Book review: A Tiger in the Kitchen

Did you ever have the feeling that someone did or write something you always wanted to do or write? this happened when I was reading this interesting food memoir, by Cheryl Tan. Is hard for me to include A Tiger in the Kitchen into any specific literary style - not that I ever wished to be a literary critic. 

It is about good writing for sure, but also about old memories and trying to define your history through smell and taste. Cheryl spent one sabbatical in the middle of his family learning how to cook the dishes of her childhood. She goes even far away from Singapore, in China, where the roots of her family are. Each recipe is a new door to the family intimacy, hidden stories and long trials, with successes and errors. 

The book presents two parallel cooking projects: one is directly related to recomposing her Singaporean home through food, the other is more related to improving the cooking skills, but also with a flavor of search of definitions of home: baking different types of bread, answering a challenge launchded to bakers on social media. 

A journalist, covering especially fashion event, Cheryl did not seem to dream too much about being a chef or a food writing at all. But as usual, you never know what it is in the box for you. All you need is to use the writing skills for putting on paper the story of your life. 

As a memoir, this books succeeded to bring a lot of good challenges and interesting stories. Do not expect too much first personal stories. The reader will not find too many passions and drama: even when it may be some tension - as in the case of her father taking a second wife - the tensions are melting as the butter in the pan. You need time to be a good cook - or writer - and time heals all the wounds or disappointments. 

A wandering soul myself, I can recognize myself in many episodes described in the book. My passion for cooking started out of nowhere once I decided to dedicate more time to my family. My daily cooking challenges are the result of following certain food restrictions and returning to the home that I had to leave at least once. I wish that I will be able soon to dedicate more time to learn to cook from chefs and improve my skills other than by making my own improvisations - not failures after all. Cooking may be a therapy as well, with the same effect as in Cheryl's case: 'In this cloud of cinnamon--scented zen, the pressures of New York would melt away'. 

Last but not least, what I've learned at the end of this book are many details about the history of the Singaporean cuisine and society. Each cuisine tells a story about culture and history and this memoir brought be closer to understanding a place that I am curios to visit once. 

It was a very pleasant reading that I regret having finished. The pages of the book brought me through my latest writer's block and helped me to see some literary light around. As I carried the book for at least three weeks, I often re-read some of the pages and felt the same pleasure of getting immersed into those sweet Singaporean stories. 

Fruity salad, post-TuBishvat

I will not talk now about how many fruits I had in my TuBishvat salad. Just to give an idea, there were more than 30 but the work of art was not my work at all, so I will not start giving advice and stealing recipes. One week after, I was out of time and looking for a very light Shabbes meals and the fruit salad was the best answer to all my problems.

My combination was quite modest compared with what I had the Shabbes before, but there were still a couple of delicious fruits, namely:

- papaya (1)

- kiwi (2)

- bananas (2)

- dates (8)

- figues (8)

- strawberries (7)

- 100 gr. coco raspel

The sugar of dates and figues was enough for not adding any more brown or white sugar. Unfortunatelly, I was not able to find some blueberries and I avoided to add some lemon or tangerines or whipped cream. All I wanted was an original taste of the fruits.

The preparation took around 15 minutes. I kept the salad in the fridge for around 2 hours before serving. I am so sorry that the salad is no more...

Never having enough of Sweet and Sara Marshmallows

the little package with the lovely sweets

I tried as much as possible to keep the bowl out of sight

The sponsorship generously offered by Need Sweets is one of the most delicious opportunity I had by far. Don't hurry up to conclude that such a promotional opening line is understandable because they covered me in marshmallows and I lost the journalistic direction.

My version of the truth is that: I love marshmallows - I even considered once to prepare my own marshmallows following a recipe I've seen once - and I have already a good experience of tasting marshmallows and deciding what is like and what not. And Sweet and Sara, vegan, kosher with hechsher the International Kosher Council (I personally do not know too much about them, except that they gave authorization to not a few restaurants in Brooklyn), are delicious. Only thinking about them and my mouth is watering.

Shortly after the marvellous little box arrived at my door - very very fast delivery, by the way - and after I tasted curiously one white delicious marshmallow, my obsession was how to maintain them in my kitchen at least for a short treat in the evening and as part of the rich breakfast in the morning. The recommendation is to consume them within six weeks of purchase.

My first move was to arrange them in a nice bowl and to taste only one of the three types: the white ones (number one favourite), the coconut (number one favourite) ones and those with a delicate jam feeling (favourite as well). Once the tasting and the photo shooting were done, I kept them at the room temperature and tried to have a short sleep before the early morning breakfast.

Sweet childhood memories

The lovely marshmallows offered me the opportunity to turn an old passion from my childhood into reality: cocoa with hot milk sweetened with delicious white marshmallows. I heated 250 ml milk, added one tablespoon cocoa and added two puffy marshmallows. I waited for 10 minutes till the marshmallows started to dissolve into the milk and drunk it slowly slowly. What a pleasure, what a smell in my kitchen, what a special sweetness that did not experience before, as I used to add to the hot cocoa only the classical sugar. With such a fresh start, no wonder that I was able to cope very well with the day. Of course this is not another advertising aimed to end the article gloriously! Who does not need sweets, after all?

The avocado for my hands

If I was able to survive for a couple of months without a proper face cream, when it comes to taking care of my hands, I can hardly live without a good one for more than 24 hours. One of the most serious reasons is that the water in Germany is not too much appreciated by my precious skin and without proper protection I start feeling more and more like a reptile. 

Another secret of mine is that I love avocado almost as much as olive oil. Nothing useful in such a revelation. Long time ago I used to chose the food because of the colour till I noticed that there it is not fashion week of the food. Similarly, there it is not a menu for cosmetics, theoretically. The difference may be that very often many of the good vegetables and fruits can produce beneficial effects to the skin. As someone that fought for a long time with allergies, I can testify this. 

After switching from Nivea products, I've found some consolation in the wonderful recipes of the Sea of Spa cosmetics and for over two years I am regularly using their avocado hand cream. I can't think ever changing it, as my hands look always delicate and velvet-like. There it is not a special smell and the cream is oily but instantly absorbed by the skin. I forget about applying a cream seconds after I used it and this is how I will define an almost perfect hand cream. 

Olive oil on my face

I don't know exactly why for a couple of months I completely neglected taking care of my face. One of the serious reasons was that I was looking for healthy products, but I was also ready to take the challenge of checking out what will happen with my face if I don't use any beauty products at all.

My face did not suffer too much and did not start looking older instantly. But especially after the winter season started I considered that it is about time to get some new products for my precious face. The face, the woman's mirror to the world, or something like that as I was told long ago. 

Because I am in love with the olive oil - in the salad, in the hair and on my face - Florena day cream based on the precious ingredient was the logical choice. It is a bit oily - how else - maybe too greasy, but I feel its protective powers during the day. Since October, applying it on my face early in the morning was introduced on the daily agenda and, as usual, I do not feel the need to change anything. If I remember correctly, I used intensively Nivea for 4 years almost, and Garnier for another 2 and there are many positive signs that my relationship with olive oil day cream will last many years from now. Last but not least, the design of the little box is not bad at all: simple, with an inspiring green that attracts instantly the connoisseurs of everything olive oil related.

Intensive spa solutions

Sometimes, I am very happy to be lucky. My daily life is hectic, the daily agenda is full and obviously, in some cases there are successes, in others failures. Some packages are right in time at my door, others are arriving too late to be a surprise for anyone. However, if one looks at the bright side of life, there it is always enough space for hope and pleasant surprises.

Months ago, I ordered some online products from Israel and the package was a bit too late than expected. But I was happy to receive it after all. At the bottom of the box, it was a nice surprise waiting for me: a couple of samples from Intensive Spa that keep my busy for a bit in the next evenings, while trying to discover their secrets.

One of the best, by far was the mud mask - the face was cleaned perfectly and it worked in the classical way of the quality Dead Sea products. After keeping it for 5-10 minutes, I was feeling as fresh as early in the spring. The night cream smells too much for my taste, but it produces a welcomed silky effect. I used the eye serum twice, but for long lasting effects, I will need to check more than one small package. The pearl mask looks gorgeous: silky pearly pink, not too perfumed. I don't have nothing against the body butter. 

Most probably, will need to pay a visit to the Intensive Spa soon.

Perfume of the week: Escale à Portofino

Escale à Portofino is a fragrance that must be associated with a Mediterranean journey. It combines the essence of citrus, orange blossom and bitter almond. For me, the orange blossom plays a very important role in the overall composition of the fragrance and thus, I am not very enthusiastic about it. It smells as a good soap or as a body cream, but it is not the perfume I will be happy to wear at work or to smell early in the morning. 

Somehow, too much flowers put together can confuse the bees and this is what I felt as well about this perfume. It is too fresh and delicate and too sparkling for my taste, but I suppose that someone with a sport attitude and a bold sight would love it. It suits very well an early morning on the yacht, at the beginning of a full day of sailing.