Ushering in the Year of the Monkey

We say farewell to the Year of the Goat (that's me!) and hello to the Year of the Monkey (that's the Husband) ...

To those who have prepared long & hard, have a wonderful time catching up with your families & friends!

To those who are travelling, who are exploring new places, and/or skiing, and/or enjoying a less frenetic weekend: safe travels, happy eating & exploring!

To the rest of us,  there's much to enjoy over this long weekend.  Monkey Husband has the week off, so we have plans to eat & run our way through the festivities.  Time to do family things (playing Uno, swimming, colouring, lazing around) and time to play tourist (museums, museums, here we come!)

Enjoy the week, whatever you have chosen and enjoy another opportunity to celebrate!

Guan's Kitchen, River Valley Road

It is no surprise that I find myself obsessed with food - after all, I am a Singaporean.  We are a people who hold animated conversations about food while we are eating,  who would comb the island far & wide chasing the promise of great food!

I grew up in a Foodie Home: Father ate anything that moved, and then some.  Mother was a published Food Critic & homechef extraordinaire.  Both my siblings attacked their meals with a great deal of vigour, leaving me the picky eater of the family.  At Japanese restaurants, I would be the only one who did not touch the sashimi, or any suspicious looking morsels (of which there were many).  When eating Teochew porridge, I couldn't cope with the bony fish or the goose wings, items which were highly prized.

So it comes full circle.  As a Wife and Mother trying to feed her family with healthy meals, I find myself faced with the challenges of cooking for four people with very different palates.  Being mostly  vegetarian & sometimes pescatarian, it is interesting feeding Carnivorous Husband & Daughters.

Overlooking Symphony Lake, Singapore Botanic Gardens

I have always enjoyed drooling over cookbook photos.  Eversince Daughter #1 introduced me to Instagram last year, it has been a daily orgy of yummies!  Being part of this community has inspired  me to try different foods and aspire to be mindful of my eating.  While there are still lots of things I would not eat, there are many others which I have come to enjoy.  

The instagram community has transformed my thinking about my approach to food & to a larger extent, life.  I have become more reflective and purposeful in the things I choose to do each day.   In the attempt to give back a little of what this community has given me, I have restarted this blog so that I may share what I have gained.  Come along for the ride?