Hello, new reader!
113 of you now! You are welcomed. Kindness here is expected and...have you eaten? (FYI: Header picture is AI generated because my own files had nothing that matched what I wanted.)
“Have you eaten?”
This phrase or similar is synonymous with welcoming you in. So many cultures have their version of it. In Laos, it doesn’t always mean anything about food but is rather more like asking ‘how are you?’ Many Southeast Asian countries have this type of greeting especially among friends, for example in Thailand and China. ‘How are you?’ becomes ‘have you eaten (rice)?’
If you go to a Greek home there will be spoon sweets (glyko) and a coffee (kafés) to greet you, or tea (tsái) and marble cake. Indian homes bring out tea (chai) and snacks. Sikh homes bring out chai and snacks and then more snacks. Most cultures invariably send you away with more than you came with.
It’s a wonderfully warm way of saying hello and of opening their home to you.
This is my virtual home on the web, where I write about memories and cooking, life and the complications or the intricacies of it. I am always happy to answer questions - in life and online - and love to help people with their cooking adventures. I write to share my knowledge and my feelings, my cooking and my daftness.
I am not a professional cook, I just love the art of it. The warp and the weft and the why and the who of it.
The ‘What if I add this?’ style of cooking.
I’ll take a basic recipe and make it mine, add the layers of my heritage, of my experiences, and tailor it to my tastes but I also adore helping others with their problems and queries too. I often get texts or messages asking for advice or recipes; the “Have you ever made…?” kind or the “Um. I think I cremated my aubergine. Can I save it?” type. I especially like the “I’ve got accidental carrots, three pounds of them? What do I do?” ones. I will never forget getting a call at work, decades ago, and a panicked voice saying “How do you blanch an aubergine?”
I will always try my best to answer so do ask away! I do, however, request that people are patient, because I have a day job. I also ask that guests are kind to me, and to each other.
Here (as in my real home) you can let your hair down, make yourself a cup of tea once you know where it all is and just be yourself. No airs and graces. Fall asleep in front of the television if you wish, just rest and relax.
