Foodie Recommendation: "Lucky Peach"

Although cooking blogs are generally amazing (Smitten Kitchen is my personal favorite), there's a (relatively) new cooking magazine, Lucky Peach, by Momofuko chef, David Chang, which is definitely worth buying in analog form.

Now, to be honest, I'm more the beneficiary of Lucky Peach creations, along with the occasional contributor as suy chef, taster and cleaner.  Alan is the head chef in our apartment, which is excellent for me since my natural state of cooking involves assembling store-bought hummus, cheese, crackers and some veggies on a plate, accompanying it with a glass of red wine and then proceeding to eat said "cooking" either on the couch or *sometimes* in bed (yes, I just admitted that). 

For brunch with some friends this weekend, Alan made these Vietnamese omelettes from the magazine, which were absolutely fantastic.   

Now, I'm just waiting for the next volume to come out...

My (very short) life as a vegan

Source: Photopin

Confession: I've always found vegans insufferable -- holier-than-thou types that have a bent for ruining fun and making every dinner outing an impossible feat (except maybe in San Francisco).  In my mind, I've grouped vegans in the same pile as folks that talk incessantly about their mother, divulge details of their latest doctor's appointment (a colonoscopy, please do tell me more) or use strings of business words that, in fact, mean nothing.

Well, after all this vegan-hating, my boyfriend and I tried it out for 3 weeks in December leading up to Christmas (note: yes, it got a bit mental with christmas cookies).  It wasn't completely new since I've been a vegetarian and pescetarian before.  Each stint lasts between 6 months to 2 years and undoubtedly ends due to one food -- bacon.  Let's face it -- meat tastes really good.

So, why did we decide to go vegan?

Bite-sized challenges are interesting

Matt Cutts, a notorious engineer inside of Google, gave a Ted talk about his 30 days challenges -- ranging from biking to work to writing a novel to cutting sugar to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.  These challenges expanded his life to accomplishments outside engineering and also built up his self-confidence.  

In a similar vein, Tim Ferriss, the king of self-experiments, encourages a similar, one-goal-at-a-time approach to change: 

"The problem with New Year's resolutions - and resolutions to 'get in better shape' in general, which are very amorphous - is that people try to adopt too many behavioral changes at once. It doesn't work. I don't care if you're a world-class CEO - you'll quit."

Eating animal products is very bad

According to the UN, cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gas than transportation.  Despite being car-less, I'm a major culprit for pollution due to my obsession with collecting passport stamps (52 countries to date).  I like the idea of neutralizing my emissions by skipping the hamburger.

I also read David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster" & Rolling Stone's "In the Belly of the Beast," which convinced me that animals do feel pain and its death may very well be the best part of its life.  Here's one especially sad excerpt from the Rolling Stone's article:

"You are a typical egg-laying chicken in America, and this is your life: You’re trapped in a cage with six to eight hens, each given less than a square foot of space to roost and sleep in. The cages rise five high and run thousands long in a warehouse without windows or skylights. You see and smell nothing from the moment of your birth but the shit coming down through the open slats of the battery cages above you. It coats your feathers and becomes a second skin; by the time you’re plucked from your cage for slaughter, your bones and wings breaking in the grasp of harried workers, you look less like a hen than an oil-spill duck, blackened by years of droppings. Your eyes tear constantly from the fumes of your own urine, you wheeze and gasp like a retired miner, and you’re beset every second of the waking day by mice and plaguelike clouds of flies." 

So, what did I learn from the challenge?

It's very hard

I've gone meatless before, but vegan life was a whole new ballgame.  I missed eggs and cheese a lot.  They are just so good in the morning.   

I also had some really pathetic meals in Malaysia (white toast followed by white rice with soy sauce, ugh).  In fact, I actually had to leave a restaurant post-seating because I couldn't eat anything on the menu.

I felt better and discovered a yummy salad

After a week, I felt better.  I had more energy in the afternoon because I skipped my daily 2 PM cookie(s) intake and therefore, also missed the sugar coma.  I lost the weight I put on while gorging myself in the Maldives and also discovered that warm, olive-oil roasted brussels sprouts taste excellent on a spinach salad.

I quickly jumped back to my meat-eating ways

After 3 weeks, I was convinced that vegan-life was a much better way to live -- I even (annoyingly) recited the benefits to my co-workers.   

Regardless, I went right back into my meat, egg and butter eating ways.  We've even been making homemade pate today for a New Years Eve gathering at our apartment.  To be exact, I hand-cleaned chicken livers for an hour without flinching -- what happened to the vegan-version of me?  Per usual, it seems that cognitive dissonance is behind it all, explaining just why my behavior often falls short of my attitudes and beliefs.   

It looks like I'll be a meatatarian for awhile longer -- but, I want my eggs cage-free and my meat not raised in a factory.  I also think it's a good practice to go meat-free a few days per week.

Beauty and the Beasts

On Saturday, I went to Bistecca -- a European steakhouse in Singapore.

The food was incredible.  

Based on their media page, I think a lot of others agree.  It might just be my favorite restaurant in Singapore (yes, I went that far).

In addition to the delicious things that went into my belly, I loved the artwork inside the restaurant.  Check out the photos below by photographer, Scott Woodward, along with a few quotes from him on the project (it was a tough, but rewarding one!)

"As a broad concept, Megan wanted me to integrate wild European animals and beautiful, fashionable women into each of five photographs to be used as advertisements to promote Bistecca and as art to hang on the walls of her restaurant"

"Of course, once we determined and agreed on our concepts, the next puzzle that needed to be solved was how we would bring these animals -- some giant, others ferocious -- to life inside Bistecca.  It was crucial to me that every wild animal look completely lifelike.  I therefore quickly determined that compositing existing stock photographs of these animals into the scenes would not yield the faithful outcome I was seeking.  Additionally, bringing the animals to Bistecca and shooting giant Tuscan bulls or a raging wild boar inside the restaurant was clearly going to be impossible. "

 "It took more than six long weeks of illustration and digital post-production, but this past Monday we finally completed the job.  It was the most challenging creative assignment I have ever undertaken; hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and (quite literally) tears were shed by the illustrator, digital imaging team and my entire production staff -- a true labour of love, resulting in finished artwork of which we are all very proud."

Could food be a thing of the past?

I'm only partially fluent in "nerd."  

Therefore, I just found out that Soylent, a Kickstarter project which promises to "free your body from food," derived its name from the sci-fi movie Soylent Green.

In the movie, it's 2022 (which, now isn't that far off), and the world has turned to shit.  

You've got the usually list of villains:

Overpopulation

Pollution

Poverty

Dying oceans

Depleted resources

Climate change

[Insert Al Gore speech]

Most people in this dystopian future survive on "Soylent Green" food rations, which are advertised as "high-energy plankton."  As the movie unfolds, you discover that Soylent Green is actually made from -- Corpses.

Well, luckily, the Kickstarter namesake is NOT made of corpses.  That's be weird.

Our Kitchen

As mentioned, we are one of the Singapore "test kitchens" for Plate Culture (i.e., Airbnb for food).  Last Saturday, we threw out first dinner party: Drinks & Dumplings.

Note: It was for real friends... but, once Plate Culture launches, you can sign-up for a home-cooked meal at "Aleatory."  

"If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart." - Cesar Chavez

Here's some photos from the photographers that came by our apartment.

Sous Vide Made Easy

A few months ago, our lives changed...

Plate Culture: Airbnb for Dinner Parties

As I've mentioned before, I really like the concept of shared tables & chance encounters.

Well, last night, at a Women Media Networks event, I met a woman working on a start-up called Plate Culture -- homemade happiness :)

It's a bit like Airbnb for dinner parties and pop-up restaurants.  It's been such a success in Kuala Lumpur that they're looking to expand to Singapore next.

And, guess what...

The Best Sauce You'll Ever Have

Alan & I threw a little dinner party on Saturday night.  

Alan's head chef.  I'm sous chef.  And, per usual, our apartment was an absolute disaster on Sunday morning.

Anyways, it turned out to be a success.  We made arepas (somehow Alan managed to get maize flour hand-delivered to our apartment in Singapore.  Yea, internet & hipster boyfriends!) with two types of fillings: avocado chicken & brisket with black beans.  I even handmade mayo - boom.

But, the best part of the meal was this secret sauce.  Save it to Pocket right now.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 cup e.v olive oil
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup of yellow peppers
• 1/2 cup of mango
• 4  cloves garlic 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon mayo
• 1 tablespoons oregano
• salt to taste

Directions: 

• Put all ingredients but Olive oil in food processor one chopped, gradually mix in Olive oil until desired consistency.

We have a lot left over, and I'm not embarrassed to say I've had a few spoonfuls since Saturday.

I've Changed My Mind about Cauliflower

(Source: Brock Davis)

I've skirted cauliflower in the past -- always gravitating towards its "brother from another mother" (i.e., broccoli).

Well, life changed this weekend.  I discovered that cauliflower can be morphed into delicious things with more nutrients & fewer calories (1 point for Tamara)

I've been missing out.

13 Courses of Amazingness

Alan & I both planned our business trip to Sydney at the same time.  Therefore, we've been able to team up our expense allowances for some nice indulgences (yea, strategy!)

On Tuesday, we had a 13 course tasting menu at Momofuku Seiobo.  Amazing.  Our expense budget only put a dent in the cost, but well worth it.

Here's some photos (albeit on my phone), for your viewing.  The meal ended with sugary pork shoulder meant to be eaten with your hands (I mentioned it was indulgent).

Lolla: Good food, good design

(Source: Honeycombers)

Zagat named it one of "The Top 10 Restaurants in the World."  HungryGoWhere (the Yelp of Singapore) gave it 100% (all 5 stars).  I could only get a reservation on Monday night.

I knew Lolla would be good...

The best brunch I've ever had

(Source: David Schwen) 

Like every other good urbanite, I love brunch.  Well, I love brunch if it starts after 10 AM.

Coffee, delicious food and a reason to start drinking before noon -- What's not to love?

Well, on Sunday, I experience the very best brunch of my life.  No comparison.

Shared Tables

(Source: NY Times)

An early summer evening.  A pop-up party.  The Louvre.  The Notre Dame.  10,600 Parisians dressed in white.

Can you imagine something that lovely?

Food for Thought (literally this time)

(Source: Daizi Zheng)

On a catamaran trip around Malaysia a few weekends ago (yes, it was really incredible), we had some Dean's guacamole *flavored* dip on-board.  Although I understand not everyone has the luxury of eating fresh, tex-mex style guacamole, I'm not sure anyone should be exposed to this pale imitation.

Based on its website showcasing its "nutritional facts," it is less than 2% avocado, with tomatoes coming in ahead.  

We are so careful about the water we drink, yet put so little thought into the food we digest. Should we be subjecting our bodies to ingredients we can barely pronounce, let alone understand?

Now, that's some food for thought ;)

PS - Here's the ingredient list in Dean's Guacamole flavored dip:

SKIM MILK, SOYBEAN OIL, TOMATOES, WATER, COCONUT OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF AVOCADO, WHOLE EGG, ONION*, SALT, DISTILLED VINEGAR, EGG YOLKS, SUGAR, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY (MILK), LACTIC ACID, SODIUM CASEINATE (MILK), ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, TOMATO JUICE, VEGETABLE MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, SPICES, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), GELATIN, CORN STARCH, GUAR GUM, CELLULOSE GEL & CELLULOSE GUM, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, LOCUST BEAN GUM, DISODIUM, PHOSPHATE, GUM ARABIC, XANTHAN GUM, CILANTRO*, NATURAL FLAVORS, EXTRACTIVE OF PAPRIKA, CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID, BLUE 1, RED 40, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6. *DEHYDRATED.