My second week in Chengdu has been a bit reminiscent of a war zone. There are still the random sounds of explosives during the day and fireworks during the night. My heart has somewhat settled as I take comfort in the fact that these sounds are in no way related to ammunition.

With that in mind, I took to the streets to lose myself at bit. And that I did. One of these actually saved me.

Tricycle taxi

They are much slower than motorbikes but they get you to your destination without completely drying out your already crackling lips and that's good enough for me. They have their own lane and everything and yet they seem to totally ignore traffic regulations, (which regular drivers do anyway) when they randomly drive through a red light, cross on the zebra crossing and use the side walks.

The next time around, I found some meandering assistance. First, I was taken to a local park. History buffs are greeted with precise wall carvings of ancient warriors. At the center of the park, dreamers will find the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals as huge 20ft. statues. Then around the bend, are activities for the young and young at heart:  table tennis, children's park, scary amusement park rides, fishing and the like. But for some reason I was drawn to the dove hut where you pay to fatten hundreds of these guys. The only place I have ever seen so many doves at one time is the Home Alone movie. And it didn't end well for Marv.


Then again, there wasn't going to be an old lady drowning me in bird feed. Actually, minus the pain from the pecking, it was cool experience. I swear the first guy to peck was a brown one, as if to say, 'It's all good! She's with me.' and soon the grain competition had begun.



Finally on the edges of the park were Tea Bars where everyone just sat drinking these really tall mugs of tea. As I chatted and sipped, I kept wondering why they would refill my mug after reaching about 3/4 full (we are not about that glass 1/2 full life). The answer came soon after, when I was told that I needed to slow down. According the unofficially published 'Art of Tea Consumption' book (or maybe there is an official version), one must sip slowly, with many breaks in between to enjoy the full flavour tones of leaves. The constant refill keeps the drink at a low concentration and prevents diarrhoea and gas. (Sorry:/)

Dou hua er from this week's Bite me and a too tall glass of Jasmine tea

The one time I did go out at night was to attend the community's annual light festival. My words could never be adequate to describe the beauty of  each design. Neither is my 'not too smart' smart phone. I intended to share with you some snaps from baidu.com (China's google) but they were all from previously held events.


So what could I say? They spared nothing in the arrangements. The lake was lit with lillies, dragons, fishes and fairies and each bridge and archway carried the same mystical theme. Most definitely worth risking my life at night to see.



Check me next week for the last instalment to this Chengdu series where I get busy in the kitchen with Granny!

If I were to title this correctly, it would be Independence schooled me and schooled me well. There is nothing sadder than wanting to cook the most important meal of your life and being unable to find the staple ingredients.

The national dish of Grenada is Oil Down, the basis of which is breadfruit (Atrocarpus altilis), salted meat, dumplings and callaloo (leaves of Colocasia esculenta), flavoured with fresh coconut milk and tumeric (Curcuma longa). I repeat 'fresh'.  Usually other ingredients such green bananas, tuber crops, chicken, crab  are acceptable but with 90% of them unavailable, it was Mission Impossible starring Hopeless Grenadian.

My mom warned that if there was no breadfruit, it was sacrilege. However, being my last Independence in China I forged on. I spent a whole day searching every market in Chongqing with no success so my country-mate and I settled on what we thought were good substitutes and newcomers.  We started with well seasoned chicken drumettes, Irish potatoes and dumplings and covered that with eggplants (Solanum melongena) and zuchinni (Cucurbita pepo) for nutrition and spinach. This was drenched in tinned coconut milk and tumeric powder (from home, thankfully). The thing about Oil Down is that you really can add whatever you want so long as you control your liquid portion and this is where problems arose for me. Zuchinni, being a member of the cucumber family, produced much more water than I expected. Oil Down was not meant to be a soup, so it was only after scooping out and re-seasoning that we survived to night.

Today, I not only want to share the challenges of making Oil Down in a foreign country, but tips to successfully adapt your dish in an Asian environment. After polling various Grenadians who lived or are currently living in China, I assembled the following list of appropriate substitutes. I hope this can be a helpful guide to making your February 7th more memorable.

My time in Changsha concluded with a visit to the walking street (步行街）at Huang Xing Road (黄兴路). Even though there were many high end boutiques around, the traditional charm remains. It kind of reminded me of Beijing.





As in any square or shopping center, there was also awesome street food to choose from: seafood, noodles, bbq, cotton candy and the list goes on.

Steamed buns in the shape of cute rubber duckies

Ready to eat prawns. That 'Make a Line' sign must mean that they really taste good

The Secret to Changsha's beauty

Do I seem rushed? It's because I am. I love Changsha but I've been setting things on fire in Chengdu....LITERALLY.  Walking through the streets of my new home was paradise. I recalled when I was eight years old and the importation of fireworks were banned. Christmas season lost some of its sparkle. All, when you're at that age. So imagine me, when I am shopping with an eight year old girl and the streets look like this:







We just walked around, casually filling up our bags, one 'explosive' at a time. Did I say we? I meant her. I watched safely from a distance. After tons of purchases, I spent the night under the covers like a scared puppy. Just kidding. But I only lit the sparkly ones. Yes, I'm quite the wuss.




The entire square was filled of people just blowing up things for fun. Look at this dude!  I just can't comprehend his courage. And neither can the kid behind him.






Now all this happened around 9 pm after we ate the last dinner of the year and the adult members of the family were busy watching the National Chinese New Year Programme. Click here for deets! Soon I returned home and was off to sleep, pretty silly of me, in hindsight. About 11:58pm, the sky suddenly erupted with colours. I don't know if they were trigger happy or my clock was slow but either way, the noise jolted me out of my sleep. It was then I realized, it had been about 3 years since I've been close to Chinese fireworks. During my first CNY, I was surrounded by dudes who would throw firecrackers in your room. The horror had returned. I couldn't sleep until 3 pm.

But the next morning, things seem to returned to normal...or did they?

Catch me next week to find out!

I spent the past couple days in Changsha, Hunan province. As I prepared for trip, everyone said ignore the weather forecast, it's always wrong they said. Scenario: I packed for 0 degree Celsius weather and ended up in 25 degree Celsius. But complain about sun has no island girl done ever so I spent it out and about.

First things first, I had to stock up on some food. My rule of thumb is find as many nourishing fruits as possible. Longyan龙眼, oranges橙子 and bananas香蕉 are easy to carry and peel/consume and are quick refreshers after a long journey.

If you think that I am referring to the potatoes, you are by no means a naturalista

Chongqing weather is like a woman in a Victoria Secret outlet or any store for that matter. Confused and undecided. A sunny morning followed by a stormy afternoon is no longer a strange phenomenon to me. So, instead of focusing my energy on appropriate clothing, especially since I get it wrong most of the time, I focus on treating the flu that would eventually come my way. And here lies the problem. I don't like medicine. I avoid it at all costs. So I had to find some effective and natural remedies for my special situation. Here goes....


1. Ginger
A concentrated ginger tea, the kind that burns, sweetened with brown sugar soothes my throat and clears up most of the mucus blocking my channels. I boil about 500 g peeled and grated ginger for 20 minutes or until it comes to a rolling boil, then I sweeten and drink hot. Every night and morning until I feel better which is usually in about 3 days.



2. Pineapple
 As I mentioned  in a previous article, pineapple is really good for the flu because the bromelain reduces pain, swelling and mucus build up. It can be eaten fresh or baked and is effective in relieving symptoms as quickly as overnight.




3. Zhengqiheji 正气合剂
This can be directly translated as 'positive gas comprehensive agent'. How can I clarify this chinglish? In traditional chinese medicine, 'positive gas' is seen as a sign of health, like good circulation.This is artful blend of herbal extracts is used by the locals when something isn't feeling right. Like you know, when you wake up 'on the wrong side of the bed', or  you're a bit queasy after lunch. When the flu hits me by surprise, a couple shots of this gets me up and running in about 2 days. Main ingredients are dried rhizoma atractylodes, dried aged tangerine peel, magnolia bark (ginger base), angelica root, poria fungus, arecae pericarpium, raw pinellia root, licorice root extract, patchouli oil and basil oil. Yep...it's good for you.



4. Lemon
Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is a lemon flu action combination in every arsenal of the globe. I grew up on fresh lemon juice, honey and salt. Others drink dried lemon peel or citrus leaf tea. Whatever you choose, if lemon is it in, your flu symptoms will die a beautiful death.




5. Tumeric
The prescription is simple: a spoon of tumeric in a cup of warm milk. Unfortunately tumeric is a bit difficult to locate in China but if you have it in your area, don't hesistate to try it. My Indian friends swear by this and the antiviral properties of this spice shouts try me.


6. Sweating
As a kid, my parents would trap I mean wrap me in blankets and leave me to perspire profusely. I would wake up the following morning with my channels clear and my body feeling much more energized. Whenever I am down with the flu, I always stay active, hit the gym for some cardio or jog on the track, anything to get moving. I don't have scientific evidence as to why this works for me. I do know I feel physically and mentally better. I guess that's why they say, you are only as sick as you feel.

If you are a fan of remedies, I hope these suggestions helped you in some way. Are there variations of these or any new ideas that help you during flu season?  Share them below!! I'll love to hear what everyone else is using.

An authentic Caribbean Easter is not about bunnies and eggs. After attending church in the fanciest of Easter hats, children and adults go their separate ways. Children search for the clearest field to fly their kites and adults get suited up for the kitchen.

Beer and Cheese Bread

Tea, as most of you know is a staple in Asian culture and milk tea even more so. Forget coke and fanta. Grab me a bottle of tea!

So I scamper to the kitchen to make some Ice Cream Popcorn (popcorn layered in whipped vanilla cake frosting) when I bump into my Vietnamese friend. She also couldn't sleep and decided to cook at dawn.

Finding cuisine of other cities in our university town is very essential to curing home sickness. For instance, only 40% of my classmates are Chongqing natives, which leaves many hungry tummies wanting. The fact that the Northerners eat little pepper makes it even more crucial to find their own feeding holes. I've introduced you to the Shandong wrap and XinJiang Chicken plate; now let's head to Shanghai.

Chinese breakfast generally invests in a meat-filled steamed bun called Bāozi 包子 or as I like to call it 'All in One'. This has been remixed by frying either the raw or steamed bun using just enough oil to cover the bottom. They are covered and fried in a shallow pan for a couple minutes, sprinkled with black sesame seeds, covered, sprinkled with fresh chive, covered, then uncovered and leaned to one side until all the liquid is dried out. Olympic gymnastic style precision.

Nice kicks chef!

The result is a crispy bottom, soft bread top and a juicy inside. For storage, it is placed crispy side up under a heated lamp, because cold and soggy is not optional. This particular outlet uses water to fry because it removes heat from the body as opposed to the original oil method which heats the body up. Nobody living in 40 degrees Celcius Chongqing wants that.

Fresh and ready to eat

I eat about seven in one setting but only because the four pack deal is such a tease. This is a breakfast food but since this outlet is open up to 10 pm ... *wink wink*. Don't play. I see you eating pancakes at midnight.



Can't wait to see what city I find next! ... stay tuned!

Peeled Chestnuts

Hai Nan Island 海南 is on every foreigner's and local's list of dream vacations. Located in the South China Sea, it's sunny all year round with beaches that would be a sight for these sore eyes. While I wait on that dream to materialize, I'm munching on this coconut snack. How proactive of me.


This 椰子角 roughly translated as Coconut Horns. The coconut flesh is cut into angular pieces and dried half way for thickness and juiciness. Then it's covered in powdered sugar. Oh la la...


When I can't go outside, pick me a dry coconut and nibble on the fresh pieces, which is all the time, at least I have this. If you don't know a Hai Nan native or have no plans to visit, the online Taobao store has tons of these. In the meantime, I'm trying to locate the packaging manager: