Happy New Year, Happy Lunar New Year and Happy Year of the Rabbit. I hope you have had plenty of celebrations since the last time I wrote this series.
Highlights
🇰🇷 ━ I had a really good time in Korea, but also glad to be coming home to a bit more familiarity from the Korea trip.
🥩 ━ We had a long weekend for Australia Day, and this was the first time I didn’t travel during the period. Instead, I went to Jen’s birthday party on Thursday, worked on Friday, went to Shoba’s and had BBQ lamb cutlet drizzled with chimichurri sauce on Saturday before crashing down on Sunday.
🏃♀️ ━ Running was an anchor habit I regretted abandoning for most of last year, and I am glad I have started picking it up again this month.
🌶️ ━ This month, I harvested the bountiful green chillis from the garden. We also planted lavender, jasmine and red Dahlia in the front garden. Here is hoping they thrive.
🍛 ━ I am on an Indian recipe roll. I cooked Chicken Chettinad, Kerala Beef Ularthu and Tamilnadu Karuveppilai Eral Thokku.
Love and Found
📔 ━ I read Crying in H Mart for the book club and loved it. I also read The Vacation by T.M. Logan while in post-holiday resting mode.
🧥 ━ On my last day in Seoul, I bought an overpriced green coat that I love so much I want to be buried in it.
Media Watch
📺 ━ I have been watching The Last of Us together with the rest of the world. I watched Deadstream and Black Snow ━ I recommend watching both for different reasons. I also watched The 90’s Show; aside from Red’s tiny tomatoes, I am not sure I could relate to the TV show.
🔪 ━ I rewatched Zodiac for the eleventh time and realized that I had never finished it until the end, not even this time.
Foodie Guide-y
🍲 ━ I have a new fave Uber Eats order from Baby Bowls ━ a DIY Buddha bowl with spicy tofu and pomegranate. It’s so delicious.
🥟 ━ I went on a Dumpling Walk around Melbourne CBD, which I will write about soon here.
🍷 ━ Fafa and I relived our South Yarra date night with dinner Thai on Chapel, ice cream dessert at Messina and drinks at Don’s before returning home before 8 PM ━ typical us.
🍨 ━ Speaking of ice cream, I finally got to try Beku Gelato, an Indonesian ice cream stall in Carlton. This place is a must-visit when you are in Melbourne. I tried Cendol, Pandan (my current fave), Ketan Hitam, and even Tolak Angin (not recommended).
🐰 ━ Liz and I celebrated Lunar New Year Eve’s eve with dinner at Nana Thai Mookata. Nana Thai Mookata is a famous Thai restaurant in Melbourne CBD, and I couldn’t help to feel a bit disappointed that it didn’t live up to the hype. We then continued the celebration by sharing a bottle of red at Madame Brussels. It was a special place for our friendship because it was the first time we both opened up about the “real stuff” some years ago.
🥡 ━ I had a Kosher meal on the flights to and from Korea. It was okay, but I think I am going to stick with the regular inflight meals for now.
Browsing History
♥ Pretty city near London that’s one of the happiest places to live ♥ I have been binge-reading mrbrown, a blog by a Singaporean satirist, to get my life in Singapore fix.
♥ After a lunch discussion with colleagues about the coldest places on earth I started following YouTube and IG accounts of people who are living in the coldest weather.
♥ Grieving with kueh (and other lessons you won’t find in cookbooks) ♥ New Zealand’s overlooked indigenous cuisine ♥ Spicy fish curry dish is seasoned with childhood memories of India’s Konkan region ♥ Coriander: The unsung hero of Indian cuisine.
♥ What does writing smell like? ♥ Embracing mindfulness with creative journaling.
♥ The woman behind your favourite supermarket chilli sauce is one of China’s richest women ♥ The woman behind Indonesia’s famous banana fritters.
Samoan Ula Fala ♥ I am keen to read Frida Kahlo’s heavily illustrated diary.
Tiny Joys
Finding a bird nesting in our backyard and then seeing the hatched baby birds ♥ Thin sausages ♥ Gentle Flow Yoga class with Anzari ♥ Playing hypothetical questions at Jen’s birthday party ♥ Payday ♥ Yoga classes ♥ therapy session after three months ♥ Mie Baso (Meat Ball Soup) at Serelo Kita Padang ♥ Nap ♥ Collective meditation followed by yin yoga ♥ Hot jam doughnuts.
Meanwhile, on Kulture Kween:
I am in the midst of completing #30daysofKorea (why do I do this to myself???) – I still have more than halfway to go. For now, enjoy: The Trail of Korean Food Tied with Culture and Traditions ♥ Authentic Indonesian Food in Seoul at Bakso Bejo Korea ♥ Memory of Insadong The Cultural Hearth of Seoul Korea ♥ Therapeutic Korean Cooking Class in Seoul Korea ♥ One Night Stay in Hanok Korean Traditional House ♥ Our Days in Seoul Hongdae South Korea ♥ Eating A Bowl of Ramyun in Old Men District in Seoul ♥ Spilling The Tea on Korean Traditional Teahouse in Seoul ♥ No Love, Only Poop Left in Ssamziegil Insadong Seoul ♥ The Authentic to Not-So-Authentic Korean Breakfast in Seoul ♥ Korean Temple Cuisine Experiencing Korean Culture Through Food ♥ A Korean New Year Tradition in Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul ♥ Breathtaking Winter Afternoon on Magical Nami Island ♥ Crying in H Mart A Memoir Marinated in Korean Culture and Must Eat Korean Chicken Dishes in Korea. If you are after something other than Korean food and culture, check out Mumbai Street Food at Satya Chai Lounge in Auckland.
Time Machine
Read more about last year’s happenings.
Thank You, Next!
🥻 ━ We are going to India for a wedding in Feb. Aside from the celebration, I am also excited about all the Mallu food I will eat in India.
🫶🏽 ━ Continuing our Valentine’s day tradition, Fafa and I are having an early dinner in Atlas Dining. This time with Cuban cuisine on the seasonal menu.
🍣 ━ I am attending a Japanese cooking masterclass next week, focusing on sushi and sashimi ━ something I’d never thought I’d learn to make, but hey, isn’t the new year all about expanding oneself?
Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.
Keep Kultured! ━ KK.
