Cuisine & Culture the Chinese Family Way
This was my first time visiting Norway, and naturally, I couldn’t miss their famous Christmas market! Located just a 15-minute walk from our hotel, the market offered plenty to see and do along the way. We explored clothes stores, Freia’s chocolate shop, the WayNor souvenir store, the Coop supermarket (not to be confused with the Co-Op in the UK), and many others before reaching our destination.
Two years ago, I wrote an article on Day 7 The Return of The Dead Night, and only briefly wrote about the dos and don’ts of the night. After watching the collaboration between the Hellbank YouTube channel with Affinity Funeral Service’s video, it prompted me to do some research through my relatives and friends in Singapore on what to prepare for the Return of the Soul night.
Just a word of warning, this does not apply to all Chinese people or religions, it is mostly what Chinese people believe in Singapore. It is mainly Chinese superstitions or customs that have been passed down the generations, you can choose to believe it or not.
This trip was quite an impulsive decision we made after I saw our close friends go there for a burger. It was always one of the places we wanted to visit if we were heading down south, but we never had a chance to drive nearby.
It was a Friday morning during the school holiday and we decided to make a special trip to visit this place with the intention of stopping on the way back to visit a nearby national trust for an hour before heading home. It took us approximate 1 hour 40 minutes (11.15am) to reach the place and we were directed to the overflow car park by the worker. There were already rows and rows of cars parked up.
“Hot sauce” are two words we’ve heard repeatedly. A good bottle of hot sauce is the perfect addition to food for those who get a kick out of spicy delights. The condiment dates back to the forgotten era when we only knew of Tabasco Sauce.
On Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories live radio last Friday, guest speaker Genesis (Top 3 Finalists for Be A Podcaster) talked about her relatives’ pregnancy. This story triggered me to ask my mum about pregnancy taboos when she was young. These pregnancy taboos are mainly old wives’ tales. You can decide whether to believe them or not, it’s your choice! The references are just for entertainment purposes.
This meal at Upstairs by Tom Shepherd was supposed to be for my birthday in April, but we did not realise how booked up it gets. The next opening slot was for October. Yes, half a year later. We finally made it, just in time for my husband’s birthday instead. This was our first time visiting and we hope to visit them again in future. The experience was amazing and I would highly recommend it.
On day 7 of our South Korea trip, we went to the underground shopping mall – Starfield COEX Mall to avoid the rain and to visit Starfield Library! This mall is in the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea. It was relatively far away from our location in Myeongdong and it took us nearly 40 minutes to travel there. It is located near Samseong station on Seoul Subway Line 2, at the intersection of Teheranno and Yeongdong Dae-ro.
We were so lucky to have booked a hotel (Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong Hotel) so close to Myeongdong night market! Little did we know at the time of booking that this place was so convenient! It is located in the popular Myeongdong shopping district and is within walking distance of many popular locations, like LOTTE Department Store, LOTTE Young Plaza, Namsan cable car, meeting point for day trips etc. It is near Euljiro 1-ga subway station exit 6.
If you are a foodie, then you should visit Gwangjang market at least once! It is a highly recommended place to visit! Just remember to go there with an empty stomach! There are over 5,000 shops in a very small area! This place is very near to Jongno 5-ga Station line 1, exit 7/8, which takes a 3-minute walk or Euljiro 4-ga Station line 2/5, exit 4 and about a 5-min walk. After finishing your food, you can take a stroll near the bridges with stepping stones and shop at the fashion malls near there.
Day five of our South Korean trip was a Saturday and both my children wanted to have a lie-in. Hence we decided to take it easy and visit the local area instead. We were within walking distance (maybe 30 minutes) of N Seoul Tower and booked the tickets with Namsan Cable Car via Klook (costs £76.16 for four people). As the Wonder Trip ticket office only opened at 1pm on Saturdays, we had plenty of time to explore the nearby area before picking up the tickets.
Parenthood can be one of the most beautiful things that any of us can experience. It’s an almost spiritual bond filled with love and laughter.
That is, of course, unless you’re trying in vain to get your baby to sleep.
No matter how loved-up and in awe of the miracle of procreation you are, a series of sleepless nights rocking a screaming infant can drive anybody to insanity.
We’ve compiled a few hints and tips to help you to send Junior to Dreamland. It’s worth giving it a try, and seeing which works best for your little one.
On Day 6 of our South Korea trip, we went on a DMZ and Ganghwa Island day tour which we booked via the Klook app. When we first booked this trip, we were unsure if this was the same DMZ trip as we had previously booked. Anyway, after booking it, we realised that this DMZ trip is on the other end of South Korea – Peace Observatory in Ganghwa island. Hence we booked another proper DMZ tour.
Bukchon Hanok Village is home to over 900 traditional Korean houses and it is one of the recommended places to visit while on holiday in Seoul. The location didn’t disappoint me at all, but many tourists dressed up in hanbok and spent ages taking multiple shots and some were even doing a live feed on the street. They do have a number of tourist officials to control the crowds and make sure they don’t invade the local people’s privacy, especially around the hilltop. I still think it is not easy to enjoy the architecture of the buildings. All we did was try to avoid photobombing other people’s photos or videos. It was not easy to take any nice shots.
If you are visiting South Korea for the first time, besides eating their delicious street foods and kimchi, you have to try out their barbecue at least once! Depending on what you order, it can be quite expensive, but it’s a great experience!
Last month, I went back to Singapore and one of the first things I wanted to try was this food court style TaiWan Night Markets at Cineleisure Orchard. This is a Taiwanese street food concept that opened on the 28th July 2023. I hoped to bring back memories of visiting Taiwan (2016) 7 years ago and trying out their street foods.
