Hot Summer (almost vegan) food

I announced to become a temporary vegan this week, so my house chef Jimmy (it’s not his actual occupation) made a big pot of vegan Thai red curry last night. It was so tasty that I had to have it again for lunch this afternoon – I couldn’t wait until the evening. It was just perfect for this hot weather.

Earlier today, I started to think ‘ oh, did he actually put fish sauce in it?’ as we always do with Thai curries. I checked it with him on the phone. ‘Yes, I did…’ he said. I have already cheated my vegan week…

Ah, I don’t know the exact receipt but here are some of the ingredients:

Coconut milk

Kaffir lime leaves

lemon grass

seitan (similar to tofu, because of its texture that is similar to meat, it is sometimes used as the meat substitute by vegetarians/vegans)

aubergine

mushroom

Red curry paste

And I had it with some steamed gen-mai (short grain brown rice) mixed with 10 different types of seeds and beans that was rather nice too.

Hot Summer outfit

I saw Agnes wearing the Onagono’s waffle longjohns at the No-One Boutique. I asked her to pose with a mannequin. Aren’t they looking refreshingly Summery?

Passed by… this evening

some pretty flower arrangements at the Old Shoreditch Station.

Fish & Ships

On Sunny Sunday, I cycled along the South Bank on the Themes and went to see the Central Saint Martins Graphic Design BA graduate exhibition at the Bargehouse in the Oxo Tower Wharf. My dear friend Agnes was one of the students who were exhibiting their works. She created a collaborated work called ‘Fish & Ships’ with James whom I also know from a few friends’ dinner parties in the past.

…. As graphic designers, we often hook and bait for ideas, and wait patiently for the line to snag. The yang and pull anticipation of what caught the line and finally being able to see the prize drives the work…

The laser-cut origami style fish & ships – the metaphors of graphic design. The yellow submarine for example is like ‘unexpected ideas and different perspectives‘.

Agnes trying to catch one of the paper fish & ships rolled and hidden inside the bottles with the magnetic lids using the magnet-ended fishing line.

Home Kagoshima Japan 3

I visited a relatively new museum called Kagoshima Museum of Environment. It was a small understated place but I really liked the installation that they had on the wall. It was made out of grids each consists of a collection of random abandoned objects landed on the Japanese seaside. They are fundamentally rubbish items but they are fun to look at like this and make you think & dream (as some of them were drifted from overseas). I like this kind of piece of art.

Home Kagoshima Japan 2

My grand parents used to live in this house in Ibusuki – country side of Kagoshima. No one lives there anymore but my mum and aunties look after it and spend their weekends sometimes. I love this house, it’s so old and full of old timber.

I enjoyed making Akumaki the traditional preservative food with my aunties and cousins.

How to make Akumaki?

Wash a lot of bamboo shoot skin,

Wrap a cup of sticky rice with the bamboo shoot skin and tie them with the strings,

Boil them in Aku (the plant based ash diluted water) in the biggest cast-iron pot that you can find for over 2 hours – make sure to keep the fire going.

That’s it – simple but hot and heavy duty.

Allocate them for your friends and family.

To be honest, I like making them more than eating…

Home Kagoshima Japan 1

I attended one of my cousins wedding in the beautifully converted manor house built in the 19 century. It was once owned by one of the prince of Shimazu clan in the Satuma domain (it is now a part of Kagoshima prefecture) that played a major role in the Meiji Restoration that led to enormous changes in Japan’s political and social structure.

The garden was so perfect and flawless, looked almost like a beautiful painting.

One of my favorite things of Kagoshima the volcanic mountain Sakurajima on the background.

A half way already?

I was aware that I hadn’t been updating the blog FOR A WHILE, but I was not aware that nearly 6 months had gone since the last update… now that is pretty slack of me.

I have been working on a few smaller projects this year, taking it slow under the current economic climate with its vague future.

In the mean time, I went back to Japan for 1 month – it’s my first proper holiday in the last 3 years! I am going to upload some of the photos that I took while I was there…

Let’s go!

Salute the new president on the block

On the night of 14th Nov, I stayed up pretty much all night and witnessed Barack Obama winning the American presidential election sensationally,

following the American themed dinner – cheese burger with pickles, coleslaw and French-fries (a.k.a. chips) with Jimmy & Kev.

2 and 1/2 months on.

Yesterday, by chance, I was at home waiting for a boiler man’s visit, I managed to watch the Inauguration day happening in America.

Wondering what the last president was feeling,

no doubt that I was one of millions of people who were excited and being emotional by the new president’s inspiratinal speech.

At times, we need heroes who motivate people, and Barack Obama is the ‘it’ man, I think. I hope…we will see.