Cafe sua da, dog walks and healthy living

Of course, when caffeine is involved in any daily routine, it can be criticized by some 'diets' out there. From the Atkins to Detoxing, to living healthily and reducing migraines induced by caffeinated overdoses, coffee has been constantly criticized as being the reason for stubborn fats in the body that just doesn't budge no matter how hard one tries. On the other hand, those that praise the metabolism driving 'caffeine' in coffee believe in coffee flavoured chocolates and caffeine enriched stockings that help to 'melt away fat'. With so many contradicting views on what this can do to you, I think it may be best to just take it in moderation and not overdose on the sugar.

And when you do decide to use it to boost your energy levels, be sure to know that what comes up, will eventually come down. And when it comes to coffee and other foods that bring you up up up there, it will make ur moods fall right down within an hour or two, and the effects of that may be stronger than the slight slump you originally had.

But, oh boy, what a good coffee can do to my moods. Even more exiciting to sip on is Cafe Sua Da (I think), or Vietnamese iced coffee.

Whilst its understandable that a good cup of coffee requires no sugar, it's just so much more fun with it! And rather than just sugar, sweetened and condensed milk, that delicoius caramelly taste carries me away into my childhood days stealing my dads coffee. yum yum

Cafe Sua Da:

1.5 teaspoons of instand coffee

1 tablespoon of sweetened and condensed milk

3/4 cups of boiling water

1.5 cups of ice

1. Pour the hot water over the condensed milk and coffee until mixed well

2. In a large glass place ice cubes and pour the coffee mixture over

3. Enjoy

Friday Afternoon Pippy Risotto

When there is no pasta, basil, gnocchi or lasagna sheets, one must resort to making some hot hot hot but comforting ristotto to ease off italian cravings for junkies like myself.

I've never quite understood the need to make 'perfect' risotto, considering the majority of people don't quite understand what 'perfect' risotto is supposed to make, and no doubt would not have the time to stand over the cooktop and stir, and stir, and stir some more tediously.

Like many people out there, I'm just too bloody lazy, and don't have all the quality ingredients called for possibly by leathery skinned old italian grandmothers. Instead, I have instant chicken stock cubes, cold butter, garlic, tomatoes, onions and some fresh pippies bought for a 'Vietnamese steam night'.

I was happy with it, the parents were happy with it, and the dog was happy with the smell of it (no grown up food for doggies).

Pippy risotto:

2 cups of arborio rice

2 cups of chicken stock (or however much you need to cook the rice through with)

1 onion diced

3 cloves of garlic minced or finely chopped

3 medium sized tomatoes of your choice diced

some sundried tomatoes if you like

sprigs of mint

butter and more butter to warm the soul

1. melt butter and sautee garlic and onions in pan

2. add the rice and cook on high until translucent, but do not burn!

3. add tomatoes and swirl around quickly

4. pour in half the stock into the pan and let simmer for a few minutes

5. add the rest of the chicken stock and some salt and pepper if needed and cover with a lid

6. when water has reduced to half its volume, add pippies and a few more knobs of butter here and there and cover for an additional 5 minutes on medium

7. spoon into a nice bowl and shred some mint on top, perhaps a wedge of lemon and serve with some grated cheese of your liking

8. chomp away and remember to push the dogs nose away from your bowl.

The Poet's Zong Zi

To introduce my first official blog, I thought it would be fitting to blog about something that relates to my cultural heritage.

What am I? I am a bit of everything, whilst my family has come from Saigon in Vietnam, my ancestors are from China, but I am also Australian. So technically speaking, I am of Chinese ethnicity, Vietnamese nationality, but I am a citizen of Australia. Thus, what I may look like can sometimes be a bit frustrating when it comes to stereotypes and societal expectations of immigrants etc, my heritage also comes with a huge array of foods influenced by not only the Chinese but also Vietnamese and other South-East Asian dishes, as well understanding the underground food culture of Melbourne, Australia, as well as the ability to speak several languages and be able to pick up languages rather efficiently.

Along with a mix of different foods my tastebuds have had the privalege of experiencing over the years, I've learnt the customs and reasons why I consume certain things.

Here, I introduce you to 'Zong Zi'. Traditionally Chinese, the story goes that a well renowned, and much loved poet was sent to live in seclusion after he spoke out against the emperor, but rather than be silenced he jumped into a swamp and thus drowned. When the many townsmen heard what had happened to their beloved poet, they went to exhume his body in order to give him a proper burial, all the while dropping rice dumplings wrapped up in bamboo/banana leaves to distract the fish from eating his flesh. Thus, the tradition of eating 'Zong Zi' around June 20th began.

Over the years, hundreds and hundreds of years, many different asian cultures influenced by the migrational trends of the Chinese have influenced similar 'Zong Zi', from Taiwan's sweet date and boiled egg zong zi, Japan's Chimaki with minced meat, to Vietnam's sweet zong zi generally eaten with sugar.

In my family though, we like it simple. Red azuki beans and mung beans and some salted pork in the middle, surrounded by rice and wrapped tightly in banana leaves and boiled for 3 hours. The results: Dense chewy mochi rice with soft beans and tender pork, and fragranced by the dense smell of the leaves. You don't need to understand the story behind the zong zi to understand why the tradition of eating it has continued all these years.

Zong Zi:

1 bag of Mochi Rice

1/2 bag of adzuki beans

1/2 bag of mung beans

1 kilo of diced and salted pork

1 tablespoon of salt

1 packet of large banana leaves

1. Let beans, rice, leaves soak overnight in hot water

2. Drain and salt the rice and adzuki beans the next day and mix, drain the mung beans and take out pork, ready to be made, but leave seperately

3. Taking two banana leaves, fold over to form a cone shape.

4. First add some rice and adzuki mixture, then take some mung beans, place a piece of pork in the middle. Put some more rice mixture in to cover.

5. Explaining how to wrap it up is a lot harder to understand, so I recommend you to watch it on YouTube.

6. Tie tightly and place all the Zong Zi in a pot of boiling water and leave for 3 hours.

7. After they're cooked, drain and eat when hot hot hot!

Moreover, after a good 3-4 small zong zi's I'm back to searching for new winter goodies to wear during the second semester of university...

Hello, I am Cindy

So, here I am finally getting around to building up a blog that will use up all the random pictures of food and fashion that I've accumilated over the past couple of years on my poor PC.

Like many of the other food and fashion blogs out there, I've been inspired by the many talented and bright blogs to create my own, no doubt that it won't ever be a match for the spotlight, but a simple and easy form of stress release and mental organisation for my ideas and what-not. Hopefully, what I blog about is interesting, and hopefully I'll also be bothered to update on a regular basis.

A little about myself: I'm currently a student, living in Melbourne (one of the most livable cities in the world or so I've heard), studying at University to get my Bachelor of Arts and still lost as to what that degree might entail for me in the near future and even more lost as to what I actually want to do. But I know this for sure: I love food, fashion, photography and gossip.

Enjoy the catwalk, or bon appetite