For those of you who have been following our blog for the past few years, you already know that we love going to the Decatur Book Festival every Labor Day Weekend. Here’s proof of some former Book Festival fun that we’ve included on AsianCajuns:
Lar with a wild thing at last year's book festival.
Me hanging out with the Decatur Book Festival creatures.
This year Lar and I know for sure that we’ll be going to Mary Kay Andrew’s panel on Sunday evening and Cheryl Lu Lien Tan’s reading on Saturday. Plus we’ll be stuffing our faces with funnel cake and making sure to head over to the clothesline artshow at some point during the weekend.
Remember when we blogged about Mary Kay Andrews’ latest book here? Can’t wait to see her on Sunday. And Cheryl? She’s a former fashion writer for the Wall Street Journal and a huge foodie (check out her awesome foodie blog). Cheryl’s book, A Tiger in the Kitchen, is all about her journey back to Singapore and her relatives’ kitchens to master their recipes: it’s Eat, Pray, Love meets Julie and Julia . with Asian food! You want to read it now too, don’t ya? We’ll how ’bout a little taste?
Cheryl got in touch with us via the world-wide-blogisphere, and we got to pick her brain about all things foodie, book(ie) and even fashion(ie):
1) Did you love food growing up in Singapore or did your appreciation grow once you left the country and started cooking for yourself?
You can’t be Singaporean and not love food — we always say that we don’t eat to live, we live to eat. The country is so small — you can drive from one end to the other in about 90 minutes — that there’s not a lot to do besides eating, shopping — and talking about where you’ve eaten and where you’re going to eat next. So I’d grown up very entrenched in this intense food culture — it was all about eating, however, not about cooking. I avoided cooking when I was a child — I saw it as something that my grandmothers had had to learn in order to be good wives and I decided to emulate the men in my family instead. They were the ones who went out in the world and had careers — they didn’t spend their lives at home making braised duck and dumplings for their families. Years later, in the United States, I realized the folly of my ways, however. While I could make delicious lasagnas and pies in my New York home I had no idea how to make the food of my grandmothers, my aunties, my mother, that I had grown up loving and eating. That longing for these dishes — and their recipes — sparked my journey home to learn how to cook.
2) What do you think has hurt the tradition of passing down recipes the most? What’s the best way to fix that and encourage younger generations?
Distance — so many of us live far from our families now and it’s rare that we are able to get the family together for a meal. And even when that happens, it’s often rushed — people go into family weekends or holiday dinners glued to their Blackberrys and tethered to work still. Not many take the time to watch, listen and help out in the kitchen so you see how these dishes are being made. If the keepers of your family recipes are still around, however, I urge you to make the time — spend a weekend just being in the kitchen with your mother or your aunt to see how they roll out the dough for pies, learn what’s the secret ingredient to that casserole you always took for granted but won’t be able to recreate if you never watch them actually do it. When I was learning how to cook in Singapore, my 10-year-old cousin actually set aside his iPhone games and helped out in the kitchen once he saw it as a fun activity — I shot a great video of him making popiah (Singaporean summer rolls) with my grandmother and it’s great that he’ll always have that years from now.
3) What advice would you give to someone that is intimidated by cooking – especially when trying to copy the delicious recipes they grew up with?
I was intimidated for years by the fearlessness of the women of my family in the kitchen — having eaten their phenomenal soups, dumplings and stews, I was convinced I would never be able to replicate them so why bother trying? If you don’t, however, once the keeper of that recipe passes, it’s gone forever. So just roll up your sleeves, get in the kitchen and do it. The best home cooks do it by instinct, not by recipes, so it’s hard for them to explain how a dish is put together unless you’re in the kitchen with them watching and helping. I spent time in my aunties’ kitchens with a pen and notebook but also a camera, shooting a picture of each step of the dish so I’d have a record of it — I’ve actually used these as reference when I’ve tried to recreate these dishes, if I wasn’t sure how brown a meat was supposed to be or how soft my aunties’ liked their shallots at certain stages of cooking.
4) What is your ultimate comfort food?
My mother’s fried noodles and turmeric-coated fried chicken wings. Whenever I had friends over as a child in Singapore, this is what she would set out as a snack. The taste of these dishes always bring me back to my girlhood.
5) We love that your favorite clothing store, Pluck, also sells food – how fitting! For those of us that can’t fly to Singapore for shopping, where would you recommend a visitor go shopping in NYC?
Even if you can’t fly to Singapore, Pluck sells online and ships overseas — I especially love the store’s selection of vintage dresses, culled from wardrobes of women in Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea, and have worn many on my book tour! In New York, I love Bergdorf Goodman and constantly wish I could live there somehow. (My favorite shoe department in the city.) Apart from that, my go-to store is Yamak, a tiny place in the West Village that is not much larger than a closet. The owner has a great eye and carries both established and up-and-coming contemporary labels, such as Nanette Lepore and Ingwa; Melero. I always get compliments on outfits the owner picks out and recommends. I would also encourage you to find out what sample sales are happening while you’re here — I’ve found some of my best fashion pieces at sample sales in New York.
6) How often do you visit Singapore? Do you now cook with your family when you visit?
I used to go once a year but spent much more time there in the year that I was researching the book. Sadly, I’ve not been back as much since then but yes, we do try to cook together when I visit. The last time I was there, an auntie pulled me into the kitchen to show me how to make fried prawn rolls: http://atigerinthekitchen.com/2011/02/hei-zho-prawn-rolls-a-singapore-family-recipe/ The women in my family keep remembering recipes that they haven’t taught me so the lessons are continuing.
7) Most writers have their own blog, but you take yours to the next level by updated frequently and using great photos. Do you enjoy blogging? How is different than your journalism?
Thanks for your kind words — I do enjoy blogging. Right before I left the Wall Street Journal’s fashion team, I was managing the fashion blog for the paper, which we were expanding at the time. So I guess I got bitten by the blogging bug then — as a “text” person, I love the creative challenge of trying to shoot pictures that look as good as the words, too. And food is such a visual thing — as Thomas Keller recently told me in an interview, “You eat with your eyes — you use your eyes first.” So I hope my pictures do the food I’m writing about some justice! Blogging is a little different from journalism — there’s much more voice in my blog pieces. When I first launched my blog, it was really about exploring the world of food through writing about it for the first time. I had written about fashion for 10 years so writing about food was a little foreign to me — I always say I went from covering an industry that’s about avoiding eating to one that’s all about eating. Writing this blog helped me find my voice in food writing.
8) You’ll be in the South for a few days for the Decatur Book Festival, what is your favorite southern American dish?
Fried chicken is one of my favorite foods — I love it in any cuisine. (If you’ve never tried Malay- or Indian-style fried chicken, it’s a must.) So I have to say I’m really looking forward to a Southern fried chicken binge in Atlanta. The last time I was in Atlanta I had lovely fried chicken at The Colonnade and Mary Mac’s — looking forward to trying more.
Thanks for taking time out to answer these questions, Cheryl, and we can’t wait to meet you in person this Saturday! We would highly recommend Watershed for its fried chicken. For a less fancy version, we’re all about Popeyes – best fast food around.
One of the things I’ll miss the most when Lar moves to Scotland is being able to meet her for a couple of minutes after work or for a quick lunch. In the summer, our meet ups usually involve New Orleans Sno Balls or mixed drinks at Leon’s or frozen yogurt from Yogurt Tap. Maybe we’ll figure out a system where she can go to a yogurt shop in Scotland and I’ll go to Yogurt Tap and we’ll Skype each other. Has the frozen yogurt craze hit Scotland or is it too cold there for that to happen?
Lar’s outfit details: second hand shirt, H&M tank, H&M shorts, Target belt, and Unleashed espadrilles.
Our AsianCajuns necklaces are perfect for layering. The top necklace is from Squash Blossom Boutique. It’s three different colored threads wrapped around a cord.
Pink summery toes! Hey Lar, if for some reason you think you won’t be wearing those espadrilles much in Scotland, you could always leave them with your beloved sis in Atlanta for safe keeping *cough, cough*.
Ahem. Moving on.
Outfit details: Forever 21 shirt and pants, Madewell shoes and second hand Longchamp bag.
This is probably not my most flattering outfit. The shirt is cut wide and the pants tapper so it makes my middle section look all blehhhh. Ah well, it’s one of my most comfortable work outfits and I just tell myself that it looks better in person than in photos.
A close up of the shirt. I don’t usually buy patterned shirts, but I loved the colors on this one.
I hope you all had a great weekend. I’ve spent the past two days at home trying not to spend money, doing work around the house and wearing some very unfashionable outfits. Needless to say, you won’t be seeing photos of me from this weekend!
Oh goodness, what a week. While Lar has been keeping AsianCajuns afloat, I’ve been spending most of my waking hours in a car – or at least it’s felt like that. Troy and I had to drive up to Vandalia, OH unexpectedly last week for his grandmother’s funeral. It was an intense couple of days sandwiched between two nine hour drives. Almost as soon as we got back from Ohio, we jumped back in the car and headed to Dahlonega (about an hour north of Atlanta) for a short weekend getaway we’ve been planning for a month. The past six days have been a mix of emotions without any downtime and I’m exhausted.
My cure for exhaustion? Nope. Not sleep – sleep is overrated! If I really want to feel energized, I spend hours reading other fashion/design/lifestyle blogs. I get so inspired by the creativity of others. This summer I’ve noticed a lot of style bloggers have learned to work the layered look in the heat. So I tried it out myself.
Usually just the thought of wearing layers in the Atlanta heat would get me sweating, but I’ve learned to keep it minimal – like my yellow dress that’s pretty skimpy on the top and a crop top with loose short sleeves. I was outside for a good five minutes while Lar took these photos and I didn’t even begin to sweat. Success!
Outfit details: American Apparel dress, Dolce Vita top, Dolce Vita sandals, freebie faux Ray-Bans, second-hand necklace and AsianCajun necklace from MyNameNecklace.com.
And here’s a little bit more layering for you – in necklace form. Not the most unique idea, but I figured I’d point it out since the whole point of this post is about layers. Or is it about inspiration?
This Dolce Vita top is one of those purchases I made thinking I’d wear it a lot more than I do. I love the look of it – especially the handmade stamp vibe of the graphics on the back – but it’s kind of an awkward length. It’s not a full on crop top, but it’s short-waisted enough to look white-trashy with denim shorts.
I didn’t realize this outfit consisted of so much Dolce Vita until I started working on this post. I bought the sandals over a year ago and still love them so much. I imagine it’s the type of shoe Audrey Hepburn would wear if she was filming Roman Holiday in 2011.
I’m feeling better already. Here’s to a less stressful week!
Hello all! Look at what Lar wore around her head the other day when we took our parents out for dim sum – a schnazzy headband! What you can’t tell from the photo is that Lar’s headband is homemade. Impressed? I was too. She bought some stretchy neon fabric at Hancock Fabrics, made a few cuts, did a few twists and tucks and voila! I’m in love with it.
Yum, yum, dim sum! Our favorite isn’t even pictured here. Anyone else out there love steamed cha siu baos – also know as steamed bbq pork buns?
Lar’s outfit details: homemade headband, Gap tank (word on the street is that this tank sold out super fast in stores and there’s only XL sizes left online), FCUK for Sears skirt and Jeffrey Campbell shoes.
My outfit details: H&M sweater worn over a dress from Rockit Boutique, Vivid Boutique bag and Nine West sandals. I would normally not advise anyone to wear a sweater during the summer in Atlanta, but a lightweight sweater is perfect for the indoor AC temps.
The photo above is a kind of behind the blog scenes view. Although we consider AsianCajuns to be a lifestyle/fashion blog, we spend a good portion of our picture-taking focusing on food. I also like how the photo shows off the, uh, inviting ambiance of Oriental Pearl with bright red walls, a pretty clear view into the kitchen and one of the many LCD TVs hanging all around the restaurant allowing you to stay up to date on your Asian news or soap operas while you eat.
But enough talk about food! Lar, Matt, Troy and I are heading up to Ocean City, Maryland tomorrow for a much needed vacation. Why are we going to a beach all the way up in Maryland – especially one that could compete with the Jersey Shore in tackiness? Because our extended family owns a condo up there and we get to stay for free! Plus, the condo’s retro decor alone is worth the 12 hour drive:
To see more photos of the condo, check out the photos that Troy took of the place last year here.
We’ll be bringing our laptops with us and have every intention of blogging. However, if you don’t hear from us for a week, just know that we’re thinking fondly of all of you as we sit on the beach, sipping margaritas.
Lar and I don’t consider ourselves competitive types – we’ve never competed against each other. But once in a while, a little competition isn’t bad – especially if it involves getting to wear a beautiful dress for a few minutes. Enter: WARdrobe.
Our friend, Mr. B3rtrand of 2econdFloor, invited us and two other fashionistas to style a little black dress by Atlanta designer Lake. That’s the stylish Mr. B3rtrand pictured below.
Check out the full post here to see how the other ladies styled their LBDs.
Lar and I both tried to go the non-Audrey Hepburn black dress route (no typical pumps or pearls) – and boy did we ever! Lar outfitted herself with a BCBG straw hat (yes, that’s black fringe on the circumference), mesh gloves, a red/pink ribbon around the waist, a vintage straw bag and her pair of ruby slippers from Burlington Coat Factory.
I wore my Sam Eldman booties, BCBG blazer and a stack of bracelets to go for a kind of downtown/uptown/working girl thing. . . look. It ended up being more of a hobbit look, but I can honestly say I was at least headed in the direction of what I pictured it to look like in my head. You follow? No matter!
At the end of the day, the lovely Charee won the contest and we had a lot of fun playing dress-up. I only wish I could have kept the dress!
A big thank you to Mr. B3rtrand for including us his WARdrobe series and letting me steal these photos for the post.
Aren’t you guys thankful that I didn’t do a “miso” pun for the title? So tempting!! But then you would have every right not to follow this blog again. Miso sorry! Bahahaha!!! Couldn’t help myself.
Okay, in all seriousness, Lar and I are head-over-heels in love with Miso Izakaya, an amazing Japanese restaurant in the Old Fourth Ward district. We first heard about it from our foodiest of foodie friends, Chloe, stopped by for the first time a few months ago and we’ve been hooked ever since.
For a few weeks Troy was Miso’s FourSquare mayor because we would go three times a week. We’ve been a little more practical and only go once (maybe twice) a week now so he’s been de-mayored.
If you live in the Atlanta area forget about the meal you’re about to make and go immediately to Miso Izakaya. For those of you who aren’t nearby, you need to come visit and check out this amazing restaurant. Until then, drool over these photos.
Crispy duck buns:
Shoyu Tomago – a soy marinated egg over a crispy rice cake:
Troy with pork belly, kimchi fried rice:
Onigiri – grilled rice ball with salmon skin. One of my absolute favorites:
Pork kimchi:
Tuna edamame pesto:
I rarely order dessert at Asian restaurants, but I make an exception at Miso Izakaya because it serves amazing green tea creme brulee with blackberries:
It all looks amazing, no? Well these photos don’t do Chef Wong’s food justice. And AsianCajuns is obviously not a food blog, so check out Chloe’s post to hear about Miso from a pro.
Let’s us know if you’ve been to Miso Izakaya. Hopefully we’ll see you there!
Oooohh, this blog post title makes it kind of sound like our own book signing event! Ha! Chapter 1: Asian, Chapter 2:Cajuns, The End. As Lar mentioned in her Magical Monday post, we headed over to Feast for Mary Kay Andrews’ summer book launch earlier this week. Lar’s favorite part about the launch? The amazingly delicious brownies from Sweet N’ Sinful. Nom, nom, nom.
Lar and I are both saving our copies of Summer Rental for our Maryland beach trip in three weeks. I can’t wait!
Lar’s outfit: Tracy Feith for Target dress, Unleashed espadrilles and Deux Lux bag.
Cath’s (my) outfit details: Second hand Rebecca Taylor tank, Forever 21 skirt, H&M belt, Madewell heels, necklace and purse from Vivid Boutique in Decatur.
Yep, that’s a weird face in the following photo, but I wanted to include a close-up of my nails. I don’t know the exact color, but it’s a gray-ish/green-ish Essie color and I love it. I’m not usually the nail polish-buying type, but I might break down and get a bottle if I can figure out the color. Sew Psyched, maybe?
Tomorrow morning I’m waking up at 5:30 a.m. to hit up the giant annual Baptist church yard sale in Decatur. Here’s hoping I’ll find some good storage solutions for my new (but old) itty-bitty house. Wish me luck! I’ll be posting updates on Twitter.
Most of you know Matt, Lar’s husband, nerd-glasses-wearer, doctor scientist and owner of a fantastic mustache. But you may not know Troy, my boyfriend. I mention him frequently, but rarely post photos of him on the blog because I want to respect his privacy. Why should he have his face plastered everywhere just because his girlfriend is a blogger? Am I right?
Well right or wrong, I’ve decided to forgo that mindset because I want to take a minute to brag about him – ha!
Last Wednesday Troy played on the square in Decatur and sounded amazing! That’s right, Troy is a musician (singer, songwriter, guitar player) and an amazing performer – yeah I’m biased, but it’s true! The concert was one of the first times he’s played his original songs in front of so many Decatur friends (he usually plays covers for his paid gigs) and everyone loved it. The whole event made me swell up with pride even though I can take absolutely no credit for his talent and drive whatsoever as a musician. I just sit back, listen and enjoy.
The photo above makes it look like just one person was in the audience – whoops. Girlfriend/photographer fail. Just believe me when I say it was a great turnout. Tons of friends, family, colleagues and locals showed up for the event.
Want to see a proud girlfriend face?
Horrible. I have no idea what I’m laughing at or why my eyes are closed, but I’m including the photo so you can see the whole outfit I was wearing for the concert, which took place midday so I’m wearing my work clothes.
Asos jacket (hand me down from Lar), thrifted shirt (gift from Lar), Limited skirt, Madewell heels and necklace from Vivid Boutique in Decatur.
I wore my sparkly gold Sally Hansen nail strips for over 2 weeks. They ended up chipping during my move this past weekend, but I’m so impressed with how long they last. I’ve heard from a few people that the solid color nail strips don’t hold up as well, so I’ll be sticking to the sparkles and patterns.
Ever the supportive sis, Lar came out for the concert too.
Lar’s outfit details: thrifted marching band jacket, Target shirt, Blank jeans, and Frye boots.
I absolutely love the detailing on Lar’s jacket. It brings me back to my high school marching band days – oh yes, I was intimidatingly cool in high school as a band geek. Any mellophone or french horn players out there? Woot, woot!
All in all, a fantastic outdoor concert and perfect weather. Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and see Troy – I know it meant the world to him!
And thanks to everyone for the kind words about my move. It was a hot and long Sunday, but I’m now officially moved into my new space – Troy’s itty, bitty house in Decatur. I’m surrounded by boxes and bare walls as I write this post and it’s driving me crazy. I’ll be spending the next few weeks after work unpacking and decorating. I promise I’ll post photos once I can get the place looking somewhat presentable.
I’m ashamed to say that going to see Waris talk was the first time Lar and I had been to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Atlanta. The Atlanta campus has been around for a few years now and has a full calendar of events open to the public. I love the images on the outside of the SCAD Atlanta building (above).
Outfit details: tank from Rockit Boutique, skirt from? and wedges from a clothing swap.
Lar is trying to show off the swishiness of her skirt that she bought years ago at a cute boutique in Birmingham, AL – it has a print of some famous painting on the bottom layer. She’s currently in San Francisco with her hubby who is working for a few weeks at Stanford – otherwise I would pick her art historian brain and ask her about the painting.
I am so in love with the Clare Vivier clutch Lar got me. I use it every chance I get.
This sweater might not be the most flattering piece I own, but I’m liking big drape-y tops this season.
Outfit details: H&M sweater and skirt, Clare Viver clutch, and Jeffery Campbell flats.
I hope you all had good start to the week. The Decatur Arts Festival poster unveiling is this Thursday – I can’t wait!
Have you guys met Mae yet (see her blog Thereafterish if you haven’t)? Cath and I were over-the-moon when she wrote us a few months back to let us know she would be in Decatur for a wedding – all the way from Detroit.
We only had a few hours for our fashion blogger meet up last Saturday, so we decided to take Mae on a mini whirlwind tour of Decatur. Check out her amazing post on the afternoon here.
First stop: Leon’s for some delicious food and drinks.
Next stop: Squash Blossom Boutique – one of our favorite shops ever. Mae and I fell in love with Puma, the store mascot.
Habitat for Humanity installed seven playhouses on the square for the week and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take blogger outfit shots. Below Lar is the photog and Mae is the gorgeous street style model. If only Tommy Ton was in Decatur that day!
I loved Mae’s Dolce Vita wedges – the back zips have tassels! My Aldo shoes (in the background) are some of my most comfortable summer heeled sandals that I own. I really think a girl can never have too many nude heels, so I’m adding Mae’s wedges to my wish list.
A close-up of an amazing gift from Lar: a buttery leather, orange Clare Vivier clutch. It’s my new all-time favorite accessory. I can actually fit my cell, wallet, coin purse, lip gloss and a notebook in it without a struggle.
Mae and Lar tried to get a few outfit pictures of me standing in front of the Mondrian-ish house, but the crazy running, screaming kids totally freaked me out. I think I was born without a maternal gene – eesh.
I built my outfit around my new clutch: Michael Stars sunglasses, thrifted silk top, American Apparel shorts and a Nixon watch from Worthmore Jewelers.
I loved Lar’s outfit – and hair! She pulled her hair up in a high, half ponytail and wore white sunnies from Rockit Boutique. The dress is from Creature Comforts (I bought it for her when I was out in LA last summer), American Apparel skirt, and Jeffrey Campbell shoes.
Our last stop was Rockit Boutique where we ran into another fashion blogger.
It was a perfect fashion blogger day.
The absolute best thing about writing this blog is the amount of wonderful people we’ve met because of it and our day with Mae completely encapsulated that. Thanks for visiting Mae, come back soon!
