Welcome! With a title that reads Nanika NOMimashoo ("何か飲みましょう!", which is simply Japanese for "Let's grab a drink!"), it's safe to assume this is a food- & drinks- centric blog. It is indeed a food blog, but it is one that hopes to engage its readers both socially and mentally. With a background in sociology & anthropology, I wish to put that all-important human element into what I consider the oldest and most fascinating genre in the world: Food.
No other genre is closer, more intertwined in our daily lives. Till the very day we die, we'll eat three (or more) meals a day, every single day. The world spends over $4 trillion on food annually, which includes 52 billion chickens, over 2 billion turkeys, and around the same number of hogs. How doesn't food shape our lives, our communities, our countries, and even our planet?
These gargantuan topics will be explored through product & restaurant reviews, photographs, recipes, and most importantly, interviews. I'll speak to the farmer who grows the tastiest heirloom tomatoes. I'll interview the duo of sisters who has been dishing out Penang's best Char Koay Teow for decades from their humble Macalister Road coffeeshop. I'll find out from chefs what are some of the things that inspire them when conceptualising menus. I'll pay my local barista in Surry Hills, Sydney a visit to find out the latest trends in coffee. I'll interview the person who brings out that perfect soufflé from the kitchen to the table. I'll also engage fellow food writers & bloggers to talk about anything & everything relating to gastronomy.
Do join me on this fantastic journey in exploring & documenting how we eat; how we cook, how we dine out; and so much more.
Okay, right. Join me, I said. But who am I, you may ask. Apart from the terribly vague "About Me" section on the right, I could share a lil more.
First and foremost, I'm a lifelong student. I'm also a foodie. A traveller. A global citizen. An atheist. A language fanatic. A design & architecture lover. An avid Microplane evangelist. A wine fiend. A coffee fiend. A cocktail fiend. A water fiend. A milk fiend. A beverage fiend, really. Hence the blog title, I suppose.
Besides having many amazing meals under my belt, which can evidently be seen if we meet IRL, I cook regularly too. I'm also blessed to be given the opportunity to further my love for food through work in a professional fine dining kitchen of an Italian restaurant over a whole summer. Not many foodies have had that, I dare say.
I'm largely inspired by seasonal cooking. Ingredient-driven recipes are my favourite as they show off what ingredients are naturally capable of, without being marred by heavy seasonings. I love herbs, too. Chilli and spices, definitely. From Tunisian harissa spiced chicken to hard-boiled eggs steeped in tea Chinese-style, and everything in between. I'm usually partial to citrusy desserts-- yuzu, satsuma, pomelo, lemon, lime, I LIKE THEM ALL. Chocolates, definitely.
In the drinks department (this blog is, afterall, nanika NOMimashoo!-- or Let's grab a drink!), my tipple of choice is an aged rum. Light rums are okay too, when in Mojitos. Gin is always lovely, while good, 100% agave tequila is nice, too. As for Sake's, I like Junmai ginjo-shu; no, without the added alcohol, please. For my java, I tend to go for Nicaraguan beans. Again, it's the bright and citrusy flavours that appeal to me. Specifically, beans from Dipilto, Nueva Segovia in the north-west are preferred. And as for milk, nothing beats the good old richness of Jersey and Guernsey milk. Hokkaido's pristine environment has also allowed its Holstein cattle to produce one of the world's finest milks.
Now that I've shared my story, it's your turn as readers to respond. Let's start a dialogue. Tell me what you like, and what you don't. What you'd like to read on this site. Which food hero you'd like me to interview. What pressing issues you'd like to explore. Which new cafe is worth going out of the way for. Which snacks in your city make good souvenirs. DO TELL!
