Mexico Life

Wedding Madness

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 4 Comments

Do you ever feel as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? And you feel as though you are just kicking and kicking to be able to keep your head above the water?

When I woke up on January 2nd – that is exactly how I felt. Suddenly all the excitement and distraction of Christmas and New Years were over, and I realised that in just over 2 months C and I have our wedding! I felt physically ill – there are just soo many loose ends still and so many little details that are not quite pinned down yet. Why oh Why…did we decide to have a destination wedding?! Keep Reading

(Swedish) Meatballs

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 3 Comments

FYI Swedes just call them meatballs!

Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Meatballs

So – I can tick off one item from my Julbord preparations today and I am on schedule :)

A quick summary for those of ou who did not read my last post: I am making a traditional Swedish Julbord for Christmas this year, which basically is a buffet with Swedish food. And what Swedish Julbord would be complete without meatballs? As I am serving 15 people I need to be organised, so I decided to make the meatballs a week ahead and freeze them in so that I would not be completely swamped on the morning of the 24th. Now all I have to do is defrost them and warm them up – one less item to worry about! For the full Christmas menu – click here!

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Dia de los Muertos

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Last week, on November 2nd was Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead – which is one of Mexico’s most vibrant and fascinating holidays. It’s an amalgamation of pre-hispanic beliefs, merged with Catholic traditions, but ultimately it is a time to celebrate and remember the life of your deceased loved ones. Last year C and I went to San Angel during Dia de Los Muertos, and saw some fantastic alters – you can see the post and pictures here.

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Lomo Saltado – Come Back

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 6 Comments

I have received far too many complaints that its been awfully quite  here on the Travelling Chopsticks for a number of months, and I apologise. Although I’m not going to go into any details (as that would just be far too boring and tedious) but it was a combination of travelling, wedding planning, lack of inspiration and general funk that I did not managed to bring fingertips to key board for several months.

However that is all about to change and what better comeback recipe than Lomo Saltado. Lomo Saltado is a classic Peruvian dish, which for me is the perfect example of Peruvian cuisine and its diversity.  An absolute testament  to Peru’s Asian influence which so surprised me when I first got to know C. Essentially it’s a stir fry with strips of beef, onion, tomato, soy, vinegar and potatoes giving this dish a wonderful aromatic flavour yet a punchy kick with the aji (Peruvian chili) and vinegar. Keen on reading

Care Package from Home!

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 2 Comments

We all know how comforting food from home is – and every so often, no matter what exciting country you find yourself in, or what stage of your life you are in, you will at some point or the other feel immense nostalgia for the food of your childhood. Maybe it’s not so much for the flavours (although that is a very large part of it), but for all the memories that comes hand in hand with those flavours.

A couple of months ago, C and I were watching old seasons of Top Chef where the finale was in Singapore.  I was so incredibly excited about seeing those final two episodes and sharing the moment with C who has not yet been to Singapore, that I could barely sit still on the sofa. I found myself shouting and pointing at the telly with every new screen shot: “oh my goodness that is Seetoh!”, “there is lau pau sat” or “clark quay” or in a rather condescending way “what?! you guys don’t know what a rambutan is?”

I think I worked myself up into quite an emotional state, as when the show was over – I felt this incredibly emptiness and for the first time since I left Singapore almost 2 years ago I real sense of homesickness. Although I know without a doubt that moving to Mexico was the best decision I have ever made, I cannot help but be nostalgic about my old life and remember all my good friends that I left behind, and of course my parents who still live there – and the amazing life style that Singapore has to offer. I find myself with this lingering question in my head of will I ever move back?

That night, I posted something on facebook about missing Singapore, and a couple of weeks later look what I received:

A packet-and with the beautiful and familiar slogan of Singapore Post!

What a fantastic feeling and better yet when I opened it, it had these brilliant gems inside..box after box of my favourite mixes of these Singaporean dishes: Hainanese Chicken Rice; Laksa; Bak ku te; Mee Goreng; Prawn Mee; Chili Crab; Singaporean Curry – I could of cried.

Two of my very good friends back in Singapore saw my little distressed facebook post, and decided to send me a care package from home. Justine and Michelle it meant the world to me! I have all the boxes neatly lined up in my larder and every time I walk past them I am not only reminded about home, but the amazing friends that I have!

Thank you with all my heart!

XXXX

Tepoztlan

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The cobbled streets of Tepotzlan

The Sunday before last C and I, along with a friend decided to spend the day at Tepotzlan – a little town about 1.5 hour south of Mexico City. If I’m going to be honest, I am the one that wanted to spend the day at Tepotzlan, and I bullied C into driving us :)

We had been to Tepotzlan a few months prior with some good friends of ours, and I really wanted to return as not only is it a very picturesque little town with cobbled streets, but there is hike up a hill that I wanted to do to go visit an old temple called Tepoztecalt.

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Restaurante Litoral, Condesa

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On the last Thursday of every month the four of my closest girlfriends in Mexico City make a point of meeting up for dinner. We found that with all our work commitments, various social commitments and of course boyfriend/husband commitments it was very easy for months to have gone by without seeing each other.

I really look forward to these Thursdays. Not only is it a chance to hang out with 4 lovely ladies and talk about everything of importance and of non-importance going on in our lives, but it also gives me a chance to try restaurants that I may not have found on my own. Keep Reading

An Evening Enjoying The Ballet Folklorico

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 2 Comments

I’m back! I know it has been pretty silent over here on the TTC, and I apologise for that! However, it’s not because I have been uninspired or have had nothing interesting to write about – quite the contrary actually, I just physically have not had the time or energy.

Over Christmas and New Years my parents and brother came to visit, and C and I were busy gallivanting around the country with them, exploring the Yucatan Peninsular, discovering new alleyways in Guanajuato as well as doing the usual sightseeing rounds in good ol’ Mexico City.

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Hello World!

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

It is with great excitement that I write and introduce to you all my I mean our new kitties!

These two little ladies are two and a half months old and were abandoned and looking for a home. As it happened C and I have been talking about adopting a couple of kittens or cats for sometime – so our worlds collided on Sunday, and they have spent the last 2 days settling into their new home.

We have yet to name them, as we are waiting to see what their personalities are like – so any suggestions are more than welcome!

Isn't she a cutie?

Maybe not quite the 'looker' but this little lady just does not stop purring!

Life couldn't be better...

I think they are going to be happy here!

It’s amazing how much joy these two little kitties have already brought to our home in their short couple of days with us. Suddenly the apartment is alive with them running around exploring all the nooks and crannies, playing with each other and of course – getting a good cuddle in now and again!

Adopting strays is something that I feel quite passionately about as there are so many animals out there who have been abandoned and abused and in need of good homes. But for now, at least I know that these two little kitties will be safe and loved, and have the best life possible that two little street cats from Mexico could even dream of!

Rememberance Sunday

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 2 Comments

Its ‘remembrance Sunday’ tomorrow and I wanted to do something in my own little way, to honour those who have fought and died throughout the years in the world’s numerous wars, but also spend a minute thinking about my own family.

 Every year in Singapore there would be a beautiful ceremony at the Kranji war memorial – which is a cemetery dedicated to the Allied soldiers who lost their lives during the Second World War in Singapore and South East Asia under the Japanese Occupation. On Remembrance Sunday my father and I would attend the 7.30 am ceremony that honoured the lives of all those soldiers who died, but also would remember those who survived.

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