theCollectiveUs

On a rest day during the trip, I finished this book, Wolf of the Plains which is a historical fiction about Chinggis Khan. It chronicled his hard childhood and events that led to the start of his conquests. The story was quite poorly weaved but there was a poignant description of how the Great Khan’s steed served as companion, sidekick and sustenance. You cringe but in the harsh conditions of Mongolia – and you have to realize that the conditions 900 years ago has got to be much worse than it is currently – the arrangement makes perfect sense. » Read the rest of this entry «

I’ve been making banoffee for dessert these days and it’s apparently pretty good because bananas and toffee is ALWAYS ALWAYS good. I don’t really like pies so this is a sludgier version. At the bottom is a biscuit base, followed by a layer of dulce de leche, then bananas and finally cream with a dusting of cocoa.

Artery-clogging goodness.

Daiso doesn’t sell any of those minimalist white cups unfortunately so I got these instead. I don’t really know what’s really in chawanmushi since I’ve never been bothered to look for a recipe but this looks and tastes pretty similar to the better ones out there so I’m concluding hence that a pretty container is an essential part of your recipe.

I think I can use these cups for creme brulee…

Mayhap I will be a better judge of this one day. I found a recipe of sorts for ricotta. It seemed easy enough but my first attempt didn’t go as well (although it was still very edible) but I had milk left and made a second batch. I’ve never had ricotta before so I can’t exactly tell if it’s successful but it looks pretty decent and it tastes like a stronger version of whipped butter so I guess it’s not too bad.

I used lemon juice to curd the mixture which meant the resulting cheese bore more than a slight hint of citrus. This time, I used twice the amount of juice than called for and the mixture clumped up way better. The yield was almost twice as much as on my first attempt and the cheese is firmer too.

Because cheese cloth isn’t common around these parts, I used a coffee sock instead. I added some dill for flavor because I found some fresh dill at the supermarket and I’ve never seen fresh dill before.

This really reminds me of egg mayonnaise. I like how it has a lumpy texture and yet isn’t wet enough to stick to the bowl. If you’re wondering about the crazy blur in the photos, I’m using my Lensbaby and am obviously quite inapt at handling it. I’d get better I hope.

I really like these Hong Kong cafes that have been popping up all around town. In particular, I like this chain’s version of the french toast, made with a crazily thick slab of soft bread and doused with honey (It’s probably sugar syrup but still).

I should post more pictures of food. I really like feeding my face.

I was introduced to this food center at Amoy Street which serves incredibly large portions of food.

We went there after lunch and got…

A $5 bowl of fish soup.

This looks less appetizing than it is. We got a serving each of wanton mee and there was definitely over 10 wantons in that bowl of soup which incidentally is the same size as the plate (perspective fail). All this for… $3.

And back to the program.

Here’s a family from China who was walking behind us. Mom tells her kids that she can unicycle so I turned around and said she can have a go.

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This is one of the draws of returning for Open Mic nights.It’s got this fruity, smooth flavor that doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste .

Apparently the rules have changed since the last time I was there and performers get a free drink. So I bought a pint of this and got another free Carlsberg after and the latter tasted like sewer water. It didn’t mix well. I later found out that Kronenbourg’s owned by Carlsberg. The irony.

McDonald’s in Hong Kong sell Banana pies. Sweeter than I’d have liked. And speaking of tropical fruits, here’s an odd one, Coconut-flavored M&Ms. I thought they tasted like cough mixture but some people liked it. You know what they say about people who like cough mixture…

This is possibly one of the best no-frills snacks you can find in Macau. A hard roll (does this count as a bâtard?) with a thin slice of pork chop with a bit of bone at the side, as if to remind you that it isn’t processed meat you’re eating. It’s almost like someone figured out that if you can’t afford to have fresh vegetables in your sandwiches and sell them at a reasonable price, WHY BOTHER HAVING ANY. Good move.