Luckily I was born to parents who were aware of the importance of recycling and conservation. Although I’m not quite an environmentalist I do care enough about the environment to change a few simple habits that help preserve this fragile planet we live on. Also growing up in Los Angeles I knew what it was like to live in a desert with no natural water resource nearby and no regular rainfall.

Here are my pet peeves that I see all the time:

• People who leave their engines running while in the car.
  • I once took my dog for a walk at the park and saw someone in their VW Beetle hanging out with the engine on. When I came back half an hour later she was still in the car with the engine on. Mind you the weather was a balmy 75°F/24°C outside so there was no reason for her to leave the engine on. The question is: Should I knock on her window and call her out on it?
• People who leave the tap on in public restrooms.
• People who take too many napkins or plastic utensils at restaurants.
  • I used to be one of these people when I was younger because I just didn’t know any better. The only justification I have is if you take too many napkins or utensils use them instead of throwing them out. Don’t collect them.
  • I have a dear friend that is so unintentionally wasteful. It drives me crazy. When we come over for dinner I’ll watch him as he cooks and he’ll literally go through an entire roll of paper towels. Eeek!
• People that don’t use water wisely.
  • It drives me crazy to see sprinklers on after a recent rainfall. I mean, aren’t there rain sensors available? I also hate to see sprinklers that are broken. We’ve all seen it, a flow of water shooting up into the air only to run off and create a little river.

  

Here are a few things I do to conserve energy, water and resources. Most of them are probably obvious but I’ll mention them anyway.

• Turn off the lights in any room I’m not actively using.
• Turn off the tap while brushing my teeth.
• Use reusable bags when shopping.
  • When I first got to South Africa I learned that markets charge for plastic bags used to carry groceries. I had to get into the habit of bringing my own reusuable bag. It took a good 3 months to get in that habit. I often forgot even though I put them in my car but as soon as I got the hang of it, it’s super easy not to forget.
• Use the dishwasher instead of hand washing dishes. Exception: large pots or non dishwasher-safe items.
  • My parents are convinced that hand washing dishes is best. They think that hand washing is cleaner. I’ve tried to convince them that the dishwasher is both energy/water efficient and more hygienic but they don’t believe me. Go figure.

  

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) wherever possible.
• Water plants/turn on irrigation/sprinklers after the sun goes down.
  • While living in Joburg we had a guy who worked for us and he would water the lawn during the hottest time of day. I had to tell him again and again not to do it but he’d only listen half the time.
• Recycle.
  • Unfortunately depending on the area in which you live it can be nearly impossible to do so. I’ve lived in areas where recycling is picked up in a blue bin the same size as your rubbish bin and I’ve lived in an area where a recycling center is nearby where it’s not picked up but I can drop it off. I’ve also lived somewhere where recycling is not picked up and the nearest one is quite a distance away. When recycling is not accessible it’s likely I’m not the only one throwing paper in the rubbish bin.

In order to create earth-friendly habits I think the best thing to do is to educate kids at a young age the value of recycling and conservation of natural resources. I grew up with this awareness and it’s helped me become more conscious of what I’m doing to contribute to the preservation of the environment and it makes me feel good.

At the same time those people that often annoy me most likely weren’t taught how to save water or turn off the lights. Either that or they just don’t care.

I say make Earth Day every day.

What are you going to do this Earth Day?

There are a couple of Korean markets that you can go to to get Korean groceries and meat.

The one in Joburg that I frequented most often is at Rivonia Junction, on the corner of Rivonia and 7th Ave. It’s on the ground floor in the same complex as Saigon, the Vietnamese restaurant. I think it’s called Korean Market.

Korean restaurants are known (worldwide and generally speaking) to be pretty expensive. What I don’t get is that the ingredients are super simple and easy to make.

Here’s what the menu consisted of:

• Sesame bean sprouts
• Cucumber kimchi
• Kimchi
• Kalbi
• Bulgogi

The first three items are what’s called Pan Chan or Ban Chan, simply little eats that always accompany Korean meals. Usually there are 6-10 little bowls of pickled and spicy veggies. Last night I only made three.

I marinated the kalbi and bulgogi 24 hours in advance to allow the flavors to develop nicely.

Most of our friends had never tried Korean BBQ before except one, he works for Samsung currently and has been to Seoul a couple of times.

Everything was a hit, even the kimchi! The Kalbi tasted great and was really tender. Of course we had soju with the meal.

Have you had Korean food before?

This is so cool. I’ve never seen anything go that fast. It actually takes awhile to take it all in.

In a previous episode of Mythbusters, Jamie and Adam were not satisfied with two semis not pancaking a compact and fusing together so they go to New Mexico to get a rocket to smash into a car at 650 mph.

This actually looks like something Top Gear would do, doesn’t it?

Check it out. It’s wicked.

My husband was driving down Kloof Street when he saw the too familiar sight of a parking guy with a bright coloured vest on but it was the vest the guy was wearing that made him stop and talk to the guy. He took some pictures too.

Here’s what he found out:

• His name is Josef Firmin
• He’s from The Democratic Republic of the Congo (we refer it as Dr. Congo. It’s easier and shorter. Or DRC)
• He’s been in South Africa 11 years
• He wants to go back to his home country one day
• He makes about R100/day (about US $10)
• He says that most people are friendly to him

He was very polite and friendly. Much nicer than many other Congolese we’ve met in the past. With many of the xenophobic events that have happened in South Africa this past year, I’d imagine it’s a scary ordeal for many of the African immigrants that come to SA for work.

This experience gave me an idea to feature random people on my blog. Faces that we see everyday.

These are Capetonians. Like me, many aren’t from here and like me, many will end up going back home some time in the future. But it does show us all how Cape Town is ‘home’ to so many different types of people from different walks of life.

I love ice cream. There’s nothing better than ice cream at the end of a long, hot summers day…or any day for that matter. I have a bad habit of wanting ice cream after every meal. That’s normal right?

Living in Cape Town, I haven’t been able to find any really good ice cream so far. I mean I like Marcel’s, but it’s frozen yogurt, not technically ice cream. And I’m looking for somewhere where I can also take some home. I’ve heard of this place called Anytime, but I haven’t yet been there to see how good it really is.

Growing in the Southern California in the early 80s I’ve come to realize as an adult how much I love ice cream. Ice cream on a cone (never in a cup!), ice cream sandwich, popsicles, ice cream cake, I love it all.

One of my favorite ice cream brands is Thrifty’s, a drugstore that existed through the 90s until it was bought out by Rite Aid. They may not have the highest quality ice cream but it is still delicious. It’s my childhood in a scoop.

My favorite flavors are Mint’n’Chip, Rocky Road, Chocolate Malted Crunch, Butter Pecan and Pistachio. The amount of ice cream for the price is unbeatable. You can get a half gallon for $1.99 and the quality is pretty darn good.

I remember walking or biking down to the local Thrifty’s in Temple City when I was 7 to buy a scoop of mint’n’chip ice cream on a cake cone (not a sugar cone!). Best of all it only cost 15 cents. 15 cents!! Now I think a scoop costs $1.19. How about that for inflation?

My other favorite ice cream parlour growing up was Fosselman’s. Their spumoni and pistachio flavors are yummy.

I was never a fan of Baskin Robbins although their ice cream cake was a favorite for birthday parties as a child.

Nowadays, frozen yogurt (or froyo) is the latest rage with Pinkberry, Red Mango, Yogurtland and Tutti Frutti being the biggest chains out there.

As good as froyo is it won’t ever take the place of my dear Thrifty’s ice cream.

What’s your favorite ice cream/ice cream flavor wherever you are?

Living here has definitely exposed me to lots of South African foods. Some things I like, somethings I don’t, some things I have yet to try.

Here are a few things I like:

• Biltong
• Marmite
• Bovril. I love Chili Bovril soup on chilly days. The Hubby thinks it’s disgusting.
• Anchovette. Anchovette and Tabasco on toasted rye. Yum!
• Crispbread

• Provita
• Nougat
• Smash. The best instant mashed potatoes I’ve had.

• Nando’s. Their Perinaise rocks!
• Marcel’s
• Rooibos
• Tennis Biscuits/Marie Biscuits/Romany Creams
• Bobotie

Things I’m not a fan of:

• Boerewors. Dry wors I like but boerewors at a braai I’m not too fond of.
• Rusks. I’ll eat flavored rusks but the original rusks are too bland for me.
• South African pickles. I’m used to Kosher dill pickles as opposed to English sweet and sour pickles.
• Koeksisters

• Mrs. Ball’s Chutney. Growing up without chutney makes it hard for me to like it as an adult.

Things I still have to try:

• Aromat
• Salticrax. I can’t get over the name for some reason. I can’t explain it. It just sounds like a non-food item.

Did I miss anything?

Can anyone help me identify this flower?

You like?

I sure do. DH totally revamped it by changing up everything: the layout, fonts and colors! I’m so excited.

It’s been awhile since my last post and lots has happened. Here’s what happened in a nutshell:

• Got married. Twice.
• Went back home to Los Angeles. Twice.
• Became an auntie.
• Moved too many times to mention.
• Went to Sutherland.
• Went to Las Vegas.
• Went to San Diego.
• Went to Orlando.

I think that’s about it.

Back in LA there are a ton of Vietnamese restaurants to choose from, lots in Alhambra and even more in Westminster. My favorite Vietnamese restaurant is between Golden Deli and Saigon Flavor.

Gôi cuõn is a Vietnamese starter consisting of rice paper wrapped around a medley of fresh greens, chopped mint and coriander (cilantro), rice vermicelli, minced or sliced pork and sliced shrimp. To accompany it you dip it in either a hoisin/peanut butter sauce or nuoc mam. I prefer it with the hoisin/peanut butter sauce.

I’ve been craving gôi cuõn for some time now and always thought that it was too difficult to make. I thought it would be tough to work with sticky rice paper because it can be quite delicate to work with.

Boy was I wrong! It was just about the easiest thing to make. It takes some preparation to gather the ingredients but it is all worth it.

Gôi cuõn is the perfect summer snack as it’s super fresh and healthy. Here’s my recipe for gôi cuõn:

Gôi cuõn

• 12 rice paper rounds (banh trang)
• 200g rice vermicelli
• 400g pork mince or sliced pork butt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500g cooked prawns (sliced lengthwise as opposed to chopped)
• Romaine lettuce (cos lettuce)
• Freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• Freshly chopped mint

Sauce

• Peanut butter
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha or any hot sauce like sambal oelek
• Crushed peanuts (to garnish if preferred)
• Hot water

Preparation

1. Cook the rice vermicelli by soaking it in boiling hot water for 20 minutes. Gradually tease the noodles apart with chopsticks to ensure all threads are cooked through.
2. Finely chop the garlic and stir fry with the pork mince, seasoning to taste. I add a bit of fish sauce.
3. Peel the prawns (remove vein) and cut in half along its length (so it still looks like a whole prawn from the side).
4. Wash the lettuce, cilantro and mint and chop.

Method

1. Place all ingredients on the table and have a large wide-mouthed bowl (I use a pan) of hot water on the table. Top this up as required.
2. Quickly dip and rotate one rice paper sheet into the bowl of water. TIP: Make sure you get the entire rice paper wet. Even though the rice paper will still be hard, it will soften on your plate as you start to assemble the roll. Overcooking your sheet will only make breakage more likely!
3. Place wet rice paper onto a flat plate.
4. Place two teaspoons of pork mince about 1/3 of the way up your rice paper sheet. Add vermicelli, lettuce, coriander and mint as preferred. TIP: Resist the urge to overload on the ingredients as this will make it harder to roll.
5. Lift bottom flap of sheet and fold over your ingredient line. Holding your ingredients tightly with your index fingers, roll the whole thing once over using your thumbs, ensuring you try and remove as much air as possible. Fold in the left and right hand flaps.
6. Place three prawn slices “nice” side up onto your roll.
7. Hold the ingredients tightly again and roll over so you now have one compact parcel.
8. Finished! Yum!

I love food. Just ask Fiancé. I’m practically obsessed. Ok, I am obsessed. But not in an inappropriate way. I’m not an overeater or stress eater or emotional eater at all.

I just love everything about food, the history, the culture, the ingredients, the cooking style and most importantly the taste.

You can say that growing up in such a cosmopolitan city like Los Angeles has spoiled me with some of the best food in the world. I’m used to swinging by the taco cart to get something at 2 am and waiting in line for a hot dog for up to an hour (at Pink’s). Whatever I craved I got. Here it’s an entirely different story.

I was thinking the other day about how I got to be this way. Why do I love food so much?

I believe it started with cereal.

Looking back I can’t believe I ate as many sugar-filled cereals as I did. I guess you can say that that’s just the American way. Enriched cereals packed with sugar. Yum.

As a kid (and an adult) one of my favorite things to do (especially when in another country) is to go to the market and peruse each and every aisle. Back home my favorite aisle was the cereal aisle.

When I was a kid, my dad and I would go grocery shopping and I would always be able to convince him to buy me my cereal of choice. Then after we get home I’d always eat it for dinner. I guess the toy was an added bonus but anyway, I love cereal. Now that I think about it, I don’t think cereal even comes with toys these days.

My favorites as a kid were Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, Kix, Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops. My back-up favorites (cereals I didn’t love but had cravings for) were Pops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Captain Crunch.

I loved rice krispie treats as a kid as well as an adult but I will not eat Rice Krispie cereal on its own. Yuck.

With Lucky Charms I’d always save the marshmallows for last. I also think that Lucky Charms started my love of marshmallows too. Then there’s was Chex and Chex mixes. Yes, I am an 80s baby.

Living in South Africa a trip down the cereal aisle is way less than exciting. I’d say that bran flakes, wheatbix and corn flakes dominate the aisle. It must’ve been the british influence with constipation, in my opinion.

There are some imports like Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes but no where near the variety in the states. I remember a trip back home last year I went to Von’s and just stood in the cereal aisle, overwhelmed with the selection!

The other popular breakfast food here is muesli or what we Americans often call granola. I use to buy the stuff until I discovered a home-made version. I’ll never buy store bought again. Then again, never say never.

You’ll have to wait for the recipe because I’m not going to post it now. This is still a post about my love of cereal.

So basically… I think my love of cereal was what sparked my interest in food. Why, if I could get super excited about cereal and eat it immediately when I get home I think as I got older I saw what other wonderful foods were out there.

Obviously there isn’t a great selection of ethnic foods here but it’s growing. I’m surprised that sushi took off as well as it did. Of course the quality and authenticity is questionable so I find myself on the Internet researching for recipes so that I can make it at home.

Mind you I’ve never really cooked until I moved here. It was rough at first but I get better the more I cook.

Fiancé does find it odd that I love food that much. He brought up one day that something I often do is ask what we’re having for dinner….during lunch! I can’t help it. My day revolves around what I’m going to eat that day.

And don’t get me started about travelling! Eating is a HUGE highlight for me. I’ll leave it at that. The best countries I’ve been to with the best food? I would say my top 8 are: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy (Italian food outside of Italy just plain sucks), Hawaii (I know that’s not a country but darn they have yummylicious food) and Mexico.

What are your favorite food destinations?