Expat living can be extremely exciting, and if you are an adventurous eater, it can be fun trying new foods, however every once in a while, you yearn for the foods that are familiar. Here in Singapore, we have it relatively easy for Asia as you can find most foods that you may want. It may take some searching and a few grocery stores or reviewing lots of menus, but it is probably available. First you have to swallow the price - many products from home are often at least 50% or more above the price you would find it in North America, but still, you can find it. Then there is the variety - you may be used to a certain brand or type of product, and here you may only have one option.
As a dietitian I try to follow my own advice and follow a healthy, balanced diet. This includes cooking at home as much as I can, which has been another adventure and challenge. I recently had the desire to make polenta. Yes, you can find it in some of the Italian restaurants in town, but with the new cookbook staring at me that I received for Valentine's Day, I wanted to see how it would be. (On top of it, it is a good whole grain alternative to bread, pasta and rice.) I have never made polenta as I had my favorite places to buy it in North America and it was easier to buy it in a tube or from my favorite grocery store than to make it. Ahhh, the conveniences of North American living. I did have a friend tell me once that it was easy to make, so I figured I would give it a try. I didn't want to wander around town to multiple stores, so when I saw it in the store I happened to be at, I bought it and figured it would work. Now the recipe did say "quick cooking" cornmeal, but I was happy to have found it in the store, so I bought the one brand that I found. I did not realize that there was such a difference between quick cooking and the normal stuff, so I happily started the cooking process. What was supposed to be 5 minutes of constant stirring, ended up being 45 minutes for the polenta to be cooked. The good news was that I got a 45 minute shoulder and arm workout in in the process, and luckily I had given myself plenty of time to get dinner done, or it would have ended up being a late one. (Another thing I learned - polenta "spits" when it is cooking which can burn you, if you are not careful. Luckily the time I got "spat" on, it wasn't that hot. Remember to use a long handled spoon or wisk when cooking it.) I had also decided to make my own tomato sauce - I figured if I was going to follow the recipe, might as well follow the whole recipe rather than just bits and pieces. Also, if I found a good tomato sauce that I made, rather than the highly salted and preserved pre-made sauces that are shipped around the world, it would be another bonus. Luckily, this did not take longer than expected.
Yes, learning to cook abroad can be a challenge, I am sure you will hear many of my challenges in the future, but do not let this deter you. Besides, introducing foods you used to eat when you were at "home" (wherever that may be for you) to your family will bring back memories, or if you have small kids, will introduce those foods to them so they won't seem foreign when you make a trip back to your home country. If the brand of product you found here just won't work for you, make sure you put that item on your "home" list, so you make sure you stock up when you make your next trip home. I will definitely be looking at different cornmeals when I am back in North America next time, but for the time being, the extra exercise was a welcome surprise, especially since it worked a part of my body I tend to neglect in my workouts.
P.S. Sorry there is no picture this time. I have found another hobby I need to work on as the pictures do not look very appetizing. I promise to post pictures in the future.
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