Finally Woken Finally Woken A look into Scotland from a stranger's eyes. An Indonesian stranded in Aberdeen and has to deal with Scottish people, accent, weather, food, and football. Also a look into Indonesia from 12,000km away. Articles
Domestic God(dess)
2008-05-14 08:58:00 Cooking is something - I can say this with confident - that many Indonesians don't master. Generally we are spoiled rotten by our family who can afford maids (or sometimes maid and cook), and by the widely available good and cheap food on every corner in Indonesia. Because of this, some people never visit their own kitchen, or have more than one (one for display, one for pantry, and one for the maids who do all the cooking and where the real work presents. Seriously, this is true), or live merely by eating out or deliveries. It makes sense, anyway, that if you only need to pay USD 20.00 for a delicious main course in 5-star hotels, or much less in nice restaurants, why bother to cook?Since Indonesians are spoiled all the way, it's no wonder that few of us understand which knife to use for cutting meat and which one is for veggies. Horrible stories like burned toast or even burned boiled water, lack of kettle usage ability, and so on, becomes a constant joke in the country and abr... More About: Domestic , Kitchen Confidential
Teenage Sex and Fame
2008-05-12 08:44:00 Last month on our journey back from London, a 7-years-old girl was sitting next to me restlessly, and in between her non-stop chatting to her mum who looked desperately could use some extra hours of sleeping and her tiny fingers which were busy pressing her pink Playstation Portable to kill whatever enemy she fought against, she was singing. Not the Barney purple dinosaur song or any song a normal pre-teens would sing, but Girls Aloud's new single Can't Speak French.Her mum, finally given up sleeping and joined the conversation, said that her beloved daughter wants to be an actress. Not a doctor, a lawyer, or an architect, but an actress. Being a pragmatic lady, mum said it's not going to be easy. A dreamer and a kid, the 7-years-old said it's easy (according to her friend who had scored some gigs in local theater) and believed she's going to make it. This kid is not alone, millions of other (pre)-teenagers have unrealistic expectations of instant stardom. The constant media ex... More About: Teenage
Spoiled Local-Expatriates
2008-05-08 09:15:00 The Writer just wrote about spoiled expatriates, "those who come from developed country and get a job in developing country and live like a king/queen". With salary which is unbelievably higher than a local standard - mostly due to ridiculous exchange rates and tax regulations - and lots of allowances, they soon embrace a lavish lifestyle with maids, gardeners, security guards, and so on. I couldn't deny that many expats are living like that. Being expats means they have to sacrifice many things: their life back home, their friends and family, their comfortable surrounding, to go to a foreign place thousands miles away from home with different customs, food, culture, temperature, and work attitudes. Many of them are reluctant to be posted overseas, especially if they have children to think about, or will be posted in a not-so-popular country like Colombia (and I don't think they will jump in joy when they know they will be sent to Indonesia !), and have to be lured to say yes (hen... More About: Local , Expat
Surabaya Johnny
2008-05-05 18:41:00 (Uncle) Nick, who's technically not my uncle but more like uncle-in-law, is a huge opera fan. He could fly to Switzerland or Germany for the weekend just to watch the performance. His and Alison's house is full of opera singers and shows posters from all over the world.One night Alison asked Nick to show me one performance called Surabaya Johnny . The song has been sung in several languages: I have seen it in English, German, and Italian that night. It's also performed by many artists, including Bette Midler.I am most fascinated by the title Surabaya Johnny. Surabaya, as you surely know, is the capital city of East Java, Indonesia. And just like any other cities in Indonesia, it still carries Dutch influence almost in every corner. But the song - a famous song, apparently - is composed by a German Kurt Weill. I couldn't find his relationship with Surabaya, and I couldn't think of a link between German and Surabaya - although strangely several of my aunties and cousins are marri...
Indonesian Expatriates Forum: Progress Update (2)
2008-05-03 19:17:00 Indonesian Expatriates Forum (IEF), created in January 2008, has been doing very good. Bugilsnews puts IEF's widget which shows the list of articles we have published on their website (they also put a link to my personal blog there - big thanks to Bart and the team - perhaps because I constantly promote Bugil's, Cazbar and EP!), and with their perpetually growing number of readers and loyal fans, having IEF's link on their site will certainly boost IEF's popularity! Several bloggers also have IEF link on their blogs, like Jakartass (the most popular English blog according to Indonesia Matters), and my blogbuddies like Rima and Therry.IEF also has gathered almost 50 blogs of Indonesian expats and returned expats around the world. (I will elaborate the term 'returned expat' later in a different posting). And the number is growing, slowly, but sure. To me, personally, just by looking at the countries that Indonesians live in, is a proof that we would be able to find Indonesians p... More About: Indonesian , Indonesia , Update , Progress
Greedy Green
2008-04-30 16:51:00 I read in Tasa's that Whole Food Market encourages its customers to bring their own bags by taking 5 cents to 10 cents off the bill for each. The same policy will be applied to Marks & Spencer's customers soon.clipped from news.bbc.co.ukMarks and Spencer is to begin charging its food shoppers for carrier bags.Customers will have to pay 5p for plastic bags, with the money raised going to an environmental charity.Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said the company wanted to "make it easy for our customers to do their bit to help the environment".Campaigners say plastic bags damage the environment. Some 13bn are given free to UK shoppers every year, and they take an estimated 1,000 years to decay.As much as I support the being green spirit, I don't think that these supermarkets are playing fair. If 13 billions shopping bags are made for M&S each year, and now they stop producing them, imagine how much money the company saves?Let's say the cost per bag is 5 pence (or 5 cents), ... More About: Green
Train Ramblings: How Well do You Actually Know About Your Own Country?
2008-04-28 12:04:00 I'm writing this in a moving train that is taking us back to Aberdeen. Yes, the train provides a free wi-fi service, which helps me to endure the 7 hours journey back from London. To think that most shopping malls in Jakarta still charge their customers for providing wi-fi service is ridiculous, especially when you have to buy different wi-fi cards on different shops. Sitting down in Coffee Club might not guarantee that the wi-fi cards I buy from Starbucks would work although they are in the same mall. Starbucks Plaza Indonesia 's wi-fi card wouldn't work at the one on Plaza Senayan. Go to Cazbar or Eastern Promise for a free wi-fi. No frills. You just have to buy a glass of beer and smile at the gorgeous barmaids to obtain the password, and they will let you sit with your computer on. London weather had been nice with a little bit rain here and there. Definitely warmer than Aberdeen, definitely much more busier which took me a split second to get used to see a lot of people in Lo... More About: Travel , Country , Train
Frustrating
2008-04-27 12:46:00 A combination of a scheduler who pays a great attention to details and a natural worrier would be the worst. It's me. Me. Me. I am such a pain in the butt to those who think that birds are chirping and the world is smiling and everything is perfect even though your life is not planned. I would stand by their door and tell them that it's going to rain and they're better to take the umbrella and next time read the weather forecast before taking too many tank tops.And if it's my event, it's double worry and double attention to details. It's frustrating to see everyone takes everything very easy, while I'm sitting down and drafting schedule for everybody on hour basis. Only to a reply that they haven't even booked the flight, or they don't know what to do - but as long as beer and girls are involved, they're happy.Geez.So what I'm going to do, is stop caring about things which are not related to me directly. To hell with everything, I'll just take care of myself and others w...
Great Scottish Castles (1)
2008-04-19 21:13:00 Scotland's turbulent history has left an enduring mark on the landscape in shape of the many castles, fortresses and tower houses that pepper the countryside. Some - such as Edinburgh or Stirling - rank amongst Europe's most impressive structures while other less grand examples provide a stark insight into darker times. The first time I landed in Scotland, one of my goals was to visit every single castle. That until I found a book that lists them all. There are thousands castles scattered in Scotland! Even to visit all castles in Aberdeen and Grampian area will take years, unless if I do it every day. Maybe.In the mean time, I set my goal to be a simpler one: visit all famous castles first. Here are 5 of them: Edinburgh Castle, EdinburghScotland's most important and famous castle. I can't remember how many times I have been there, maybe 4 times, and counting. It is officially suggested to allocate 2-3 hours to wander around the complex. Each century has seen changes and additio... More About: Travel , Great , Castles , Scottish
Without Prejudice
2008-04-16 08:38:00 For the past two days I attended a settlement course in a very gorgeous hotel. It's rather late, considering I have been here since last June and know most of the absolute essentials, but it's still worth to attend, and I got to see new people and had free lunches, yay! The course is done to help people settling nicely in a host country. Unsettling employees and partners could jeopardize their posting, their unhappiness threaten their productivities because they are worried about other matters rather than their jobs, and the company could loose their valuable resources. So 2 days course in a very nice hotel with free lunches is worth spent.For those who just come to a new place, or even those who repatriate back after spending years in other countries, this course is very helpful. In fact there were two Scots in our course and even they found many things they didn't know, and lots of things have changed since they left.The abovementioned absolute essentials topic covers subjects ... More About: Life , Prejudice , Expat
On Fitna, Bloggers vs. Hackers, and Computer Illiterate MPs
2008-04-12 09:17:00 Fitna is a short film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, which explores Qur'anic motivation for terrorism and Islam in the Netherlands (explanatory stolen from Wikipedia). On April 7, Indonesia has blocked access to YouTube and a couple of other websites such as MySpace and Multiply. The Minister of Information and Communications Muhammad Nuh has passed a bill that forces 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube. Kompas has confirmed that the reason for the block is Youtube's refusal to remove Fitna from their servers.After a week of public debates and overwhelming protests, Nuh has apologised for ordering the blocking of Youtube, Multiply and a few other sites which host the video Fitna, and the virtual community in Indonesia can relax, sit back, and exhale for a while. There is still one thing to be dealt with, though. A guy who is dubbed as a telemathics expert (and I just found out that telemathics is a science of communicating over long distances, from here), a... More About: Film , Computer , Bloggers
Shannon Matthews: Bizarre Case
2008-04-11 11:54:00 Shannon Matthews is only 9 years old when she failed to return home from swimming trip on February 19. Her disappearance didn't hit the news as big as Madeline McCann. Missing Madeline gets full coverages from media and attracts celebrities ' attention (on her 100th day missing, both Sunderland and Tottehnham Hotspur teams walked on to the pitch in white T-shirts bearing Madeleine's photograph and the words "Don't You Forget About Me", and the energetic campaign mounted by the McCanns to find their daughter has raised millions in donations and reward money and involved celebrities like David Beckham and Richard Branson). But the news of Shannon's disappearance could be found somewhere on the tiny corner of the newspapers. No celebrity jumped to help. No football team players wear the picture of Shannon's. The media was accused to pay a greater attention to Madeline's case because she was beautiful, her parents are glamorous (mother is GP and father is cardiologist), and she w... More About: Bizarre , Case , Shannon
Haggis, Black Pudding, White Pudding
2008-04-08 09:34:00 Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish, is - according to Wikipedia - made of the following ingredients: sheep's heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for about three hours. Today the dish is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. MacSween (picture, right) sells cooked haggis, and we only need to remove it from the outer plastic bag, wrap in foil and re-heat it.Traditionally served with neeps and tatties (cooked turnips and potatoes), haggis is always present on Burns Supper, when Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, is commemorated. In Jakarta, you can find it in St. Andrews Ball. I can't remember seeing it in Highland Gathering, but check the chief's tent, probably they have it. Or try to make it using BBC recipe. We had our haggis at Marriott Dalmahoy last weekend for breakfast (!) and it was superb.Black pudding is a sausage made by cooking blood (usually fro... More About: White , Pudding , Haggis , Kitchen Confidential
Spring? What Spring? (2)
2008-04-07 09:36:00 It's mid April. It's supposed to be spring. Summer should be around the corner. With a high spirit we headed down to Edinburgh. We planned to visit several places. The sun was glowing even with the dark cloud above us. But then God thought it would be funny to blow some cold.Back in Aberdeen, where snow wasn't present, I was dropped off to do some shopping. After two hours it was started to rain so I was ready to go home. I found out they changed the bus route, I didn't know which bus I should take, no warning whatsoever. Number 11 was just off. I waited for another bus, but it's Sunday and they turned up every 30 minutes and I already was soaking wet. I decided to walk home with two big bags, and after 5 minutes the rain turned into windy snow. The wet brown bag was torn apart and I had to carry a heavy box on my shoulder. Very un-lady-like. I only had two layers of clothes and wore my light jacket and all were wet. My hair was in crazy state after wind-rain-snow combo, but I ... More About: Life , Spring
Friends Abroad
2008-04-02 01:01:00 Last night I found out that Bugilsnews displays Indonesian Expatriates Forum (IEF) link and its widget on their site. With a few thousands of subscribers (I was told they had 10,000 readers a couple of years a go and it was when Bugils Group hasn't been crazily expanding - to how many bars now, five, six? - like nowadays, so the number might be bigger now), having the link there will hopefully spread the news about IEF. Despite what people think - especially our Indonesian friends and family back home - that life is glorious, the future is bright, and everything is nothing but sweet love if we live abroad, being away from home is always a lonely (and most of the times, shocking) journey. Only people who are in our shoes, or have experienced the same thing would understand what we are going through. Like eating live squid in Korea, for example. Or wondering why they invent a very cold fridge in Norway that freezes the veggies right away. Or finding new friends.Andrea Martins, the la... More About: Life , Friends , Friendships
Spring? What Spring?
2008-04-01 22:15:00 On Sunday we had to adjust our clock back to 6 hours behind Indonesia. Spring has come, apparently. Everybody's mood has lifted when the week has started with a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was blue, the flowers have been starting to reappear, and the sale has begun. Today when I looked outside the window, I saw what I have seen yesterday, so I bravely put on a short-sleeves top - the first time in 5 months, probably - and a jacket. I was so looking forward to put my normal (read: tank top, jeans, and jeweled sandals) clothes back on, rather than having to think about the whole colour arrangement against gloves, scarf, coat, and boots. But the digital thermometer showed 14.5 degree (Celsius). That wasn't convincing, so I changed my jacket with a slightly thicker one. When I stepped outside, I was glad because it was indeed rather chilly, and I had to walk about 15 minutes to the city center. Only then precisely after 7 minutes I was sweating...
The Mighty Boosh
2008-03-31 22:10:00 Billy came and stayed with us on Friday night a few weeks a go. He brought two rucksacks, one contained his laptop, and the other contained his stuffs for the night. Inside his laptop, he had a DVD of The Mighty Boosh. On Saturday morning he made us sit down and watch the show. I mean shows, plural, since one DVD contains at least 10 episodes. After a moment that felt like eternity, I was practically and literally hypnotized. The Mighty Boosh might be the weirdest TV series. Ever. It's not funny ha-ha. It's funny but something stops me from laughing. It makes me uneasy, like rather than laughing at them, it's the other way around happening. It's a surreal dark comedy that plays around with what you might have dreamed in your sleep. The characters are equally bizarre. If you see the picture (courtesy of Wikipedia), from left to right, there's Howard Moon, who thinks he's somewhat music genius and talented artist, Bollo the gorilla, which is a pet of Naboo (who is a tiny wee s...
Tunnock's Teacake and Tablet
2008-03-28 21:45:00 I blame Scotland for my weight gain. This country seems to have endless collection of sweets and savouries, and none of them are healthy! It seems that all sin ingredients are mixed together to create devilish, high calorie deserts. I thought STP and deep fried Mars bar are the only bad sweets, but everyday I find new things. I met my first Tunnock's Teacake on last Good Friday. Without a shame, I scoffed down 3 pieces in front of everyone. The teacake, which is made by the company which has been around since 1890 (!), consists of a small round shortbread biscuit covered with a half-dome of a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow. This is then encased in a thin layer of milk or plain chocolate and wrapped in a distinctive red and silver foil paper for the more popular milk chocolate variety, with blue and gold wrapping for the plain. It's crunchy on the outside, and very soft on the inside. A perfect companion for afternoon tea, especially like last week when the ... More About: Tablet , Kitchen Confidential
Table Manners - Eating Without Prejudice (?)
2008-03-25 15:42:00 In Indonesia, when we go to restaurants, there are no other way to grab waiter's attention but calling {this can go from mbak (sister) or ibu (ma'am), to unnecessary flirtatious remarks like sayang (darling) or cantik (gorgeous)}, waving (hand or napkin), or - these are extremely rude manners - whistling, clapping and flicking your fingers.I am told that in UK you should not do anything but engaging eye contacts (and souls, perhaps), until they realize that your plate is empty and you are ready for your second course. Rather than eye movements, any gestures will be considered rude. No calling "xcuse me!", no frantic waving, and don't you dare to whistle, clap or flick your fingers if you want to be ignored for the rest of the night, or worse, have your soup tasted like feet because probably someone dropped his shoes accidentally into it. So imagine that you're extremely thirsty and longing to have your glassed refilled, and you desperately are staring to those busy waiters, hop... More About: Table , Eating , Manners , Prejudice , Kitchen Confidential
Caucasian vs. Indonesian Men (2)
2008-03-22 17:35:00 My previous post sparked lots of heavy comments. First came Oigal, who said I was nasty and too personal. He asked me to remove my reference regarding his family from my blog.I did reply to his comment, saying that I was in rush to go to funeral (and it was Good Friday for goodness sake), I will come back with a proper response after I have time reading all the comments from him and Rob at Unspun, and after reading Rob and his posts altogether. They are lots of them, and I should take time to read them all, otherwise I would be accused to having quoted them wrongly, again. After lots of engagements since yesterday, I came back home and found out Unspun has clipped my last posting, and yes, Oigal and Rob have posted new articles respectively. Without giving me a chance to rephrase my previous sentences which they found offensive and are too close to home.Shame. I do not mind at all to remove the personal reference as they wish. And no, I don't mean to have my posting labeled as nas... More About: Indonesian , Indonesia
Caucasian vs. Indonesian Men
2008-03-20 12:53:00 I read Unspun's clipped article, originally from BaliBlog, regarding what (tourist? foreigners? cheap?) men perceive about Javanese girls. At first I didn't jump into the discussion, since what Baliblog described about Javanese women was beyond degrading and not worthy to entitle my opinions.But then the discussion was turned into how women (in general, not only Javanese) are treated by men in Indonesia. Two of the participants, Oigal and Rob, pointed out that their wives sometimes are verbally abused by local men. Mostly because those women are seen with bule (Caucasian) men, and therefore are labeled as whores.clipped from theunspunblog.com12 OigalSo what are the Indonesian men getting so upset about ? It?s exactly the way a significant portion of men (Majority?) treat women in Indonesia. The snide comments, winks and whispers. I was out yesterday with my wife (Indonesian) and we had the misfortune to be at place where a herd of government types turned up in their shiny new car...
American I-Dull
2008-03-19 17:02:00 I am embarrassingly watching American Idol now. I have never been a fan, and only saw the show on and off, if it happens to be on telly, but since a few weeks a go I decided to tape it so I wouldn't miss it (people in Indonesia would not be familiar with Sky TV; but in short, I could program the telly to record the show or the series, and I could pause the live show if I need a toilet break, it's like Tivo in the US). I don't really follow the whole show history. I only know Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry. I certainly don't remember who won the contest last year, let alone 2 years a go. I rarely watch the show up until the Top 12 anyway.And then yesterday when I was watching the show, I got so annoyed with Ryan Seacrest, the host. Few years a go I thought he was ok, very confident and commanding the stage and the show which is watched by millions of people. It's not an easy job (my mum was a local TV presenter gazillion years a go and she was criticized on daily basis, from the si...
When Indonesian Goes Shopping
2008-03-16 17:44:00 I have landed on a blog written by an Malaysian expat who now lives in Jakarta. Some of her articles tickled me and I just realized that is how people see us, Indonesia n s. One that makes me smile is to read her amazement to see the ladies who go to shopping malls with big hair and dangerously high heels, and they look like they are ready to go to a gala dinner rather than buying detergent or having coffee with friends.I couldn't agree more. God forbid if Indonesian matrons turn up with unwashed hair, or a pair of flip-flops - unless they are a bejeweled pair - or without make-up, even on weekends or at the shop's closing time. It's better if they are accessorized with designer handbags and shoes, at least one nanny for each kid (one to push the trolley, one to to carry all the shopping bags, and one to hold the kid), and sometimes dutiful husbands who sit down patiently, while the matrons are trying on the just-in-for-summer shoes at Jimmy Choo.Don't think that having big hair ... More About: Shopping
Bloody Eejit
2008-03-15 08:45:00 My friend Anja has just arrived from Holland a couple of months a go. She learns that even though she speaks impeccable English, she still can't understand what Scottish people say half of the time. Well I couldn't blame her, I've been here for over 8 months and I still don't get it sometimes. And even though I've known Stuart for several years, there are times I have to ask him to repeat what he's saying, especially when the weather gets too cold and it freezes the tiny cells in my brain. One time some guy was trying to sell something over the phone and I had to stop him by saying I'm not Scottish and his accent was too strong and I had no idea what he's saying. He took it hard and put the phone down without saying anything more.Well I found few Scottish dialects as below. Let's see if I could remember to use them sometimes. Blether (ble-thir): Dialect, chiefly Scot - n. 1. person who chatters incessantly; one who babbles on and on ("That wee yin o' yours is an awfy ble... More About: Bloody
On Anonymous Bloggers (2)
2008-03-09 16:07:00 There was a big hoo-ha a while a go when Fatih raised an old issue about anonymous blogging. He particularly dislikes those who blog anonymously on sensitive issues, like politics or religions, and suspect that they have hidden agendas. Fatih's post generated ripostes and comments from expats in Indonesia.Unspun, stands firmly behind Fatih, showed how bad anonymous blogger can be, by clipping an article from The New York Times about a suicide of an advertising agency's creative director in Chicago, allegedly after couldn't handle the harsh criticism from AgencySpy and AdScam, two blogs written by advertising industry insiders. clipped from www.nytimes.comVisitors to AgencySpy and AdScam, two sharp-tongued blogs written by advertising industry insiders, posted comments blaming the sites for contributing to the suicide late last month of Paul Tilley, 40, the creative director of DDB Chicago.In so doing, bloggers and their readers added another chapter in a long debate about how,... More About: Writing , Bloggers , Anonymous
Kilt
2008-03-08 21:19:00 One of the Scottish national symbols is kilt, a traditional garment of modern Scottish and Celtic (more specifically Gaelic) culture typically worn by men (from Wikipedia).clipped from www.macgregorandmacduff.co.uk The original kilt was known as the feileadh mhór (philamore) or "big wrap". After the ban and during the 1800s the kilt evolved into something like what we wear today. This is known in Gaelic as the feileadh beag (philabeg) or little wrap.The top and bottom parts were separated, the top half (the plaid) being worn over the shoulder and detachable for comfort. The bottom part was now tailored with sewn in pleats but no hire companies were on the horizon just yet.Originally the apron of the garment (the front part) was left unattached but one story, possibly apocryphal, has it that during a visit by Queen Victoria kilt wearers were subjected to strong winds revealing to her majesty what was worn underneath! Perhaps that's why she became so fond of Scotland... More About: Kilt
The Fake Trade
2008-03-05 22:09:00 The Fake Trade , a documentary by Channel 4, written and directed by Nick Hornby (yes, the author of Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and High Fidelity), was aired on Monday night, 3 March 2008. It took us to see the inside of the counterfeit industry.The documentary opened with BASCAP arranging the biggest anti-counterfeit conference, and it showed some seized counterfeit products like tea (found in Sweden, sent from US through Korea, made in China - or something like that, it's like a tangled web when the guy tried to describe the supply chain), fake mobile phone (real case, fake components, fake invoice), counterfeit German cigarettes, and fake Durex condoms (this is very frightening as Africa was the end point of sale. Imagine if the condom has tiny hole, and is used by HIV/AIDS patient).But one thing that freaked me out the most was fake egg! The guy in the documentary showed how he create this bizarre product, made from toxic ingredients (like gelatine, benzoic acid, alum, and others...
Shortbread, Oatcake, and Rowie
2008-03-03 17:58:00 Shortbread is a Scottish-origin biscuit which is made from white sugar, a lot of butter, and plain white flour. These sweet cookies are usually served with tea (hot tea, I may have to add, since for Asians tea sometimes is served cold) in the afternoon, or for a snack.Due to its popular demand, shortbread is also made in other countries like Denmark and Sweden, but of course the Scottish version is the most popular one.Walkers Shortbread Ltd is Scotland's largest shortbread exporter, and thank to them, you could find these cookies in Jakarta, at least I've seen them displayed in Sogo supermarket. Dean's is also another nice brand. But of course the best shortbread I've ever tasted would be Stuart's grandma's homemade ones!Oatcakes are made almost entirely of oats and make the perfect accompaniment to soups, meat and fish dishes. They are also can be served as snacks, paired with butter, cheese, continental cold cuts or pâté as well as marmalade, honey and preserves. Both Walke... More About: Kitchen Confidential
What A Difference A Nationality Made? (3)
2008-02-29 08:48:00 There are two occasions which urged me to think seriously about giving up my Indonesia n passport and becoming a UK citizen. One of my friends asked if we're interested in going somewhere on Easter break, and she quite fancied Switzerland and Austria. While another one immediately said yes, I had to tell her that it's not that easy for Indonesian. We can't just hope in the plane and fly to European countries. The other occasion was when Joan and I were talking about an impulse of spending the weekend, say, somewhere in Portugal, or Italy. I told her, that of course, for Indonesian, we have to plan in at least a month in advance. At least.Being Indonesian, we are only allowed to set our foot into 11 countries without visas. For other countries, we have to embark on a long journey of collecting necessary documents and submit them to embassies, just to prove that we are worthy human beings who will not become burdens for them when we land in their precious countries. UK embassy in I... More About: Travel , Made , Difference , Expat
Animal Cruelty on Lobster
More articles from this author:2008-02-28 09:01:00 We went to The Prime Cuts last night with another couple, and the restaurant specialties are steak and lobster. Nearby the maître d' stand there was a big tank parading huge, healthy lobsters (thank God they did not show live cows too). I asked one of the staffs when we were collecting our coats back, if the lobster are for a show or they actually use (cook) them. She said that they do use the lobster in the tank if someone orders it. But the patrons are not allowed to pick the lobster by themselves.Why?Because it's considered as an animal cruelty.So you can order the lobster, but you can't point one of the inhabitants in the tank and tell the chef that you specifically want that lobster on the left corner because it looks fresher and bigger than the others!This triggered my curiosity so I went for a research and found that scientific evidence showing lobsters feel extreme levels of pain when cooked to death, and there has been big debates about the most humane way to kill them. ... More About: Animal , Lobster , Cruelty , Animal Cruelty , Kitchen Confidential 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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