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 my favorite places to go to Sunday brunch in Atlanta is Sun in My Belly. Just look at that delicious fruit and granola, and lox and bagel!
It was doubly delicious this past weekend because we met up with the genius sister duo behind the blog Whisk Away (hi, Nicole and Katie!). I hope you guys enjoyed the Boursin eggs and honey glazed bacon.
Ah ha! Tricked you guys! Here’s some “fashion” too (sorry, foodie purists)! In order to get to delicious food, we sometimes have to walk by toothy, hairy monsters. They are pretty nice once you explain to them that they will be on a “world famous” blog (sometimes you have to stretch the truth a bit when convincing monsters, especially those that carry big sticks).
Hello, Readers! Are there any of you out there that still read this blog for fashion? Again, I’m so sorry this has become so foodie-focused of late. Like I mentioned before, the stresses of moving overseas etc. make me much less interested in trends and shopping, and much more interested in eating lovely delicious foods. I’d much rather wait in line for the best burger or burrito in town than anxiously scan the internets for sightings of Alexa Chung’s latest Madewell line.
That said . . . on to more food! Fruit juice to be exact. I went to Soul Vegetarian in my hood (the West End), Scoutmob in hand, with some of my favorite peoples last week.
Oh look! Some fashion-y bits did make it in! This is what I wore to eat (note loose-fitting dress for maximum eating comfort).
I even made an effort to wear my favorite (and least comfortable) shoes. I’ve only worn them once before: my wedding day.
On Lar/moi: Sunnies from Target • Dress (or quite possibly a shirt) from Squash Blossom Boutique in Decatur • DVF shoes • J.Crew Outlet necklace (if you squint, you can see that it’s made of a series of breast-shaped marble beads – quite heavy – my husband thinks it looks like a fertility necklace. I hope to gawd it is not).
Above is my plate of soul food done vegan (didn’t think that was possible, did you?). I’m 100% not a vegan, but for being without some key ingredients that I usually love, this was a delicious plate of soul goodness. I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it (see my so-cute-it-should-be-criminal nephew below):
But even if you aren’t a cute toddler or a vegan, you need to go to Soul Veg for their juice bar! I’ve never tasted a fresher more real fruit juice than this. They don’t add anything but a little bit of coconut milk and/or agave. Divine! Plus, they aren’t as crazy expensive as a smoothie you can buy with a bunch of not-so-healthy fillers (Smoothie King, I’m looking at you. Looking at you and frowning).
So, in conclusion, yummy food and drink and cute kids. Great fashion blogging done right, huh?
Oh lovely, lovely bags! Bloomingdales threw a terrific shindig for the Current Elliot/Kate Spade collab called Westward. Unfortunately the bags are a bit spendy for our budgets, but they are definitely the sort of thing (classic with a whimsical twist) that we would save our pennies for. And it was so fun to play dress-up for a while. You likes “my” new bag?
We got to meet the lovely designers behind Current Elliot: Emily Current and Meritt Elliot – such sweet and talented ladies.
(Below) Cath taking a nip of a champagne:
We also got to meet one of the creative directors behind Kate Spade – loved her dress (Kate Spade of course):
Cath and I loved this Pride and Prejudice Kate Spade clutch:
And back by popular demand, our friend and fellow blogger Eli hamming it up for a Westward flip book (we’ll show you the flip books in a future postie):
Here was my favorite bag: the Westward Adventure Satchel. Ooo lala my dream bag. So classic and would look even better after a few years of wear:
Cath and I went on a sister/sister shopping trip through the mall after the partay. We both had mall gift cards to console our empty-handed walk-away from Westward. I almost ended up with this smushy cute bear from the baby section of Bloomingdales until Cath mentioned Zara, and I had to put him down (she also might have rolled her eyes and asked if I needed him in Scotland – or anywhere for that matter. Reason #97 for why I should always shop with my twinie).
Another gem to add to the delicious batch of perfect food stalls: Sweet Auburn Bakery.
Sweet Auburn Bakery opened in 2009, and is the sweet tooth’s dream when inside of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market (all the other food stalls are savory). I haven’t tried all their tasty treats, but I dream about the slice of cheese cake I had last week. Locals, it’s the perfect place to take out-of-town guests who want something they can’t get in their home towns. Non-locals, you have to try a slice when you come to visit, okay?
A few of our non-local readers asked about Southern desserts after reading this post. Sweet Auburn Bakery is a great place to start:
1) Sweet potato pie (with or without the cheesecake on top): it’s kind of like pumpkin pie – a rich-in-spice custard pie.
2) Red velvet (cup)cake: it doesn’t really have a special flavor, but it has a velvety red color and is dense like a chocolate cake, but usually made with a vanilla base and topped with cream cheese icing- yummeh!
3) Pecan pie: when done well, this pie is incredible – crumbly, buttery crust with pecans nestled in a buttery/caramelized sugar in the middle.
Okay, I promise to stop trying to become a foodie blogger! I think this has been a slippery slope for Matt and I. The more stressed we get before we move (kitchen renovations, visa applications), the more we take refuge in delicious foods close to home. I promise once I move to Scotland (and feel less like a stressed out chicken with it’s head cut off) I’ll do more than just eat my way through the country . I’ll drink too! Haha! Just kidding. I’ll throw some walking in so I don’t die of a heart attack right away.
P.s. Hope to see you guys at Bloomingdales tonight for the Westward (Current Elliot + Kate Spade) party!
Cath and I have blogged about Sweet Auburn Curb Market before (just last week and last year) because it’s THAT good. And I feel like it’s one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets. It’s not nearly as shiny and big as Seattle’s Pike Place Market, nor is it nearly as touristy. And I don’t get why not! It’s walking/MARTA distance to touristy stuff in the heart of downtown Atlanta and chock-a-block full of history: you can walk to Dr. Martin Lurther King, Jr,’s old office and home from here.
And let’s talk about the food! You can buy a month’s worth of collards here (I’m gonna miss those bitter greens when I get to Scotland- mmm!) and your whole pigs (see photo above/ poor piggies, why must you taste so yummy). You can also find some of the tastiest food stands/restaurants right in the market: Bell Street Burritos, Cafe Campesino Coffee Bar, tons of soul food, Sweet Auburn Bakery (more on that in the next post), and Grindhouse Killer Burgers.
A peanut butter and chocolate milkshake from Grindhouse (OMG, heavennn!!!):
Grindhouse burger (these are my absolute favorite burgers in Atlanta. Sorry Farm Burger and Yeah! Burger, ya’ll are good, but Grindhouse makes me think “vegetarian” is a dirty word):
They also have turkey burgers (delicious) and veggie burgers (surprisingly haven’t tried those yet – sorry, cows and gobbles!):
One of many vegetable stalls hiding behind some mysterious mosquito netting:
And that’s the weird thing about this place. Even with so much delicious food and fun things to do (like carrying around armloads of collards and trying to decide if turkey necks look edible), Sweet Auburn Curb Market has got a lot of empty space. See unemployed dishwasher below:
An empty Ciao Boca (why? you look so delicious):
Here are some more empty corners, soon to be filled to the brim with eager Atlantans and Tourists after reading this postie, right? Fingers/toes crossed!
I’m sorry to inundate you guys with so many foodie posts, but apart from hanging out with Kitcath and friends and family, I just want to eat my way through Atlanta in the next month. They’ll have to roll me off the plane once we get to Scotland – thank goodness I’ll have to walk everywhere.
Next post? Sweet Potato Cheesecake. It’s as good as it sounds and probably something you can’t find outside of the ATL. Come on down, ya’ll!
A few weeks/months ago, I mentioned I was starting to purge my closet in prepping for my move to Scotland. Well, have I ever! I’ve made several trip to Rag-o-Rama, the West End Good Will, and Second Life (proceeds go to cats and doggies looking for a good home). And last week, Cath and I stopped by Heather’s clothing swap (thanks, Heather! We had a such a good time!).
With all that purging, I have whittled my entire wardrobe (summer and winter clothes) down to a set of dresser drawers and a weenie 1920s closet (see this post for the closet size). Are you not impressed?! (Sorry for the self-back-patting, but that’s pretty good, right?). And! That’s not all. All of my much-loved summer clothes will be going to Cath when I move (cuz I sure as heck won’t need shorts and stiletto sandals in Scotland). Take away that chunk of summer clothes, and I should just be able to fit everything into two suitcases. Yup. Two measly suitcases for 1-3 years.
In the meantime, I’ve been wearing my favorite summery outfits so that I don’t miss them too much. See those strappy red/magenta/purple stilettos (in the pics below)? Going to Cath. That pink Zara skirt? Cath. Maybe that will make the blow of moving thousands of miles away a wee bit softer? I hope so, Kitcath!
On Cath: H&M vest and tank • Limited skirt • Aldo shoes • thrifted Long Champ bag
On Lar/moi: Large-sized tee from Target • Sunnies are a present from Cath • Zara skirt • Payless (yes, Payless!) shoes
Oh here’s that AsianCajun necklace again! Sorry, guys, just can’t help it! I love how Cath always perfectly pairs her’s with another necklace. The second necklace is from our favorite jeweler June Shin. I love the little carriage – just whimsical enough without being too cutsey.
Cath and I have been trapped in our respective homes this weekend painting (Cath her closet, moi my kitchen). But we managed to slip in a bit of sister time and do a bit of (window)shopping and get a little nosh.
On Cath: Target hat • Alternative Apparel T-shirt • Thrifted belt • J Brand jeans • Mia clogs • thrifted Longchamp purse
We didn’t have much time after “licking the windows,” so we hopped on over to one of our favorite restaurants/markets in the Highlands for a quick tasty treat. Unfortunately, our flaky pastries were a bit bitter – in the metaphorical sense. Upon purchasing said goodies, I was given the incorrect change. When I explained the situation (“oops! think you forgot a dollar”), the mademoiselle behind the counter said “I’m sure I gave it to you, but I guess I’ll give you another one.” Right O. This was after repeating my order a few times (“Two raspberry croissants, please!” Very complex) because she would start talking to other wait-staff mid-order. Alrighty roo.
On to Kitcath and her ill-fated cafe-au-lait ordering. After purchasing said drink (with a card, smart lady), Cath was standing near the register, stirring in her sugar, when the same charming mademoiselle said, “Did you take the receipt you were supposed to give to me?” Mind you, she could have said “Oh! Did I give you the wrong receipt?” Or even, “Is there a chance I gave you both copies of the receipt?” She decided against the less accusatory tact and went straight for the I’m-not-very-good-at-this-whole-customer-service-thing route. She did manage to find the receipt by the register a few moments later. Well done.
Nothing earth-shatteringly rude, ’tis true. But it was enough to turn us off our ‘au laits and $3.50 croissant, and actually make us think this isn’t a place we’ll be returning to any time soon. We have had pretty good service at this establishment in the past and the food is pricey but worth it. until today.
Has that ever happened to you? Just a mini bad experience that taints a place? Locals, if you know where we’re hinting/talking about, let us know what you think! Maybe we’re being too quick to judge.
Poor, unwitting, raspberry croissant! It wasn’t you, it was your madame!
On to the next sister adventure! (We promise they’ll be more Southern charm next time and less peeved AsianCajuns ;)).
Happy Friday, lovelies! Thank you for the wonderful comments from the last post. Cath and I don’t really like to think about the moving-away-from-each-other part of this exciting Scotland move, and all of your words are so encouraging! Once I move to Scotland we do plan to change AsianCajuns a bit. The blog will be more like letters to each other about our experiences across the pond. We’ll still have fashion and food galore, but just shaken up in a slightly different format. Whatcha think?
In the meantime. food! Apart from spending gobs of time with our peeps, Matt and I are trying to eat our way through Atlanta and Decatur. This is not the most cost-conscious thing to do, but we are using the excuse that our kitchen is all torn up and unusable, so we might as well try all those delicious food places we have yet to lick our chops at. It’s a bit like playing tourist in your own backyard (cameras strapped-around-necks included).
We managed two yesterday. Delicious!
First up, Bell Street Burritos inside of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market (how is this place not more of a tourist/local destination?! It is ah-mazing!). To be truthful, Matt and I found the burritos a little on the bland side, so make sure when you go to bring a bottle of your favorite condiment: mine is Hot Squeeze. Burrito, meet Hot Squeeze. Hot Squeeze, meet Burrito. Match made in heaven, that.
On Lar: thrifted Brooks Brothers shirt • Zara shorts • Deux Lux purse • Mango booties • Target sunnies
We’ve been so impatient for their grand opening that we decided to pop in yesterday during their soft launch. Come next week they’ll have pastries and sandwiches galore. We whetted our appetites with a peach tart, rosemary monkey bread (oh-so-gawdly-good) and some coffee.
Matt and I also plan to hit a few other places that need to be drooled over before we leave town: Holeman and Finch, Cakes and Ale (the restaurant), Sugar-Coated Radical, more Miso Izakaya of course, and a number of places off Buford Highway and in Duluth. Locals, any recommendations to add? We’d love to hear them!
What do you guys have on tap for the weekend? If you’re free and fancy a hop over to the West End (of Atlanta), I have a few handy paintbrushes that would love to be put to work in my kitchen! I kid! (I think). Here’s my plan: paint one more layer on cabinets, reward with Grindhouse burger, paint kitchen walls, reward with dim sum. Good plan, right?
Matt and I bought our tickets for our big move to Scotland – flying out of the ATL Sept. 21. That gives me just over a month to 1) finish the kitchen remodel 2) get rid of, or pack away, most of my belongings and, most importantly, 3) spend time with all the people I love. So I’ve been trying to work on #3 as much as I can: see this post’s pics for confirmation.
On Lar/moi (left): thrifted dress worn as top via Ramona West • AE shorts • Duex Lux purse • Unleashed espadrilles • Target sunnies On Cath (right): Top is Son of John • UO shorts • Madewell shoes • thrifted Longchamp purse • freebie sunnies from college orientation
Twinsie photos by Troy Cono
I have a little confession to make about my short hair-cut. I don’t like it. Not how it looks or the way it was cut (lurve my stylist). I just can’t control the natural body/wave of my hair at this length. You can see in these photos that I’ve beaten it into submission with a hot iron and a hair pouf, but I hate high-maintenance hair. That said, Cath makes it look gorgeous (see below), don’t you think? She just washed it and let it air dry and it has perfect Alexa Chung waves. Shouldn’t our hair act the same? I mean we do share the same DNA and whatnot – come on, Lar hairs, make like Cath hairs and stop freaking the &^%$ out!
The above image is a close up of the fabric of my dress-worn-as-a-top. I looove the marbly paper pattern and the gold with the pops of color.
Just let me know if you are getting sick of photos of our AsianCajuns necklaces Cath got us for our birthday – I just loves them. Who knew it was so easy and painless to brand yourself.
‘Scuse these last two images, they are a bit random and for a selfish purpose. Even though I still have a month left in Atlanta, I’m already getting nostalgic for all things Southern. I want to remember summer flowers and the Georgia evening sun when I’m living by sun-lamp in cloudy ole Scotland. This first photo is from a yard in Oakhurst, a neighborhood in Decatur. The second photo is an image of my backyard, looking out of my bedroom window (cue premature nostalgic sigh).
So let the countdown begin. One more month of twinsie togetherness (cue massive and absolutely warranted sigh).
