particularly on the lesson concerning minimalism. As soon as we enter a new restaurant in Taiwan, we always glance around for the requisite tchochkes, and we are always disappointed to find them. And especially, I should point out, Christmas related ones. Even restaurants that serve great food seem to make a least one big misstep: a wooden Santa Claus, a kitsch statue of a man playing a saxophone. It's certainly worse here in Hsinchu, but honestly, I'm rarely that wowed by interior style in Taipei either. Anyway, it's all a compromise. I can eat fantastic local food here, I just can't do it in great surrounds. I'll just have to use my vacation time carefully, and hit up some style centers abroad.

Pictured above, sadly, is not in Hsinchu. It's Square One Dining, a cafe my sister introduced us to last time we were in LA. It had great coffee, a tempting brunch menu including muesli with seasonal fruit and decadent waffles, and a nicely styled patio. And on this warm late-September morning, I wouldn't mind being there now.

out west/far east.

2010-09-24T23:31:00.001+08:00

And I am trying to figure out a way to be both, at once.

things make me happy: paper lantern.

2010-09-20T21:42:00.007+08:00

Part of the deal with moving into a Taiwan apartment is that you're tacitly agreeing to be bathed in florescent lighting no matter what room you're in. After almost three weeks of living in an undead glow, we'd had enough. The light in our dining room was the first to come down, and in it's place went a squat lantern of white paper. We have a different lantern waiting to go up in the living room, and plans for lighting changes in the bedrooms and the office. Even with just the one lantern up, I can really say I'm seeing my new home in a whole new light.

Ikea väte hanging lamp.

And on a terribly belated note, I was recently profiled on Girl in Asia's behind the blog feature. Check that out here. Thanks for inviting me to participate, Liz!

On the subject of white.

2010-09-20T01:18:00.001+08:00

Here's how that look works on the other side of the Pacific. Shot taken in June in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California. Sunglasses from Bangkok, T-shirt from H&M, shoes and shorts a mystery.

White hot summer, Taipei.

2010-09-15T22:52:00.003+08:00

Another reason I was lucky to snag my husband: he agrees that travel is not an excuse to dress down, but a reason to dress up.

White V-neck T-Shirt H&M, White Bangkok sunglasses, Navy Blue H&M shorts, white Muji espadrilles, Rooftop's Life @ Taiwan tote from Eslite.

Island living.

2010-09-14T20:27:00.007+08:00

As I mentioned on Monday, I'm not actually on the island I've been writing so much about lately, but on another one somewhat further north: Taiwan. Aside from having so much to say about Bali, part of why I haven't written much about my new home is because things have been happening in stages (getting a job, going through the visa process, finding an apartment, trying to get the place furnished) so I'm still not feeling totally settled.

But I am pretty happy to be here. And though I came to the island repeating the mantra "this is a temporary arrangement", a few things have happened to make me feel more settled. They're blurring the lines between for me between expat living and just living.

1. Learning to love a scooter. Like a lot of Asia, the roads of Taiwan teem with motorbikes-- and in moving back here, I knew I'd have to be joining the speeding throngs. I never learned to ride a bicycle as a child, so the idea of now getting on a heavy motorized bicycle and speeding it into traffic seemed a little terrifying. So through a year living in Asia and two visits to Taiwan, I never even attempted to climb on. But when we moved here I decided I would have to make an effort. Within an hour of working up the nerve to try it, I had found that not only was it not that hard-- but that actually, it was pretty fun. I've now got my own Yamaha Vino, a handsome black retro-styled model, that I love finding excuses for zipping around town on.

2. Moving in. The search for an apartment in Taiwan was... depressing. We saw tiny new places with no space and no character, massive damp caverns plugged with heavy ugly furniture... and little else. So I'm still feeling incredibly lucky that Bordeaux found a cute old-fashioned apartment with green tile floors and some built in kitchen cupboards. It's within walking distance of several parks (good for item #3), near cafes and breakfast shops, and almost equidistant between our workplaces. Now if we could just bring in some non-florescent lighting...

3. Japie. My husband is not into dogs, and I'm not really into pets, but we've always had a weakness for French Bulldogs. So when on our first weekend in town we met someone who was looking for a home for her little Frenchie, it seemed too fated to question. So we agreed, tentatively, to foster him for awhile. But within an hour of Japie (pronounced Ya-pee, pictured above) crashing around at our feet and looking up at us (in two directions), we knew we weren't going to be giving him back.

A glimpse of paradise (good luck for Monday).

2010-09-13T21:35:00.002+08:00

I should point out that due to a general slowness in posting, I am not currently in Bali as may be suggested-- I am back in Taiwan, currently working a 9 am to 9 pm schedule (only for four more days!). But I'll keep us on the island a little longer-- I thought maybe you and I could both use a shot of Bali green on this Monday to keep us going.

Enjoy.

Order the pig.

2010-09-10T13:33:00.007+08:00

I couldn't decide whether seeing the pig's head pointed at me was actually appetizing or not, but at the very least I was intrigued. My eyes had originally been drawn to the neatly arranged rows of jars and bottles at this Bali market's stand, but the pig certainly was an attention grabber. So I stopped, and tried to find out more about it. The woman behind the counter greeted me, and showed me to a glass display case containing bowls of fresh salads. "Lawar babi", she explained to me; the words meant nothing to me then, I would have to look them up later. She pointed to the pig again, and then her own cheek, indicating that if I tried the lawar, I would be treated to some of the animal's face. I wasn't hungry, but I had to try it. She grabbed a paper cone, scooped in some rice, then spooned on some of the lawar. To complete the dish, she ripped shreds off the pig's head, and folded them up into the parcel.

I didn't open the package until later, when we were sitting, legs tucked under the tables at Ibu Oka. Specializing in Balinese suckling pig, babi guling (a heap of which is pictured top right), Ibu Oka is famous worldwide. We had just had our plates set before us: waxy brown paper holding small mountains of rice, topped with tender shreds of pork and crispy squares of skin and fat. The first bite explained and validated the restaurant's fame: the crunch of the skin released a melting burst of rich, luxuriant pork flavor.

Mid-meal, I remembered the package from the market still in my bag. It might seem like over-kill to pull out the lawar babi at this point, but I decided that if I was already indulging this much, I might as well just give in. I pulled it out, unwrapped it, and put it on the table to share. Amazingly, and this may just have been the rush of fat to my brain, it outshone the meat we had been consuming. While the pork in the lawar was not as good as Ibu Oka's-- the skin didn't crackle as much, the fat wasn't as tender-- the rest of the dish compensated: young jackfruit, green beans, shrimp paste, and shredded makrut lime leaves gave it an intensely exotic flavor.

But either way, market stand lawar babi or Ibu Oka babi guling, order the pig in Bali and you won't be disappointed.

beautiful/grotesque.

2010-09-09T22:19:00.004+08:00

While visiting the puras of Bali I was really struck by a feeling of balance. Yet while religious spaces may generally have an air of serenity, what makes these temples most striking is how that feeling comes from the drastic use of both the beautiful and the grotesque in the same site: a grimacing guardian may look over a pool of delicate lotuses. For while to my Catholic-school reared mind concepts like 'good and evil' exist in dichotomy, they cohabit in the Hindu traditions of Bali; creation and destruction are not discreet forces, and that which is the most terrifying can also be the most protective. And certainly, the beauty of these spaces would not have been as sharply illuminated without their equal use of the grotesque.

Yet another product of my schooling I'm happy to leave by the roadside.

culturedPRIMITIVE/stockist: Muji Hex Double-Ended Pens.

2010-09-05T22:02:00.000+08:00

I love to travel and I love to sketch, but I've never been able to be the kind of traveller who sketches. I think that when I'm exploring a new place, I have an easier time pulling out my camera than pulling out a sketchbook and some pens. But I'm trying to change that. On this trip to Bali I packed a new sketchbook (in the hope that I would feel compelled to fill the clean white pages) and a variety of Muji's Hex Double-Ended Pens. With one end a felt-tip brush and the other a thin pen, I could vary my line without having to dig a different pen out of my bag. And with a variety of nuanced greens and bright tropical hues on offer, I was really able to capture some of my island surrounds.

Island of the gods.

2010-09-05T15:38:00.006+08:00

Many people visit Bali just to do a little pura gazing, and understandably so; they're rewarded with some of the most spectacular Hindu temples in the world. Moreover, the beauty of many of these sacred sites are multiplied by the incredible natural environments that surround them, whether they are perched on the edge of a rice terrace, or hidden in a valley dripping with tropical plants. Perhaps the most spectacular was Ulun Danu (pictured above), which rests in a mist-enshrouded caldera lake in the island's breezy highlands.

Bali Bamboo.

2010-09-04T15:13:00.005+08:00

I loved the abundance of bamboo in Bali, where it was seen not just growing alongside rice paddies, but also as a material for architecture and design. It's such an incredible material; easily renewable and incredibly strong, but also beautiful in a very subtle way. The above shot is of a building under construction, and while the bamboo is just a temporary frame for building, I think it would be stunning if they could complete the house with the tangle of bamboo visible and intact. Who wouldn't want to live in their own personal bamboo grove?

Bali Colors: heat and relief.

2010-08-26T23:02:00.001+08:00

For my color series I usually isolate one color that defined a place for me, but the color scheme of Bali was a little too complex for that tactic. So much of the beauty of Bali was in its carefully balanced opposites; the good and evil in its religious epics, the beautiful and the grotesque in its temple architecture, the fire of a sambal and the cool bite of lime in its food. So in its colors too, it makes sense, there was a balance; between the heat of bursts of pink, orange and red, and the relief of deep green.

Bali.

2010-08-25T18:53:00.003+08:00

I have just returned from Bali, and I think I am still recovering from what an incredible destination it was. I had expected to like it, but not to love it-- and certainly, not to love it as much as I did. The idea of 'Bali' seemed like such a cliche that I was sure it would be one big tangle of resorts, or perhaps just feel like a letdown. But this island was full of surprises. Like the seemingly endless miles of brilliant green rice terraces, hemmed in by bamboo groves and coconut palms. And the grandeur of the temples, trimmed with ornate details and surrounded by lush gardens. Or how incredible mealtime was-- the fresh bite of lawar, the richness of suckling pig, the flavors of coffee, vanilla and palm sugar. Or how neatly the quiet threads of ritual seemed to run through Balinese daily life. The island not only surprised me with every day, but it also shook me out of my jaded state, and reminded me of what I love about Asia-- and made me thankful that I'm able to live here.

to Taipei.

2010-08-08T19:56:00.001+08:00

I would really like to write a little about my new home city, Hsinchu, but with our schedules filled with apartment hunting and settling in at new jobs, we haven't had much chance for exploration. And, to be fair, I guess the problem is compounded by the fact that we seem to slip up to Taipei whenever we have some time off. Which is, I guess, one of the best things about Hsinchu-- it's only a quick half an hour trip away from Taipei. This makes a day or an evening in the big city a very easy outing.

And so we embarked on such a trip yesterday, with only two things in mind: shopping and museum going. We stopped first at Eslite, a massive department store set in the shadow of 101. Though the Eslite bookstore itself is incredible, we spent more time slowly working through the other levels of design items. After a quick stop at a disappointingly small Muji, and some time spent caught in a tropical storm, we headed to the Taipei Fine Arts museum to see a show of Gaultier clothing.

Taipei is a really exciting city right now, but it's not just because it has become such an international center. It's partly because Taiwan is developing such a unique identity, and designers and artists are finding so many exciting ways to explore it. While it was awesome being able to see the Gaultier show and browse among Japanese design items, it was even more exciting to find a creative bag by a Taiwanese designer, and to see a local artist's video installation that reflected the island we're living on. So while we may, in a sense, have the world available just a short train trip away, right now I'm even more excited to have Taiwan there too.

Eating Taiwan Famous.

2010-08-01T09:11:00.001+08:00

And in news related to my last entry, I have started a second blog: Taiwan Famous. It's going to be a Taiwan only blog, a journal devoted exclusively to my explorations in eating on this island. I'll be chronicling my journey here as I effort to eat and shop locally on the island, seek out interesting local dishes, and try to learn the basics of good Chinese cooking.

I will of course still be continuing writing here on PRIMITIVEculture-- I say continuing even though my entries over these last few months have been pretty sparse. But in a way, I think this blog split will give me some new energy on PRIMITIVEculture. As I prepared for our move to Taiwan, my thoughts on blogging were starting to get so muddled that I really couldn't even write an entry. I wanted to write about all the different foods here, but I didn't like the idea of PRIMITIVEculture getting bogged down with so many minute details about a single subject that, admittedly, not everyone would be interested in. So in the end, a split seemed the best idea. This blog can continue as a visual exploration of the world (including, but not limited to Taiwan), with a focus on style, food, design and photography. And the new blog's project will have a very singular focus, which I think will give it a lot of strength.

So I hope you'll join me for a meal over there, and still continue to travel with me here.

My green home.

2010-07-30T19:18:00.006+08:00

With the completion of this weekend, I will have been in Taiwan for one month. In that time, I have written a total of 0 entries on Taiwan, and taken only a few more photos than that. For some reason I'm no longer taking these 'little' transitions in stride; after five years of continent hopping I should be an expert, but I'm getting a little more reluctant with each hop. But at the end of it all, I am happy to be here, and excited about the possibilities our move to Taiwan presents. I hope to explore a bit more of Asia (especially East Asia and the South China Sea, this time), learn more about the food of Taiwan, and develop as an artist through exploring my new home.

This last task is especially important to me, and thankfully it's the one I'm most able to act on. While I haven't been doing much photography, I have been doing a lot of sketching and painting-- and the island has been a great source of inspiration. What fascinates me most at the moment is not Taiwan's fascinating culture, but rather, its greener side. For while Taiwan may be known for its advanced technology and plastics manufacturing, it is also an unbelievably lush island-- my sketchbooks are filled with bats and toads, bamboo and banana trees.

Anyway, I think I am finally getting settled-- mostly. So hopefully I'll be back on here a little more often, showing off my strange new island home.

Eating well in LA.

2010-07-17T11:29:00.003+08:00

When the weather heats up in the summer, the kind of foods I start to crave become much simpler. Yogurt with homemade granola. Grilled meat. Fresh fruit. And LA is a great city for this. Because while it's always been a city that cared about its diet, its increasingly a city that loves its food; its a combination that means you can easily tailor your eating to be spare, fresh, and healthy, but still delicious.

Taco stands are probably the last place one would think of going for healthy eating, but a good taco can be a thing of beauty in its spareness. Grilled marinated meat, a fresh salsa of chile, onion and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. A great meal for a smogy LA lunch.

Almost every neighborhood in LA seems to have its own Farmer's Market, one day of the week when stands set up selling overflowing baskets of fruit, vegetables and herbs. We visited a nearby market at Echo Park, where between buying peaches for a clafouti and heirloom tomatoes for a simple salad, we even ran into a few friends.

We picked up a mixed basket of berries which were u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e. They fat and sweet, perfect in the morning with just a little tart yogurt. The evening after the Farmer's Market, we attempted to muddle some in drinks, and despite our weak mixology skills, the drinks still shone thanks to the flavor of the berries.

Of course, when you would like to be eating badly, that's easy too. Near the intersection of Echo Park and Silverlake, we found a truck fresh churros, dusted with sugar. The were still hot, the golden exterior crunching to give way to a doughy interior. They certainly made all that healthy eating worth it.

Los Angeles is Beauty.

2010-07-15T09:19:00.002+08:00

Not for everyone, sure; but definitely for me.

Take a Roadtrip.

2010-07-04T15:15:00.007+08:00

The 4th of July is so perfectly timed-- a celebration of America right when the country is looking its best. We've got blue skies, full green forests, warm weather, and open highways just waiting to be traversed. So why not celebrate the country by getting out and admiring it on a road trip?

We celebrated my homeland just a little early, on our way out of the country late last month. Taking off from Albuquerque, NM, we headed to Los Angeles via Utah. With the detour, we treated ourselves to unbelievable landscapes, some glimpses of offbeat rural towns, and some very restful nights in the great outdoors. And along the way, I put together a few tips for letting go and enjoying the road.

1. Stop to photograph any cool signs you see. Who knows when you'll be taking this route again, so it's always worth taking a moment to stop and memorialize it. I made Bordeaux pull over in Cuba, NM to snap up this one.

2. Splurge on one good bottle of alcohol. Just make sure to enjoy it at the campsite, not while you're driving. To me, campfires and quiet desert nights just seem to set the perfect atmosphere for relaxing with a stiff drink. For a touch of Alcoholic Americana, we picked up a bottle of Knob Creek bourbon-- which, interestingly enough, tastes just like vanilla coke when splashed with a can of Blue Sky Cola.

3. Stop for a slice of pie. Support local cafes, where you'll usually get much better meals than at the chain diners or drive-thrus. We had a fantastic plate of green chile huevos rancheros at Cafe Eklectica in Moab (despite the unfortunate name).

4. Check messages. Zipping through small towns, you rarely get much of a chance to gain an in-depth look into local social life. But paying attention to small details, like general store message boards, can give you an instant glimpse into the lives of locals.

5. Have a bad meal every now and then. While there is some very good food to be enjoyed across the country, some trashy diner food can be a fun indulgence every now and then. Bad burgers and bad mexican are especially tasty.

6. For that matter, take some bad photos. The West seems to have been sculpted for photography, with it's dramatic forms, intense contrasts in light and shadow, and rich natural colors. But taking pictures too carefully in effort to conjure Ansel Adams can leave you with a very tame album. So point the camera wildly, snap away, and maybe you'll get some fun surprises.

7. Make sure to stop somewhere spectacular. We have a pretty unbelievable country, and it's a shame how many of us don't make the effort of really seeking out its best angles. Being from the Southwest, I'm pretty spoiled with unbelievable landscapes-- The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches, and the pictured above Canyonlands are all within half a days drive from my parents doorstep-- but I hadn't seen any of them until the last few years.

8. Try out some facial hair. Or a new hairstyle, or some odd new clothes. You're going to be spending your days either alone or with total strangers, so it's the perfect time to try a new look.

9. Treat yourself to a pool at least once. I'm a fan of quiet isolation of tent camping in gorgeous national parks, but a big bright swimming pool can be a different way of celebrating the US of A. We swung by Las Vegas, where in the heat of summer a hotel room at a decent spot can cost you less than 3 ten dollar bills. Just remember that the Las Vegas shock takes an hour or so by the pool to wear off.

So that's all I came up with! Anyone else have some tips? Or suggestions of where to go? Or what to toast on the camp fire?

In the meantime, Happy 4th of July and enjoy the country while I'm gone!

Missing.

2010-06-29T12:07:00.004+08:00

Taking a moment to read posted signs, ads, and leaflets can be one of the quickest ways to connect with the soul of a city.

It gives you an instant tap into the triumphs and heartbreaks of its residents. We're having an art show. Our cat is missing. We're economizing-- come buy the stuff we can't afford to keep.

Abbot Kinney in Venice may be one of the few places I can imagine seeing a $350 chair being advertised on a hand-drawn flyer.

Come home, Whiskers. No questions asked.

Sunny in Silverlake.

2010-06-27T23:48:00.011+08:00

Silverlake is one of the best Los Angeles neighborhoods for strolling around. There are cafes with amazing coffee, interesting independent shops and vintage outlets, and most importantly, lots and lots of beautiful people dressed amazingly well. It's a great area for people-watching and style spotting. We headed over yesterday for the Farmer's Market, where we picked up some delicious berries and heirloom vegetables, and kept an eye out for stylish locals.

Sometimes, I can't stand how much great style everyone has.

It does help, at least, that one of the best dressed gents out was my husband.

< 6 Mo.

2010-06-27T04:16:00.011+08:00

A lot can change in six months.

In January, we gave up our sedate life in beautiful, sun-soaked Cape Town.

We crossed the Indian Ocean for a shopping trip on the steamy streets of Bangkok.

Then continued on to spend a winter month in Taiwan.

On our way out of Asia, we detoured through Malaysia, for a strange few days in the dense jungles of Borneo.

And swung by the peninsula, for a few days of good eating and old wreck gazing in Melaka.

In South Africa, we found ourselves in a different wilderness, on a stay in Kruger National Park.

Then returned to the US, where we found that we very much love the charming city of San Francisco.

From there, we stayed awhile in New Mexico, where we enjoyed quiet spaces, small towns, and spicy food.

Upon leaving, we passed through Southern Utah, a surreal nature-scape of red cliffs, barren deserts, and shaded forests.

And, finally, we arrived in Los Angeles, the greatest city on earth, a feeling which even the last six months around the world had not dissuaded me from feeling.

We'll only be here for a few days before we leave again, but it's nice to be reminded that such a city exists.

Below the surface.

2010-06-15T01:57:00.001+08:00

Images from the Albuquerque Aquarium.

It's almost summer;

2010-06-10T07:10:00.003+08:00

have you filled your popsicle molds yet?

Style Souvenir: Tropical Miami with The Golden Girls.

2010-06-03T04:30:00.009+08:00

Bring the style home with you.

I've long been a fan of the Living In feature on Design*Sponge, in which Amy Merrick dissects the style elements of different movies. I'd been curious to adapt a version to Primitive Culture, focusing on style inspiration from different cities, places, and geographically situated movies, books and TV shows-- but I couldn't think of a good starting point. Then last night, while watching The Golden Girls, I started thinking about interior style (that's the gayest sentence I've ever typed), and got a nostalgic craving for the tropical pastels of the late 80s and early 90s. So I began to think about how you could pull a few of the best elements from their style into a Golden Girls inspired lounge.

Set in Miami, the Golden Girls lived in a world of seaside pastels: seashell pink, bamboo green, seafoam blue. With domestic activity focused around their palm-draped lanai, there was an attractively tropical element to their lifestyle. There was also just a slight touch of Grandma-glam bling that really made them fun-- it showed up in their outfits in giant sunglasses and purses, and in their home through dramatic Palm Beach decor, like the banana paper wallpaper and stacked crystal block lamp below.

So slip a flamingo print on the wall, pour yourself a long drink, and relax on a chaise lounge like the girls.

Clockwise from top left: martinique wallpaper, flamingo print by Etsy seller Orange Willow, martini pitcher, macau armchair.

Flamingo print from Etsy seller Chloe Croft London, potted traveller's palm, white coral, Robert Abbey Minerva Eggshell table lamp, Jonathan Adler Lacquer Table Tray, Jonathan Adler Zebra Pillow.

about town/abq: Taqueria Mexico.

2010-05-26T15:11:00.005+08:00

With all of the fantastic New Mexican food available in Albuquerque, it can be strangely easy not to go the trouble of seeking out any actual Mexican food. Thankfully, my attention was caught by the regular lines that formed outside of Taqueria Mexico, a tiny white shop tattooed with vibrant murals. It's location on Lomas, a street always pulsing with traffic in and out of dowtown, might not give it much atmosphere, but at least it makes it an easy stop for lunch.

We were lucky enough to arrive just as a table was being cleared. As soon as we sat down, more diners arrived, and were forced to wait standing between the formica tables and the lunch counter. The place was so small that our table was not that far from the kitchen-- the smell of which led me to order three tacos: 1 chicken, 1 carne asada, and 1 carne adovada. They arrived spilling out of their soft corn tortillas, with wedges of lime and a fiery dish of salsa on the side. The chicken was ok-- what was I thinking ordering a chicken taco?-- but the carne asada and adovada were delicious. The asada was perfectly grilled, and still juicy; the pork in the adovado was nicely coated in rich chile sauce. It was really too much food-- I ate it all, of course-- but next time I think two tacos would be a well sized order (especially with a glass of cinnamony horchata on the side).

There are a few New Mexican items on the menu, but keep it simple, stick to the tacos, and you'll have a fantastic meal.

NM to TPE.

2010-05-25T23:11:00.003+08:00

As of last night we have airline tickets booked, so our route for the next month has finally been mapped out. We're going to stick around Albuquerque a little longer, enjoying the clean dry air and the delicious green chile, then we're heading up to Utah (1) for a few days of camping among surreal desert landscapes. After a stop in Vegas for an even more surreal landscape, we'll be heading to one of my favorite cities in the world, Los Angeles (2), to hit up food trucks, hang out in well-styled cafes, and wish that we were staying permanently. Then at the end of June we'll catch a flight for our new home, Taiwan (3), where we'll be full-time teachers, and part-time street food explorers.

As much as I'm getting sad about leaving New Mexico once again, I am actually starting to get excited for the trip. Hope you'll join me along the way.

Dispatches: Eating (May 21, 2010).

2010-05-22T02:35:00.009+08:00

Dispatches from the world of food and eating.

School Lunch
Most of us are probably glad that we no longer have to eat lunch from the school cafeteria, but after seeing the school lunches from China and Malaysia that Robyn posted over on Eating Asia, we may start wishing we could enroll for 2nd Grade in Chengdu or KL. Aside from the pure aesthetic appeal of the images, the photos are worth examining to get a glimpse into the food culture of China and Malaysia. What we feed our children says a lot about how we think about food-- a rather troubling thought, if I picture the Salisbury steaks and soggy square pizza slices I got as a kid.

Pictured above is a school lunch I enjoyed while teaching in Taiwan last year-- tofu and braised pork eaten with wilted greens and thick slices of bamboo.

Crack an egg on it
I've been following ReadyMade magazine since it's third issue, and while its always been good, I've been blown away by how fantastic each issue has been over the past few months. Part of why I feel it's improved is that they're increasingly adding more and more features on food and cooking. They're really taking advantage of people's growing interest in knowing what they're eating, and where their food is coming from. Recent issues have featured articles on making your own vinegar, on raising chicken's for eggs, and on why you should have a a dough hook or offset spatula in your kitchen. And every recipe we've tried, like the breakfast pastry Bordeaux made in San Francisco, or the rhubarb tart I featured in yesterday's post, have been fantastic.

Now ReadyMade has even launched their own food blog, Feast, so you don't have to wait for the semi-monthly issues to come out. I've been visiting it daily lately, salivating over their pictures, and getting some ideas to implement at dinner. One tip they featured recently was that cracking an egg over certain dishes can instantly elevate the style and flavor of the meal. We'd actually been experimenting with that lately ourselves; our best successes have been egg on pizza (crack it on, then bake for a further 6 minutes to set the whites but leave the yolk runny), and poached over a salad of bitter leaves, which Bordeaux pulled off perfectly for our recent spring dinner.

Super Superette
Cape Town has always had some great cafes, but none as wonderful as the fantastic Superette, which opened up last year. Located in the grungy neighborhood of Woodstock, Superette was worth a visit if only to relax in the cafe's sleek interior-- gray concrete floors, a homey communal table, local artist's work on the walls, and an old-fashioned lunch counter showcasing the salads of the day (it shouldn't come as a surprise that the cafe's owners had previously founded a gallery, a design collective, and the wonderful Neighbourgood's Market). And the ever-changing menu, which focused on local organic produce, always had something good on it- like home-made cereal with preserved guavas, or a rich bread and butter pudding. Unfortunately, I won't be getting back in for a meal anytime soon-- so I was happy to find out that they've got a blog going, showing the activity their kitchen is up to. Even if you won't be visiting Cape Town soon, their blog is worth a visit just to admire their style or to get some inspiration for your own kitchen.

PS- If anyone has seen any great recipes, cooking blogs, or food photos online, I'd love to hear about them! Share in the comments.

In the kitchen with primitive: a tart for spring.

2010-05-21T05:01:00.002+08:00

I never really used to like either pies or tarts, but lately I've been developing an interest in them. Partly, its because they seem more seasonal than any other dessert. Cakes are generally the same throughout the year (aside from some specific holidays), but tarts are so reliant on what's fresh and in season. So last night when my family had a small spring dinner, I had the perfect opportunity to try making a tart fitting the season.

I chose the one featured on the April/May cover of Readymade, a ginger ricotta tart with rhubarb and strawberry jam. I still feel that in many ways I'm just finding my way in the kitchen, so I like making dishes that help familiarize me with new skills or ingredients. This tart was great because it knocked two things off my list: making my own ricotta cheese, and cooking with rhubarb.

I'd been curious to make ricotta because I'd heard it was the easiest cheese to start with. I especially like the idea of making my own cheese in Taiwan, since good cheese in Asia is rare, expensive, and usually imported. I found a recipe at Epicurious, which got an incredible number of reviews saying how easy it was to make, and how delicious the end result was. Making the ricotta would, I think, have been as easy as the reviews said-- had I gone to the somewhat necessary step of making sure we had cheesecloth at home. We didn't. Which had me making a mess of the kitchen just after midnight last night, trying to strain it out through different means. Coffee filters really didn't work at all, but squeezing the liquid through a clean tea-towel sort of did. Anyway, it worked out (mostly, sort of), and I'd love to try making ricotta again (with a cheese-cloth, next time).

But I think this tart would honestly be just as good without making your own ricotta. Buttery flaky crest flavored with ginger, a creamy cheese-cake like filling, and a sour-sweet topping of seasonal fruit. Perfect to celebrate the height of the season.

Anyone else have any favorite spring pies or tarts?

Downtown in Las Vegas (NM).

2010-05-19T15:44:00.000+08:00

About 70 years before Las Vegas, Nevada was founded, there was Las Vegas, NM. If you didn't previously know that there is a Las Vegas in New Mexico, you can be excused-- there are a few good reasons. 1) There's not really a whole lot going on there- and -2) The town is a little creepy. On our visit there seemed to be a lot of mentally unstable people lurking around downtown (we almost thought we were going to get knifed at one point). But it is still a rather beautiful town. So if you decide to stop in, be sure to visit the old town plaza, which is surrounded by some incredibly well preserved historic buildings-- like the above-right Plaza Hotel, established 1881. The square offers a near perfect picture of a frontier American town in the late 1800s. Just watch your back.

On the road in NM.

2010-05-19T00:00:00.009+08:00

We've actually been spending most of our time in New Mexico since we returned to the US-- my home-state just hasn't made it onto the blog recently because I'm super bad at remembering to take my camera with me when I go out. The only times I've really remembered to take any photos were on two road-trips-- one to the north-east, the other to the north-west. While the two trips focused on very different spots, the highlight of both were very tasty meals flavored with New Mexico chile.

Our first daytrip took us to the town of Las Vegas, NM. Despite the really incredible Victorian architecture in the city's historic downtown, the city had a rather depressing feeling about it. Luckily, we had a good lunch while we were stopped there. We dropped by Charlie's Spic & Span Bakery and Cafe, which unlike the rest of the town, was filled with people. We had massive breakfast plates for lunch-- I got the carne adovada, pork stewed in red chile, which were topped with an over easy egg. It all went perfectly with Charlie's freshly baked tortillas (we could hear them slapping out the tortilla dough behind us while we ate).

Our next daytrip was to the hotsprings in Jemez. Trips to Jemez were a regular part of my childhood, not for the hotsprings, but because the pine forests up there are a great place for picnics. On the way, we'd usually make a stop at a beautiful red-cliffed spot where women from the reservation would sell fry bread, loaves of bread baked in hornos, or cinnamon dusted cookies. Luckily my nostalgia linked up with Bordeaux's stomach, so we could both agree to make a stop. We opted for an 'indian taco', the somewhat silly name for a dish that I won't pretend not to love. Puffy frybread is topped with ground meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and, per our selection, green chile. It was surprisingly spicy, but practically worth the trip alone.

24th Street, Mission.

2010-05-15T02:51:00.004+08:00

To close up my coverage of San Francisco, I'd like to share a few spots around my favorite neighborhood: the Mission. While there seemed to be great restaurants, cafes, and shops all over the neighborhood, 24th Street in particular stood out as a great all-around destination.

What makes the Mission's 24th Street so exciting is its curious mix of inhabitants; a Thai-Chinese grocery might sit next to a taqueria, and across the street from a hipster coffee shop. This mix is unfortunately endangered, as rising rents are forcing out the traditionally latino community, but for now the vibe persists, in freshly painted murals (1) and corner groceries (2) specializing in latin american ingredients. Mexican restaurants (3) still outnumber the hispter joints. Right at the head of the street Taquerias el Farolito (2779 Mission, at the corner of 24th) offers raved about tacos filled with a diverse selection of meats (chorizo, lengua, beef brain...). Also worth keeping an eye out for at the intersection are the 'tamale ladies', who peddle their delicacies just up the steps from the Bart Station.

Further down the street, Local Mission Eatery (3111 24th) offers a changing menu based on what's being grown seasonally in the SF area. On our visit, I ate an unbelievable sandwich (4) of asparagus and poached eggs on freshly baked brioche. Yum. The relaxed, dimly lit interior offers a calm break from the pace of the street outside.

After lunch, you'll be spoiled for options for dessert. My pick is to head down the street to Dynamo Donuts (6) (2760 24th), for a donut in maple bacon or lemon thyme. Also worth the wait in line is the ice cream at Humphry Slocombe (just off 24th, on 2790 Harrison), where scoops comes in a staggeringly diverse selection of ever-rotating flavors, like Thai Chili Lime, Peanut Butter Curry, or Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee. Or, cross the street from Local and pop into La Reyna (5) (3114 24th) for a tasty Mexican sweet bread.

If you're like me, and think that something sugary is best followed by a cup of coffee, then follow the sounds of typing to Haus (7) (3086 24th), where you'll be welcomed into the starkly minimalist coffee shop by the glowing lights of a dozen hipsters all on Macbooks. The menu is small, but the coffees are beautifully made. If it's a nice day, you can even sit out back in their bare-bones patio.

Editor's note: Want to know one of the weirdest things about this neighborhood? It reminded me a lot of Los Angeles. I could almost have been in Silverlake or Echo Park, though admittedly there were a lot more people walking around here. Which makes me think that as great as San Francisco was, if this was my favorite SF neighborhood, then I might actually still just be an LA kind of guy...

SF signs.

2010-05-14T05:13:00.008+08:00

I'm always a fan of vintage typographies and design, so in San Francisco my eyes were often trained upwards-- to take in all of the funky signs. Even the dry cleaners seemed to have great signs! These were a few of the favorites I spotted.

Sweet City.

2010-05-12T13:00:00.011+08:00

There was something so charming about San Francisco-- the picturesque hills of Victorian houses, the toy-like cable cars, the dapper gents -- that it felt a little like being in a children's book. So somehow it seemed fitting that all over the city there were little shops specializing in treats, sweet shops selling delicious pastries, ice cream, pie, or donuts. Over our week in the city, we sought out some we'd heard of, stumbled on another, and enjoyed some of the best sweets the city has to offer.

Our first stop in San Francisco was at Tartine, which more than lived up to its reputation (and more than deserved the long line that snaked outside onto the Mission sidewalk). The cafe's interior looked like a cozy environment to sit and savor a creamy latte, but we got our pastries boxed. We opened them later on a picnic in Golden Gate Park, and shared the wide variety of pastries we'd selected. Two of the best (pictured top) were an almond lemon tea cake, and a creamy tres leches cake.

Back to the Mission on another day, we stopped at Bi-Rite Creamery, where we once again found long lines, and were once again rewarded for waiting. The strawberry balsamic soft serve was a little disappointing (not quite enough balsamic flavor), but the traditional ice creams, in flavors like brown sugar with ginger-caramel swirl, roasted banana, and toasted coconut, were rather tasty. The winner: honey lavender, which balanced not-too-sweet ice cream with an herby perfumed scent.

The only dessert in this entry that wasn't found in the Mission, and the only one that we stumbled upon by accident, was perhaps the most unique treat we tried. The Loving Cup, in Russian Hill, specializes in making a seriously undervalued dessert: rice pudding. I selected a cup of rum and raisin rice pudding, which tasted charmingly old-fashioned and incredibly delicious. The ingredients they use are local and organic, and they happily show nutritional information to tout their low calorie products.

But the sweetest highlight of the trip was a stop at Dynamo Donuts, which I'd been wanting to try since first reading about them in Readymade magazine over a year ago. Back then, I'd attempted to make their lemon pistachio donut, which had been a bit of a flop-- luckily that was one of the donuts on offer on our visit, so I could compare. We picked up a box of donuts for the family, and brought them back home to try out.

The flavors, in clockwise order from top-left: candied orange blossom, chocolate star anise, caramel del sel, mystery apple (we forgot to note the exact flavor), lemon thyme, vanilla bean, chocolate spice, maple glazed bacon, and the aforementioned lemon pistachio.

We sliced them up, sampled each of them, and debated on the best. The caramel del sel was fantastically rich, and the bacon donut was suprisingly satisfying, but the best may have been the simple lemon thyme (though no one else would agree with me, probably).

PS- And, in related news, I've had to go on a diet and start working out since I've been back. Even all the walking we did in San Francisco couldn't counteract the incredible sweets available everywhere. But it was totally worth it!

Around town in American Apparel.

2010-05-07T21:35:00.012+08:00

After a year of living in South Africa, during which Bordeaux and I each added literally 1 item of clothing to our wardrobes (but wore out all of our older garments), we're both in the process of rebuilding our closets. The good side of this is that we can basically start from scratch, focusing on certain styles and colors. So while in San Francisco, we made a few trips to hit up local-California store American Apparel. Not only is it a fantastic place to stock up on locally and responsibly made style basics fairly inexpensively, but because they make each item in a variety of core colors it makes it really easy to co-ordinate. So re-outfitted, we took to the streets of San Francisco to put our best colors forward.

B in the Mission: Cotton pique tennis shirt in dark purple, Seersucker Robert Kennedy short in white and black.

X at the Golden Gate: Flex Fleece Zip Hoodie in mermaid green

B Downtown: Striped Fleece Zip Hoodie in purple and black (also seen in top photo).

Murals of the Mission.

2010-05-07T05:37:00.002+08:00

Over our week in San Francisco, we seemed to find a daily excuse to head back toward the Mission. Sometimes it was to pick up pastries or donuts, other times in search of a delicious local lunch, but mainly it was just to enjoy the atmosphere of the neighborhood. The murals for which the mission are so well known seem to seem up the Mission's diverse nature, their edgy illustrative styles reflecting both hip pop imagery and the neighborhood's heavily Latino culture. Many of the best murals are hidden in discreet alleys, on garage doors and the backs of shops, making for a perfect stroll after grabbing a lemon thyme donut.

3 Binh My in SF.

2010-05-04T08:59:00.006+08:00

One of the most surprising details about San Francisco for me was the way in which binh my, Vietnamese baguette sandwiches, have practically been adopted as a bay area specialty. We saw them sold everywhere and eaten by everyone, from non-descript downtown kiosks catering to local office workers, to the menus of trendy cafes and restaurants, to hole-in-the-wall Tenderloin shops where the queues were startlingly diverse. I love binh my, and likely could have eaten one every day, had I not forced a little restraint upon myself. But as it was, I was able to sample three different binh my, from radically different sources and in quite different forms.

I hate to say it, but the binh my I ate from Saigon to Hanoi might have made me rather particular. While each of the ones I tried in SF were great, I never found a perfect one-- though they came close. Any suggestions on where to try next time?

1. Binh My Pate, from Saigon Sandwich (pictured at top)
We swung by Saigon Sandwich to pick up binh my awhile before lunch-time, but even so there was already a line out the door when we arrived. And after unwrapping my sandwich and taking a bite, I could see why. The sandwiches had a great mix of salty, savory and spicy, with big slices of chili and a generous handful of cilantro. The only problem was the pate flavor, which had too much of a liverwurst flavor, which overpowered a little toward the end. Perhaps I should have ordered the combination pate and cold meats, for a more balanced taste.

2. BBQ Brisket Binh My, at Wexler's

When I saw the BBQ Brisket Binh My listed among the items on the US South-inspired menu at Wexler's, I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately, the result was a little disappointing. I should point out that had I ordered the sandwich simply as a BBQ brisket, I would have had no complaints: the meat was incredibly delicious. But the sandwich was really lacking the binh my flavor it promised. The cilantro and chili were barely present, the pickled cabbage not a perfect substitute for fish-sauce marinated carrots. A great idea, but not terribly well executed.

3. Hoi An Meatball Binh My, from Out the Door

Our first meal in the city itself was a fantastic Vietnamese lunch at the Slanted Door. After leaving, I glanced at their take-away cafe Out the Door, and noticed that they had binh my on the menu. So on our last day, I asked that we swing by the Ferry Building so I could grab one as a final lunch in the city. Though both the Roast Pork and 5 Spice Chicken sounded good, I opted for the Hoi An Meatball sandwich just to be a little different. And once again, the team behind the Slanted Door delivered with a fantastic sandwich that burst with the taste of Vietnam. My only complaint with the sandwich was that, unlike the sandwiches in the city it references, it had no spice. The binh my I had in Hoi An were always doused with a fiery chili sauce, which would have been a nice addition. Perhaps its available upon request?

XO SF.

2010-05-03T16:38:00.000+08:00

When I suggested San Francisco as a destination for our family holiday, I did so for a slightly odd (and somewhat selfish) reason. I didn't think I really liked San Francisco. I'd been a few times over my life, and never felt any particular connection to the city-- most recently I'd visited the city on a decidedly miserable college road-trip that made the city seem grimy, bland, and populated by washed out hippies and aging beatniks. And admittedly, my fondness for LA might have spurned a little Nor-Cal rivalry. But recently I'd spoken with quite a few interesting people who love the city, making me wonder if there was something I'd missed. And during the developing of my interest in food, my researches kept pointing back toward San Francisco as a great food center. So I decided to give the city another chance.

I planned the trip rather closely with my sister, and we were very particular in our plans. We avoided everything that seemed too touristy (no bread bowls on Pier 39), skipped the Haight completely (ew), and sought out a mix of local cafes, restaurants, and bakeries to sample from. I wanted to live as much like a local as I could during our short stay, to gain a new perspective on the city.

And as a result, I will happily admit that I was wrong; San Francisco truly is a rather fantastic city. Though the best thing about the city is its vibe and atmosphere, I've isolated a few of the particular things that I loved most about San Francisco. Are they enough to make me spurn LA completely? Well, if I could ever afford an apartment in the Mission...

1. Eating well, locally

The creamy latte and sultana-studded muesli above were enjoyed on a sidewalk table outside Farm:Table, a minuscule cafe with a changing daily menu of straight-from-the-farm produce. San Francisco is not only an easy city in which to eat well, it's also an incredibly easy city in which to eat responsibly, as there are lots of opportunities to eat foods that are grown or produced locally.

There are fantastic cafes, like Farm:Table or the super-cool Local Mission Eatery, which feature menus that are not only fresh and creative, but also made up only of local, seasonal foods. One incredible resource for eating locally in the city is the Ferry Building, which houses enough San Francisco food artisans to put together an incredible picnic lunch. We took home camembert from Cowgirl Creamery, baguettes from Acme Bread Company, and several regional bottles from the Wine Merchant.

The Ferry Building also have a great farmer's market several times a week. One of the best meals we had on the trip was a fantastic breakfast tart Bordeaux made, using local salami, pancetta, eggs, asparagus, herbs, and heirloom tomatoes, all purchased from the farmer's market at the Ferry Building.

2. Asian culture

After having lived in Asia I've had to accept that I'll never be able to leave the continent behind completely; so a US city with a strong Asian culture might be ideal. San Francisco's location on the Pacific Rim was clearly obvious, in elements ranging from the iconic Japanese Gardens at Golden Gate Park (pictured above), to the simple every-day details, like announcements in Mandarin on city buses. It's also a great city for Asian food, with options ranging form rock-star restaurants like The Slanted Door and Burma Superstar!, to small hole-in-the-wall binh my shops.

3. Car-free living

I have really grown to love living without a car, and while I still see the use in having one for moving furniture or going on road-trips, I'd be rather pleased if my daily life was totally car-free. San Francisco must among of the very few cities in the American West where that's actually a possibility. We were lucky enough to rent a house in Nob Hill, from where we could almost everywhere; for longer distances, I loved the retro cable-cars that have been gathered from all over the country.

Not only was it personally enjoyable being able to get around on foot, but it created such a wonderful atmosphere in the city. The streets and sidewalks felt totally alive, because people weren't just ducking into their cars as soon as they got outside. People would pass us carrying groceries or bundles of flowers, walking french bulldogs, or going on their daily run. And all the people mingling on the sidewalks meant tons of opportunities for fashion-spotting among locals, who somehow all seemed incredibly beautiful and well-dressed. Maybe it's all the walking and jogging that makes them look so good...

4. Sweet City
Yet for a city that is so fit and healthy, there are an incredible diversity of places that make getting rather fat look quite tempting. There are bakeries, sweet-shops, and ice-cream parlors all over the city, most of them featuring artisinal desserts, creative flavors, and high-quality ingredients. Pictured above is an almond crossaint I wish I'd tried Tartine, where we splurged on a range of pastries to split over a picnic in Golden Gate park. I won't go on too much about the topic of San Francisco's sweet-shops now, because I have a lot more to say about it another entry...

eating culture/eaten: In-n-Out Burger and Shake.

2010-05-01T13:11:00.003+08:00

Last week I got to spend an incredible seven days around San Francisco and the wine country with my family. Our holiday was planned mainly around eating some incredible food, starting with a much appreciated stop at In-n-Out on our way from the airport to Napa. It might seem like a humble beginning to a holiday in one of the world's greatest food centers, but the meal really summed up what we were after: simple, satisfying bites of local California flavor. And anyway, if you've had a burger and shake from In-n-Out, then you probably understand.

NY.

2010-04-20T13:10:00.001+08:00

After a far too long flight with Egypt Airlines (never again), we arrived back in the United States via JFK Airport. We had a departure to Albuquerque the next morning, leaving us with one night in New York. Obviously, we weren't going to spend our singular night in one of the world's greatest cities crashed in a hotel room. So in the spirit of our late night adventures in Taipei, we spent the entire night out, roaming the streets of Manhattan in search of a quick glimpse of life in NY. We ate black-and-white cookies, browsed at a Grand Central newsstand, watched skaters at 30 Rock, looked in on 5th Ave window displays, and stopped for a 2 am slice of white pizza and cups of coffee.

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Melkkos.

2010-04-19T13:35:00.000+08:00

For a final breakfast in South Africa, we woke up early and headed out to Pretoria's Boeremark. We got there just as the sky was just starting to lighten, some of the late-coming vendors still setting up their stalls and laying out their produce. It had been raining the day before, and though the morning sky was clear there were still gaping mud puddles and a slight damp chill in the air. This made it the perfect morning to have a bowl of melkkos. A flour based porridge layered with strata of cinnamon and sugar, melkkos satisfies on all my requirements for a chilly morning meal: nourishing, filling, with just the right element of sweetness.

Offline in Limpopo.

2010-04-12T23:37:00.003+08:00

After leaving Malaysia, we made our way back to South Africa. Instead of returning to Cape Town though, we headed to Limpopo province, to spend three weeks with the in-laws. After the rapid pace of life in Asia, the quiet Limpopo lifestyle was a drastic switch. Thankfully, it turned out to be really fantastic, and we managed to relax while still remaining productive. And though I'd had great plans of doing some serious blogging in that time, a combination of weak-internet and full days conspired to keep me offline. Instead, here are a few of the things that filled my time:
*Counting Marabou storks on a trip to Kruger park.
*Eating boerekos dinners of grilled sausage, braised ox-tail, and pap and sheba.
*Drinking coffee on the large patio outside, watching flycatchers and barbets mingling in the trees.
*Checking out hippo tracks in the lush Lowveld Botantical Gardens in Nelspruit.
*Finishing a portrait of Bordeaux in oils, and spending at least two hours a day sketching and drawing.
*Being woken up by the screeching of a bushbaby at 4 in the morning.
*Reading Ernest Hemingway's experiences in Africa, and wondering why I wasn't have impala liver for breakfast every morning.
*Making friends with the fat toads and quiet rain-frogs that have moved into the house.

And now? We've skipped continents once again, and I have lots to catch up on, but I know better than to promise more regular blogging...

Colors of Malaysia.

2010-03-17T15:19:00.000+08:00

The remnants of a meal we enjoyed in Melaka may not be the most attractive subject for a photo, but when our dishes were piled up I was struck by one of the things I love most about Malaysia: the fantastic, over-the-top color sense that flows throughout the country. From the local architecture to the clashing shades on a kopi’s chopsticks and plates, this is a country that isn’t afraid to clash. And while some shades should seem not to work together, like lime green and electric tangerine, they somehow balance out and get along beautifully. Not a bad symbol for a country as diverse as Malaysia.

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Cendol.

2010-03-16T15:16:00.001+08:00

In moving traveling from Taipei to Borneo, we had to make a quick adjustment from the cold, wet winter weather of Taiwan to the sweltering tropical heat of Malaysia. Thankfully, we were able to find an aid to that transition. While walking through the market in Kota Kinabalu, we saw vendors with large plastic tubs filled with strange neon-green squiggles, explained only by signs advertising ‘cendol’. While we initially eyed this strange dessert with skepticism, it quickly became our daily treat, and our favorite way of cooling off.

A sweet dessert ‘soup’ made of bright green mung-bean-flour threads served with a mound of ice and coconut milk, cendol was served rather simply in Sabah. In Melaka, we sampled a much more mature version of cendol, in which red beans were mixed among the threads of cendol. While they might have made the dessert a little more savory, the effect was balanced out with a dark swirl of gula melaka, the rich local palm sugar. It added an additional complexity to the dessert.

But to be honest, while I can appreciate the Melaka version as a superior product, there’s something I rather liked about the simple cendol we got in Borneo. Without the red beans and the darkly-sweet palm sugar, it was uncomplicated and uncluttered, creamy without being too rich or too complex; satisfying in the same way that a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream might be more refreshing than a rich gelato on a hot summer day.

A Quick Jaunt to Melaka

2010-03-16T02:13:00.003+08:00

We were having a good time in Sabah, but we had to admit—not a great time. When we were living in Cape Town, we’d really missed the great food, the dynamic cities, and the offbeat style of life in Asia—and we felt like we were still sort of missing that in Sabah. After leaving Sepilok we arrived in Sandakan, and in seeking lunch found a rather bleak market serving mediocre fare. This wasn’t why we were in Malaysia, we decided. So we bumped up our tickets, left Sandakan three days early, and made our way to Melaka.

I’d been curious to see Melaka, though having heard of what a tourist spectacle it’s become, I was a little nervous as well. Thankfully, our timing was good. We arrived on Sunday afternoon, just in time to see the dust settle from the crowds that had filled the town that weekend. In the place of the tourists, we found a fairly quiet town that seemed to be quietly going about its own business. And while we found some streets and neighborhoods that were terribly bland and characterless, we found much of the city to be inviting, engaging, and well supplied with places serving fantastic food.

Which is important for us. For while we spent time browsing among the shophouses, and visiting mosques, churches, and temples both Hindu and Buddhist, our main activity was eating. Before leaving Sandakan, I browsed through the archives of Eating Asia—easily the best way to make sure of having a good meal in Malaysia. Between following Eating Asia’s leads and a few lucky discoveries of our own, we ate spectacularly. Some of the highlights of our eating included:
1. Several bowls of laksa lemak, a creamy coconut-milk noodle soup with a slightly spicy curry bite.
2. Chee Cheong Fun, sheets of rice noodle folded over shrimp and pork, topped with crispy fried garlic.
3. We’d had some fantastic chicken rice in Malaysia, but the chicken rice balls at Hoe Kee were not only a novel take on the straits-favorite, but an incredibly delicious version as well.
4. Perhaps the strangest local specialty we tried with the pai tee, crunchy cups filled with braised yam bean, and topped with chili, shredded egg, and fried garlic.

Not pictured above, but just as delicious: oyster noodles and soft shelled crab at Teo Soon Long Chan, banana leaf curries and crispy roti tissue in Little India, and several bowls of cendol all over town. The town really exemplifies the diverse mix of cultures and cuisines that make eating in Malaysia so rewarding.

Before we changed our tickets in Sandakan, we briefly wavered, wondering if we should just stick it out in Sabah. I’m glad we didn’t. For though I’m sure you can have a great time in Borneo, we were really after a particular experience that we just weren’t getting. We’d been away from Asia for so long that it really felt great to reaffirm what we love about it: the culture, the style of it, and, most importantly, the great food. Because really, life is too short to put up with eating poorly. And in Asia, you’ve got no excuse.

Hanging out with the apes at Sepilok.

2010-03-09T15:33:00.001+08:00

I like jungles. A lot. Since I was young, I've had a thing for strange animals and dark and mysterious forests, and I used to dream of being able to travel among the forests of the equator. I've since learned a few things:
1) Animals are really pretty hard to see through all that greenery.
2) Most wild animals would really rather be left alone, not gawked at by tourists.
And, somewhat significantly-- 3) After a few trips to some of Asia's wild spaces, I've had to realize that I can really do without the usual trappings of a visit to the jungle-- getting heat stroke on long treks over leech infested trails, staying in run-down guesthouses with soggy mattresses, eating flavorless meals of instant noodles. Some people are into that stuff, which is cool, but it's really not for me. Which is why it's nice to find somewhere that offers a balance.

On our visit to Borneo, we were mainly looking to relax, but we couldn't go without a few days spent at the edge of the island's incredible rainforest. So we planned a stop in Sepilok, and a stay at Paganakan Dii. This small getaway is the work of a young local man from Sandakan, who recently returned from spending several years abroad. He's now brought a distinctly hip style to Sepilok with the opening of Paganakan Dii. We stayed in one of the bungalows, which are positioned at the edge of the hill, looking out over a lush forest. The cleverly designed bungalows have rolling doors for walls on two sides, so that the entire room can be opened up to the surrounding greenery.

It was an easy place to unwind, and we spent much of our time in Sepilok relaxing, though we did spend one key day out. The main draw for visitors to Sepilok is the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. It's run in part by Orangutan Appeal UK, which is really doing good work. The forest in Borneo is being cleared at an alarming rate, in part so that more palm oil plantations can be built. Borneo's wild animals, which include incredibly rare species like the orangutan and the Sumatran Rhino, are forced into ever smaller spaces. At the Rehabilitation Centre. This in effect does a few good things: it helps maintain the population of orangutans, it increases awareness, and it lets tourists see orangutans, while letting the ones that are in the wild remain undisturbed.

A ticket to Sepilok allows for the visitor to see two feedings a day. As a tip, the feeding in the morning can get swarmed with tour groups-- in comparison, the afternoon feeding can be relatively quiet. Fruit is set out on platforms, and slowly the orangutans emerge for the forest, swinging in on ropes, to grab a meal. Many of them are young, so they're incredibly cute and playful-- sometimes too playful, as on our visit we were practically surrounded by a group of curious young apes.

Between feedings, we wandered over to the Rainforest Discovery Centre, which offers several trails into the Sepilok Reserve. We took a short one, and wandered among towering trees, . Lucky hikers can see orangutans or hornbills-- we saw neither. The closest we got to wildlife was seeing a giant black squirrel asleep in a tree. Like the rest of our time at Sepilok, it might have only been a small glimpse into one of the wildest places on earth, but it was enjoyable getting that glimpse at any rate.

Especially enjoyable, I'll admit, in the knowledge that we had crisp white sheets and a functioning shower waiting for us afterwards.

A market by the sea.

2010-03-08T13:36:00.007+08:00

While much of KK can seem a little washed out, there is one spot to visit if you're seeking color. Right on Kota Kinabalu's waterfront sits the town market. Where in a few hours crowds of locals and tourists will be dining on fried noodles and grilled squid at Kota Kinabalu's night market, a gentle trade takes place as people wander among the stalls, picking up a few ingredients here and there.

While some vendors sell fresh fruit, and others trade in lemongrass and chili, the big draw here is incredibly fresh seafood, pulled right off of boats as they pull up to land. There are fish, in orange, silver, and turqouise blue; piles of fat prawns; and beautiful crabs and lobsters, their claws held firm in rubberbands.

And if any of it looks tempting, remember to return in the evening for a dinner at the Filipino barbecue. Those same prawns could show up on your plate.

A day on the plate in Kota Kinabalu.

2010-03-06T20:37:00.013+08:00

Despite the mystery and allure evoked by its name, something about Kota Kinabalu keeps it from being a particularly engaging city. It's a city of placid avenues and grid-like concrete buildings, too modern to be characterful, but just a little too worn to be graceful. But if there is one moment when the city may be redeemed, it's when its residents sit down to eat.

Many people take their meals under the swirling ceiling fans of kopitiam, Chinese style coffee shops. For breakfast, this is where to go for a warm, sticky glass of coffee, sweetened with condensed milk. If you're lucky, you'll also be able to find a plate of bread with kaya, a rich coconut jam.

The kopitiam stay in business all day; you'll be able to swing by again for lunch. Items on the menu range from Chinese favorites, like char siew (barbecued pork), to Malay, like laksa (noodles in a coconut milk curry), to Straits specialities, like chicken-rice (poached chicken served with a delicate soup and a mildly garlicy bed of rice). Sometimes the most satisfying meal is the most straightforward, like the above mee ayam: a pile noodles (mee) that have been wok-fried in kejap manis (a dark, sweet soy sauce) are topped with cleaver-cut slabs of delicious crispy skinned chicken (ayam).

Elsewhere, Indian style restaurants sell a diverse range of curries, made with chicken, lamb, and vegetables, or even squid and shrimp. A few select shops serve their curry on a banana leaf; more often, a more humble presentation involves a plastic plate and a mound of rice. Look for the large griddles to identify a shop specializing in roti canai, unleavened bread served with small dishes of curry, or murtabak, a folded roti canai filled with meat or vegetables.

You'll still find the city's restaurants and kopitiam awake at night, but for a more lively dinner, head toward the night market on the waterfront. The stalls at the centre of the market seem oddly lacking in variety-- most sell fried rice, fried noodles, or soto, a spicy soup-- but you'll likely find a cheap, tasty meal at least. Around the periphery are dessert shops-- perfect for the sultry Borneo evenings are shops selling cendol, a pandan flavoured dessert served over ice with a dash of coconut milk.

For a more unique dinner you'll need to penetrate the clouds of smoke toward the back of the market. There, you'll find yourself among the grills of the Filipino Barbecue, where vendors display dazzling piles of seafood-- massive prawns, formidible lobsters, and technicolor fish-- all available to be grilled and served with a dressing of chili. It's perhaps the cheapest spot to indulge in the incredible catch available off Borneo's coast.

To walk through the city at mealtime is to hear the sound of spoons scraping at woks and of roti being slapped onto the griddle, to see piles of gorgeous seafood, ducks hanging in shop windows, and trays of colorful curries. It's encountering the unique mix of cultures-- Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Malay-- and the contrasting geographies-- from the tropic seas to the fertile forests-- that make up KK. You might not always be able to see what's exciting about Kota Kinabalu, but at least you can taste it.

A late last night in Taipei.

2010-03-02T18:11:00.006+08:00

Our departure: 9:30 AM from Taoyuan International Airport.
Our plan: to spend our last night in Taipei, hanging out, eating, catching a few hours sleep in a love hotel, then grabbing an early breakfast, and heading to the airport at 6AM.
Our results: a few hurdles, but it all worked out in the end...

21:00-- Having caught the HSR in Hsinchu, we arrive in Taipei early enough to catch the city still awake. We stow our luggage in the train station lockers, and take the MRT into the Ximen. In this hip shopping neighbourhood, we browse for shoes and cardigans, and join the crowds at Ay Chung for a bowl of noodles.

23:00-- After meeting up with a friend, we duck into a small restaurant for a small dinner. I opt for the braised chicken on rice.

24:00-- We walk to the nearby Red Theatre Square and order some drinks. Located behind the historic Red Theatre, the square is a night-time neighbourhood of gay bars, shops, and restaurants where friends gather at tables under lantern light.

2:00-- Saying goodbye to our friend, we head back to the area around the train station to find a love hotel. Since we don't need a full night's accomodation, a love hotel is perfect-- they're willing to rent a room out for only two or three hours (the name making sense yet?). We ask around at a few spots we know, but everyone is booked up. After scouring the neighbourhood, we're realizing our luck might have run out. We start to wonder if there are any 24-hour Starbucks in the city.

2:30-- Luckily, we'd noticed a few love hotels while we were wandering around Ximen, so we grabbed a cab and headed back there. It felt bizarre to be on the streets of Ximen so late at night-- the small lanes that had earlier been packed with crowds were now totally deserted. We took the elevator up to one love hotel, and the doors opened to a darkened cavern strewn with rubble-- we quickly pressed the 'door close' button, and headed back downstairs. Luckily the hotel nextdoor was still open, and we got a suspiciously cheap room for two hours. The room is tiny-- it feels as if it were built around the bed-- and the walls are lined with mirrors. Eek. We're exhuasted, so who cares.

4:15-- The alarm goes off, and against our protests we get out of bed and take a quick shower. One thing helping us wake up-- we're heading for a really good breakfast. We hop in a cab with a friendly driver, and after a little confusion, manage to explain to him where we want to go.

4:45-- He drops us off at Yungho Soy Bean Milk and Porridge King, which, luckily, is in fact open 24 hours. Unlike in the morning, the place is quiet-- a fraction of the usual staff, and only a few tables of students eating. We order two bowls of warm soy milk, a steamer of shaolingbao, a donut for Bordeaux, and some dan bin for me. Not a bad final meal in Taiwan.

5:15-- Finished, we catch a taxi to the train station, track down our luggage, and then walk to catch an airport bus. As we drive down to Taoyuan in the breaking light, we both doze off a little...

Islands of the South China Sea.

2010-02-26T09:26:00.006+08:00

Though it feels like we just got to Taiwan (I guess we sort of did), we're departing again early tomorrow morning. We had a great time here-- so great that I spent more time just enjoying myself than blogging-- and have firmly made up our minds to come back in June, to spend at least one year here. This will be a return to an old home for Bordeaux, but a new one for me, and I'm looking forward to the opportunities it will present.

Our last time in Asia, we were based in Bangkok, which we used to great effect as a base for exploring continental Southeast Asia-- we covered lots of ground in the Mekong river basin, from the far reaches of Thailand, all the way down Laos, across Cambodia, and up the length of Vietnam.

This time, I'm hoping to get to know the islands of Southeast Asia. The quirky individuality of life in Taiwan has really given me an appreciation of island life, and I'm now eager to see what it's like on the neighbouring atolls. I'm hoping to explore new spaces, like Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the islands of the Straits. Altogether, the South China Sea makes up a strangely disparate community-- from the wild spaces of Borneo, to the gleaming emporiums of Singapore, to the high rises of Hong Kong.

We're getting an early start tomorrow: we're heading to Sabah, on Malaysian Borneo, for about two weeks before we continue on to visit family in ZA and the USA. We've done a little research, but we're doing this pretty blindly, to be honest. We're open to what we encounter, and looking forward to new suprises. Blogging will of course be irregular, but I'm looking forward to sharing a little of it with you as we go.

(a little less) chop chop.

2010-02-25T08:48:00.006+08:00

One habit we've picked up in adapting to a lifestyle in the East is carrying around our own chopsticks wherever we go. It might feel super-nerdy pulling out a pair of one's own chopsticks, but the wood saved with habitual use is well worth the effort.

Pictured above: Muji Chopsticks with case, 190NT (appx. $6).

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Papaya Milk.

2010-02-24T16:00:00.001+08:00

The first thing I consumed after arriving in Taipei back in 2008, Papaya Milk remains one of my favorite Taiwan treats. Ripe papaya is blended with milk for a creamy, earthy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet smoothie. It's available fresh, from night market stalls or from fast-food style vendors, or pre-made at 7-11s, where it's sold in fantastically retro packaging. It's perfect for a steamy summer's afternoon in the southern town of Kaohsiung (where the drink is recognized as a local treasure)-- but as I found out this month, is just as delicious on a drizzly Chinese New Year's holiday in chilly Hsinchu.

Redressed in Taiwan.

2010-02-23T13:15:00.003+08:00

After a year of not getting any new clothes in South Africa (where they were too expensive and mainly dull), we quickly got back into shopping upon our return in Asia. In Taiwan, we're playing around with the local nerdy fashion-- a mix of retro preppy and street styles.

Style shopping in Bangkok.

2010-02-22T15:00:00.003+08:00

Bangkok can be an ideal destination for shopping, but great style and prices aren't always easy to find. A few extra tips will ensure that you leave Krungthep with a happier suitcase.

Bordeaux, re-styled after a day in Bkk.

1. Check out the malls, even if you never take out your wallet. Bangkok has some of the most incredible shopping malls in the world-- like the elegant and high-end Gaysorn, hip and funky Central World, and classic Siam Paragon. The shops are a mix of international labels, with some local talent thrown in-- check out Greyhound (at Paragon) for offbeat Thai fashions, Thann (flagship store at Gaysorn) for incredible spa products, and Vanilla Industry (across from Siam Centre toward the back of Siam Square) for great lattes and cupcakes. But perhaps the best part of a day spent among these malls is the people watching-- it's a great way to get a sense of Bangkok style.

2. Give MBK a miss: At some point, the MBK shopping mall developed a reputation for being a great place for cheap shopping. Tourists weren't the only ones in on this secret however, and the vendors caught on. The result is that most of the clothing at MBK is aimed solely at tourists, and is not only overpriced, but severely lacking in style-- you'll see about twenty stalls selling an identical selection of tacky Beer Chang t-shirts.

3. Get to the Platinum Fashion Mall, and give yourself some time: The Platinum Fashion Mall is-- for now, anyway-- everything that people expect from MBK. The selection is staggering, and the prices are terribly low. It's a little harder to get to than MBK, being a bit of a walk up from Phloen Chit MRT Station on Phetchaburi Road, but it's worth the effort. But give yourself time to search-- the shops at this massive wholesale shopping mall are incredibly varied, though not all are worth a browse. Among the aisles and aisles of shops, you'll find hip clothes, particularly some great warddrobe basics, like simple cardigans, sunglasses, belts, and t-shirts in solid colors. It takes searching, but the clothes and their prices are worth it-- especially if you buy more than two or three pieces from a vendor, thereby earning a decent wholesale discount.

4. Hit up Chatuchak Market, but be selective: Spending a day at the Chatuchak Weekend Market (also known as the Jatujak Market, or the JJ Market) can easily go one of two ways: it can be a fantastic day of picking up style from hip Thai designers, or it can be a sensory overload of too much stuff that you have no interest in. The trick is knowing the layout of the market. The vast bulk at the centre of the market is of little interest for most shoppers, and many visitors get tripped up by simply heading inward and getting majorly overwhelmed in the process. For hip clothes, focus on the lane running parallel to Kamphangphet Road (the far left side of the market when viewed from the BTS station)-- it's particularly good for funky t-shirts and boutique stalls, with designers like the local Hey Pilgrim!. Later, head to the far opposite corner, where some small cafes are tucked in among artist's galleries.

5. If you can't make JJ, get to Suan Lum: It's not the same experience, and the prices are higher, but the Suan Lum Night Bazaar is certainly convenient. Firstly, it's right in the centre of Bangkok, being right up the stairs from the Lumphini MRT station. Secondly, it's open every night, so you don't have to time your visit to a weekend. Thirdly, the crowds are not as intense as at Chatuchak. So while the shopping may not be as rewarding, it's perhaps a more relaxed spot to pick up some t-shirts and a new pair of sunglasses.

So enjoy the city, bargain well-- and let me know if you find a local designer particularly worth seeking out.

A revelation, which should have been obvious.

2010-02-21T18:50:00.003+08:00

I'm happier in Asia. I don't imagine it's hard to see why.

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Kraw-coo-ka-pi.

2010-02-18T21:48:00.004+08:00

One of the last things I ate before leaving Bangkok was one of the first things I ate when I got back-- kraw-coo-ka-pi (to use the spelling provided on their sign). In this salad, a pile of brown rice is topped with a diverse mix of ingredients: coriander, chopped chili, strips of egg, spring onion, shallots, little dried shrimp, candied pork sausage and whole dried chili. A well scooped bite is a mix of fresh, salty, sharp, and spicy, with a tiny hint of sweetness. As a dish, it neatly sums up what I love about Thai food, and what I missed while I was away: fresh, distinctive flavors are combined to startlingly delicious results.

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Salt Encrusted Fish.

2010-02-16T13:51:00.002+08:00

Our return to Bangkok was of course an excuse to indulge in some of our old favorite dishes, but it was also an opportunity to try a few things we'd always been curious about. With its body entirely coated in coarse salt, the grilled salt-encrusted fish had always intrigued me, but I'd never found the chance to try it. So when we passed by a stand that seemed to specialize in them, we took the hint, ordered one, and grabbed a table. The fish arrived with its salty-skin already peeled back for us, and accompanied by a small bowl of a spicy chili sauce. The fish's mouth had been stuffed with lemongrass, which gave a gentle flavor to its delicate white flesh. And the salt, somewhat strangely, gave the fish an added moisture-- by first leaching the moisture out of it, and then gently infusing it back in.

Happy New Year (for reals this time)!

2010-02-15T14:04:00.005+08:00

When 2010 came in on January 1, Bordeaux and I were both in bed, willfully sleeping out the last minutes of the previous year. 2009 turned out not to be so great, and we were so glad to have it end that we didn't really have the energy to celebrate the new year. Maybe as a residual effect of these feelings, January still felt like it belonged to the previous year-- we spent the first month of 2010 still stuck in South Africa, facing the same frustrations and annoyances that bogged us down in 2009.

Luckily, we got a second chance to start the year out right. Our return to Taiwan coincided with the biggest holiday of the year here, Chinese New Year. And thankfully, we faced this one with a lot more optimism. As the sun went down and the fire-crackers started popping, we jumped on our bike and zipped through the streets of Hsinchu, keeping an eye upward to watch the burst of the fireworks announcing that the year of the tiger was starting.

So I can say, with honesty this time, happy new year! And on that note, we're heading up to Taipei for some shopping, eating, and hot-springing.

Back in Asia.

2010-02-07T21:28:00.003+08:00

We've made it safely back to Asia. That rather silent gap you may have noticed has been filled with seeing old friends, shopping, and eating some incredible food. And mainly, just really, really enjoying being back. Getting back here feels just so right, in ways I wouldn't have expected.

There will of course be some entries on our short stay in Bangkok, and on life in Taiwan, once I get my act together.

Pictured above is the East Gate in Hsinchu, Taiwan, our home for the month-- and possibly longer.

Saying goodbye to Cape Town.

2010-01-26T06:05:00.002+08:00

I had really hoped to fill my last days in Cape Town with loads of blog entries, extolling the virtues of this fantastic city, but as is always the case it seems, life became a little too busy for blogging. We had to pack, of course, and were busy spending time with two very funny friends who dropped into town, and were occupied with trying to get the most out of our last days in the Cape. Saying goodbye to your home is always hard-- it's a central theme of this blog that I centre my life very strongly on where I live, so I get rather attached to my homes-- and it's especially hard when your home is as fantastic as Cape Town. So there are lots more Cape Town entries on the way. I'll either get them up in the coming week, or put them all up when we swing through northern South Africa in March (I haven't decided yet)-- but in the mean time, here are a few of the things that were hardest to say goodbye to in Cape Town.

1) Fairview Cheese and Wine farm-- If I could list in order the foods I miss in Asia, good cheese, bread, and wine would be at the top of the list. All of these things are available at Fairview, a goat farm in Paarl where you can combine an afternoon of sampling wines with tasting incredible artinsal cheese.

2) The Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill-- This every-Saturday market is packed with local vendors trading an incredible variety of foods, making this a great place to spend a morning of slow grazing. Beyond that, it's a great spot for checking out some of Cape Town's most beautiful people, who seem to converge here every weekend. We spent nearly every Sat there this year selling our own food, but even though we took our last weekend in town off, we went back just to eat, drink, and enjoy the best spot to hang out on a Sat afternoon in Cape Town.

3) Kalk Bay-- I debate the issue in my mind, but sometimes I wished I could have lived in Kalk Bay. This small artistic community is only half an hour from Cape Town, but feels worlds away-- a vacation paradise of neighbourhood cafes selling well-made crossaints, of small boutique galleries, of beautiful green sea, and deliciously rich ice cream cones. Whenever I felt the urge to get away, a visit to Kalk Bay would go some ways toward satisfying me.

4) The City Bowl-- We were lucky this year to live in Gardens, at the centre of Cape Town's City Bowl. With our home base right there, we were able to take advantage of all of the neighbourhood's attractions: we took picnics in the Company's Gardens, swam at the Long Street Baths, zipped up to Lion's Head for morning climbs, and hung out at a number of local cafes. If there is one neighbourhood that truly defines Cape Town it's the City Bowl, and this year we revelled in all it had to offer.

This year wasn't always easy, but I'm sure I'll look back on it with great fondness. Thanks for everything, Cape Town.

cocktail hour with primitives: The Capetonian.

2010-01-20T19:46:00.004+08:00

The Capetonian is my effort at mixing a cocktail that pays homage to one of my favourite cities. I hint at the city through the ingredients (the use of local Brandy) and the colour (a blush of the city's distinctive shade of pink), but it's the drink's character, a mix of sweetly refined and gaudily boozy, that truly evokes the city of Cape Town. Best enjoyed on a warm sunny afternoon in the City Bowl.

The Capetonian

1 1/2 oz Cape Brandy
1 oz Dry Vermouth
3 Dashes Bitters
1 tsp Superfine Sugar
Soda Water
1 Maraschino Cherry, plus juice

Garnish a glass with a Maraschino cherry, and spill in a little of the juice. In a cocktail shaker, stir together the brandy, vermouth, bitters and sugar with several large cubes of ice. Strain into the glass, and add one or two big splashes of soda, swirling through when done.

around town/cape town: Cookshop.

2010-01-19T14:06:00.005+08:00

Regrettably late in our year in Cape Town, a fantastic cafe opened up just doors down from our apartment. Though perhaps it was a good thing; with Cookshop just down the street, we may rarely have ventured elsewhere.

Cookshop is an intimate cafe space, with a simple counter inside and breezy seating on the covered patio. The espressos and lattes are made with Organic coffee and the fairy cakes and muffins are tempting, but the main reason to come is for lunch. There is a daily buffet of creative salads, with option including mango and pineapple in a chilli dressing, or lentils topped with almonds and fresh herbs. Otherwise, go for one of the sandwiches on the board, like roast vegetables and hummus in a ciabatta, or free-range chicken on rye. The proprietress had formerly run a stand at the Neighbourgood's Market selling her own line of handmade mayonnaise, dressings and sauces, which have thankfully been incorporated into the sandwiches at Cookshop. Meaning that not only are the sandwiches assembled with care, but that the individual ingredients themselves were crafted with care, to great affect. I've never been a huge fan of mayonnaise, but I would gladly order another roasted aubergine sandwich just for the unbelievable rosemary mayonnaise that dresses it.

Located in Gardens, on 117 Hatfield Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. +27 21 461 7868. Open Monday to Friday from 7 till 4.

Last day at the Biscuit Mill.

2010-01-16T03:19:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow is the last day that we will be trading at the Biscuit Mill's Neighbourgoods Market with our Southeast Asian stand, Piesang. This is certainly a bittersweet moment for us-- we've been so lucky to be able to be at the Biscuit Mill, which has provided us with an incredible way to interact with the city of Cape Town, helped us to meet some fun people, and directed some catering jobs our way (and of course, paid our rent)-- all the same, I will be 100% happy not to be rolling 200+ salad rolls every Saturday from now on! It's been great, Biscuit Mill. We'll miss you, and we certainly hope you'll miss us.

And this is kind of late notice, but if any of my dedicated readers (yes, either one of you) would like to jump on a plane to Cape Town and join us for a celebration after the market, I'll pick up the tab for some sparkling wine!

Beautiful city.

2010-01-15T02:58:00.003+08:00

While Cape Town doesn't have everything I'd like in a city, it is unquestionably the city whose aesthetic style I most appreciate. It's not only the absurd landscape sculpted by Table Mountain, Lion's Head, and Table Bay, and the mingling of temperate and tropical vegetation that I love-- it's also in the offbeat combination of such diverse architectural styles that make up the city.

Just within a short walk around the neighbourhood of Oranjezicht I spotted Victorian town-houses with intricate lace-like fences, the sleek curves of '60s modernism, baroque adaptations of Cape Dutch, and the masculinely handsome details of art-deco. It might seem like these styles might not work, but somehow, they work beautifully. It may take a little getting used to, but the combination is fantastically Cape Town, as distinctive and intriguing as seeing the local bird of paradise blooming just below an imported acorn tree.

Unfortunately, this doesn't include most of the city's architecture post 1965... don't even mention those new hotels being plonked down for the World Cup to me...

Baker man.

2010-01-13T16:07:00.006+08:00

I am rather lucky to have married a man who can whip up a meringue-peaked layer cake with Amarula glaze and coconut buttercream, as he did for our friend's birthday; I am even luckier that said man can manage to show up to the party looking even better than said cake.

And just like the combination of tropical and refined in the cake, Bordeaux's look has a very Cape Town flavour-- this despite the fact that the individual items in his outfit are all from abroad (the driver's cap is from Urban Outfitters, the t-shirt is from American Apparel, and the shorts were tailored for him in Vietnam).

Cape Town has some incredibly sharply styled residents, and hopefully our year of living here has had some impression on us. Though I'll miss being here in person to check out what Cape Town is wearing, I'll be keeping track on it distantly, though the Style Guide Cape Town. Something of a Cape Sartorialist, this local stylist does a great job of documenting the city's residents' unique sense of style.

*And I'll get a link to Bordeaux's blog entry on that cake once he puts it up on Itinerant Bordeaux.

View of Lion's Head #13.

2010-01-13T02:43:00.001+08:00

Long days and late sunsets are a perk of life in Cape Town in the summer. And with the sun setting on the other side of the mountain, the silhouette of Lion's Head continues to glow until after even the whole of the city bowl is bathed in purple nightfall.

Colours of the Cape: Cape Dutch Gold.

2010-01-11T17:05:00.002+08:00

Though its winters may be gray and dreary, the Cape is much better known for its golden summers. With the open sky and dry air, the sun is free to penetrate every corner of the Cape, filling the City Bowl and soaking the beaches. Perhaps it was in honor of this that the early Dutch settlers plastered the Cape Castle, their sea-front fortress, in an appropriately flaxen hue. The Castle must have set the tone for the style of the new settlement, and the colour brightens up much of the city's early colonial architecture. Thankfully, the shade has also been carried through to the modern day, where it still reflects back the warm light of the sun.

A little frost with your penguins.

2010-01-09T16:05:00.004+08:00

In my recent post on Simon's Town, I offered one piece of rather important advice: don't eat in Simon's Town. But I will make one small exception. On the walk between the Simon's Town beach and Boulder's (the spot for penguin viewing) there is a small window right on the sidewalk, offering ice cream by Ice Dream of Hout Bay. The menu is limited to what they can squeeze onto their chalkboard, and focuses on rich interpretations of classic flavours. Perfect for a frosty treat on the walk back from checking out the Cape's antarctic residents.

around town/cape town: Lola's.

2010-01-09T03:52:00.002+08:00

Since first coming to Cape Town in 2004, Lola's on Long Street has been one of my most regular hangouts. And it's hard to say why, sometimes. The atmosphere is a little grungy, the food is often too salty or too greasy, and the coffee really isn't that great. But sitting out front, at a sidewalk table on Long, it often feels like being right at the centre of Cape Town, watching the whole city pass by.

Don't shake hands with the penguins.

2010-01-08T03:49:00.008+08:00

The last stop on the railway line down the peninsula is Simon's Town, a strange spot of sailors, tourists, and African penguins.

The enclave of Kalk Bay will likely always be my favourite spot on False Bay, but the first place I visited was actually Simon's Town. I had only been in South Africa for a few weeks, the continent still new to me, and as I walked along the boardwalks of Boulders, I was struck by how odd it was that the first wildlife I was seeing in Africa were the penguins.

Likely this is true of many of the visitors who use Cape Town as their entryway to South Africa. For while most people come to Africa to see elephants, rhinos, and lions, who could pass up the chance to see the strange colony of penguins at Boulder's beach? They're tiny and sufficiently adorable to warrant lots of souvenir plush toys, though they whine with a loud braying call doesn't fit their size. It was this call that originally got them the name of 'Jackass Penguin', which they still had when I first visited-- the name has since been changed to the 'African Penguin', allegedly for purposes of classification, not propriety. It is perhaps fitting, as they are the only species of penguin to nest on African soil-- a relatively new development, in fact, as they were only safely able to do so once human development had cleared the coastline of leopards.

Simon's Town has a rather touristy feel, and it is likely owed all to the penguins-- beyond them, there's not much to do in Simon's Town other than stroll through town and enjoy the atmosphere. Originally a British Naval Station (there's still a working naval base here), the town has the look of a British seaside town at the turn of the previous century-- worth seeing, if only because it feels about as out of place as the penguins.

One note, however: As worthwhile a stop as Simon's Town is, remember not to make it a stop over lunch or dinner. The restaurants in Simon's Town are generally aimed at tourists, and as a result are both poor quality and overpriced. We almost made the mistake of eating lunch at one place in town, but when we scanned the menu and saw baked beans on toast for R38 (about $5), we canceled our drinks, got back in the car and headed to Kalk Bay, for a fantastic lunch at Olympia Cafe-- with not a baked bean on the menu.

around town/joburg: The Zone at Rosebank.

2010-01-07T01:56:00.003+08:00

In some of my recent posts on Johannesburg (ok, all of my recent posts on Johannesburg), I've complained about the fact that so much of the city's social life takes place in malls. I feel I should point out here that I am not inherently opposed to shopping malls: I'll be honest and admit one of my favourite activities in Bangkok was spending a few hours worshiping at the commercial temples around Siam. But my complaint with Johannesburg's malls is twofold.

1) Malls are fine as one option, but in Johannesburg they are increasingly the only option. Following Joburg's 'white flight' from the city centre, its residents sought out a social life that was protected within thick walls. As a result, there are now very few places to stroll in Joburg unless you're in a mall-- the last real option for outdoor life, Melville, is getting increasingly sad, rundown and, allegedly, unsafe (The Bamboo Centre an exception).

2) Johannesburg's malls are on the whole rather boring, offering only the same chain stores and restaurants as every other mall.

So here's the closest thing to an exception: The Zone at Rosebank. If you have to spend time in a Johannesburg mall, make it this one. Because, while you'll find many of the same generic shops and restaurants as at the other malls (yes, they have a Spur Steakhouse), there are a few unique shops that make it worth a visit.

1) Sowearto- A play on the iconic township of Soweto, Sowearto offers t-shirts with a hip, Joburg style. Some are direct references on the city, such as the line of t-shirts featuring Joburg's skyline, or labels from traditional South African products, while others are simply fun, like those of label Mingo Lamberto.

2) Stoned Cherrie- All the clothing for sale at Stoned Cherrie is for the ladies, but still worth a stop as these dresses are practically works of art. Traditional fabrics are mixed with couture tailoring, for a distinctly urban take on African style.

3) The Space- The clothing is, again, all for women here (an annoying trend in Joburg shops), but The Space makes up for it with an incredible selection of home-wares. Items range from simple and classical to funky and irreverent, with a good mix of local designs and imported styles. A great place to find something unique for the home, or to pick up an alternative souvenir for a friend.

Now if only there was a more unique offering for a coffee after shopping. As it is, we'll skip the Spur and head to Vida.

cocktail hour with primitives: Gin Pahit.

2010-01-05T13:40:00.006+08:00

Though our holiday was spent in sweltering Pretoria, we were lucky enough to be able to spend it next to a pool. And since family was involved, cocktail hour started a little earlier than usual. But finding a good drink for pool-side sipping can be difficult, as I'm not generally a fan of sugary sweet drinks where the sting of the alcohol is masked under the flavour of tropical fruit and loads of sugar. I needed a tropical drink with a little more bite, so I opted for a Gin Pahit.

A favourite of the hotel bars and gin-joints of British Malaya (pahit is the Malay word for bitter), the gin pahit is the ideal tropical cocktail: clean and crisp, with a nicely spiced flavour giving it just a hint of the exotic. It's similar to a Pink Gin, but notable for a much higher ratio of bitters, giving it a darker, smokier colour. And perhaps best of all, the drink is remarkably simple-- so you can spend less time preparing it, and more time sipping it by the pool.

Gin Pahit

1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin

Pour the bitters into a glass, and swirl around to coat. Add the gin, stir to a dark rosy colour. Add an ice cube or two, if required. Enjoy.

around town/joburg: Bamboo Centre.

2010-01-04T17:20:00.004+08:00

Though I'm always eager to find new hip places to hang out when I'm in Johannesburg, I always seem to end up returning to the same one: The Bamboo Centre in Melville.

The highlight of the centre is Service Station, which must be one of the best cafes in South Africa. It's all brick walls and concrete floors, and the large bank of floor-to-ceiling windows along the front look out over the lush leafy greenery of Joburg's artifical forest. This combination makes for the ideal spot to meet for a late breakfast (pictured above: fantastic salmon scrambled eggs with dill), or for coffee and an incredible baked good. Toward the back, past the towers of baked goods, there's a small deli, with local specialty foods, imported pastas, and a few choice design items for the kitchen. A meal here is so compelling, that one can almost imagine that this is how life in Johannesburg could be: urban and sharply styled, living a life that is surprisingly not closed off or barricaded in.

And after eating, you can continue the fantasy with a little browsing in the neighbouring shops. Love Books has a fantastic selection of handpicked fiction, cookbooks, and volumes on art and design, plus a huge selection of kids books so well illustrated that even adults will want to page through. Among the shops toward the back of the complex, Black Coffee is a well-known local fashion range (though nothing for men, as is unfortunately common in Joburg), and the Blooming Plate has a staggering range of interesting kitchenwares.

Altogether, a great one-stop spot to browse, relax, and enjoy a vision of urban, modern Joburg-- before returning to the reality of four-metre walls and barbed wire malls.

Bamboo is located at the corner of Rustenburg Road and Ninth Street, in Melville, Johannesburg.

Love Jozi?

2010-01-03T14:50:00.002+08:00

Despite its bad reputation, Johannesburg has some pretty strong defenders. Those who live in the city often love it. Even the fact that the city has so many nicknames (joburg, jozi, egoli) suggests some sort of affection.

But could I love Jozi? Every time I go, I try to answer this question. On this last visit, I looked hard, and tried to imagine myself there. I came up with a few good things about Joburg:
1) The city is greener than Cape Town, as it's set in a huge artificial forest.
2) The residents are allegedly friendlier and more welcoming than in Cape Town.
3) The city is relatively mixed, racially and culturally, which is a refreshing change from Cape Town.

But unfortunately, my list of things I don't like about the city is a bit more convincing...
1) There are too many high walls, too many shopping malls. Who wants to spend all their time indoors?
2) There is some incredible architecture downtown, but the rest of the city is pretty ugly... as I said in #1, too many walls and malls. So much glass and concrete, but no character.
3) Not enough fun spaces-- very few good restaurants or cafes, and if they exist... look at #1... they're probably in a mall or a shopping centre somewhere...
4) Joburg is not a walkable city-- even less so than in LA, which gets that reputation. Put me down on Wilshire, in Santa Monica, or Silverlake, and I'd find cool shops, neighbourhoods, and cafes. Put me down in Johannesburg, and I'd get lost, frustrated... and probably mugged.

So, unfortunately, I still just really cannot see the appeal. But, like I said-- there are loads of other people who do love it. But I feel that I can finally say with confidence that I'm not interested in living in Johannesburg. However, for an alternative take on loving Jozi, check out the Love Jozi clothing line (pictured above, too). As many arguments as I've made against the city, I think their hip t-shirts will make a much more convincing case in favor of it...

Secrets of flying within South Africa.

2010-01-02T16:34:00.004+08:00

Several years ago, a number of discount airlines entered the South African market. With them came the promise of revolutionizing travel in South Africa, as passengers would no longer be captive to the high prices forced by the near monopoly of South African Airways (SAA). First came Kulula, and they were quickly joined by 1time, Nationwide (now defunct), and Mango. They offered no frills service for rock bottom prices.

But along the way, something happened. The service remains no frills, but the prices stopped being so cheap. Yet in their advertisements, and in most people's minds, these discount airlines remain the cheapest option for flying within South Africa.

The strange reality is, this isn't necessarily true. After scouring the discount airlines websites, we eventually found that the cheapest ticket available for a return flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg was offered, oddly enough, by British Airways. Second cheapest? Flying with SAA. All of the discount airlines were more expensive.

And the effect is that you can essentially get better service, more amenities, and more comfort for a cheaper price. When we headed up to Johannesburg, we walked past the swelling crowds waiting at the Kulula desk, and found literally no wait at British Airways. And of course, the better service continues on the flight, too. Pictured above is breakfast on our BA flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Despite appearances, it actually wasn't bad. British Airways flights are catered by Woolworths, a slightly upmarket local grocer, who provide a healthier and fresher alternative to the usual airline food. And for our lunchtime flight, they even offered wine to drink-- something I'd never encountered on a domestic flight before.

Occasionally, you may still find special deals with the discount airlines, and one-way trips with them may work out cheaper. But if you're booking a flight in South Africa, remember to shop around, because the cheapest airfare may not be where you'd expect to find it.

Thank god, it's a new year.

2010-01-01T23:15:00.004+08:00

Now-- can we pretend this last one didn't happen? There were some highlights of this year, of course-- I got married, I definitely enjoyed the life in Cape Town at times-- but in short, let's just say that this experiment of staying settled was a big FAIL.

But I'm not going to dwell on the year that's passed. Thankfully, we will soon be on the move once more. The countdown has started, and from today we have 25 full days left living in Cape Town before we head back to Asia. As excited as I am to go, however, I don't want to let my last days in South Africa slip by unappreciated. So for the rest of my time here, it's my goal to post one entry a day for each of the 25 days about South Africa. So enjoy this last glimpse from the cape, and welcome to the new year.

Hope yours is looking brighter too.

Christmas south of the equator.

2009-12-21T15:00:00.005+08:00

To answer that rather annoying question posed by Bob Geldof, no, here in Africa I really don't know that it's Christmastime at all. I'm not sure whether it's the summer weather that's throwing me off, or that I'm so far away from family, or that shopping malls here simply don't make the effort to induce a shopping panic in their customers through twinkling lights and Mariah Carey singing about all she wants for Christmas, but this year the season has somehow slipped past me almost entirely. I saw a homeless person in a Santa hat in the Company's Gardens last week, and only realized later that he was actually more in touch with the times than I. This will be my first Christmas south of the Equator, and it won't likely be a particularly festive one.

We will be spending the holidayless holiday in Pretoria, as seen in the above photograph of that delicate work of art, the Voortrekker Monument. Yes, I can feel your envy from here. Not only is Pretoria swelteringly hot and strikingly dull, but even the locals use this time of the year as as excuse to get away from the city. But no matter-- we are staying somewhere with a pool, and I will be temporarily rescinding my pledge to drink less, and will be indulging in a good bottle of gin.

I'll be taking the time off from posting to sit by the pool and enjoy gin pahits. I'll be back in Cape Town around the 29th, hopefully with some notes to share from my visit to Johannesburg and Pretoria. Hope to see you back here in time for the New Year, and enjoy the holidays, if and however you choose to recognize any of them

Round the South China Sea.

2009-12-19T00:30:00.004+08:00

To follow up on my last post, I'm taking my own advice. We'll be packing up our little home in Cape Town, and heading back to Taiwan.

We're looking to potentially head back full time later next year, but in the meantime we're heading back on a short trip for the month of February. Things have been a little unsettled here as we get ready to leave-- I think the fact that three of my recent posts have been lists shows that I'm trying to make some order of these changes-- but we're unbelievably excited to be getting back to Asia. A year away has been far too long. We've managed to arrange our flights to really take advantage of this return... we'll be circling the South China Sea, stopping in Thailand en route to Taiwan, then returning to South Africa via Malaysian Borneo and Kuala Lumpur.

Meaning this here travel blog will once again feature some travel-- quite a novel idea, I know! It's been a long year of being settled, and it's time I got some new places featured on this blog...

15 very specific reasons to love Taiwan.

2009-12-16T15:46:00.002+08:00

When I left Taiwan in August of 2008, I planned an entry on PRIMITIVEculture to be simply entitled 'Go to Taiwan!' I had been skeptical about going at first, but once there I was continually blown away by what an incredible island it is. Taiwan really must be one of the most underrated destinations in all of Asia. Admittedly, the Taiwan tourism bureau isn't helping much-- their slogan 'Taiwan touch your heart' is about as effective as it is grammatically correct, and their magazine ads are often too full of text, and loaded with uninviting colours. This is an island with an image problem, and it isn't helping itself.

I'm not sure if I'll do it more justice, but I'll give it a go. So I've finally decided to give that entry another try, but rather than simply giving you the stock tourism reasons of why to go-- delicious food, beautiful scenery, friendly people-- I've decided to be very specific. So here are my 15 reasons why you should go to Taiwan, and why I think you'll love it. And yes, I'm aware most of these are food related. You should know this is how I work by now.

1) Bamboo
People who have never been to Taiwan might imagine a city dominated by cities, coloured grey from concrete buildings and factories. And ok, this is true of some of the cities... but outside of the cities, much of the island is in fact staggeringly green. There are emerald rice paddies along the coasts, verdant forests in the mountains, and lush betel nut palms in the tropical south. But much of the island's green comes from thickets of bamboo. Cool and shading, and they make a beautiful sound in a light wind.

2) Mango and Green Tea from Coco
Taiwan may not be located quite in the tropics, but you would certainly think so given how hot and steamy the summers get. Thankfully, the streets of Taiwan are packed with drive-up shops selling big, refreshing cups of juice or tea. Particularly good on a sweltering day is the Mango and Green Tea from Coco.

3) 4 AM Dan bin
Life in Taiwan has a 24-hour schedule, and if you're in a decent sized city, you'll likely be able to find something open at all hours. That can be quite a god-send at 4 am, after a busy social evening, when there is nothing better than a late night breakfast of dan bin-- eggs rolled in a thin pancake, and drizzled with sweet soy sauce.

4) Papaya Milk from 7/11
7/11 isn't just a convenience store in Taiwan, it's practically a way of life. They sell all the essentials, and they do it 24 hours a day. One of the best things about 7/11 is their fantastic selection of boxed and bottled drinks-- like this version of a Taiwan classic, creamy papaya milk.

5) Pigs on leashes
What a lot of people don't realize is that Taiwan is an offbeat place, where it pays to have a sense of humor. Buses in Hsinchu play 'It's a Small World' when you press the stop button, and garbage trucks island wide belt out music to alert people to come toss out their trash. And yes, you may encounter people walking their pet pigs by the leash.

6) Taroko Gorge
Of all the misconceptions about Taiwan, the greatest one is that the island is just a string of overpopulated cities and factories. Ok, that might be somewhat true of the west coast... but head to the east coast, and you'll be blown away by its natural beauty. Check out Taroko Gorge for the pinnacle of Taiwanese natural beauty-- a valley of green peaks towering over a rushing river, with delicate temples and shrines tucked discreetly into coves and nooks.

7) Dust masks
Considering that a large part of the typical Taiwanese day is spent on a motorbike, it only makes sense that a whole range of fashion accessories for biking would spring up. There are the obvious, like helmets, which can accessorized with stickers and designs, or even with wigs to be made to look like human hair. But there are also long gloves, worn so the ladies can protect their white skin from the sun, and dust masks, to keep out the smog from the road.

8) Neon plastic sunglasses
Taiwan has a very funky youth culture-- influenced by Japan, China, Korea, and the US, but put together in a way that is distinctly local. When we were there, the fashion focused on bright neon colours-- which are best viewed through a pair of neon coloured sunglasses.

9) Scallion pancakes
Taiwan is famous for its 'xiao chow', its 'little eats'. These are small snacks, which can be sampled at tea houses, night markets, or simply from street stands. One of my favourites was the scallion pancake, a flacky flat bread flaked with sliced green onion.

10) Avocado Shakes
The idea may sound gross to the uninitiated, but avo shakes are surprisingly delicious: rich and creamy, with a decadent flavour that isn't overly sweet. They're great to sip on while strolling through a night market.

11) Open, the 7/11 Mascot
Japanese 'cute' culture has definitely made its way to Taiwan, and you'll soon notice that nearly every major business has an adorable icon in its marketing. Not all of these are effective-- like Taipei 101's 'Damper Baby', whose shape is based on the counter-weight that helps keep the skyscraper from falling over in strong winds (sounds cute? no, it really isn't). But some, like 7/11's puppy faced mascot 'Open' really are kind of fun.

12) Chaiyi turkey rice
Every town in Taiwan seems to have its own local specialties, a dish or two that it's famous for, making it possible to take a grand eating tour of the island. Chaiyi turkey rice wasn't necessarily my favourite famous dish, but its humble flavours were suprisingly tasty, and rewarded being searched out.

13) Mango shaved ice
A Mango and Green Tea Slush might be the most refreshing way to counter Taiwan's heat, but a bowl of Mango shaved ice might be the most fun.

14) High Speed Rail
Taiwan's High Speed Rail is the perfect symbol of this country's modernity. It's plush, comfortable, and so fast that you can easily zip up and down the West Coast for a quick day out of town or an overnight trip.

15) Ghost month
And yet, while Taiwan is unquestionably a modern country, by no means have the reach for the future left the past behind. Ghost month is a great chance to encounter the traditional side of Taiwan, as crowds at temples surge, people gather outside to burn piles of paper money, and
parades of masked figures may appear unexpected on the street. It's a time for visitors to reflect on how much the little island can surprise you, and how it always seems to defy expectations...

And now that I've put this list together, I keep thinking of other things to add... pudding milk tea, random acts of kindness from locals, warm soy milk and soupy dumplings from a breakfast shop... But hey, these are really all just my reasons. But I think you should get to the island, and come up with your own.

Things that I'll miss about Cape Town.

2009-12-08T22:48:00.007+08:00

Well, as you might have caught on from that last entry, we're getting ready to pack up and skip continents once again. I'll explain more about our next steps-- in short, we're heading back to Asia-- and maybe I'll share some of the reasons why we decided in the end not to dig our roots into South African soil. We're both much happier now that we've decided to leave, and really can hardly wait to get back to Asia. But while it's easy for me to think of all the things I'm looking forward to, I do have to keep grounded by remembering the things I'll be giving up in Cape. Here's a few of the major things I've been grateful for in Cape Town, and that I'll be missing once I'm gone.

1) Excellent, affordable wine-- Not only is causal wine drinking affordable in Cape Town, it's part of the lifestyle in the Cape. A glass of red at dinner, or a chilled bottle of white over a summery afternoon, fits in perfectly with the relaxed and casual atmosphere of life on the Peninsula.

2) Blue sky-- Ok, it was pretty gray for a lot of this year, but now that summer is here, I'm trying to spend as much time as I can admiring the clear blue sky over Cape Town-- I certainly won't be getting much of that in Asia. I'm really going to miss these brilliant, clear golden days, perfect for lounging at a sidewalk cafe, or getting a cone from a seaside ice cream parlour.

3) Cheese and bread-- While trading at the Neighbourgoods Market, we often get complaints from people avoiding dairy and gluten that practically all the food is based around bread or cheese. That does suck for them, but I can't say I'm complaining. South Africa has some delicious local cheeses and artisinally made breads. Combined with some wine (see #1), they make a perfect lunch for a lazy summer day (see #2).

4) Staying active-- The combination of sun, sea and mountain in Cape Town make it an ideal place for staying active. This lifestyle is made even easier thanks to Cape Town's small size, since hiking trails and public pools are always just a short drive away. You can hike Lion's Head before breakfast, or take laps in the Long Street Baths before work. Beyond that, the city's tiny size also means that practically everything is walking distance within the City Bowl.

5) Eating locally-- I believe in making an effort to eat locally, and Cape Town really can be paradise for a committed locavore. The wine, cheese, crusty breads I love so much... they're all available from local producers (even the wheat comes from the Western Cape). And with the help of Wild Organics, who offer inexpensive weekly bags of local organic produce, it's even easier to limit your food miles in the Cape.

Borneo.

2009-12-05T00:28:00.004+08:00

There are probably more strategic ways of announcing this, but I'm very excited to share that there will be some major travel in this primitive's future. I'll wait to fill in the full plans, but I will say that we're planning a stop in Sabah, on Malaysian Borneo. I know that perhaps modern day Borneo doesn't look much like the above anymore, but the name 'Borneo' is one of those words that will likely always trigger flashbacks to those childhood fantasies of distant lands that made me want to travel in the first place...

Secrets to a primitive world.

2009-12-03T02:21:00.002+08:00

I was invited by Cate of the Caffeinated Traveller to share some of my travel 'secrets'. While I can't really say that any of these places I'd like to share are really secrets, these are three places that truly surprised me.

1. Islands of Trang Province, Southern Thailand
The story goes that all of Thailand's islands are already too commercialized, the sand boarded over with discount beach bars filled with tacky Western backpackers. But if you're willing to head beyond Ko Phi Phi and Ko Phang Nga, you'll find that there really are some fantastic islands left in Thailand, like the islands of Trang province. I was lucky enough to visit the islands on an assignment that required me to go to each and every one. Of these, I gathered a few favourites. There was Ko Libong, a wild island inhabited by hornbills and encircled by dugongs; isolated Ko Kradan, with one incredible place to stay in a palm encircled clearing right in the middle of the island, perfect for nurturing Robinson Crusoe fantasies; and Ko Sukorn, with its pastoral allure of rice paddies and quiet villages. But perhaps best of all was Ko Lao Liang, an unbelievably secluded island, hours from land by boat, so small that it can only fit one place to stay, an encampment of simple tents right on the beach. In short, everything you've ever dreamed of in a Thai Island.

2. The Karoo, South Africa
I first visited the Karoo in between one destination and another, having little idea at the time that it would become my favourite part of South Africa. It's an evocatively desolate landscape, of golden dusty desert and shadowy valley towns. The best way to enjoy the region is to visit some of its town, whose sedate avenues of early twentieth century homes are steeped in retro charm and soaked with Afrikaner culture. Some of the best spots to visit are Barrydale, a suprisingly artistic community with an offbeat gay vibe, Prince Albert, with it's storybook houses and untamed surrounds, and Nieu Bethesda, home to the Owl House, a surreal museum to one local woman's mania. These are all great places to try real South African cooking, as well: succulent grilled lamb, creamy milk tarts, and artisinally made cheeses, breads, and preserves. Karoo is certainly not a secret to South African travellers-- most of the region's more attractive towns are well set up to accomodate visitors. But the region mostly remains just off the maps of most international visitors to South Africa, who are more interested in visiting Cape Town and Kruger National Park. A shame, because to visit the Karoo really is to visit the heart of South Africa.

4. Taiwan
Ok, clearly Taiwan isn't a secret place-- everyone who lived in the '80s saw the name printed on the bottom of their plastic products, right? But what seems to be a secret is that Taiwan is an unbelievable, unforgettable destination. It's a quirky island, whose sometimes bleak cities are brightened up by frenzied night markets and funky local fashions. Packed in within the confines of this tiny island, there are an astounding array of different places to go. Fast-paced and fashionable Taipei, engaging Hsinchu, romantic and sultry Kaoshiung. And amazingly, the island also has incredible natural beauty: the low areas of rice paddies give way to towering peaks cloaked in bamboo; on the east coast, the scenery is even more spectacular, epitomized by the dramatic valleys and mountains of Taroko Gorge. People are friendly, the food is fantastic (every city and region have their own delectable specialties to search out). And with the high speed rail draped along the whole west coast, getting around the island is easy, comfortable, and incredibly fast. But really, I'll be saving more about Taiwan for another entry coming up in the next few days or so...

Any of you willing to share your secret destinations?

A flight gone wrong.

2009-12-01T01:30:00.007+08:00

While we're on the subject of air travel, let's talk about airlines. Air travel should, I feel, be somewhat glamorous. Being lifted from one destination to another, the glitz of the jet age, and all that. Yet it so rarely is. There are all sorts of things that can go bad on a flight: uncomfortable seating, poor quality entertainment, inedible food, bad service from attendants. And sometimes, all of these things go bad on one single flight.

Last year in the US, Bordeaux and I took flights on a variety of US airlines, most of which were rather poor in quality. They charged for everything short of water, flight attendants were unfriendly and disheveled (what's with the US airline custom of having flight attendants wear factory-reject jackets with giant shoulder pads? who does that look good on?), and the airplanes were often rather unclean-- we once found tissues waiting in of our seats, and an old pair of socks in the other's. Yet really, none of that prepared us for our United Airlines Flight UA940.

The flight was shared with a European airline, the flight attendants of which grudgingly greeted us as we boarded the plane. The first thing Bordeaux did as he sat down was to adjust the tiny movie screen in the seat in front of him-- and its plastic cover immediately popped off. Bordeaux laughed awkwardly, and the flight attendants laughed with him-- and then did nothing to help as he tried in vain to get it back on. That tiny screen was of very little use anyways, as we soon found out we had only three movies to choose from, none of which were even remotely watchable. I believe 'Wild Hogs' was in the mix. Something to drink usually helps a lengthy and boring flight, and it would have helped here-- unfortunately, United Airlines charges for alcohol on flights between the US and Europe, even wine.

By the time our meal arrived, we were starting to see the humor in how bad the flight was. Which helped, as when pulled back the little tinfoil cover, we were greeted with a pile of tomato sauce glop that even after eating I still couldn't identify. Was it cannelloni with cheese? Lasagna with chicken? On the side was the obligatory white bread roll (freezing cold and rock hard), and a side salad that literally was composed of shredded lettuce, and not a single other ingredient.

We were quite happy to leave this flight... until we got into the airport. I should also mention that this flight was followed by our layover in Frankfurt, which meant we got to follow an awful flight with an awful airport.

Air travel can still be rather attractive, I should point out. I've had great experiences with South African Airways-- decent meals, good entertainment, and a fantastic and free-flowing selection of South African wines (their customer service off the airplane, however, is another matter). I have good memories of Air Tahiti Nua, where the fantastic crew (and their heavy hand when pouring drinks) made us feel like we were already in the South Seas from the moment we took off from LAX. Perhaps the best flight I've been on recently was with Air Asiana. At meal times, which always included some Korean options, the attentive and professional staff accented their already stylish uniforms with embroidered aprons-- a really fantastic touch to add a little more style and character to the flight.

What have been your best airline experiences? Your worst?

First Thanksgiving.

2009-11-26T20:16:00.006+08:00

Currently, there is a turkey roasting in our oven, releasing the sharp scent of rosemary into our apartment. Meanwhile, two pumpkin pies are cooling in our kitchen, their smooth golden-orange surfaces flecked with traces of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger.

This might sound fairly normal, it being Thanksgiving and all, but it came as a bit of a surprise to me. For the weeks before, whenever the mention of Thanksgiving came up, I shrugged it off with little thought. I haven't celebrated the holiday in five years, the last time I spent a November in my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since then, I've spent the holiday traveling in Syria, studying in South Africa, working in Thailand, and stuck in the Incheon airport in Seoul; never once did I consider trying to celebrate the holiday abroad.

But a few weeks ago, Bordeaux begun to suggest more seriously that we celebrate it; primarily, I expect, because he was curious to try roasting a turkey. So I changed my mind. We have a good sized group of friends here, we know someone with a beautiful house who can host, and in the end Thanksgiving gave us a good chance to have a party and further develop our cooking skills.

Not the traditional reasons for celebrating the holiday, basically. But then something happened in our kitchen to change the feeling just a little bit. With Bordeaux in charge of the turkey and stuffing, and most of the side-dishes doled out to friends, I was put in charge of making two pumpkin pies. It wasn't exactly a seamless process-- our kitchen got too hot to properly make the buttery crust, and I misread one of the liquid ingredients and had to chuck in some baked gem-squash to even out the mixture (those are soft, edible gem-squash seeds you see in the pie below, as a note). But when I took the first pie out of the oven, I was hit by the warm buttery scent of nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. It was the exact same scent that would greet me on Thanksgiving morning as a child, when I would go into the kitchen and smell the baking pumpkin bread. And, unexpected to me, filling my own kitchen with this same scent made me feel a lot better than I would have expected it would.

Only after our planning got under way did I realize that this will by my and Bordeaux's first Thanksgiving spent as a married couple. And though I hadn't thought it would matter to me, I'm actually rather glad that we're not just letting the day slip by. We're filling our home with the fragrances of spice, butter, and roasted turkey, and tonight we'll share a staggering meal with our friends. And though I can't say with confidence that I think the pumpkin pie we have for dessert will be 100% perfect, I can at least relax knowing that we'll have lots more Thanksgiving to develop a better one. Which is something to be very thankful for.

Layover.

2009-11-25T20:17:00.004+08:00

I rather like airports. I like the clean, modern international style they often share, and the exciting energy of people moving around the globe. With that said, I don't really want to spend eight hours or more in one. Especially if it's a bad airport.

On a too-long layover, the quality of airport makes all the difference. Is it a mild irritation having to wait, alleviated by having enough to do, see and eat; or is the whole layover spent counting the minutes until you can get back on a plane?

Two of the worst:
1) Pictured above is LAX in Los Angeles, which, I'm embarrassed to say, has one of the worst international terminals I've been to. Lots of places to sit down, but almost no where to eat, shop or hang out, and the whole place just seems a bit faded and run down. Los Angeles is rather good at self-mythologizing, and investing itself with a good show of glamour-- so why does the airport fall so short? It could be a great place to show off the city's food, shopping, and style. Imagine if they had a foodcourt with dining options from the famed Farmer's Market, or shops selling work by local designers?

2) On our way to South Africa this year, we had a depressing ten-hour stay in Frankfurt. I could have left the airport, but as a South African, Bordeaux would have needed an expensive visa. There was very little to do at the airport during that time, and worse, almost nowhere to sit. The airport had wifi, but at a ridiculous price, and despite our searching we didn't find one outlet to plug our laptop in. We ended up spending nearly the whole day in the McCafe, which is about as good as it gets in Frankfurt. We did go elsewhere for lunch though-- the rather glum Cafe Goethe, where we got a somewhat gray sausage with a pile of tired looking sauerkraut. What luxury it felt to board our South African Airways aircraft and actually have a seat, movies to watch, and be provided with something to eat (the bottles of South African wine helped to relieve the memory of the Frankfurt airport).

On the other side, I had a rather pleasant stay at Incheon in Seoul, South Korea. The airport was bright and clean, there were some decent places to get some kimchi or a latte, and not only was there free wi-fi, but they would lend you an adapter so you could plug in your laptop.

What's the best airport you've ever been to? And the worst?

Walking out of a restaurant.

2009-11-23T14:43:00.004+08:00

Last weekend Bordeaux and I decided to get out of town for lunch, so we drove up to the Winelands to have lunch at a wine estate. We'd done a little research, and picked a place that came recommended in some eating guides. But when we got there and looked at the menu, we were a little disappointed. The menu seemed a bit pretentious, trying too hard. The most succint problem with the menu was that there was something with 'wonton cups' in the appetizers-- and while I obviously have no problems with Asian food, I find it a bit tiresome how frequently restaurants in Cape Town add one token Asian-inspired item to their menu just to show how wordly and sophisticated they are.* Basically though, we were after a simple, delicious, lazy Sunday lunch, and this obviously wasn't the place for it.

So anyway, we walked out. We drove a bit to Fairview, a winery and cheese farm near Paarl, which we have visited often and always enjoy. We shared a massive platter of their hand-crafted cheeses (pictured above), which included a mature and flavourful la beryl, creamy camembert, and an incredibly rich and dessert-like cream cheese with cranberries. We ate it with crusty bread, a bitter preserved orange, slices of cured meat, and a chilled bottle of wine. Perfect for a late Sunday lunch on a very warm afternoon.

A few years ago, I never would have been able to walk out of a restaurant. I will admit it's a little tacky maybe, and I probably would have been a bit embarrassed about what other diners would think. But now I actually find something-- in an odd way-- satisfying about walking out of a restaurant. I suppose I've gotten to the point that I really care much less about what other people think, and I've also come to really appreciate the value of a good meal spent with someone I care about. I don't think it's worth wasting time on mediocrity, or settling for something less when there are much better options around. Admittedly, we could have been surprised. There's a chance that had we stayed we might have ended up liking what we ate, but we also just knew that we could have a much more enjoyable meal elsewhere. It's about realizing that enjoying the limited time I have is more important than worrying about my pride.

With all of that said, my grandparents used to walk out of movies that they found morally objectionable. I think their morals got stricter and movies more crass to the point that they would usually leave the theatre about five minutes in. So maybe it's actually just genetic, and I'm on a very dangerous road?

*And yet, good, straight-forward Asian food is very difficult to find in Cape Town. More on that some other time, perhaps.

culturedPRIMITIVE/stockist: Pinotage.

2009-11-20T17:29:00.005+08:00

The global guide to stocking your pantry.

One of the pleasures of the Cape lifestyle is that wine is plentiful and affordable. However, while we very much enjoy a regular glass of wine at sundown, we're really not proper wine drinkers. We mostly buy bottles on whim rather than on research, we drink out of whatever glasses are at hand, and on the off chance we buy a bottle that isn't a screw-top, we pull the cork with a well-travelled swiss army knife. But maybe that's why we're so fond of pinotage.

Pinotage is a distinctly South African wine. Not only in its origins (it was first cultivated in Stellenbosch in the 1920s), but in its character as well-- this isn't a delicate wine. It has an earthy smoky flavour flecked with hints of tropical fruit. It's a full-bodied combination that makes it ideal for pairing with heavy meats, game, and spicy flavours. In other words, you can serve it at your braai, and it will actually complement your boerwors.

View of Lion's Head #12.

2009-11-18T16:19:00.003+08:00

And while I'm up there, I'll include this view of Lion's Head, taken near the top. It's a strange view of the mountain, the rocky head almost slouching as it looks down over the Atlantic. When's it's been a rough hike, this is the point on the trail where I generally feel rather sick; I just have to remind myself that I'm almost there, and that the view of the whole city below really makes it worth getting to the top.

around town/cape town: Climbing Lion's Head.

2009-11-18T15:45:00.005+08:00

I really don't like workouts. My own mother goes to the gym just about every day, while I haven't visited one since I made a brief effort in college. More than the actual physical labor, I just really get bored with monotonous routines, repeated reps of the same dull activity. But when you eat like I do (last night's burgers and chocolate buttercream cake a good example) you have to do something. Thankfully, we've got Lion's Head.

Lion's Head is not only an iconic figure of the Cape Town landscape, it's also Cape Town's most attractive gym, where both local citizens and visiting travellers gather on the trail. It might be the ideal workout. The rocky path requires concentration, so it always stays interesting. And rather than spending that time in the sealed-off space of a gym, that time is spent connecting to the city in a very physical way.

We try to get up early (very early, the closer we get to the middle of summer), so that by the time the sun rises and starts heating the city, we're already it most of the way up the hill. The path circles the whole of Lion's Head once, so along the way it looks out over all the corner's of the city. We can peer down at the seaside villas of Camp's Bay, still sleeping in thick purple shadow, to the high-rises of the CBD, which have just begun to blush in the morning's light. The fynbos and flowers along the path change so much from one season to the next that the hike never gets routine or dull-- having taken a break from the hike due to the winter rains, we were surprised to find our once wide open path now crowded in with bushy shrubs and towering pink flowers. And when we reach the top, we get to have a moment to refresh in the cool breeze, to rest before starting on the way down. It's also the perfect moment to look out over the whole of Cape Town, just as the sun rises over Table Mountain and fills the city with light. It's an incredible feeling, being at the top of the city, seeing it all set out, curving below our feet.

And, hopefully, it goes some way toward making up for that cake last night.

Turkey and crisco.

2009-11-17T23:43:00.007+08:00

I think sometimes I give the impression of being a food snob, or of only being into 'exotic' foods, but really that's hardly the case. I really just like simple food well made, in whatever form that might take. And I'm certainly not one to turn down something tasty from my home-country. Last time I was home, I had some incredible American meals in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Chicago. Ok, I might be more interested in the eating cultures of say Vietnam or Thailand, but now and then I really get a craving for a familiar American classic.

Like donuts. I can potentially count the number of donuts I've actually eaten in the past decade on one hand, but for some reason, the craving hit me recently. I don't really feel a need to justify this-- a well crafted donut (not from the above retailer, which was included for mere thematic purposes) can be a beautiful confection. Take, for example, these apple cider donuts I just spotted over on Smitten Kitchen. The warming aroma of apple, spiced with the scent of nutmeg and cinnamon-- it sounds like a brilliant celebration of an American classic. I'm trying to eat a little healthier* after too much baking lately, so this recipe could be a rather dangerous find, were two of the central ingredients, shortening and apple cider, not so tricky to get a hold of in South Africa. I've actually attempted to make donuts once before; last time I was in Albuquerque I took my stab at it, and came up with some rather dark and overly chewy donuts with a too-strong lemon flavour. Even with that to discourage me, I might still consider attempting these when I get back on American soil...

We've also been discussing American food recently over the topic of Thanksgiving, as Bordeaux and I debate whether we'll actually celebrate it. Bordeaux is curious to try roasting a turkey, but given Cape Town's climbing temperatures, I'm more inclined to play around with the holidays a little and have an evening with a barbecue and some root beer floats. But this afternoon I found myself poring over New York Times articles on preparing Thanksgiving dinner for some reason, and was left actually wondering if we shouldn't actually take a stab at a big Thanksgiving dinner.

Anyway, perhaps I will get something of a fill tonight, anyway, as we will be eating American for dinner. We're hosting a friend's birthday here, so we'll be having hamburgers, with home-made buns, no less. Though, well, I should point out that they're ostrich burgers. And we'll be enjoying them with South African red wines. I'm not really helping my point, am I?

*(after tonight, when I'll be having a piece of Bordeaux's double layer victoria sponge cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, that is)

around town/cape town: Bo Kaap.

2009-11-17T14:46:00.007+08:00

If you're ever craving a good shot of colour while in Cape Town, a quick walk up the hill to the Bo Kaap should do the trick. The Bo Kaap, which literally means upper cape, has traditionally been home to the Cape Malay community. And while the area is experiencing the first pangs of gentrification, it is still a predominantely Muslim neighbourhood, where pastel coloured minarets of the mosques poke out above the houses. Aside from a scattering of shops and a few historic buildings, there aren't too many attractions in the neighbourhood other than simply strolling the cobblestone lanes. But while you're up there, it's worth seeking out a bite of Cape Malay cooking; a meal of bobotie at Biesmiellah restaurant, or chicken grilled right on the street, or a simply a warm koesister from a corner shop.

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Beskuit.

2009-11-16T17:15:00.004+08:00

Eating the world, one bite at a time.

No proper South African tea is complete unless attended by some beskuit. Known in English as a rusk, beskuit is the Afrikaans equivalent of biscotti: a biscuit that has been twice baked to dry it out and harden it, making it ideal for dipping into a warm mug of tee or koffie. Though classic beskuit have a relatively simple ingredient list (mainly flour, margarine, and buttermilk), they can be further enhanced with added seeds, dried fruit, or cereals. Pictured above are anise beskuit, made with self-raising flour for a more pillowy texture, and flavoured lightly with anise. If you're curious to try beskuit in South Africa, give the boxes in the grocery store a miss, and seek out some proper home-baked beskuit from a farm stall, a church bazaar, or a neighbourhood cafe; it will make all the difference for enjoying your tea.

For further reading, or to attempt some beskuit of your own, check out this recipe on Marita Says.

Season of change for PRIMITIVEculture.

2009-11-13T16:31:00.004+08:00

We're in a season of change here in Cape Town-- the gray drizzle of winter and the clear sunny days of summer caught in a tug of war that has us constantly confused about how to dress for going out. Pictured above is the rose gardens at Cape Town's Company's Gardens, with the regal Centre for the Book in the background, on one of our nicer recent days.

And in some ways, there seems to be a lot of change taking place among blogs these days.

My husband Bordeaux has decided to discontinue his old blog Marita Says, and launched a new one at Itinerant Bordeaux. The blog continues his writing on home-ec style projects like cooking, baking and sewing, but has also expanded to cover travel, literature, topics in gay culture, and of course, his itinerant lifestyle.

Similarly, my friend Tim has completely redeveloped his blog I am a viking. He started the blog several years ago as a teacher in Japan, and it initially covered local Japanese food culture. He's recently moved to the UK and begun work selling Danish beers, and fittingly has relaunched his blog to cover Scandinavian culture, food, and beer.

In a more subtle way, there are some changes taking place here at PRIMITIVEculture, as well.

Regular readers will have noticed that I basically stopped writing midway through this year-- I had one entry in June, and not many more in May or July. Though there were several factors for this, I basically reached a point where the theme of my blog was running counter to the theme of my life. I was very settled in Cape Town, and more than that I wasn't really getting out much even in Cape Town, which made it difficult to write a blog about interacting with the world.

In starting up writing again, I really had to reconsider what PRIMITIVEculture is about. It is a blog about travel, but since travel is not it's sole narrative, it isn't exactly a travel blog. And it is a blog about food, but since it is not entirely devoted to food, it isn't a food blog either. The best way that I can put it is that PRIMITIVEculture is really a blog about lifestyle, about recognizing that the world is in amazing place, with an incredible range of experiences to be had. Whether it's travelling to foriegn cities, or seeking out a delicious meal, or admiring the style of a local designer, it's all about ways of seeking out the full breadth of what the world has to offer, hopefully with a little style.

In essence, this won't really change the content of my blog very noticably. There might be some new topics explored, some focus given to my patterns of writing. And I've started to organize my topics a little, so they can be explored through the menu of categories on the side-bar to the right. This is a work in progress, so there will be minor tweaks and changes along the way. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll continue to join me for whatever changes this season brings.