Author Archives: sheg4184

The Science of Rice

Posted on 12 March 2014 by sheg4184

“The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life”  ~Bob Geldof, Do they know it’s Christmas? As an Anglo-Australian, I grew up on a diet of meat and three veg. Potatoes were my staple carbohydrate, and rice was simply Calrose. … Continue reading →

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A Fragrant Outdoor Kitchen

Posted on 6 March 2014 by sheg4184

‘An Indian kitchen is a fragrant kitchen’    ~ Ragini Dey  My favourite new Indian cookbook, ‘Spice Kitchen,’ by Indian-Australian restaurateur Ragini Dey, describes Indian food as ‘vibrant, colourful and richly flavoured… yet devilishly sly as its spices lie in wait … Continue reading →

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A Life’s Work

Posted on 26 February 2014 by sheg4184

Jeri Gunderson is a tall, slim, wiry American on a mission. Warm and enthusiastic, she talks easily about her life and work in the Philippines. Huddling in a corner of the Shiphrah Birthing Home on the rim of Metro Manila, … Continue reading →

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Mr. Ferguson: A Force in the Philippines

Posted on 19 February 2014 by sheg4184

Robbie Ferguson moved to Manila just over a year ago, with his partner Olivia and their two kids. A stocky, blond Glaswegian with merry blue eyes, a ready grin, and an accent you can cut with a knife, I occasionally … Continue reading →

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Celadon Rocks!

Posted on 12 February 2014 by sheg4184

One of my favourite locations for dinner is the strip of restaurants on Lopez Drive, on the perimeter of Power Plant Mall opposite Rockwell Club, with its outdoor dining and a great selection of Italian, Spanish, Filipino and Japanese food. … Continue reading →

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Vignettes of Puerto Galera

Posted on 5 February 2014 by sheg4184

A chattering, boisterous crowd gathering on a quay with bags and boxes, cases and Eskies, already sipping beers, keen, eager, ready to party, clambering aboard a large, pelican-like banca bobbing in matronly fashion on a subdued sea… A significant birthday, … Continue reading →

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Being Australian

Posted on 31 January 2014 by sheg4184

Australia’s national Day is January 26th. It is also the same day that the First Fleet landed in Australia in 1788, holds laden with convicted felons, to establish a penal colony far from the rectitude of upper class Britons. Perhaps … Continue reading →

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Coming of Age

Posted on 25 January 2014 by sheg4184

“Life is a game… play it with a light heart.”  I often think that perfect holidays are perfectly awful to write about. When everything goes smoothly, there is no drama, no humour, no adventure to give the tale an edge. … Continue reading →

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Counting My Blessings

Posted on 19 January 2014 by sheg4184

Welcome 2014, and with it, the inevitable string of resolutions, diets, and dramatic changes. My own resolutions included the inevitable weight loss, more time to read and write, and, most importantly, to remember to count my blessings. This morning I … Continue reading →

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Creating a Cuisine from Scratch

Posted on 9 January 2014 by sheg4184

Cuisine.  As it is in the Philippines, so it is in Australia: difficult to define. And like the Philippines, it comes in two parts: Before and After Colonization.  In the beginning there was a vast southern continent on which dwelt … Continue reading →

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