What is the secret to Korean food for vegetarians? I’ll get straight to the point. Korean food is plant-based, and it’s delicious. It’s as simple as that. We think about it, we crave it, we enjoy it like hell. Once we’re surrounded by it, there’s no going back. Vegetables become a desirable part of life.
Every time I visit Spain, I am confirmed in my conviction that Spaniards love to eat. Food is everywhere, visibly displayed, with tempting smells wafting out from restaurants and market stalls. Ingredients in their prime, bursting with colour and firmness, laid out on plates and slices of bread. Oily anchovies on juicy tomatoes, salmon on the creamiest of avocados, octopus sprinkled with pimentón. Quite frankly, who wouldn’t love to try this myriad of mouth-watering foods?
I am almost reluctant to share this secret local spot, because somehow until now it has remained hidden in plain sight to visitors streaming past in surrounding streets right in the heart of Madrid. Yet at the same time it is too good to keep secret – I’m simply too riveted by it to not share with you my experiences of El Pezcador and Spanish Tapas culture.
For me the most amazing and exciting thing about travelling is – you can probably guess – food. But it’s not just the food itself that gets me all worked up, it’s also the culture around it. Because if you try to separate the food from the culture, it’s like taking a tree, removing it from its soil and environment, and then planting it somewhere else – it’s probably still going to grow, but not in the same way. Sometimes separation can result in entirely new cultures around the food. Sometimes it’s nice to not just appropriate the food but also parts of the culture. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Swedish fika at least once during a regular working day? Wouldn’t you love to regularly fika? (more…)
Chris Nuttall-Smith has blessed us with an incredibly informative article in the latest Lucky Peach issue about the rising popularity (or a going-back-to movement) of slower-growth birds in the chicken industry (in particular in the US where the faster-and-bigger-is-better-mantra had become the norm).
“Ajumma, you didn’t need to prepare this much, you’ll break the table’s legs!” is a common expression one might overhear at restaurants or (minus the ajumma) at young couples’ housewarming parties when the chef has prepared so many side dishes that the table may break with the weight of food. Meant as a compliment and a sign of appreciation, ajummas will usually shrug it off with a smile as if it were nothing. Feasts of this kind are not rare in Korea. The amount of side dishes vary only according to price and specialization (in restaurants) or occasion (at home). (more…)
If you’ve had a couple of afternoon teas in the UK’s capital, you might have noticed that these tend to take place in the lounges or restaurants of hotels. It will likely be a space which either has another function at the same time – for guests waiting, having a chat or enjoying a drink from the bar – or another function before and/or after the designated afternoon tea hours – breakfast, dinner, etc. Which is why you may find yourself being rushed out in some places such as The Langham, where tables have been reserved and need to be prepared for dinner. Due to the nature of afternoon tea being held, well, in the afternoon, from a business perspective this arrangement makes perfect sense. But was it always like this? Has the ceremony of tea always had to share a space in order to make it viable? (more…)
