Cooking Like a Local

I found that a great way to really dive into a culture is to learn how to cook the food - so a while back, I signed up for a class with Cookery Magic, run by the amazing Ruqxana.  The class was taught in her outdoor kitchen in her home on the East side of Singapore and it was truly hands on.  This first class was a Thai class and I learned so much about the ingredients and techniques involved, that I felt that I could easily apply them to dishes beyond the ones we prepared.  Ruqxana teaches not only Thai, but Singaporean, Malaysian, Peranakan and Indian cooking.  Since she is originally from the Gujarat state of India, I thought it would be great to learn Indian cooking from her, and indeed, she offered a class based on recipes from her grandmother.  So, when Chris and a couple of friends decided to take a class on a Sunday afternoon, we went for her grandmother's recipes.  It was fantastic, and the fact that it was our private class made it really outstanding.  Once again, I learned so much about Indian cooking and the technique of using the wonderful Indian spices, that it seems as though I can apply what we learned to many different dishes.  Maybe Malaysian will be next....

Yum!

The Flyer

Well, we were finally treated to a ride on the Singapore Flyer, thanks to our dear friends, Christy and Regan.  The attraction is the world's largest observation wheel at 165 meters tall, and the views of the city from our private pod were spectacular.  We had reserved the pod for cocktail hour, at 6:30 in the evening, which in Singapore, is when the day's sunlight starts dimming.  It was lovely, and is definitely the way to go. 

The East Coast Gang

Lucy, Ralph and Milo

Before I get going on a series of human escapades around town, I thought I'd post a picture of Lucy Blue and her Singapore buddies, Ralph and Milo.  These kids and their humans have a standing date on Thursday mornings to walk from the hood through East Coast Park to a Starbucks for coffee - well, the humans have coffee.  We thought it was high time that we got a picture of the gang - tried to take one with humans as well, but the dog-only picture looked much better!