Fried courgette flowers – Fiori di zucca fritti – has to be one of my favourite Italian dishes! It is so delicate and tasty beyond belief, and not many outside of Italy know of this beautiful dish, much less…
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Latin: 1. Hemerocallis fulva, 2. Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, 3. Hemerocallis minor English: Lily buds/ Lily shoots 1. Orange day-lily, 2. Lemon day-lily, 3. Dwarf day-lily/ Grassleaf lily/ Small day-lily Mandarin Chinese: Jinzhencai 金针菜, Xuancaohua 萱草花, Wangyoucao 忘忧草, Huanghuacai 黄花菜 Chinese lily…
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I have recently fell in love with the powdered Japanese green tea called Matcha 抹茶 during my recent trip to Japan. It was during a visit to a samurai’s house in Kanazawa, where I was served an exquisite bowl…
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I love my black jeans. They have to be skinny, tight, elastic, preferably with a button fly. My black jeans helps me convey who I am – nimble, thoughtful, subtle, sensual. I make sure to wear…
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It is clear that Japanese ramen is an import from China to Japan, and a very late one too. However, it is not true that prior to the popularisation of ramen in Japan, the Japanese did not have noodles. In…
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One of my favourite ramen has to be the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen 豚骨. Tonkotsu 豚骨 ramen is renowned the world over for its thick, aromatic and flavoursome broth. Although there are now ready-made tonkotsu broths in the supermarket, making…
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Modern life is about working hard, playing hard and resting hard. To rest well, fortunately there are retreats around the world that allow you the peace and quiet necessary for switching off, reflection on your next steps, or…
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To be honest, I was getting a bit fed up with all the “hipster coffee bars” sprouting up all over the world. I felt most of them lack individuality and character. They all look different, but in a conformist sort…
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Some time ago, I have introduced to you this traditional Chinese female aphrodisiac called the long net stinkhorn 竹笙. It is a beautiful mushroom that wears a bridal gown, and is found in all sub-tropical regions around the world….
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I have only recently visited Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in Shoreditch, London, completely unaware that it has already been fifteen years that Jamie Oliver established this place in 2002. It all began with a Channel 4 documentary called Jamie’s…
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