Author Archives: sheg4184

The Chef Diaries: Knife Skills 101

Posted on 20 July 2012 by sheg4184

Before we begin, I have to admit that I am not the most accurate or precise of cooks. If the recipe calls for an ingredient that doesn’t come immediately to hand, I find an alternative in the bottom of the … Continue reading →

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A Culinary Mosaic

Posted on 18 July 2012 by sheg4184

‘Italy, the country with a hundred cities and a thousand bell towers, is also the country with a hundred cuisines and a thousand recipes. Its great variety of culinary practices reflects a history long dominated by regionalism and political division, … Continue reading →

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Toledo: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Posted on 15 July 2012 by sheg4184

In my antiquated guide book, the city of Toledo, in central Spain, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, five stars and a ‘must-see’. We obey willingly. We reached Toledo in a mere half an hour on an extremely comfortable … Continue reading →

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Grazing on Tapas

Posted on 11 July 2012 by sheg4184

Growing up in a meat-and-three-veg kind of family, I have always enjoyed the novel concept of grazing, and to this end, tapas is the perfect way to travel: a light snack to share with friends, easy finger food, or pica … Continue reading →

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El Baile Flamenco

Posted on 9 July 2012 by sheg4184

Café de Chinitas is located in a back street near the Royal Palace in Madrid. Chinitas apparently means little Chinese girls, which is somewhat at odds with the fact we were hoping to watch some Spanish dancing. As we settled … Continue reading →

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Markets in Madrid

Posted on 29 June 2012 by sheg4184

I  discovered a reference to the San Miguel Market during a web crawl for food tours and cooking classes in Madrid. The first are few and far between, the second are ruinously expensive and will have to wait until I … Continue reading →

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Tasteful Memories

Posted on 25 June 2012 by sheg4184

Cultural understanding through taste is one of the best ways we can learn to understand each other ~ Allhoff & Monroe If you have ever wondered about the Filipinos and the origins of Filipino food, Memories of Philippine Kitchens is the … Continue reading →

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To Taormina, with love…

Posted on 21 June 2012 by sheg4184

Almoezia. A three star B&B on Sicily’s east coast. A broad sunny terrace flanked with colourful pots overlooks the coast from Siren’s Bay to Capo Sant’Alessio on one side, and the seemingly inaccessible mountain top town of Castel Mola on the … Continue reading →

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Wannabe Italiani

Posted on 13 June 2012 by sheg4184

Most people travel to Florence to experience the Renaissance art and architecture, which is undeniably superb. Guide books warn  about avoiding astronomically lengthy queues to the main tourist attractions by purchasing tickets in advance. We simply avoided the tourist attractions. … Continue reading →

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Rome: a Brief Encounter

Posted on 10 June 2012 by sheg4184

  I remember a mad dash around Rome in the mid 80s, on a bus tour that galloped through seventeen capital cities in as many days. Rome flashed by in a blurr of terribly kitsch accordion music, third rate hotels … Continue reading →

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