Author Archives: sheg4184

Reviewing the Situation

Posted on 27 August 2012 by sheg4184

Back in Manila after a summer abroad, I was recently thumbing through a guide book on moving to the Philippines – new arrivals needed some information I didn’t have the answer to – and as I wandered through the pages … Continue reading →

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A Splash of Heaven

Posted on 23 August 2012 by sheg4184

When we left Florence this summer, I had secreted a bottle of twelve year old balsamic vinegar I had bought in the Mercato Centrale. Wrapped tightly in a pair of jeans and tucked into the bottom of my suitcase, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gelato: a truly Italian invention

Posted on 20 August 2012 by sheg4184

“Filipinos are not settling anymore for the commercialized, not-so-yummy, imported brands [of ice cream]” according to Filipino blogger Anton Diaz in his popular blog ‘Our Awesome Planet’. And indeed I have watched with fascination as local entrepreneurs create their own … Continue reading →

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The Culinary Heritage of the Philippines

Posted on 16 August 2012 by sheg4184

Filipino food was prepared by Malay settlers, spiced by Chinese traders, stewed in 300 years of Spanish rule and hamburgered by American influence… Monina A. Mercado  Filipina food historian Doreen Fernandez calls this culinary fusion ‘indigenization’ – the process of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, Local Culture, Philippines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jacaranda

Posted on 14 August 2012 by sheg4184

My husband has been in Australia this week, visiting family. Daily texts and emails about walks in the parklands and along the beach were making me nostalgic and ever so slightly homesick. So when I had to do a writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Lifestyle | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

An End to the Affair

Posted on 11 August 2012 by sheg4184

I first went to Florence on a decidedly pedestrian bus tour in the mid-1980s. We struck it lucky with the most magical tour guide, however, an English expatriate who was besotted with Florentine art. Sadly, I don’t even remember her … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Local Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Walking in the Rain

Posted on 8 August 2012 by sheg4184

When a new friend in Manila asked me to go walking with her at 5.30 a.m., I was aghast. Good heavens, I thought, if I am even conscious that early, I am still hunched over my English Breakfast tea,  trying … Continue reading →

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Sunday Market in Legazpi Village

Posted on 6 August 2012 by sheg4184

When my husband and I wake up early on a Sunday, with nothing much on the day’s agenda beyond a strong urge to get out of the house, we find a taxi and potter down to the Legazpi Market.  Like … Continue reading →

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Living it Up with a Personal Shopper

Posted on 29 July 2012 by sheg4184

One of our local expatriate magazines had picked Beauty as a theme for our May edition, and I was asked to interview a personal shopper at one of Manila’s most popular department stores. At first I was appalled, for I … Continue reading →

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The Chef Diairies: Butchery, the Crowning Glory

Posted on 24 July 2012 by sheg4184

Fast forward through dissecting and trussing poultry, filleting a fish, and preparing squid and shrimp to our final cooking lesson. As we assembled at our stations, our instructor this week, Chef Kyla Rosales, introduced each of  us to a large … Continue reading →

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